Applying five minute warm up activities in teaching lessons 1 getting started (unit 1 unit 5), new english textbook 11

THANH HOA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAININGHOANG HOA 4 HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE APPLYING FIVE-MINUTE WARM UP ACTIVITIES IN TEACHING LESSONS 1.. Some popular five-minute wa

THANH HOA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HOANG HOA 4 HIGH SCHOOL

EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE

APPLYING FIVE-MINUTE WARM UP ACTIVITIES

IN TEACHING LESSONS 1 GETTING STARTED (UNIT 1-UNIT 5), ENGLISH TEXTBOOK 11

Author: Nguyen Thi Hoa

Position: Teacher

Subject: English

THANH HOA, 2019

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents Page

2.1.2 Some popular five-minute warm up activities in

teaching English

3

2.3 Applying five-minute warm up activities in teaching

lessons 1 Getting started (Unit 1 - Unit 5), New

English textbook 11

8-16

Reference books

1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale.

Up to now, English which is used popularly in Vietnam is an indispensableinternational language English is one of the compulsory subjects at highschools It has been used for Final Examinations to evaluate students’ level ofknowledge Therefore, whether students are proficient at English or not Beingproficient at English means students are good at both received skills – readingand listening, and productive skills – speaking and writing These four skills areintegraded in a lesson to improve all these skills for the students because onecertain skill can be used to improve the others But it is very hard for students tobegin learning English Therefore, it is necessary to have good English teachingand learning methods and techniques

To make students interested in a new lesson is very important for teachers,especially English teachers How must teachers do that? This is theresponsibility of all teachers! Warm – up activities are the ways in whichteachers can take interest, encourage the students and prepare them to learn bystimulating their minds and their bodies Warm – up activities are essentialteaching techniques for good teachers and trainers But how do English teachers

in high schools apply these activities?

There are many ways to make good warm – up activities at high schools.However, it is a matter of fact that finding the most suitable and excellent warm-

up for each lesson is not easy and many teachers find it rather time-consuming.Therefore, instead of using a five-minute warm up or ice breaker, they usuallystart new lessons immediately to save their time and effort

Basing on these facts, I present the theme “Applying five-minute warm

up activities in teaching Lessons 1 Getting started (Unit 1 - Unit 5), New English textbook 11” that I have applied in teaching English for many years

with the aim of helping students focus on English at High school

1.2 Aims of the study

My theme focuses on making clear about some issues below:

- What is a warm-up activity?

- How many popular five-minute warm up activities are there in teachingEnglish?

- How are five-minute warm up activities applied in teaching lessons 1.Getting Started, new English textbook 11

1.3 Objects of the study

11th grade students in classes 11A1 and 11A4 in Hoang Hoa 4 High school,Thanh Hoa province are the objects chosen for my study The students are in thesecond year of high school, tending to focus only on their main subjects in theNational Examination and English is not really their interest; therefore, theycomplete the tasks in their English text book in a passive way

1.4 Methods of the study

In order to collect a number of information, compare, and then, analysedata my study is conducted by qualitative methods By using the combination ofthese methods, my theme will make clear the questions in this topic, and reacheffectively the targets of the essay

1.5 New ideas of the study

Only with five minutes to start new lessons are students motivated bywarm-up activities applied These activities make students pay more attention totheir lessons and, as a consequence, the lessons become more attractive andstudents can comprehend knowledge better

2 CONTENTS OF THE STUDY 2.1 Theoretical background

2.1.1 What is a warm-up activity?

According to Allwright , warm-up activities are designed to attractstudents’ attention, to help them put aside distracting thoughts, and to get themready to focus individually and as groups on whatever activities that follow.They will cause people to stop whatever they are doing or thinking and refocustheir attention We could say a warm up activity is a motivating starting pointthat will lead students to become animated to work efficiently in the languageclass It was the activity used to encourage students’ involvement and permeatethe development of the whole lesson, so we avoided looking at them as isolatedactivities These kinds of activities might also be called zealous, enthusiastic orsuggestive activities

“Warm up is an effective way to help the students begin to think in Englishand to review previously introduced material Different types of warm ups helpprovide variety and interest in the lesson.” (p.vi) A warm up to prepare studentsfor a period of concentration may involve physical movement with activities thatkeep them active by standing up, walking, jumping, matching pictures withsentences or vocabulary, drawing or writing personal experiences or stories, andsinging or listening to familiar songs and chants These are, among others,enjoyable and motivating warm ups

Diagram 1 shows some of the principles that a teacher must consider whenpreparing a warm up activity

The principles contained in this diagram make us realize that warm upactivities are not only processes to begin the class, but tools that help us catchstudents’s attention If you start with an exciting and interesting activity you can

be sure the other steps can be developed easily This warm up must also be short(should last about 5 minutes) because it is like a preparation for the other classstages That is why it has to be related with the topic and centered incommunicative aspects which could involve activities that emphasize thepractice of different skills

Diagram 1 Aspects to be considered in a warm up activity.

In addition, a warm up must be prepared taking into account the students’learning styles According to Cardenas (2001), “Students learn best when theycan address knowledge in ways that they trust They will learn best throughdoing, rather than reflecting”

Learning English highly depends on students’ positive attitude toward theclass Consequently, learning must be stimulating and enjoyable throughbreaking what might cause monotony in this process and strengthening whatmakes tasks more interesting, as well as what increases students’ involvement.The use of warm - up activities implies features as the ones previously described

in order to get students’ attention, to make them interested in what is going on,

to focus on language items and to increase learners’ expectations by consciouslyarranging the conditions in a way that they put the learners in a more positive oroptimistic mood

2.1.2 Some popular five-minute warm up activities in teaching English.

Depending on the contents of the lesson and students, teachers shoulddesign a suitable five-minute warm up for each lesson Below are some warmups often used to start a new lesson

Focus student’s attention

Be short

Be useful to continute the class

Prepare students for a period of concentration

Help students begin to work

Be related to

the topic

Be an interesting and enjoyable activitiy

Go at the beginning

of the class

Teacher thinks of a word related to the topic of the lesson and write thenumber of letters on the board using dashes to show many letters there are.He/she asks students to suggest a letter If it appears in the word, write it inall of the correct spaces If the letter does not appear in the word, write itoff to the side and begin drawing the image of a hanging man Teachercontinue until the students guess the word correctly (they win) or youcomplete the diagram (you win).

2.1.2.2 Describing the picture

Show a picture and have students take turns saying one descriptive thingabout it Beginners can make simple observations like “three cats” whileadvanced students can make up a story to go with the picture They aren’tallowed to repeat what someone else said, so they need to pay attention when

each person speak Variation for individual: take turns with the teacher.

2.1.2.3 Shark attack

Teacher uses the template to present a new learning topic This activity is

a variation on the popular Hangman warmer Instead of building a set ofgallows and hanging the villain, a boy or a girl moves down the steps and fallsinto the mounth of a waiting shark

2.1.2.4 Sing a song or play the music song

If you’re musically inclined, or even you’re not, song can be a lively way

to get everyone involved

2.1.2.5 Finding information

2.1.2.5.1 Brainstorm race

A brainstorm race is a great way to review topics you’ve already covered,and have some energizing fun in the process Divide the class into two teams ormore Teacher gives a topic and asks learners to think of anything related to it.They will have about 30 seconds to brainstorm and list as many items as theycan in a certain amount of time-without speaking Each student must write his

or her ideas on the board or paper you’ve provided The team with the mostideas after the prescribed time wins that round

Ask the winning team to present their ideas Ask remaining teams to addany ideas the winning missed and to correct any mistakes the winning teammay have made

2.1.2.5.2 Networks

Teacher draws a network on the board with the topic of the lesson in themiddle of the network Teacher asks students to work in two or four groups tofind information related to the theme

2.1.2.5.3 Lucky number

Teacher divides the class into two teams and lets them name their team.Teacher asks teams to choose the number If they choose the number that islucky, they will not have to answer the question but they still get mark Incontrast, if they choose the number that have a question, they will have toanswer that question At the end of the game, the team getting the highest markwill be a winner

2.1.2.5.4 Chatting

Teacher asks students questions relating to the content of the newlesson Students give their ideas From this information, teacher leads to thenew lesson

2.1.2.5.5 Kim’s game

This is the memory game It helps students find out the information forthe new lesson Teacher divides the class into two teams Let students see apicture with objects or 8-10 words, word phrases related to the topic of thelesson in 20 seconds Students must remember them without writing Afterthat, students go to the board and write down all the objects or the words, word

phrases they can remember The team which has the most objects or the words,word phrases is the winner

2.1.2.6 Remind knowledge

2.1.2.6.1 Bingo

Distribute to each student one 5x5 Bingo card with a vocabulary wordtyped into each square If teacher have time, he/she could distribute blankBingo card and present the students with a list of vocabulary words they shouldrecognize The students write in the words themselves to practice writing Draw a randon word card from a bag and call out the word (alternatively,Teacher could show the students a picture that corresponds with a vocabularyword) The students search for the written word on their cards and cross it off.Continue until a student calls out, “Bingo!” This student is the winner.Again, students can only call out, “Bingo!” when they have crossed out fiveboxes in a row vertically, horizontally, or diagonally

Teacher asks students to work in pairs or groups He/She gives them a

“crossword” and asks students to find the objects related to the lesson

2.1.2.7 Other five-minute warm up activities.

What and where, slap the board, survey, true/false statement, picture drill,find someone who, chain game, gap fill, hot seat, mystery object, nought andcrosses, …

2.2 Practical background

Hoang Hoa 4 high school is located in Hoang Hoa district, Thanh Hoaprovince It was built in 1989 At present, school has 32 classes with nearly1.500 students

Almost all students in the school live in the countryside and do not havemany opportunities and conditions to practice English regularly as well as takepart in extra English classes Although they are studious and obedient students,

they do not raise the sense of initiative in learning English They need theteacher’s help If a teacher uses a five-minute warm up, which is a short, fungame, he/she can encourage the students, wake them up - first thing in themorning and after lunch they are often a little sleepy, mark the shift whenstudents have finished one subject before starting on a new topic Furthermore,

a five-minute warm up helps learners put aside their daily distractions and focus

on English If they haven’t used English all day, they may take a little while toshift into it Warm-ups also encourage whole class participation which canbuild a sense of community within the class

We all know that starting the lesson with a good hook activity sets us up for

a better chance of success It captivates the students and draws them into thelesson – giving us the opportunity to “do our thing”! A warm up at thebeginning of the lesson takes only five minutes but it brings us a variety ofbenefits as I presented above

2.3.Applying five-minute warm up activities in teaching Lessons 1 Getting started (Unit 1 - Unit 5), English textbook 11.

Below are some five-minute warm ups I have used in teaching newEnglish lessons, English text book 11 in the last few years, many teachers canalso apply them in their teaching

Teacher thinks of the phrase word “the generation gap” and writes 18

letters on the board using dashes to show He/She asks students to suggest aletter If students suggest the letters: g, t, e, h, r, t, i, n, o, a and p, write it in all

of the correct spaces If students suggest other letters, write them off to the sideand begin drawing the image of a hanging man Teacher continues until thestudents guess the word correctly

2

5 5555555

2.3.1.3 Jumbled word.

Teacher divides the class into four groups and gives some jumpled words

related to the topic “our families”:

3 Conflict c.

5 Childcare

e

Suggested answer: 1.b 2.a 3.e 4.c 5.d

Lead-in: We are going to listen to a conversation between two friends about the

generation gap and family rules

2.3.2 Application 2.

Unit 2 RELATIONSHIPS

LESSON 1 GETTING STARTED

 Warm-up.

2.3.2.1 Describing the picture.

Teacher shows some pictures about Romantic relationships and asksstudents to describe them

Teacher can give some questions to make this activity easier:

1 What are the pictures about?

2 What can you see in the pictures?

3 Should a student start a romantic relationship with a boy or a girl?

4 What are we going to learn today?

Suggested answers:

1 They’re about romantic relationships

2 We can see two persons, a boy and a girl They are getting involved inromantic relationships

3 No, she/he shouldn’t If she/he falls in love with someone, it willdistract her/his attention from studying

4 We are going to learn some vocabularies related to relationships

2.3.2.2 Play the music song

Teacher plays the music song “Love story” The song is a lively way to

get everyone involved