HELPING 1ST GRADEERS BECOME ACTIVE LERNERS IN VOCABULARY LEARNING WITH VISUAL AIDS AND ACTION GAMES

CATEGORY No I II Content INTRODUCTION Reasons for choosing topic Objectives, task of thesis Research subjects Limitation of research Research methods New contribution of the topic CONTENT OF THE SUBJECT Theoretical basis Reality Content and form of the solution Proposing some solutions to help 1st grade students at Nga An primary school become active learners in learning English vocabulary III Survey the level of interest in English subjects of grade students in Nga An primary school CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION Conclusion Suggestions and recommendations Page 2 3 3 5 15 17 17 18 I INTRODUCTION Reasons for choosing topic Primary level is an important learning level in laying the foundation for the formation and development of personality and knowledge for students English at primary level as well as other subjects provide students with initial knowledge to access and use the English language Today, English is used in almost every area of life and it is considered the number one international language in the world Therefore, learning and using English is becoming increasingly important and necessary In Vietnam, in recent years, English has been introduced into the primary education program and is gradually becoming a compulsory subject and has initially obtained good results It is known that from 0-6 years old is the stage when children thrive, it is difficult to receive tutoring and extra support from their families outside of classroom hours Especially in rural areas, when the majority of students' families are purely agricultural, it is difficult for parents to support their children in learning English So students have little chance to practice practical communication situations.Stemming from the above concerns, as an English teacher at primary level, I chose the topic "Helping 1st graders become active learners in vocabulary learning with visual aids and action games" through which to create a positive and practical learning environment for students and apply language knowledge in communication in a natural way Therefore, I write this topic with the desire to share the experience of effectively using visual aids and my own games to help comrades and colleagues feel easier and more friendly with the design of teaching and learning activities with visual aids and movement games Objectives, task of thesis Nowadays, the general trend of the world is to lower the age of students participating in foreign language learning Helping children get acquainted early with English is in line with the general trend of the world On the other hand, today people not teach English simply, but also use English as a tool to convey knowledge to other subjects such as math, science The purpose of this study is to help students and teachers know some good and applicable word teaching methods to bring high efficiency in teaching and learning new words in English in grade students, by having access to English at a young age, the higher the efficiency Over the past years, I have applied a number of methods to help students remember vocabulary well such as the method of using visual aids, the method of using games and they have had a rich knowledge of vocabulary During such teaching and application process, I have found that using visual aids, games are activities that children are most interested in When we are able to provide visual aids and games in an hour of learning English on a regular basis, the quality of teaching English will surely improve To contribute to renovating teaching methods for primary English in the direction of promoting students' activeness, initiative and creativity, enhancing individual activities in coordination with exchange learning Form and practice skills to apply knowledge in communication process To create interest in learning English for students, a subject that is considered new and difficult, the introduction of a communication game to apply English words learned in the game aims to make I am not bored with the new subject, I have the feeling of learning to play, play and study Games in class not only help children acquire knowledge and words, but also help them consolidate and deepen their knowledge Research subjects - Student of grade at Nga An Primary School - English book I learn start smart Limitation of research This initiative comes from the fact that students are not interested in learning English Because English is a foreign language, not the mother tongue Moreover, through many years of teaching experience, it has been shown that students often have a state of fear and psychology of being bored learning English The topic is mainly focused on studying the teaching materials and games to help students be more active and enjoy the subject more This study is applicable to pupils at schools and primary schools throughout the district Research methods To this research, I use a combination of methods to evaluate the results obtained both qualitatively and quantitatively Using observational methods to determine the level of attention and attraction of the lesson to students Using statistical methods, analyzing data to make research results New contribution of the topic The topic has given out games to design learning activities for first grade students of Nga An primary school in English, contributing to improving the quality of teaching and learning English under the 2020 project at school primary school Students not only can study happily but also understand and inculcate knowledge, build a rich vocabulary, apply vocabulary suitable to the context, thereby helping the students to love more the beauty, the beauty of English Since then have the correct attitude to using English in communication II CONTENT OF THE SUBJECT Theoretical basis 1.1 Some principles of teaching English to primary school students: According to the website "Talent Space" (http://talentspace.vn/), here are some principles of teaching English for primary school students a Play over teach We often hear the saying: "Learn to play, play but learn", this does not mean we take learning lightly, but it is about helping students learn a lot through games The students are very active, curious, eager to learn and learn about the world around them While playing, they actually learn to comprehend early concepts or pre-scientific knowledge "Exactly, this is the method of" Teaching but not teaching ", in which, the teacher does not follow a certain curriculum and the main thought is not to teach but to create a diversified playground colors in English for students From there, guide students to self-master the playground and step by step add different activities ” b Activities, images than theory Similar to the principle "Play better than teach", activities and images are preferred in teaching English, which means that we not go into theory, grammar structures, rules principles, techniques in which we focus on students' ability to use language “Pictures, games, music, theater… are generally activities aimed at helping students participate in an environment where English is used naturally, without force A variety of activities will help students gradually form their own learning style Personal style is the foundation of learning quality and efficiency "Play better than teach" activities help students use English naturally " 1.2 Characteristics of cognitive activities of students in grade a Class student activities If at the preschool level, the child's main activity is play, by the age of primary school, the child's main activities have changed in quality, shifting from play activities to learning activities b First grade student language and cognitive development Most elementary students have fluent oral language When children enter grade 1, written language appears By grade 5, the written language is proficient and begins to perfect in terms of grammar, spelling and phonology Thanks to the developed language, children have the ability to read, self-study, selfperceive the world around them and discover themselves through different communication channels According to the report of GS.Nesport, the period from to years old is a golden time for foreign language skills to be developed because at this time 3 skills are developed together, so grade is the golden age for activities learn foreign language Learning foreign languages at this age will prevent children from having wrong pronunciation, excellent vocabulary memorization and ability to reflect in English communication in the future Reality a Advantages - disadvantages Currently in primary education, like other subjects, the teaching and learning of English is taking place along with the innovation of educational methods, reforming textbooks, reducing the content of the curriculum to consistent with students' perception, making students have access to modern content and knowledge English vocabulary in the curriculum is also used in accordance with the general development of society Teachers are also applying many methods to improve the quality of teaching hours, being creative in classroom activities, using visual aids, allowing students to participate in games but not often, mainly during lectures, classes or seminars In the daily teaching hours, it is still rarely used Next, starting from the teaching subjects are students at the age of grade English is a foreign language, a second language, not their native language Through many years of teaching experience for 1st graders, it shows that when they are in kindergarten, the main activity is fun, by the age of primary school, their main activity has changed from play activities to activities On the other hand, at that age, they may not remember all the alphabet, so it is difficult to apply the traditional method of reading and memorizing Moreover, this is a new subject, so the first graders still have not realized the importance of this subject, so teaching is facing a lot of difficulties because they have not learned by themselves, have not yet focused on studying still giddy and not motivated to help children fall in love with this subject In addition, the teaching and learning of English in the school also takes place in the communication environment of teachers and students with many limitations: Teaching in a large group (usually a class unit with about 30 students or more), the level of awareness has many different levels, teaching aids are not consistent These things distract students' concentration, have a great impact on training skills for students, slow down the process of acquiring knowledge of students and the distribution of time for each part of the lesson suitable for each type of lecture (practice, skill) is also an impact on the selection, research and application of appropriate teaching skills The best way to teach children is through the use of visual aids, games, songs or storytelling in English Let the learning of pronunciation become the most natural so that babies feel light, not constrained Nga An High School is located far from the center of the district, people's lives are still difficult, the learning movement here has not really been paid attention Because of the importance of this subject, teaching is facing many difficulties In my opinion, the biggest difficulty is that they are not self-taught, not motivated to help them fall in love with the subject In addition, teaching facilities and equipment are inadequate, so it also partly affects the level of knowledge acquisition of students In order to excite students to self-consciously learn English, they must first have a fairly solid background of knowledge That knowledge base is letters, sounds and vocabulary, so I have explored and innovated teaching methods, trying to use visual aids, games to provide students with the environment study better and more vividly b Causes - On the teacher's side In the last school year, the first grade English changed books, the teachers were new and prepared with new textbooks, so I had not fully exploited the content of the textbooks, so I faced many difficulties in finding methods Teaching to suit the age psychology of students in grade - On the student side For the first graders, English is really a new subject, they are exposed to a completely new language while they are also in the process of learning their native language The surprise and confusion when learning two alphabet systems at the same time with different reading, speaking, writing, listening and pronunciation make it difficult for them to fully absorb everything the teacher imparted Next, a quite large number of students consider English as a secondary subject, so they not have a good sense of learning, in class they not pay attention to the teacher, they refuse to learn words at home, practice using words and structures has been learned so the background knowledge of English is weak, making learning English more and more difficult The next reason is that students' learning new words only stop at the initial level, which is learning pronunciation and spelling, but not yet the ultimate goal of learning words is to learn words to use using that word to apply in communication, in order to use that word to suit each context Content and form of the solution 3.1 The nature of visual teaching method Visual teaching (also known as visual presentation) is a teaching method using visual aids, technical means of teaching before, during and after grasping new documents, when reviewing, while consolidating try, systematize and test knowledge, skills, techniques The visual teaching method is shown in the form of illustration and presentation: Illustrations often display visual objects such as templates, maps, paintings, portraits, drawings on the board, + Presentation is often associated with experimental presentation, technical equipment, projection films, movies, video tapes Experimental presentation is presenting a model representing an objective reality carefully selected in terms of pedagogy It is the basis, the starting point for the cognitive process - student learning is the bridge between theory and practice Through the presentation of teachers, students not only easily grasp knowledge but also help them learn the teacher's model manipulations, thereby forming skills, tricks, In particular, visual aids are versatile tools applied in most subjects Particularly for English subjects, the use of visual aids will make lessons more exciting, engaging and enjoyable, helping students acquire knowledge easily and quickly 3.2 Benefits of using visual aids in teaching and learning English At primary level, each lesson lasts only 35 minutes, so it is extremely necessary to organize activities appropriately, ensuring content and quality during lessons Teachers can use pictures, diagrams, large diagrams, to summarize the main content of the lesson instead of recording all the content on the board Different from traditional teaching methods, this teaching method helps teachers save time writing the board, which means more time to lecture English is a relatively new subject for students in grade 1, a completely different language from their mother tongue, so it will inevitably be overwhelming, leading to inability to grasp or slow to grasp the information believe, the knowledge given by the teacher When visual aids are introduced in class, students will have many approaches to knowledge: Listening - seeing - interacting At the same time, the visual aids will also provide the most specific and vivid illustrative examples, helping students not only remember the lesson faster, but also maintain the memory of that image for a long time In addition to the visual aids available or prepared by the teacher, the teacher can also guide students in preparing the tools for the content of the lesson Proposing some solutions to help 1st grade students at Nga An primary school become active learners in learning English vocabulary 4.1 The preparation before teaching English with active teaching methods To help students inculcate language knowledge and apply it to communication, teachers must prepare the following: + Planning teaching will be learned or reviewed according to the characteristics of each lesson + Select games and tips to suit each lesson content and learning topic + Select suitable teaching aids and design teaching activities corresponding to that teacher + Prepare, arrange suitable classes for some language games to be effective 4.2 Some notes when teaching grade students to learn English with visual aids Students at different ages will have different thinking methods, and their ability to absorb differently Grade students are just starting to get acquainted with English, visual aids need to be designed to be simpler, clearer, and activities need to take place more slowly Therefore, teachers need to understand the characteristics, psychology and ability of students of all ages to design the most suitable and effective lessons for students To ensure the effectiveness and positivity of teaching hours, the selection of visual tools to include in the lectures is considered one of the important contents that teachers need to regularly study When preparing visual aids for teaching, teachers must ensure that students in any position in the classroom can easily observe them In addition to using clear images, the use of appropriate colors also enhances the effectiveness of the visual aids In addition to the two basic colors, white and black, teachers can combine many different colors to increase the attractiveness and attractiveness of the teaching materials In fact, intuitive tools not only help students understand and memorize lesson content easily and quickly, but also make the lesson more close, lively and attractive To fully exploit the features and advantages of visual tools, teachers need to invest time, effort and dedication to prepare visual equipment and devices to ensure content, suitable for Lectures and the best quality In addition, teachers also need to regularly exchange and learn from experiences to update and renovate teaching methods, to suit the requirements of changing the current teaching and learning situation in Vietnam 4.3 Teach vocabulary with appropriate visual aids 4.3.1.Ways to teach vocabulary with visual aids 4.3.1.1 Teach vocabulary with real objects, pictures, flash cards a Purpose This activity helps to provide the most concrete, realistic and intuitive illustration so that students can access the topic of the language they are learning b Proceed Show easy-to-find objects around to illustrate a topic of the language or show pictures and flashcards For example, when teaching a topic of learning materials, the teacher immediately uses the student's available learning materials to name in English or to put sentences with that object in English Through this, teachers not need to explain the meaning in Vietnamese, students can still understand and practice communication situations with real objects Some language topics can be used with real objects, pictures, flashcards: School objects, Family, Places, Animals, c illustration Review words about learning tool (Unit 2.I learn smart start Lesson & Teacher: This is a pencil Teacher: This is a pen S1: This is my pencil S1: This is my pen S2: That is mypencil S2: That is my pen 4.3.1.2 Teach vocabulary with plastic models a Purpose Help students access language concepts with plastic models to replace objects that are difficult to find or that are difficult to bring real objects to class such as: Means of transport, Fruits, Food and Drink, by real objects large or easily damaged b Proceed The procedure is like a real-life illustration Teachers provide plastic models, name names in English for students to access and memorize, make short sentences and attach to real communication situations so that students can use them naturally c illustration Toy review (Unit 9: I learn smart start Lesson 1): ball, teddy bear, car, doll Doll Teddy bear Car Ball 4.3.1.3 Teach vocabulary with body language a Purpose Help students memorize the concepts of a language topic by visualizing the teacher's body language in an intuitive and easy-to-understand way b Proceed The teacher uses body language to express the concept of language and names it in English, helping the students to understand without giving a meaning explanation in Vietnamese c illustration Teaching activities topic With body movements and activities, the teacher expresses verbs and names in English, and at the same time makes appropriate communication sentences Unit 6: I learn Smart start lesson 1- 2: swim, sing, run I can swim I can sing I can run 3.2.5 Use visual experiments to teach color themes a Purpose Help students memorize names of colors in English and adapt to real communication situations Equip students with learning about combinations of colors through color mixing experiments b Proceed Prepare clear plastic bottles and paint colors Fill 2/3 plastic bottles with water, apply the paint color to the plastic bottle caps, leave hours-3 hours to paint the paint on the dry plastic bottle caps, then put the cap into the bottle When teaching coloring, raise a plastic bottle containing clear water and ask the students "What color is it?" Since the bottle contains clear water, the students will answer either "Pour" or "White" The teacher shakes the water bottle vigorously and there will be a discoloration of the water bottle (what color is the bottle cap, the water bottle turns to that color) The teacher immediately calls out the color name appearing in the water bottle Through this activity, students will be very curious and interested in the "magic" show that has just been witnessed It will help students memorize knowledge naturally and with interest In addition, teachers can mix colors to form new colors to name according to the color mixing formula table 10 4.2 Some games teach vocabulary using active teaching methods 4.2.1GAME 1: Slap the board a Purpose practice listening skills about sounds and vocabulary b Proceed The teacher will write the sounds, words or pictures on the board, then each turn, the teacher will read a sound or word in the pictures, the students have to listen and run quickly on the board, hit the picture with their hands , the word you all heard The team that scores the most points wins The game is used regularly in my lessons, both to check students 'old lessons and to train students' acumen And the most important thing is that all the students are excitedly participating in the game enthusiastically, making the classroom atmosphere lively and full of energy for a new class 11 Review units – page 18- 19 I Learn Smart Start 4.2.2 Raise your hands a Purpose Practice quick reflexes and stimulate students' vocabulary memorization b Proceed Teachers provide vocabulary related to the topic of language Conventions with students about left and right hand are associated with words When the teacher mentions a word, the students read it out loud together and raise the appropriate left or right hand c illustration Subject: Colors (Unit I learn Smart Start) R L L R L R R L R Of which: R: Right (right hand) L: Left (left hand) The convention of left and right hand is set by teachers actively and flexibly changed to increase difficulty, stimulate memorization and challenge students' quick reflexes; At the same time, it creates a gentle and fun environment for the classroom 4.2.3 Hit the board 12 a Purpose Help students quickly identify vocabulary through the activity of throwing balls on the board; create an active learning environment and positive competition among students b Proceed Prepare Sticky balls and flashcards related to the topic of language to be taught The teacher puts the word cards on the board, asking students to hold a sticky ball to stand at a certain distance to hit the word card mentioned by the teacher or listen to the state Through this activity, good listening reflexes and quick recognition of vocabulary, combined with pitching movement, makes the learning environment positive, exciting and makes learning not tiring and boring c illustration 4.2.4 Slap the board a Purpose Practice students' ability to recognize, respond quickly and memorize words b Proceed Prepare Fly-flapping and flashcards related to the topic of language to be taught The teacher writes, or puts the word cards on the board, and organizes the students to compete in groups using a blister to quickly smash the words they hear c illustration 13 4.2.5 Magic Wheel a Purpose Practice vocabulary memorization to send students b Proceed Teacher prepares Magic Wheel and flashcards related to the topic of words to teach The teacher puts the word cards on the board The students go to the board to spin and spin on which card to read out the word of that card Tones and intonation teachers for students c illustration 14 Review units 7- I Learn Smart Start 15 Survey the level of interest in English subjects of grade students in Nga An primary school 5.1 Survey form VOTES SURVEILLANCE OF INTERESTING WITH ENGLISH LANGUAGE OF GRADE STUDENTS OF NGA AN PRIMARY SCHOOL Check (x) in the box to show your personal opinion about English You can choose more than answer What class are you in? Class 1a Class 1b Class 1c Do you like studying English? Prefer Dislike Intermittent No idea Why you like to learn English? • Useful, fun, and enjoyable • Teachers give engaging lectures and lots of good games • To sing and play in English • Can speak and communicate short sentences in English Why don't you like to learn English? • I not understand difficult lesson and lesson • The teacher is not happy, just let me copy the text • The lesson is long and difficult to hear What teaching aids you like the teachers use? Picture Real thing Projectors DIY utensils I self-assess my English learning skills • Hear some simple sentences • Say some simple sentences • Write some simple sentences • Do your own homework • Cannot hear, speak or write in English 5.2 Survey results Conducted a survey on 115 students learning English at the school The survey results are as follows: 16 Table Students' opinions about whether or not they like learning English Do you like learning English? Amount Ratio % Like 70 60,8 Dislike 12 10,4 Sometimes like when not 30 26,1 No idea 2,7 Table results show that 60,8% of students like to learn English, 10,4% not like to learn and 26,1% are hesitant Specific reasons are presented in Table and Table below Table Reasons why students like to learn English Why you like to learn English? Amount Ratio % Useful, fun and interesting Teachers teach attractive lectures and have many good games Singed and played in English Can communicate short sentences in English 53 23 46 20 21 18 18,4 15,6 The results in Table show that the fun, interesting and easy-to-understand lessons that are attached to life always attract students However, only 15.6% of students confidently claimed to be able to communicate short sentences in English This shows that students' listening and speaking skills need to be limited, so teachers need to pay attention to using forms of active learning and gentle play to create an effective communication environment for students Table Reasons why students not like to learn English Why not you like to learn English? Amount Ratio % I not understand the lesson and the lesson is difficult to learn The teacher was not happy, just let me copy the 1,8 essay The lesson is long and hard to hear 110 96,2 The results in Table show that the majority of students are afraid of learning long and difficult lessons Therefore, lessons should be compiled to suit students' abilities and teachers need to actively turn lessons into activities that are close to and understandable to students 17 Table Teaching facilities that students are interested in Which teaching facilities you like the teachers use? Picture Real thing Amount Ratio % 18 15.6 23 20 Projectors 74 64,4 The results of Table show that students are interested in modern devices with light, color and sound effects 18 III CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION Conclusion After a period of research, learning and applying positive learning techniques in English lessons at school, I have obtained the following conclusions: 1.1 Vocabulary teaching activities according to active teaching method Learning and mastering the vocabulary of the target language plays an important role in the teaching and learning process of any foreign language Vocabulary knowledge is a tool to help learners establish and succeed in communication Teaching vocabulary is extremely necessary and need to comply with the scientific process in accordance with language characteristics There are many ways to convey vocabulary such as: using pictures, real objects, plastic models, body language, experiments or visual illustrations Learning and practicing vocabulary with visual aids such as flash cards, sticky balls, magic wheel create a positive learning environment for students to actively acquire knowledge, not passively listen and copy In addition, the design of gentle and interesting movement games also helps children love the subject more, helping them participate in learning activities in a natural way, learn, play, play and learn 1.2 Meaning of teaching methods that help students become active learners 1.2.1 For teachers Teachers have actively investigated the in-depth knowledge of students' psychology, from which there are ways to choose teaching activities in accordance with the content of the lesson and the target of students Since then, it is interesting to learn Applying teaching techniques helps the classroom atmosphere to be exciting, lively, learn, play, and learn 1.2.2 With student Students are interested, love the subject, absorb the lesson and memorize the lesson better Students grasp the nature and properties of words associated with the topic and effectively apply that vocabulary Students know how to self-study and self-study vocabulary at home 1.3 The applicability of the topic This topic has contributed to expand vocabulary, increase the ability to memorize words and apply words of elementary school students to communicate in real life situations I believe that, if you apply this experiential initiative 19 seriously and flexibly, the teaching and learning of English in primary school will achieve significant progress In addition, experience initiatives can also be applied at other levels with increasing difficulty with learning levels in accordance with learning content and students of each level Suggestions and recommendations 2.1 For teachers Need to be enthusiastic in teaching, eager to learn, explore, explore, and improve professional skills to get good lessons that are interesting to students 2.2 For students Need to be active in learning In addition to classroom hours, self-study at home is extremely important, contributing to improving the quality of learning English Thank you very much! Nga Son, April, 2021 Confirmation Confirm of the unit head I assure you of the head of the agency that my experience idea I writes, does not copy the content of others The writer Nguyen Thi Phuong 20 REFERENCE DOCUMENTS A Foreign authors: Dean – ‘Improving children’s learning’ Routledge - ‘Effective teaching in the primary school Gordon Lewis – ‘Games for children’ - Oxford University press Marry Slattery & Jane Willy – ‘ English for primary teachers’- Oxford University press Teaching Resources for Florida ESE (2000) - State of Florida, Departerment of State Workbook, teacher’s book, Exercises book I learn start smart B Vietnamese authors: Các phương pháp dạy học môn học Tiểu học – NXB giáo dục Việt Nam 21 DANH MỤC SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM ĐÃ ĐƯỢC HỘI ĐỒNG SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM NGÀNH GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO HUYỆN, TỈNH VÀ CÁC CẤP CAO HƠN XẾP LOẠI TỪ C TRỞ LÊN Họ tên tác giả: Nguyễn Thị Phương Chức vụ đơn vị công tác: Trường tiểu học Nga An TT Tên đề tài SKKN Cấp đánh giá xếp loại Kết đánh giá xếp loại Năm học đánh giá xếp loại (Ngành GD cấp huyện/tỉnh; Tỉnh ) (A, B, C) "Some Methods of Vocabulary Teaching for grade 4" Huyện B 2018-2019 Method of teaching English phonetics for elementary students Huyện B 2019-2020 22 THANH HOA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION & TRAINING NGA SON EDUCATION & TRAINING EXPERIENCE IDEA "helping 1st gradeers become active learners in vocabulary learning with visual aids and action games” Full name: Nguyen Thi Phuong Job: Teacher School: Nga An Primary School Experience idea in the subject: English THANH HOA, YEAR 2021 23 ... EDUCATION & TRAINING NGA SON EDUCATION & TRAINING EXPERIENCE IDEA "helping 1st gradeers become active learners in vocabulary learning with visual aids and action games? ?? Full name: Nguyen Thi Phuong Job:... effectively using visual aids and my own games to help comrades and colleagues feel easier and more friendly with the design of teaching and learning activities with visual aids and movement games Objectives,... situations.Stemming from the above concerns, as an English teacher at primary level, I chose the topic "Helping 1st graders become active learners in vocabulary learning with visual aids and action games"