Page 143 - Teaching English at Primary Level: From Theory into the Classroom
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Routines
Figure 9.2
Visual Support for Telling
the Time
ducing routine formats in their classes and thus give learners plenty of op-
portunities for repetition and prediction of characteristic language patterns.
There are numerous advantages to be
gained by using a variety of established
procedural and instructional routines in
the FL classroom. However, we can do
more than just exploiting the standard
routine patterns which typically consti-
tute everyday classroom life. We can
capitalise on the habitual and repetitive
nature of routines by establishing addi-
tional, unconventional classroom prac-
tices which can cater for different teach-
ing objectives. For example, a teacher
may decide to introduce a routine five-
minute ‘keeping-fit activity’ in which
learners in small groups take turns giv-
ing each other instructions on how to do Figure 9.3 Birthday Corner
theexercises.Besidesthegeneralgoalof in the Classroom
developing learners’ speaking skills and
increasing their confidence in commu-
nicating in a foreign language, this activity can be related to some specific
teaching objectives, such as learning the language of instructions.
Especially in lower levels, teachers often see the benefits of building their
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