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Theories of Second Language Development

By Eleanor McKenzie, eHow Contributor

Successful language learners don't mind making mistakes. Some people are better than others at learning a second language. Second language acquisition theory provides answers to this puzzle. Stephen Krashen, a specialist in language development and acquisition at the University of Southern California, is the most influential theorist in this field, and his ideas are widely accepted internationally. His theory breaks the process of language learning into five components and is the basis of the majority of teaching methods and tools used in language courses.

Acquisition and Learning


Krashen says that the two important systems we use to learn a language are acquisition and learning, and that these two systems are different but related. The acquisition system is a largely unconscious activity and is the one we use when learning our first language as children: we listen and speak, but we are more concerned with communicating meaning than with our sentence structure. As a result, those students who speak more in the second language without worrying about a perfect sentence structure are likely to learn faster. Krashen believes this acquisition system is more important than the learning system, which refers to formal study of another language using grammar books.

Monitoring Krashen believes that monitoring is a process we use during language study that links the acquisition and learning systems. Students "monitor" their speech by applying grammar and syntax rules learned in class. Initially it takes the student more time to monitor what they are saying and they need time to construct sentences; as they progress, less time is needed. Students who monitor their sentence construction too much have trouble progressing because they inhibit the acquisition system of learning. Students who find a balance between speaking and monitoring progress faster because they are more likely to engage in conversation and thus use the acquisition system more effectively.

Natural Order Theory Another element of Krashen's theory is that successful language learners follow an instinctive, or natural, process that transcends factors thought to help language acquisition, such as age and learning

conditions. He believes that they acquire single words and string them together without regard to syntax; in other words, they focus more on meaning. They also identify the key ways of beginning and ending sentences in the second language, and also look for ways of rearranging sentences to form questions. Krashen also states that natural order learners benefit from frequent communication with speakers who are either native speakers of the second language, or others more fluent in it as a second language.

External Factors The final component of Krashen's theory relates to factors that are not directly connected to language learning but directly affect success. These are primarily motivation, self-confidence and anxiety. Lack of confidence and nerves inhibit students and it is noticeable that the most successful language students are relaxed and self-confident. Motivation is also a factor, but even students that are motivated will not learn well if they are not relaxed about it.

Read more: Theories of Second Language Development | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_7966154_theories-second-language-development.html#ixzz26KNtsTNQ

How to Teach a Good English Lesson


By Eric Hammer, eHow Contributor

Show her that she doesn't have to fear an English lesson.One of the most difficult things to do successfully is to teach an effective English lesson. The reasons are numerous and some of them have to do with knowledge of teaching methods. However, even for those who know how to teach, English lessons can be difficult to teach because your students often will consider them to be boring. They don't have to be though. You just need to know how to teach it properly and be prepared for it.

Instructions

1 Read everything you can about the subject you plan to teach. If you plan to teach the basic parts of speech for example (noun, verb, adjective, adverb), make sure you know your subject well. Very well. If you are not sure, your students will sense it and you will have a harder time teaching your lesson.

2 Come up with a great motivation. Let's look at those parts of speech again. They're pretty boring on their own. But what if you make it into a game where you give kids a set of words, including all four basic types of words and they need to come up with crazy titles for a story using at least one of each.

The kids will then be using the words in the right way without realizing what they are doing. Once they've done that, you can then challenge them and ask, what if I took away all the adjectives? Is your title exciting just with nouns? Come up with your own idea to show why what you are teaching is important not just to you but to them.

Read more: How to Teach a Good English Lesson | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_6156252_teach-good-english-lesson.html#ixzz26KM5iXgJ

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Teach English Effectively to Kids


You can help kids learn English as a second language by adapting your lessons to their needs and enthusiasm. Use language suited to their age level and topics that interest them. Incorporate listening and speaking with games, action and music. Teach reading and writing by using a variety of techniques and activities. Overall, use methods that mirror their first-language learning so that mastery of English grammar flows naturally.

Read more: How do I Teach English Effectively to Kids? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_6885203_do-teach-english-effectively-kids_.html#ixzz26KJwsOMh

Instructions

1 Tailor your lessons to the kids' ages, language backgrounds and native cultures. Choose materials at their age level and topics of interest to their age group. If the kids like cartoons, sports or collecting, address their interests or hobbies. Whether the students come from one nationality or many, show sensitivity to their cultures, and include their holidays and customs in your lesson plans.

2 Use a natural approach to teaching English that mirrors how the children are learning their first language. Emphasize listening, then speaking. Teach spoken language before written language. Language acquisition expert Stephen D. Krashen states that some learners may only listen at the beginning of their instruction. Have patience with students who postpone speaking.

3 Use conversation and games in teaching children. Teach concepts such as apologizing, asking for permission or asking for information. Role-play activities such as going to the dentist or doctor. Depending on their ages, play various memory games, word games or charades.

Use music and action games to make learning fun. Use songs such as "Itsy, Bitsy Spider," "London Bridge" and "Heads and Shoulders, Knees and Toes" to get students involved physically. Don't forget non-musical games likes "Simon Says." These can allow students who are slow to speak in English to respond nonverbally. Make physical activity, music and fun a daily part of class.

5 Teach reading and writing in a variety of ways to address all learning styles. Use the sounds of the letters or phonics, children's literature and story-writing. For literature, try traditional stories, nursery rhymes and poetry intended for slightly younger children. Help children to write simple stories of their own and read them to each other. Make sure you combine writing with speaking and listening in other activities. For example, they can write a picnic menu or a shopping list.

6 Help children learn grammar naturally, as a part of conversations, activities and authentic language. Don't make it a separate subject. Model correct English, and correct students' errors with an accepting attitude. Let children learn English grammar the same way they learned their first language. Keep learning fun so they enjoy English class.

Read more: How do I Teach English Effectively to Kids? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_6885203_do-teach-english-effectively-kids_.html#ixzz26KKDSilR

English Games for Kids


By S. Herlihy, eHow Contributor Teaching English to children serves many purposes. Properly prepared English lessons teach students how to write down their thoughts in print for effective communication. An English class can also help students learn how to read written material closely for greater meaning and understanding. Effective teaching should not only be useful and informative, but draw students in and make them want to learn. Use games to help make a valuable subject fun and exciting.

Read more: English Games for Kids | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/way_5452554_english-gameskids.html#ixzz26KKVsjUP

Hangman Hangman is a classic game people play outside of the classroom. Give students a list of vocabulary words of equal length. Call one student to start. Have the student go to the board and write dashes. Each dash should represent a letter of the word in question. Ask other students to call out letters they are think are in the letter. Each time someone guesses correctly, the letter gets filled in on the board. Each incorrect guess results in another line being drawn on the hangman. The game ends when either a student guesses the word correctly or the student completes the drawing of the hangman.

Spelling Bee English has many irregular spellings. Memorization of such spellings is a vital tool in learning English correctly. Students who are unsure how to spell words may struggle with writing. Encourage students to memorize many basic and more usual words with a spelling bee. Hand out a list of suggested words for them to study several weeks in advance. Start the bee by calling out words for each individual to spell out loud one at a time. Students who spell words incorrectly are out of the game. Declare a winner when one or more students are able to correctly spell most of the words listed on your vocabulary list.

Scattergories Borrow the well-loved board game for kids to help increase their vocabulary and spelling skills. Put a letter on the blackboard. Draw up a list of categories such as flowers, girl's names, countries, zoo animals, authors, fruit, colors and games. Hand out index cards. Start a timer. Have students write down items for each category on the board that begin with the letter on the board. For example, if you are using the letter G a student might write down geraniums, Gloria, Germany, gooseberries, goats, green and go fish to answer the questions. Ask a student to stand in front of the class. Have students call out their answers one by one. The student standing up in front of the class should write up each answer and tally the number of votes it gets. Students should then count up their own answers. Those with the highest number of similar answers will get the best scores. Give a extra credit for students who come up with unusual, obscure or clever answers to encourage creativity and out of the box thinking.

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Five Up Five Up, based on the game Seven Up, is a game where students make five large cards or signs that each have a vocabulary word on one side and the definition or illustration on the other side.

Begin by placing all of the cards in a stack and call on five students to come to the front of the room. Each of these students takes one vocabulary card and the five make a line in the front of the room. Each student shows the definition side of his or her card to the class and gives the class time to read the definitions.

Instruct all of the other students who are still sitting down to place their heads on their desks and close their eyes. Each student holding a card gently taps one of the students who is sitting down. After each student with a card has tapped another student, they return to the front of the classroom and shout "Five Up."

Each tapped student stands up and tries to guess who tapped him. If the first student correctly guesses who tapped him, he then has to read the definition of the vocabulary word and identify the word that matches the definition.

If the student guessing the vocabulary word answers correctly, he takes the place of the person who tapped him and draws a new vocabulary card of his own. The game continues this way until all of the vocabulary words have been correctly identified.

Artful Antics Artful Antics is a fun, but simple way to study and review antonyms by playing charades.

Start by creating cards with antonym pairs, such as courageous & cowardly, written on one side. Put students into pairs and have them randomly select a card.

Have the students act out the meaning of each of the words in the antonym pair, while having the audience try to guess the words. Once the antonyms have been correctly identified, have another pair of students select a card and act out the words. 7

Continue until all cards and antonyms have been solved.

All Change All Change is a fun game to play with younger children or students learning English for the first time.

Have the students sit in a circle with one player standing in the middle. Every student has a picture of an item, or a word flash card, except for the player standing in the middle. Call out two of the pictures or words. The two students that have these cards have to change places before the person in the middle is able to take one of their spots.

If the person in the middle manages to take one of the spots, then that person is now sent to stand in the middle of the circle. The new person in the middle hands his card to the person who stole his spot in the circle.

If someone is stuck in the middle for two turns, then say "All Change!" At that time, all of the students switch places and the person in the middle has a chance to rejoin the circle. The student left out of the circle then stands in the middle and the game continues until all word or picture cards have been called. Read more: Games for English Help | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_6590206_gamesenglish.html#ixzz26KKv9bdF

The Advantages of Games to Learn English


By Antonette Ellertson, eHow Contributor

Avoid the drudgery of textbook learning by using games to learn English. When people who speak a different language try to learn English, it's common for educators to use games in the classroom to help them learn the new language. Playing games to learn English is also advantageous for people who already speak English, so they can learn the nuances of the language.

Read more: The Advantages of Games to Learn English | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_6505081_advantages-games-learn-english.html#ixzz26KL6Hla2

Make Learning English Enjoyable


Teachers across the United States have learned it is beneficial to use games when teaching ESL (English as a second language). They find when students are relaxed, they are more likely to retain information and understand their material more quickly.

Communication Games in the classroom force interaction and communication among the students. The teacher makes sure everyone has a turn to participate in the game and assists with communication wherever necessary.

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Pride in Success Students playing games to learn English strive to win the game. Through their language usage, the students learn to master the language, thus instilling a sense of accomplishment when their hard work helps them win.

Speed When a teacher lectures, he can only go through a certain amount of material per session and must make time to answer questions from the students. When the students play a game to learn English, the students can cover more ground and learn more material in the same amount of time. Teachers can answer questions as they arise during a game, leading to clearer understanding of words and context.

Preparation and Play Games used to learn English are relatively simple to create. A teacher can use the games to control the overall classroom atmosphere and maintain a structure to the English lessons. A game helps a teacher easily assess where each student stands, and the teacher can take notes on the students' levels while the students are having fun.

Context and Word Usage One of the advantages of games to learn English is a game motivates students to progress in the use of the language and develop a real understanding of English. This is particularly true of games that challenge students in a manner that pushes their language skills without making them feel defeated. A game helps teachers create particular context where language is most meaningful and useful. This makes the students want to communicate with others so they can get their points across during the game.

Read more: The Advantages of Games to Learn English | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_6505081_advantages-games-learn-english.html#ixzz26KLFZbrZ

The Advantages of Grammar Games


By Eric Benac, eHow Contributor

Use grammar games at all stages of education. You can use grammar games in any English classroom. Types of grammar games vary depending on the grade. Some games encourage direct competition between students. Grammar games offer many advantages to the learning process. Understanding the advantages of grammar games can help you decide if you want to integrate these games into your classroom.

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Create a Competitive Spirit Use class-wide grammar games to ignite the competitive spirit of your students. These games can be oriented to verbal or writing skills. Competing against friends will make them test the limits of their grammar. Regular grammar games may inspire your students' to study more regularly in hopes of gaining an advantage in later games. Make sure your games have a material reward, such as a small candy bar or extra credit.

Assessing Verbal Grammar Knowledge Homework, tests and quizzes are vital to assessing written grammar skills. Verbal grammar skills are harder to assess without time-consuming verbal tests. Using grammar games can help you assess your students' abilities in a non-invasive manner. Verbal grammar games help you understand the verbal grammar skills of each of your students while they have fun. Take detailed notes about each student during the game. Combine these notes with their class work to create a detailed assessment of their grammar.

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Create Communication Team-based grammar games force your students to communicate with one another. Learning proper communication is a vital part of education. Students who cannot communicate properly or use proper grammar may struggle later in education and life. Students will discuss proper grammar with each other constantly during the game. They may even consult their grammar book during the game to help them during the game. The discussion and repetition of these rules may help students remember them more effectively than rote memorization.

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Real World Practice Memorizing grammar rules is important but does not give students real world experience using grammar. Grammar games make your students use their grammar in a real-world context. Using these rules in context can help strengthen their understanding of grammar rules. For example, students may play a game where they must write and use proper grammar in a play. Hearing the proper grammar can help reinforce how it sounds. Understanding how it should sound can help them instinctively hear poor grammar.

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