IDEAS FOR USING FLASHCARDS

How often do you use flashcards at the lesson of English? I'm sure you do it quite often as it is one of the best ways to visualize the vocabulary. What is more, in tmodern picture-liking era flashcards reach the minds of pupils as nothing else.

So, how to use flashcards in a creative way helping students in acquiring information and not letting our students feel bored at the lesson.

1. Disappearing flashcards

I use this activity for introducing the new vocabulary. The flashcards are displayed on the board, students repeat the words after you but at each sequence of repetition you turn over the last flashcard and the students have to name it themselves.

It lookes like that: 

cough - cut - tummy ache - headache - earache - sore throat - cold 

cough - cut - tummy ache - headache - earache - sore throat - X

cough - cut - tummy ache - headache - earache - X - X 

cough - cut - tummy ache - headache - X - X - X 

cough - cut - tummy ache - X - X - X - X 

cough - cut - X - X - X - X - X 

cough - X - X - X - X - X - X 

X - X - X - X - X - X - X 

In the end after numerous repeating the students memorize the words and the sequence of the cards. They learn and train their memory.

2. Treasure Hunt

The flashcards are displayed on the board face up. What students don't know is if there is a sticker behind the flashcard, it's the treasure. The task is to make up a sentence corresponding to the card. If the sentence is 100% correct they are allowed to turn over the flashcard and check if there is a treasure, if not, another student tries. What is good about it is that if they make a mistake, they start listening to more successful students trying to repeat the grammar stucture after them, and as a result they learn.

3. Hopscotch
This type of activity is most suitable for younger learners as action is what they need. You might think that you can't play it in the classroom. But as you know there is always a way out for those who want. You can use oilcloth for that. The only thing you have to do beforehand is to draw the template on the oilcloth to which you will stick the flashcards.
A new post on hopschotch at the lesson of English is comming soon.

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DICTATIONS CAN BE FUN

Do your pupils like dictations at the lesson? For most teachers it's a synonym with 'old-fashioned' and 'boring'. I believe most students would make a dull face if you tell them you are going to have a dictation at the lesson today. But what if these dictations are fun and have elements of a game. Let's try to make an interesting activity out of a simple dictation.

First, why dictation is a good way to practice? It's a great tool to work on accuracy, not mentioning the skills of listening, writing and even communication. Let's see how you can transform this activity to make it combine all these elements.

A traditional dictation is teacher-centred. Why not make it student-to-student and let your pupils work in pairs. It will release tention and let them feel some freedom. There are 4 types of dictations below based on the principle student-to-student. I hope you will like them.

1. Running dictation

The text is on the board. Students make a line. One person from the line is a writer and can't see the text. The rest of the students in the line have to run to the board, memorize one sentence from the card, run back to the writer and repeat the sentence so that the writer could write it. You set the time for your students or the activity lasts until one team is done. Then you check if all is correct.

2. Shouting dictation

The idea is that your students make too lines at the opposite sides of the classroom and have to shout the text to their partner who is supposed to put it down. Make sure the texts are split or differ a little bit. No doubt, it may become too noisy if the whole class takes part in the activity, so it could be reasonable to make at least 4-5 teams, so that not all of your pupils speak at a time.

3. Whispering chain dictation

If you try to avoid any kind of noise in your classroom, this type of dictation would be most suitable for you. Students make a line or several lines if it is a whole class and whisper the sentneces. The last student has to write down what he/she has heard. Then they rotate positions. The last student comes to the front of the line and whispers first.

4. Back-to-back dictation

This type of dictation is good for pair-work. Students sit with their backs to each other and dictate. When they can't see each other, it removes body language and lip reading. By the way, it's excellent for telephoning practice.

You'll find other interesting activities you can do at the lesson GAMES AT THE LESSON

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REFLECTION OR HOW TO FINISH THE LESSON

In my today's article I'd like to present several ways I use at the end of the lesson to summarise all that has been done at the lesson. It may usually take up to 7 minutes and is a good way to relax a bit at the end and reflect on all that has been done during the lesson. 

1. Mincing machine, dustbin, suitcase.This is one of my favourite ways to finish the lesson. Children also enjoy it. At the very beginning they don't quite understand what it is for, but in the end everyone wants to place the word in the container.  It works best for primary school when you work with the vocabulary. The idea is to distribute the words or flashcards into the corresponding container. 
Suitcase --> words/flashcards that we might need during the trip to Britain, or that we want to remember. 
Mincing machine --> The vocabulary that we worked on, that we remember after the lesson. 
Dustbin --> words that we don't like, or that we don't need to remember or simply find too difficult. When all the words have been distributed, we read them usually all together. Sometimes, I turn them over and ask students to tell me what was in the mincing machine, suitcase and the dustbin. I printed out mine, but one can even draw the images on the board.

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