Engaging Activities: Storytelling, Music, and Videos in the Classroom
Engaging Activities: Storytelling, Music, and Videos
Storytelling: “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle
Aims:
- Work on the vocabulary related to the story in English.
- Engage children in listening, observing, and comprehending a story in English.
- Learn to work in a group to construct the sequencing of a story.
Before Reading the Story: Predicting the Story
Materials: A copy of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”, flashcards of the key vocabulary
Procedure: Gather the children in a circle, showing the cover of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”. Ask questions before reading about the content of the book to increase their interest and introduce vocabulary through flashcards with images. With this method, they will acquire new vocabulary.
During Reading the Story: Interactive Reading
Materials: “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” book, toy fruits, and a caterpillar puppet
Procedure: Sit in a chair in front of the children, who will be sitting on the floor so that everyone can see the story. Use a caterpillar puppet and toy fruits to illustrate the story. As you tell the story, pause to ask the children questions about the images they see.
After Reading the Story: Creative Expression and Comprehension
Materials: Cut-out images from the story (caterpillar, food, cocoon, butterfly), glue sticks, continuous paper
Procedure: Place a fairly large continuous piece of paper on the floor and have the children sit around it. Have pre-cut images of the caterpillar, the different foods, the cocoon, and the butterfly. The children must stick them on the paper, remembering the course of the story by creating sequences. You can also reinforce vocabulary by asking them things that happened in the story that include that vocabulary.
Assessment: Carry out an evaluation based on the objective observation of each child during the activities carried out in the classroom, in which we will show the process of each child. At the end of the activities, the general objectives will be evaluated using a checklist.
Nursery Rhyme and using music in the classroom: “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”
Aims:
- To introduce the concept of stars and stimulate curiosity about the night sky.
- Strengthen children’s understanding and enjoyment.
- Express a rhyme through creative art.
Pre-Activity: Star Exploration
Materials Needed: Pictures of stars and constellations, a picture book about the night sky, a flashlight, dark blue or black construction paper, silver or white star stickers
Procedure: In this activity, through images and a short illustrated book about the night sky, children will learn about the world of stars. They are then given dark blue or black construction paper and silver or white star stickers. They are instructed to create their own night sky by placing the stickers on the paper, commenting on the characteristics of the stars and when they can be seen.
While Activity: Singing and Actions
Materials needed: A recorded version of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”, a computer.
Procedure: The activity involves children singing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” while the nursery rhyme plays on a computer. They will be encouraged to participate, even if they don’t know all the words. In addition, they will be taught simple actions to represent the rhyme, and they will be repeated several times to reinforce learning and make it fun.
Post-Activity: Starry Night Art
Material needed: Dark construction paper, white and yellow Paint, small sponges or brushes, glitter, aprons or old shirts to protect clothing.
Procedure: Each child will receive dark construction paper and sponges to create stars with white and yellow paint. A “starry night” scene will be created, and glitter will be added to make it shine. Afterwards, the class will discuss the work and their learning about the stars. The artwork will be displayed in the classroom to celebrate their creativity.
Assessment: Carry out an evaluation based on the objective observation of each child during the activities carried out in the classroom, in which we will show the process of each child. At the end of the activities, the general objectives will be evaluated using a checklist.
Using videos in the classroom: Sesame Street: Counting to 20
Aims:
- Learn English vocabulary related to numbers.
- Reinforce the vocabulary of numbers in English through the use of videos.
- Introduce children to logical-mathematical intelligence through counting.
Pre-Activity:
Materials Needed: Flashcards with numbers from 1 to 10
Procedure: In this activity, we will introduce the concept of counting and numbers. To do this, we will use flashcards to practice counting to 10. We will show the children each card in which there will be different objects with their corresponding number, and we will say and repeat the numbers with them one by one.
While Activity:
Materials needed: Video for “Sesame Street: Counting to 20”, computer, digital screen.
Procedure: In this activity, we will involve the children by counting along with the video that we will play through the computer on the digital screen. For this, we will pause after each number to reinforce the learning.
Post-Activity:
Material needed: Different objects to count, memory cards
Procedure: In the last activity, we will use different counting games to practice. We will have children count objects in the classroom or count while jumping in place. You can also use different cards with objects that represent the numbers from 1 to 20 and make a memory game where you will have to find the pair for each card.
Assessment: Carry out an evaluation based on the objective observation of each child during the activities carried out in the classroom, in which we will show the process of each child. At the end of the activities, the general objectives will be evaluated using a checklist.