How to choose teaching materials (pre-school EFL )

Groups of three students. Select or design a teaching material (song, game, short-story, set of flashcards, play, worksheet…) for language teaching and explain (i) why you have chosen it, (ii)how you will use it in the class.

(It will be similar to a lesson plan. This is a written plan of your lesson, where you will state your objectives, the instructions, timing of the tasks and the number of resources you will need. In this case you will only include 1 or 2 resources, if related one to each other)

Follow the following steps:

1. Imagine what your class will be like. How do children who are 3-5 years old learn?

2. Select your contents. For example, specific items of vocabulary or grammar (wild animals, visit to the doctor, etc)

3. Select your objectives: What do you want your students to learn? What will they have learned at the end of the lesson? What will they be able to do? The objectives are always expressed using “to infinitive”, for example, “to listen to a song”.

4. Choose the resources. Tips:

a. Choose age and level appropriate materials. There is nothing worse for your students than a lesson that is at a level that is cognitively too hard or way below their learning levels.

b. Choose motivational resources!

c. Check textbooks or browse the internet for ideas. On the left-hand side corner of this blog there is a selection of resources you may use.

d. You can use those ideas and be creative!

5. Think about how you can use the materials.Tasks

a. How you will introduce the topic

b. How you will place the students. Pair work? Group work? Will you place the desks in a U-shape? Will the students be around you in a circle?

c. What the students will do

d. How you will complete the task.

For your presentation you can either use your own class or just explain, rationally, why you have chosen the teaching material, show it or describe it to the class and say what you expect to do with it.

Good luck!