The Pocket Chart and Word Cards

The Pocket Chart

A pocket chart consists essentially of a piece of support material on which pockets have been placed or the purpose of holding words (and letter) cards or pictures. There are some functions of pocket chart:

Pocket chart can be used for developing reading skills through pre-reading and phonics activities with letter cards and pictures.

The pocket chart allows for the physical handling of word cards, students more easily remember words.

The pocket chart can also be used for the presentation and practice of numerous grammatical items and it is particularly useful in guided composition word.

The used of pocket chart cannot easily be done using a chalk board and herein lies, another of its values. However, it can be used in conjuction with other teaching aids especially the flannelboard, magnetboard and various type of pictures.

Types of Pocket Chart

1. Folded cardboard pocket chartThis is a smaller pocket chart then the other too and is best use for small group (or class) teaching or in remedial situation where it can be placed on a table in front of the students.

2. An accordion type pocket chartThis pocket chart enjoys the advantage of being easy to carry around and to store as it can be folded like an accordion.

3. A roll up vinyl pocket chartThis pocket chart is the easiest to make and is probably the most durable. It also has the advantages

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of being light to carry around and easy to store as it resembles a roll up chalkboard.

4. Individual pocket chart

Advantages of Pocket Chart

There are two clear advantages: time and interaction. Pocket charts save time. Once the cards are made and laminated, they can be used many times, with many classes. The pocket chart can be hung in a second and the activities can be performed right away. You can change from one activity to the next just by picking the next set of cards, all this without your back turned to the kids while writing.

But probably the most important reason is that pocket charts are an interactive way to learn English. Children need to use all their senses. They need to move and manipulate things. Letter cards are perfect to teach spelling and children will feel like playing when forming words with them.

Word cards

Word cards are the cardboard that can be used to make somewords, particularly where the cards are not likely to be used very often (as for specialized vocabulary found in a comprehension passage).

Sets of word cards

1. Nouns: a word card to match every figurine that the teacher makes, e.g names of types of people, occupations, clothes, accessories, food, household objects, household tools etc.

2. Other nouns: the days of the week, the months of the year, seasons, colors, ‘time’ words such as now, today, yesterday, (in the) morning or evening, (at) night ; Mr., Mrs., Miss, etc.

3. Pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, they, her, him etc.4. Verbs: a selection of common verbs taken from the syllabus/word list in use, should be

written on cards for example modal cards (may, can, must, ought to, etc.), to be (is, am,

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are, was, were, does, do, did, have, has, etc.) and also another common verb (read, write, listen, put, take etc.)

5. Prepositions (and prepositional phrases): across, above, near, on, off, in front of, in between, next to, etc.

6. Adjectives and adverbs7. Others structure words: conjunctions (and, but, so, etc.); this, that, those; how many, how

much, where etc.; everyone/everybody, someone/somebody, etc.8. Symbols

Storage of word cards

It is best to have a separate storage system—a card board box with division or clear plastic (and clearly labeled) envelopes.

Tips for using the pocket chart

1. Know exactly when and how you are going to use the pocket chart in a lesson.2. Make sure that you have the entire cards unit at your disposal.3. It is wise to have a black felt – tip pen and blank cards with you so that you can instantly

produce new words if they are required.4. All words that are to be used on the pocket chart should be familiar to students and

should have been introduced in class beforehand.5. Student should always be given an opportunity to handle the card themselves.6. Have students pronounce all words or sentences that used in the pocket chart at

appropriate times.7. Always check student answers after they have inserted cards in the chart and have them

modify the arrangement of letters or words if necessary.

Remember:

1. The pocket chart is an ideal device to you for fill-in activities in the closing minutes of a lesson.

2. The pocket chart can be used most – happily in conjunction with other teaching materials, in particular wall pictures and figurines.

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3. The pocket chart need not be confined to ‘whole class-room’ used.

ACTIVITIES USING POCKET CHART

A. Reading Comprehension Activitiese.g:1. Matching halve of sentencesPreparation:

Write sentences on strips of card to suit the language item you are teaching. Cut each sentence card in half at a logical point.

Procedure: Insert the first half of each sentence in a column on left strip hand, side of the

chart. Have individual pupils come up and insert appropriate endings to each beginning. Discuss and correct sentences.Note: This activity can be made more (or less) difficult by choosing more (or less) complex sentences. Remember, that it provides a variation on substitution table practice.

Sample lesson:

Correlative Conjunctions-Paired Conjunctions

Correlative conjunctions are sort of like tag-team conjunctions. They come in pairs, and you have to use both of them in different places in a sentence to make them work. They get their name from the fact that they work together (co-) and relate one sentence element to another. Correlative conjunctions include pairs like “both/and,” “whether/or,” “either/or,” “neither/nor,” “not/but,” “not only/but also” and “rather/than.”

Exercise

Match the sentence halves to the appropriate conjunctions in order to make a complete sentence.

1. That story was a. are coming next week.2. Both Peter and I b. neither true nor realistic.3. She would c. rather play the drums than sing.

B. Teaching Grammar

e.g:1. Showing transformation

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Word cards on pocket chart are most suitable the revision of known language items and for manipulation work where the word card acts as a cue substitution. Other grammatical items can be might more easily using the pocket chart than other.

Sample lesson:

Simple Present Tense: The simple present says that something was true in the past, is true in the present, and will be true in the future. It expresses general statements of fact and general truths. The simple present is used to express habitual or everyday activities. Present indicates that an action is happening right now or that the action is either routine or factual.

1. Positive : For : I, You, We, They : Do

Sisca reads book everyday. She, He, It : Does

S+V+O /C

They play football every morning

S+V+O /C

2. Negative:

Sisca does not Read book everyday

S+ Do/does +not+V1+O/C

They play football every morning

S+ Do/does +not+V1+O/C

3. Interrogative :

Does Sisca read book everyday?

Do/Does + S+ V1+O/C

Do they play football every morning?

Do / does +S+V1+O/C

Simple Past Tense: indicates that an action is in the past relative to the speaker or writer. Simple

Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Simple

Past to list a series of completed actions in the past, Simple Past can also be used to describe a

habit which stopped in the past.

1. Positive : For : I, She, He, It : Was

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We were at school yesterday. They, We, You : Were

S + was/were + O/C

I saw a good film last night

S+V2+O/C

2. Negative :

We were not at school yesterday

S+ was/were + not + O/C

I did not see a good film last night

S+did+not+V1+O/C

3. Interrogative

Were we at school yesterday ?

Was /were + S + O/C

Did I see a good film last night?

Be+ S+V1+O/C

Active to Passive

Active Voice

A feature of sentences in which the subject performs the action of the verb and the direct object

is the goal or the recipient.

Passive Voice

A feature of sentences in which the object or goal of the action functions as the sentence subject

and the main verb phrase includes the verb to be and the past participle

E. g:

1. Simple present tense

Active: Sisca reads book everyday.

They play football every morning.

Subject + V2 + O

Passive:

Book is read by Sisca everyday.

Football is played by them every morning.

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O + is/are + V2 + by + S

2. Simple past tense

Active: The boy broke the window.

The mechanic fixed the car.

Subject + V2 + O

Passive:

The window was broken by the boy.

The car was fixed by the mechanic.

O + was/were + V2 + by + S

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