Ingredients
- Since I am teaching online at the moment, my main resources are digital. To create this material and this activity, I used my Miro Board although the same could be done using a regular powerpoint. In the classroom, the activity could be recreated with a set of flashcards and wordcards, on the board or on the floor.
- Three sets of cards are necessary: the key phrase, the numbers, the objects.
Procedures
- We start with revising the key structures and the vocabulary. We read together all the cards.
- We read the first sentence (I’ve got’) and add one of the food items. Once it is added, the card changes the colour to match the first one. The same activity is repeated with all the cards.
- We read the sentences again but this time the students choose the number, the teacher add the number and changes the colour to match the colour of the sentence. The same procedure is repeated with all the cards.
- We read all the sentences together.
- We play in pairs and we call out the colour of the sentence for the partner to read out loud. The teacher is monitoring and helping.
Why we like it
- This kind of an activity is introduced in the middle of the unit when the students are more familiar with the key structure (I’ve got) and the vocabulary (food and numbers 1 – 20) and its main aims the literacy development.
- I have only used it with 1-1 online students but there is some potential for adapting this activity for a group of even for pairs (with a multiple set of cards or colour-coded handouts).
- The activity helps the kids deal with the written form of the vocabulary and structures and to read the words in sentences. In a way, they are also involved in writing because they put the blocks together and make decisions about the numbers, too.
- The colours help to make the activity more fun and to help them deal with a text that for them will be long and potentially scary. The activity uses only one structure at a time which will be also an early reader-friendly approach.
- The activity can be made more or less challenging by adding food illustrations to help the kids read, extending the number of sentences or extending the sentences ie I’ve got 4 cakes and 3 apples, etc. When the students are ready, the teacher can also introduce a variety of structures in one set i.e. I’ve got, I like, I can etc.
- The activity is easy to prepare, it can be recycled and it can be used with a variety of structures.
Happy teaching!