Body Unit Flashcards for Elementary ESL

 This resource is included in the Body Unit for Elementary ESL. It can be used by Elementary Education teachers and Early Childhood as well.Link: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Body-Theme-for-Elementary-ELL-1836555

Introduce the basic body vocabulary to enable your students to help them express themselves when talking about their own body and others.

Print the body flashcards. These are an effective and engaging teaching tool to introduce and reinforce the new vocabulary. They feature clear and colorful images to illustrate each body part to be easily recognizable for your esl elementary students.

Place your flashcards on the board and have the students identify and recognize the parts of the body.

 Add an interactive element into your flashcards lesson plan for your students to talk about the parts of the body. Ask your students to touch or point a specific body part on any monster flashcards I made this pointer by adding a wiggly eye to a craft stick. Students will say the word as they point to each one:hand!

Word Labeling. Place a boy or girl flashcard on the board. Write the name of each body part with your students. Say sentences to describe the girl.

Teacher: She has a head!
Students: She has two legs!
Students will follow simple instructions.
Teacher: Touch your head! (showing the flashcard)

Print the Monsters flashcards and place into clear plastic sheets and have the students label all the parts of the body.

Count all the body parts using the flashcards. Students will use the numbers to describe the body.

Teacher: What are these?
Teacher: How many fingers? Count.
Students: ten!
Students: Hands!

Guide the students to count more body parts such as toes and eyes. Then, have the students say how many body parts they have: I have two eyes.

Divide the board and write the numbers 1 and 2. Have the students sort the flashcards into count many body parts we have.

Students: one nose. Two shoulders, two legs and two knees!

I just wanted to include these monster flashcards with different amount of body parts.
Ask: How many eyes?
Have the students sort the flashcards into How many body parts.

Have the students count the parts of the body on each monster. Students will describe the physical chracteristics of the monsters using the verb has: The monster has four eyes.

Students can describe their body parts as you will model on the board using the flashcards of the boy and girl. Emphasize the demonstrative pronouns this and these to the singular and plural part of the body. Provide simple sentences examples.
Teacher: This is my head.
These are my hands.

There are several flashcards that provides a visual representation of the most common adjectives to describe people and their physical appearance.

Teacher: This is Mary. She has long blond hair. She is tall and thin.
Does she have long or short legs?
Students: long legs.

Model how to use the descriptive adjectives young and old in sentences to describe people using the flashcards.
Teacher: He is old. He is young.
Students: He is tall and thin. He is short and fat.
Now, show the flashcards and have the students mime themselves with the adjectives.
Teacher: You are tall! (students will stand on their toes) Continue with the rest of adjectives.

Teaching the adjectives left and right introduce directional vocabulary. Sort the flashcards on the board and have the students express the spatial concepts: This is the left ear! This is the right leg.

Use the body parts as the subject of the imperatives provides a clear and relatable context to introduce flashcards.

Have your students do the action as you say and show the action: Touch your head!

Imperatives with hand and finger. Pair this body part to encourage your students to combine the physical action with the commands. Have the students mime the action with their hands: play tennis!

Teacher: Draw with your hand!

Students will mime the action and repeat the verb.

What body part do you use for performing a verb? Sort the flashcards on the board. Students will follow the instructions using that part of the body.

Add variety to the activities planned with the flashcards. This kind of games add excitement to learning the new language. This is a listening activity.

Describe a Monster: My monster isn’t short. She has one eye, two arms, five legs and five feet.
Students: C3!!!

Students will take turns describing a monster for the class to guess.

Next blog post is about using the small cards activities:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2024/05/body-unit-small-cards-for-elementary-esl.html

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Is translation necessary for teaching Kindergarten English Language Learners?

A common question that everybody has a different vision on. Is translation necessary to teach children? Books, articles and more have very different views on this. Basically it is more based on your students, your situation and where you teach.

As an English as a Foreign Language Teacher, meaning that I have taught in a country where the language is not spoken, in Venezuela, my experience is different from many teachers.

Starting teaching I would speak in English all the time, I only spoke in Spanish when I saw that whatever the message was not delivered.

I had plenty of visuals: flashcards, realia, cutouts and more. I tried to make myself understood first in English and if mission imposible I would use Spanish. The focus is on effective communication.

Modeling the classsroom commands was a must from the beginning of the school year, I would use flashcards, TPR and any other practice that could come to my mind. When I started creating resources, the first one that I did was the commands set.Wish I had such pretty cards back then, but I made my set out of magazine pictures, yes! I know, no Internet back then. You can get the resource here.   https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Commands-Flashcards-1816475

Mime whatever and whenever to get the message across your students. I would even mime their answers when they weren't enthusiastic.

Pairing students is great because there is always a students that gets you at the first sentence and becomes your translator and doesn't interrupt the class.

Scaffold! Read about it and practice it with your students. "Support every student by breaking learning up into chunks and providing a concrete structure for each."

 https://www.edutopia.org/blog/scaffolding-lessons-six-strategies-rebecca-alber

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Classroom Commands for ESL

The classroom commands flashcards have been a best seller in the TPT store. Use them to relieve your stress by having to translate. Don't be overwhelmed.Here is a link to the resource to improve your classroom communication. Useful for school counselors.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Commands-Flashcards-1816475

On the first day of class students learn the vocabulary related to inside classroom actions. Make it easy for them to understand and respond to the commands. The ability to follow directions requires daily practice.

Use the commands in class as often as you can. Using the word and picture flashcard will help students focus with all the directions given in English and help you not to translate. Most of the time students don´t know what to do when you give a command, the visuals guide the students to complete the action. 

The imperatives flashcards are also available here:   https://www.bilingualmarketplace.com/products/classroom-commands-flashcards?variant=36931765633188

   Watch the video of the complete resource and check all the flashcards:

School Counselors can help English Learners by incorporating the flashcards as visuals for the students of all languages that need an extra aid to adapt to the new language, if it is in an English Language Speaking Country or at an English language school. Help your students connect to the classroom environment in an easy way. The learners will engage into the activities as they will understand what has be done,no matter their age. 

Language is a communication tool!

Here are the Classroom Commands flashcards!

This set is for the younger learners. The cards come in the letter size for in a classroom setting and small cards, four in one page, for distance teaching. Many teachers display them as rules for their students.

 

This  set is thinking of the older students and the clip art that I used is different. It comes in the letter size, one in each page and then a smaller size for distance learning,four in one page. Perfect to use for your classroom management and get better at your classroom expectations.

A video with all the flashcards!

 The cards come in handy for the start of the school year to introduce students to the language to communicate with you online or not. School sucess will start if your students can follow directions in class.

Here are 4 activities for you. 

 Activity 1. Miming.Give instructions to the class and have them mime the command.  Start with the listen flashcard. The students can touch their ear as they say listen! There are a lot more flashcards that you can use for miming.

Activity 2. Simon Says. I am sure that you know the famous game. Play it using the flashcards if you need to.

Activity 3. Scrambled words on the board. If you are doing distance teaching use a small board and write a command in a jumbled order and have the students unscramble it and write it down on a piece of paper and show it to you or shout the command. Then show the flashcard to confirm or not the answer.  

Teacher: aeeprt

Activity 4. The robot. This is another famous game. Each student will be a robot that will follow the command given by you or a student. They can’t speak, just follow the command. After you say the command word, wait a few seconds and show the flashcard so the students that didn’t understand can do the command action.

CREATE puppets for easy directions to your class.

You can cut the picture and the word and glue it onto a craft stick.

You can make smaller puppets using the smaller set of commands flashcards for ESOL.

The use of this functional language should be clear, specific, and in a positive manner as in the flashcards starting with a verb. Students will do a physical response to the action.

Teacher: Sit down.

I created a set of commands symbols to represent the imperatives (included in the file). You can also put them on the board when you need them. Give orders by pointing to the symbol card. There are a lot more for your classroom instructions.

Don´t use questions in a commandclassroom imperative, it can be thought as a request, like whether you can do it or not.

Teacher: Can you please write your name ?  

The correct form is: Please, write your name.

Use short phrases in an imperative form, as your lessons continue, add new words to the command verb. Repeat until your children are familiar with all these new words.

Teacher: Listen to me.

         Write with your pen.

Grab student´s attention before each command. I use shakers or any noisy object , that will indicate the class that an instruction will come. Also, vary the volume and pitch of your voice. Use gestures and body language. Establish eye contact with the students when giving an order.

After giving the instruction, take the time to pause, wait, give the students the opportunity to comply, don´t threaten them. Stand close to the students when giving a command. Use some student´s name when giving a command. Be polite and respectful.

Teacher: Roberto, be quiet, please.

Don´t use commands as criticism.  Teacher: Mary, didn´t you listen ?  say: Mary, please listen .Touch her ear or show her the listen symbol.

Give the commands one at a time. Repeat maybe once, but not a series of 5 times each command. Even more when working with the youngest learners.  Always praise the students for complying to all the commands.

Teacher: Please ,sit down. (pause)  Thank you, class.

             Take out your book. (pause) ( Ok, very good)

           Open your book on page 12. (pause) ( Great, we are ready)

Too many and unnecessary commands are annoying . Think if you are giving commands that are not contributing to the lesson.

Don´t use STOP commands, such as:

Teacher: Stop coloring. Don´t  color. All commands should be positive.

The stop sign is mainly for games, and used with the Go sign.

 Collocations are words that can work together. It´s a combination of a verb and a noun. Give examples and have students make more collocations with all the other flashcards.

Teacher: Look at the board.

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