Raymond Kerr
British Council, Istanbul
TPR Frenzy!
This is a very practical and hands-on workshop showcasing a wide range of TPR activities for teachers in state and private primary schools. Participants should be prepared to take an active part in a selection of TPR activities for skills development.
Raymond Kerr is a Teacher Development Advisor in the Global Teacher Development Team at the British Council engaged in the design of teacher development courses. Raymond has taught at all levels and age groups in EFL in Europe, the Middle East and the Far East.
TPR Frenzy!
TPR activities are usually built around a short sequence of instructions relating to the language or the theme to be completed in a unit and can be renamed: Total Clothes Response, Total Food Response or Total Adjective Response!
Pupils traditionally respond to the teacher’s instructions without speaking. They can gain a lot of confidence in themselves because they actively understand the key language points without having to reproduce it at such an early stage. The TPR script can be varied to keep the students’ interest:
· Draw the actions/instructions on a partner’s back of hand with a finger
· Draw the actions/instructions on a sheet of paper, then describe their drawings
· Act as a “mirror” with a partner. One pupil acts out the sequence and the other mirrors these actions
· Act as a puppet with a partner who moves the “puppet” according to the instructions
· Make simple plate or sock puppets and have them carry out the sequence of instructions
TPR sequences can be used at any stage of the teaching sequence and at any level and with adults. The language or vocabulary can be used as a springboard to other work such as writing or project work.
Here is a list of the more common ones. Can you add to the list?
· Listen/Read and draw
· Listen/Read and act
· Listen/Read and make
· Listen/Read and move
· Listen/Read and match
· Listen/Read and play
· Listen/Read and sing
· Listen/Read and speak
· Listen/Read and write
· Listen/Read and carry out a task ………etc
TPR group formation activities
Row your boat
Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is just a dream.
Five fat sausages
Five fat sausages frying in the pan,
X ate one, and then there were four.
Four fat sausages frying in the pan
Y ate one and then there were three.
Three ….
What a mess!
What a mess! What a mess! What a horrible mess! (Chorus)
There’s a glass under the sink.
There are some biscuits on the floor.
Your fish finger is in the cupboard.
And your milk is near the door.
Chorus
There are some chips behind the fridge.
There’s a cookie next to the bin.
Hey! I say! No more eating today!
You can tidy the kitchen, Lynne.
Chorus
(adapted from Happy Earth 1, Bowler and Parminter, OUP 2003)
Listen and Draw
Text 1
Your friend is from Planet Zarg. Her head is square and green. Her body is round and pink and she’s got four legs. Two are short and two are long. The long legs are blue and the short ones are black. She’s got three red eyes and two small yellow ones. Her hair is white and it’s very long. She hasn’t got a nose but she’s got a large pink ear.
Text 2
Your friend is from Planet Zorg. His head is round and yellow. His body is square and green. He’s got three legs. Two are short and one is long. The long leg is yellow and the short ones are green. He’s got five pink eyes and two blue ones. His hair is red and it’s short. He’s got four black noses and two blue ears.
Text 3
Your friend is from Planet Zerg. Her head is rectangular and red. Her body is round and green. She’s got one leg. It’s very short and it’s pink. She’s got three blue noses and three red ears. Her hair is yellow and it’s very long.
Text 4
Your friend is from Planet Zirg. His head is triangular and red. His body is round and brown. He’s got five legs. Three are long and two are short. The long legs are pink and the short ones are yellow. He’s got one blue eye. His hair is white and it’s short and curly. He’s got three red noses but he hasn’t got any ears.
Drama scenes – Listen/Read and Do
Text 5
John left home very early in the morning. He dropped the key on the ground before he locked the front door. It was very difficult to lock the door but finally he managed to do it! He walked slowly to the gate along the garden path. There was ice on the ground. He couldn’t close the gate! He saw a taxi coming along the street and waved to the driver three times. The taxi stopped and he got in carrying three bags. He told the driver where to go to and they set off very quickly! He felt very nervous because the driver was going too fast. Finally, he told the driver to stop and waked the rest of the way with the bags in the snow.
Text 6
Jane left her house and closed the door very carefully. She tiptoed down the narrow garden path and jumped over the small gate. Suddenly she saw the bus and ran with her heavy bag to the bus stop. She was just in time to catch it! She sat down and took some coins from her very big bag to pay the conductor. The bus turned left and she dropped the money on the floor. She looked under the seat and found the money to pay for her ticket. The bus arrived at her stop but when she got off, it started to rain. She put up her umbrella and walked to work.
Read/Listen and make
Text 7
Pick up the pieces of plasticine and make a round face. Roll two blue eyes and a long red nose. Stick on two big yellow ears and a small red mouth. Put on short black hair.
Text 8
Pick up the pieces of plasticine and make a small insect. It has six red legs and a yellow head. It’s got two blue eyes and a white nose.
Listen/Read and build
Text 9
Today John is wearing white shoes and long red trousers. His jumper is yellow and he’s got a black hat on.
Jerry’s got dark green boots on and a white skirt. Her sweater is purple and she’s wearing a blue hat.
Jamie hasn’t got any shoes on! His feet are very cold. His trousers are yellow and his jacket is white. He’s wearing a blue hat.
Listen and have fun
Text 10
Put your pencil near your ear.
Put your pen on your nose.
Put your ruler behind your head.
Put the glue stick on your arm.
Put the paper under your foot.
Put the notebook next to your eyes.
Text 11
Put your …… under your nose.
Put your ……. near your hair.
Put your ……. behind your head.
Put your ……. on your arm.
Put your ……. under your foot.
Put your …….. next to your eyes.
Put your ……. between your feet.
Listen and draw (More extensive texts)
Text 12
I live in a beautiful red castle near a river. There are two tall trees on the left of the castle. A big yellow bird is sleeping in one of the trees. My little brother is climbing the other tree. It’s cloudy and there are some black clouds above my castle. There’s a small garden with some red flowers in front of the castle. My dog, Sam, likes the flowers and he’s sitting next to them. My two sisters are playing tennis and the baby is sitting next to the red flowers. Grandad is reading a magazine between the trees. He’s got big black glasses on and a blue hat. Black smoke is coming out of the chimney.
Text 13
I live in a beautiful green house on a hill. There’s a small tree in front of the house. A small red bird is singing in the tree. The sun is shining and there are three clouds in the sky. On the left of the house, there’s a small garden with some yellow flowers. My cat likes the flowers and it’s sitting next to them. My two brothers are playing football and the baby is lying on the green grass. Grandma is sleeping on a chair under the tree and her glasses are on the ground next to the newspaper. Brown smoke is coming out of the chimney. Two red birds are sitting on the roof.
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