Hello! and we hope this pack is useful for you. REAP 01895 441530
Why this pack? This pack is to help you get started or help out with some ideas, plans and materials when you are busy and don’t have time to get all your own plans and materials together. You can treat it like a one-term course, or you can dip into it, change and add to it, or ignore it as you like. It is like a shelf of ingredients in your kitchen cupboards – you can stick to the recipe, or start from that basis and use what you have in the cupboard or zest it up with ingredients you pick up elsewhere.
Community or ‘grass roots’ English gives high priority to people feeling more confident to speak English in daily life. It isn't formally structured or like an assessed or college ESOL course and we really emphasise speaking, but it is important also to include some:
- reading and writing
- numbers in English eg. writing 1 and 7 in English format, saying 3.15pm and 3.50pm clearly
- local orientation, news, opportunities, contacts and visits
- practical vocabulary (not zoo and zebra)
- *very important*: help people 'progress' to other courses, college ESOL classes etc.
This pack is designed to help you run a group for a 12-13 week term of:
- Weekly sessions
- 2 hours session (if 1.5 hours you don’t need a break)
- 9.30 – 11.30 or 1.00 - 3.00 are often good times to fit around school hours
- Normally in school term time
- For adults with basic and beginner English (pre-entry, Entry 1-2).
A basic term plan includes:
1-2 sessions Welcome and introduction sessions: new arrivals, welcomes, getting to know people and their standards, with time to help people who are too advanced find something right for them. Perhaps ‘Bring a Friend’6-8 sessions with lots of Speaking and Listening and some reading/writing and other knowledge and skills, with a……
1 session break usually at school half term
1-2 sessions with visits, speakers, special themes eg. Eid, eg. Winter Health,
1-2 outside events outside normal class times when people arrange to meet up
eg. College Open Day, Local Festival, invitation to visit another group.
1 final session with some kind of performance or party – invite guests!
HINT Start your publicity 3+ weeks before term if you want good numbers from the start.
The standard session this pack help you lead for your participants is in 7 sections:
1. Hello
Attendance and signing in, name badges
Line up
Ideas for other exercises
o Welcome words
o Introducing yourself
News
Paperwork - membership/enrolment/registering? evaluations? attendance records? volunteer expenses claims/timesheets? Host's policies?
2. Drills and Chains
Speaking 'drills' to practice essential verbs, tenses, phrases and reinforce essential vocabulary
Chains to use throughout the session to practice short useful phrases for interaction.
3. Vocabulary work and/or Number work
Vocabulary/Word sheets
Pronunciation eg. 'r' and 'Th', ‘b’ and ‘d’, 'Ch' and ‘sh’
Glossary Sheets (also for Homework)
4. Three Quick Things (usually followed by a break)
5. Practical English for Daily Life
Eg. Activities around different themes
Eg. Useful Questions and Answer phrases
Eg. Role Plays
Eg. Work and practice on Prepositions, Opposites, Comparatives etc.
6. Poems and Songs
To repeat and learn for practice with accent, flow, stress and love of English
To learn and perform at the End of Term celebration
7. Finishing and Farewell
Recap what they have done and learned, 5 new words from this week for Glossary
Homework, reminders for next week, praise, farewells
8. ADDITIONAL Prompts and Props (In a box or strong bag)
Excellent Prompts:See Section 8 in pack,
Eg. Sheets of core 'doing' (verb) photos, local college prospectus and or Application Forms, local maps, map of UK showing towns, a range of attractive pictures (nouns, comparisons etc.) / Excellent Props:
Pens, book, fork, cup, small plate/bowl, a bag of pennies, 2-3 packs of bright coloured sweeties (check ingredients), sheets of sticky labels/name badges, school dictionary / Also for you: sheets of sticky labels for name badges (hint, keep them in your folder) spare A4 paper, pens, markers, blutack, hole punch, scissors, envelopes, purse for contributions, tissues, smart phone (texting, reminders, recording, photos)
Also very helpful prompts:
a local bus timetable, Argos catalogue or something lighter! / Also very helpful props:
3 light scarves, pot/pan, tape measure/ruler, / Also: tea coffee etc., flip chart paper? Children's colouring, quiet easy-to-clean toys, picture books etc., camera? CD player?
9. ADDITIONAL 'How to do .... ' hints and instructions
Hints and instructions on how to get the most out of some of the exercises REAP is suggesting.
Includes 'How to do...':
Section / How to do a…..1. Hello / A Line Up
A Circle for increasing interaction
2. Drill and Chain / Chains
Pair Work
3. Vocabulary / School Alphabet
Repeat After Me
Building Up a Glossary
4. Three Quick Things / Making tea and coffee (for English practice)
5. Practical English / Role Play
Use Flash Cards
6. Poems and Songs / Poems and Songs
Repeat After Me
7. Finishing and Farewell / Building Up a Glossary
Call and Response
Homework Sheets (links to ‘Repeat after me’)
Basic Beginners:
- Don’t leave very basic learners out. They might not even be able to say hello or write their name, but any exposure to English will help them. Just make sure they feel welcome and that they matter. Make sure every session has lots of repeats and practice – good for everyone.
- Exercises or materials that we have found are good for basic beginners are marked
- Concentrate on getting basic beginners to speak, talk even if just words, half sentences. Social interaction (1. Hello and 7. Finishing) is good for this and quickly builds confidence to have a go. Also 6. Poems especially if learning them by heart for a performance.
- Even if basic beginners don’t understand the meaning of a sentence, just encourage them to repeat it out loud, get them to say the whole sentence, not just part of it. This means 2. Drills and Chains and 3. Vocabulary can work very well for basics even if the rest of the group are more advanced.
- If you have several very basic beginners try to have extra helpers or volunteers to work directly with them. For 5. Practical English it might be best to have separate activities and material for them in a side group if you have enough volunteers to do this.
- Basic beginners often hardly write or write very slowly. Put 90% of your effort into speaking, writing can come later. For glossary, you might need to write the words for them.
Small print!!: Yes you can photocopy REAP's materials and pass them on, but please acknowledge REAP and encourage people to contact us. Where REAP has acknowledged sources outside REAP in any of these materials, you should acknowledge them as well.
You are responsible for your group and its resources including any money that is changing hands and funds provided by other bodies. You must make sure you and your host or any other organisation involved have reasonable financial arrangements, volunteer policies and practices including safeguarding procedures with volunteers, and that you are meeting appropriate Health and Safety, Equality, Child and Vulnerable People Safeguarding policies and other appropriate standards and procedures.
Some important tips
In the session:
o Always do your speaking and listening first and don’t start writing until later on. If you write things down too soon, people concentrate on copying and not on speaking and learning.
o Everyone needs lots and lots of practice – better one thing 10 times than 10 things once each.
o Your participants are not children – use useful words, examples and themes words (eg. money, family, appointments), not things designed for children (eg. Discos and zoo animals).
o Make sure everyone is involved and learning or they won’t come back next week. Treat everyone as your equal. Don’t let anyone dominate or talk over other participants.
o Have materials and extra volunteers if possible for the most basic learners – they need a lot of direct and one to one attention (See separate ‘REAP / GREG Basics Pack’).
Outside the session
o Be reliable – if you are late or often cancel sessions, your group could collapse very quickly. Best if you have 2-3 people helping the group so someone else can come if you are sick.
o Get people’s phone numbers on the attendance sheets and ring and text them if they don’t come, and at the start of term or for a special occasion like a visit or a party.
o Have good contacts in case someone asks you for help with immigration or counselling etc.
o Keep giving out publicity, especially in the weeks before and when you start but at all times.
o Keep in close contact with your host organisation, tell them what is happening, invite them in, thank them and give them good news stories and numbers (especially if it helps their funding) so they feel they want to keep on supporting the group.
About Children and Parents
o Do let people bring babies and children, mothers especially are often excluded from college because of child care. But make sure they know they are responsible for their child – this isn’t a crèche or a playgroup. Ban crisps! – too messy!
o Include some activities the children can join eg. Line Up, songs, movement exercises, looking at pictures. Keep a couple of toys or colouring in your 'props' box as back up.
o Reassure parents/carers it is ok if the child is a bit noisey at first, after 2-3 sessions they will settle in. Ask parents/carers to bring toys, quiet food etc. They might leave a bit early as children get tired.
o Make sure the room is suitable - the parent is responsible but its reasonable for you to look out for sharp corners and loose wires for everyone's safety etc. Do not use little objects for props (eg. pennies, sweeties) if there are small children there and take care with hot tea and coffee.