Using puppets for language teaching

Puppets

Puppets have long been recognised as a powerful stimulus for oral work. 

They provide an ideal vehicle for individual role-play practice, requiring both question and answer skills.

Speech delivered with puppetry has a visual element, rendering it more memorable for the language learner.

Conversations with puppets are easily identified as valuable performances which can be assessed and then improved upon.

Pupils can now easily record video performances on mobile phones, cameras or computers. These can be submitted to the teacher and assessed instantly online, using an onlne Language Lab for example.

They invite ingenuity and individuality thus providing much scope for extended work.

They can be improvised from almost anything ... a ruler, pen or a finger can be easily pressed into service to bring the target language into action.

 

Example: Talking about a trip to France, using the perfect tense

1. Provide a visual stimulus for the conversation you require. (Select one from your resources or the Schoolshape Library)2. Provide the text for the conversation (This could be taken from a previous writing or gap-fill exercise) 3. Set this activity for your group to record with audio only.4. When pupils have performed the task well enough with audio only, set the task again, this time requiring a video performance with a puppet.5. When/if a good performance has been submitted, you can display it for the class to see, and/or encourage parents to view if appropriate.   

Teaching Reading with PuppetsRuth BennettIn Canada and the United States today approximately 210 indigenous languagesare still spoken out of the over 300 spoken before the arrival of Columbus(Krauss, 1998). However, all is not well with these remaining indigenouslanguages. For a language to stay alive, somebody has to be learning it. Recentresearch indicates that only 35 of the remaining languages in the United Statesand Canada are spoken by young people (Krauss, 1998).Will these remaining languages survive? Today, children are no longer beingpunished routinely for speaking their language in schools. Many schoolswith indigenous populations, particularly on Indian Reserves and Reservations,have indigenous language programs. But having a program does not guaranteethat children are learning their languages. Factors external to a language programcan play a considerable role. One researcher has stated that today Englishlanguage movies, television, and videotapes are doing what a century of washingmouths out with soap in boarding schools could not accomplish (Reyhner,2000). In addition to distractions from media, the familyÕs attitude is a factor.For many decades, it was a rare family that was in a position to do anything toretain traditional language or culture. The explanation for this is related to aneed for sheer survival or to a belief that, given the long history of decline,nothing can be done stop the inevitable.The fact is that the use of most indigenous languages in the United Stateshas eroded and needs restoration. Effective instruction is needed in languageprograms to deal with a variety of issues. In this paper I offer an effective teachingmethod and illustrate it with a reading lesson based on native oral traditions.I take into account a range of recent research on childrenÕs language and literacylearning.Many tribal language programs have found that the story, that is, the oraltradition of the tribe, connects childrenÕs reading to their lives. These tribes havea variety of ways of including content from the culture of the tribal communityin their reading instruction (McCarty & Watahomigie, 1998). In California, at arecent Advocates for California Language Survival conference, led by LeanneHinton and Nancy Steele, presentations on tribal reading programs by Californiatribes connected reading programs to their Native oral tradition using a varietyof activities, including storybooks, accompanying videos, live dramas, puppetplays, and games (Language is Life, 4th Annual Conference, March 17-19,2000). Although puppet making is not traditional for California tribes, puppetsgo hand-in-hand with traditional stories. Puppet performances harness groupenergy for the reading task by requiring a team of performers, a narrator, andreaders. Puppet plays facilitate childrenÕs literacy development because readingtraditional stories can get learners close to the rhythms of their oral language. Toinsure this eventuality, I retained the original spoken Hupa language in writingthe puppet show for the lesson described in this paper. I changed Hupa forms in

the text only when necessary for coherence.Indigenous Languages Across the Community152An Approach to Language and Literacy Teaching for Native ChildrenBelow is an example of a teaching approach centering on a puppet playbased on a script from a Hupa traditional story. It is understood in tribal languageprograms that language and culture are linked. Those tribes who developreading programs from a cultural perspective understand that culture is an importantaspect of an indigenous studentsÕ identity and that students will becomebetter readers when they can identify with the stories they are reading.The Language Proficiency Method described here puts many reading strategiestogether. In addition to a question-answer approach and the sequencingfrom easy to difficult questions, this method emphasizes communication-basedreading strategies, such as oral reading, group reading out loud, taking turnsreading, and reading within peer groups. The six stages in the teaching sequenceare listed below. At each stage, there is teacher-initiated language use, teacherquestions and student responses, or student initiated language use.1. Setting the scene. Initial introductions vary. The teacher may describe thesequence of learning and what to expect in each stage of the lesson. Theteacher uses flashcards, note cards, audiotapes, and other aids to catchstudentsÕ attention.2. Comprehensible input. The teacher asks easy questions where studentsdemonstrate comprehension but do not have to respond verbally. If theydo respond verbally, they need only respond with ÒyesÓ or Òno.Ó3. Guided practice. Students respond with yes or no by repeating what theteacher has said or by answering either-or questions.4. Independent practice. Students supply the vocabulary term in answeringthe teacherÕs questions. Students may formulate words, phrases, and sentences.5. Challenge. Here, students initiate activities. They read stories from theiroral tradition, perform plays adapted from the stories, or they play gamesdesigned from vocabulary in the lesson.6. Expansion. Extra-curricular activities.A Field StudyThe following description of a lesson using the Language Proficiency Methodis from a high school reading lesson in Danny AmmonÕs first year Hupa languageclass on January 20, 2000. Having a well-planned lesson is essential. Amajor benefit of planning is that it empowers students. Planning the lesson andsharing the plan with students gives them the opportunity to talk about theirÒgoals, plans, and available actionsÓ (Paris, Lipson & Wixson, 1994, p. 791)while developing reading skills. Active participation helps in developing readingskills. Objectives in the lesson are to develop Hupa language proficiency by:

a) developing oral reading skills, b) increasing vocabulary knowledge, c) improvinggrammar functions, and d) expanding story performance competencies.The reading material for the lesson is the MisqÕit Kin xotile story, a storyabout a young gambler from MisqÕit, a village in the Hoopa Valley. Group oralTeaching Reading with Puppets153reading is the primary way of presenting this lesson. Group reading out loudrequires each student to read in front of the entire class, which offers the advantageof establishing group cohesion. It requires individual students to commandthe attention of the entire group. Group reading is accompanied with studentinitiatedquestions about the reading. When students initiate questions, they arealready thinking about what they will be reading.There is some current research that documents the contributions of indigenousElders to reading programs. The article, ÒNothing like a good read,Ó is adiscussion of Success for All, a reading program developed at Johns HopkinsUniversity that incorporates Elders as volunteer listeners for oral reading classes(Arthurs, 2000). This article reports that, after three years, the percentage ofstudents needing tutoring has decreased from 50% to below 30%. In addition,there has been a 10% increase in standardized reading test scores and a higherpercentage of students moving on to the next grade at the end of the year. Finally,the presence of Hupa-speaking Elders is credited with putting an emphasison proficiency and Ògiving the students language skills that are necessary inother subjects.ÓIn another recent study conducted in a Navajo language program in thecommunity school at Rough Rock, Arizona, McCarthy and Watahomogie discussÒnew developmentsÓ in the program, including having Òhigh school studentsengage in applied research to develop Navajo and English literacyÓ (1999,p. 356). In this program, the applied research consists of students working withElders to learn drama, storytelling, and Native performing arts.Hupa elders were the source of the reading material for this lesson, and theyhelped teach the class. I first heard the MisqÕit Kin xotile story from Hupa languageelders Fred Davis, Herman Sherman, and Ruel Leach on May 2, 1984.The story describes Hupa culture as it has been passed down through generationsof Hupa speakers. It dramatizes beliefs related to winning when gamblingwith Indian cards and to reversing bad luck. In creating the written text, I firstwrote a word-for-word transcript from an audiotape I had made. I then wrote apuppet play script from the transcript. Hupa elders James Jackson and CalvinCarpenter helped with teaching the puppet play lesson. They testified that thestory is an old Hupa story and affirmed that the Hupa language in the story iscorrect. They talked about the importance of preserving Hupa culture, and they

discussed how learning the Hupa language is essential in preserving the culture.The lesson sequence is as follows:1. Setting the Scene. Student participation in this lesson began when I introducedthe lesson to them. I explained that in the one and a half hour session, Idivided the lesson into stages:1. Setting the Scene: Introductions and plan for the lesson.2. Comprehensible Input: Silent reading.3. Guided Practice: Student questions.4. Independent Practice: Students taking turns reading the story on notecards.Indigenous Languages Across the Community1545. Challenge: a) Students reading the puppet show at their seats with eachcharacter reading his or her lines and the free English that follows. b)Students performing the puppet show in the puppet theatre continuingthe same reading procedure with Hupa and English.6. Expansion: Outside reading experiences: an optional stage in the method.I explained to the students that the lesson is designed in stages to ensure thatinstruction proceeds in a sequenced fashion from simple to more difficult andthat students build their proficiency at one stage before tackling the next one. Ipreviewed student participation at each stage. I told them there would be opportunitiesfor everyone to participate. In the oral reading stage, every one wouldread their part. All of the students would be asked to read the Hupa language aswell as the English. I told them that if they could not read the Hupa language,they could substitute English. I told them it was important in the oral reading tokeep the story going.2. Comprehensible Input: Incorporating Silent Reading. The need for silentreading becomes apparent if students are asked to read out loud and are hesitant.I characterized the collective mood of this particular class as tentative. So Ioffered them silent reading time. Silent reading provides the opportunity forstudents to get involved with the text and to figure out what they do not knowbefore their proficiency is tested. Silent reading gives them time to formulatequestions. I handed out 30 cards containing the story segmented into 30 units.Each card contained Hupa language, literal translation, and free translation.Because the hesitancy remained at the end of the silent reading period, I repeatedthe instructions that each student take some time to read what was ontheir card, and I began to walk from one student to the next asking if they hadany questions or if they wanted to know how to pronounce any of the words, asin the examples below:Student: (reads a card) Minlung lo:qÕ yiditile (ten otters)Teacher: Hayde minlung? (Are there ten?) (points at the word minlung)Student: (nods yes)Student: (reads from a card) KÕiye kin nawhle:te. (I am going to gamble again.)

Teacher: KÕiye Ôung? (Again?) (points at the word kÕiye)Student: (nods yes)3. Guided Practice: Student-Initiated Questions. In fact, the students didhave questions. Questions have been shown to be highly effective in stimulatingreading comprehension. Ruddell and Ruddell, in a study of 24 teachers and 522K-3 students (1994) showed statistically significant reading and listening comprehensionachievement gains for 2nd and 3rd graders who had teachers who askedquestions and encouraged student questions over teachers who did not. Somestudents asked what they were supposed to read on their note cards. I explainedreasons for my answers. I formulated questions based on the material containedTeaching Reading with Puppets155on the note cards to give students practice prior to the group reading. For example,Student: (reads from note card) TehtlÕiwhne:s TolqÕatsÕding chÕisday. (The watermonster lived at Supply Creek.)Teacher: TehtlÕiwhne:s TolqÕatsÕding chÕisday Ôung? (Did the water monster liveat Supply Creek?) (Teacher points at the words on the card.)Student: Diye.At this stage, the teacher tests student comprehension by posing yes-no questionsbased upon what the students have read. They can indicate comprehensionand then read what is written on her card. Teacher questions are a way of monitoringcomprehension of what students will be reading as a group.4. Independent Practice: Group Oral Reading. A significant body of readingresearch has dealt with the importance of guessing. Guessing has been identifiedas one of the three primary ways to develop reading skills, the other twoways being analogizing and patterning (Ehri, 1994). Research has found thatstudents making guesses are correct more often than they are wrong. InGoodmanÕs miscue analysis, primary school readers during oral reading of textsmade guesses that were Òsemantically and syntactically consistent with the textread up to that point,Ó indicating that guesses were based on expectations(Goodman, 1965, pp. 639-643).The independent practice stage of the lesson required students to read thesentences on their cards. Oral reading forces a student to put their reading skillson the line, so I introduced this by letting students know they had choices. I usedquestions like, ÒWho wants to Y?Ó and ÒDo you want to Y?Ó to allow studentsthe choice of refusing. This dynamic works with classes where there is a degreeof positive energy from the start. The Hupa language class at the high school isan elective, so it is one that students have chosen. A choice by one student helped

to establish and maintain a positive momentum. He said, ÒI like to gamble,Ó as away of indicating that he wanted to read a story about a young gambler.I told them it is important to continue on, even when they stumble, and toshift to English or to guess, rather than stop reading. The students were requiredto read the Hupa language and then to translate or read the English. Guessinginvolved pronunciation as well as making accurate free translations. Here aresome examples of students reading in Hupa and then translating into English:Student: MeÕdilmeÕ xodiltÕe:n, weÕre bringing him back in a boat.Student: Leno:ldingmil no:chÕingÕyehdilqe:t, weÕre paddling past Weitchpec.I found that when students didnÕt use the Hupa language they read the Englishtranslation so that the reading would continue. An illustration follows:Student: Long water snake, (did not say) tehtlÕiwhne:s.Student: He was still breathing yet. (did not say) Xa:t naÕtilye:wh.Indigenous Languages Across the Community156In these cases, students whose job was to read the Hupa language may haveshifted to English due to their sense of audience. Their intention may have beento communicate the meaning of what was going on to those who would notimmediately understand the Hupa language.In the Hupa high school class, two Hupa Elders, James Jackson and CalvinCarpenter, volunteered their help with the class and to listen to the group reading.Their presence validated the Hupa language being read; they were listeningcarefully to what the students were reading. Having Hupa Elders present is invaluablein emphasizing indigenous culture in Hupa language classes becauseour Elders are the embodiment of the culture.The presence of the Elders helps to validate the story. In answering studentquestions, I was able to refer questions to Elders to make the argument that thestory is a true story. When a student asked, ÒWhy do the sea lions go upriver toLe:lding?Ó I told him that the mouth of the South Fork of the Trinity River iswhere sea lions used to go to have their little ones in the old days and that therewere, in fact, sea lions in the river. I asked one of the Elders if that was so, and hesaid, ÒThatÕs right. We used to have sea lions here.ÓWhen another student asked, ÒWhy did the two boys happen to be there atthe mouth of the Klamath?Ó I was able to answer: ÒCleaning sweathouses usedto be a job young boys did, and sweathouses used to be close to the river.ÓAgain, I asked for verification from an Elder, and again I received an affirmativeresponse: ÒMen and boys used to just about live in the sweat houses. They hadpillows in there and pokers for the fireÑeverything they needed.Ó5. Challenge: Group performing with puppetsÑChoices. Introducing thisstage, I told that students about the benefits of puppet show performances.Through such performances, students can explore stories in cooperation withtheir peers and also improve their individual proficiencies. An individual student

will exert the effort to sound out a word if the others in the class are listeningto what she is saying. Individual students may be willing to work harder ifthere is a group goal. If a student knows that performance is the end goal, thenshe knows the purpose for practice. One teacher I know had worked with theclass practising lines for several days prior to my appearance. This involvedmany repetitions of words and phrases until students felt comfortable repeatingthem. The work he had done with the class during the semester showed in thestudentsÕ abilities to read the Hupa language and by their good behaviour. Theunderlying principle is that the individual stays on task in a team effort.Research has shown the importance of student choices. Student choices in alanguage class, Òestablished a common understanding of possibilities, yet permittedindividual selection of what was accepted,Ó according to a study of ahigh school English class in Santa Barbara (Ruddell & Ruddell, 1994). Studentsin this study had the opportunity to make choices. It was found that this wasessential for them not only in developing common views, but also in formingindividual views.In Stage 5, students chose their roles in the story by selecting puppets thatrepresented the characters they would portray. There was a puppet for each charTeachingReading with Puppets157acter. In the MisqÕit Kin xotile story, the characters are as follows: Gamblerfrom MisqÕit (grown up), Young Gambler from MisqÕit (younger man), Old Manwho makes medicine, Big Sea Lion, Long Water Snake, Black Otters, WhiteOtter, Two Boys, Fisherman, Old Woman, Old WomanÕs Daughter.I brought out the puppets and laid them side by side on a table. When thestudents saw the puppets, their moods varied. They became expansive or withdrawn,depending on whether they wanted to take this next step into a performanceor not. I told the students that we would choose who would take eachpuppet and asked if there was anyone who wanted to play the lead, eitherQÕunchÕiwilchwil MisqÕit Kin xotile, the younger gambler, or his grown up character.I held up both puppets as I gave them their Hupa names and one studentsaid, ÒI like gambling. I will be the gamblerÓ. He took the grown up MisqÕit Kinxotile and I scanned the class for interested looks. I asked another young man ifhe would like to play QÕunchÕiwilchwil MisqÕit Kin xotile and he indicated agreementby coming up and taking the puppet. Then, because I wanted to involve theyoung women in the class immediately, I asked if any of them wanted to beeither Do:kÕiwile, the old woman, or Whiya:chÕe, the daughter. Two volunteerstook these puppets, and I held up KÕiwingxoya:n, looking for a volunteer, and soon until all the puppets were assigned.Then I told the students that we would be reading and performing. I toldthem that, in the first phase, students would read the puppet show at their seats

with each character reading his/her lines and the free English that follows, andthen, in the second phase, students would perform the puppet show in the puppettheatre continuing the same reading procedure with Hupa and English. At thispoint, I got out an entire script so that a student who had not chosen a charactercould be the master reader, coordinating the students lines in case they becameconfused.The reading and puppet performance went well. When the students werefinished, there was a feeling of accomplishment. In a study of language andliteracy development, McGee and Richgels emphasize the importance of groupreading experiences and of Òplayful activities in which children tell stories, actout stories,Ó and use reading and writing (1996, p. 216). McGee and Richgelsanalyze the success of these activities on the basis that Òchildren tell their stories,other children are the audience, and they are free to make comments or askquestionsÓ (p. 242).A second value of a puppet show performance is the way in which it incorporatesspontaneity into group reading. Even though the students have a script,they either recite the Hupa words or they present an English translation. Sometimes,they will use words that occur to them. For example, MisqÕit Kin xotileinterjected a line, saying: Òna:ne:layÓ (I won). The script did not have a line forhim at this point. It called for KÕiwingxoya:n, the old man, to say:ÒahtÕingqÕaÕuntÕe naÕusdilayÓ (he won everything). When another student objectedthat he was not supposed to say Òna:ne:lay,Ó he responded, ÒWhy not? Idid win.Ó Because his argument was valid and his line fit into the plot, his spontaneousline was accepted.Indigenous Languages Across the Community158Vivian Paley has described the value of spontaneous interaction instorytelling activities. In one compelling narrative about her years as a teacher,she relates how she combined storytelling and play in an activity where sheplayed a role and where she accepted revisions to stories as they occurred becauseof the value of spontaneity: ÒIn storytelling, as in play, the social interactionswe call interruptions usually improve the narrativeÓ (Paley, 1990, p. 242).6. Expansion: The Hoopa Community Class. This stage is optional and generallyoccurs in activities outside of the classroom. In the Hoopa community,there is a weekly all-community class available to high school students. TheElders present in the classroom were teachers in this community class, so I tookthe opportunity to invite the high school students to the community class forfurther work with the elders. I explained that this class meets once a week in theevenings with Elders present to answer questions and to spontaneously generatelanguage.

The importance of the community class is to provide support for the languageclasses in the public schools and colleges, as well as to encourage communitypeople. The class proceeds with a conversational approach, and I work in grammarteaching in relation to conversation that students are learning. Motivationalincentives for attending the class include its easy going atmosphere and havingfood. Students are not graded in the class, so they are released from the stress ofbeing on task all of the time. Eating together in the community class providesanother opportunity for spontaneous language use. The community class offersthe chance to demonstrate proficiency in a community setting.ConclusionI suggest that reading instruction is an essential component in the curriculum,and further, that the oral tradition of the indigenous culture can enhancerather than inhibit reading programs. In this paper, I discussed the use of theLanguage Proficiency Method with high school students. My experiences withthis method in the Hupa language program has implications for other indigenouslanguage programs relative to three areas of development:1. The development of academic discourse proficiencies: The narrative is anÒearly formÓ in terms of its acquisition by young children, and its usefulnesscontinues throughout every level of education for indigenous languagestudents because narrative is the basic form of education in indigenous languagecommunities.2. The development of second language proficiency: Reading is an importantmedium for indigenous language revitalization purposes for developing languageproficiency in those students who donÕt speak the indigenous language(Heredia & Francis, 1997).3. Cognitive development: Narrative performance incorporates a pragmaticapproach that uses a traditional vehicle from the indigenous culture in teachingan important aspect of academic proficiency.Teaching Reading with Puppets159ReferencesArthurs, S.W. (2000, January 23). Times standard. Northcoast News. Eureka,CA, p. 1.Ehri, L. C. (1994). Development of the ability to read words: Update. InR.B. Ruddell, M.R. Ruddell, & H. Singer (Eds.), Theoretical models and processesof reading (pp. 324-358). Newark, NJ: International Reading Association.Goodman, K.S. (1965). A linguistic study of cues and miscues in reading.Elementary English, 42, 639-643.Heredia, A., & Francis, N. (1997). Coyote as Reading Teacher: Oral Traditionin the Classroom. In J. Reyhner ( Ed.), Teaching indigenous languages (pp.44-53). Flagstaff, AZ: Northern Arizona University. http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/TIL_6.htmlKrauss, M. (1998). The condition of Native North American languages:

The need for realistic assessment and action. The International Journal of theSociology of Language, 132, 9- 21.McCarty. T.L., & Watahomogie, L.J. (1998). Language and literacy in AmericanIndian and Alaska Native communities. In B. Perez (Ed.), Socioculturalcontexts of language and literacy (pp. 69-99). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence ErlbaumAssociates.McCarty. T.L., & Watahomogie, L. J. (1999, Fall). Reclaiming indigenouslanguages. Common Ground, 32-42.McGee, L.M., & Richgels, D. (1996). LiteracyÕs beginnings. Boston: Allyn& Bacon.Paley, V.G. (1990). Mollie is three: Growing up in school. Chicago: Universityof Chicago.Paris, S. G., Lipson, M.Y., &. Wixson, K.K. (1994). Becoming a strategicreader. In R.B. Ruddell, M.R. Ruddell & H. Singer (Eds), Theoretical modelsand processes of reading (pp. 788-810). Newark, NJ: International Reading Association.Reyhner, J. (2000). A resources guide: Native American language renewal.Tribal College Journal, 11(3), 42-45. http://www.tribalcollegejournal.org/spring2000/resources.htmlRuddell, R.B., & Ruddell, M.R. (1994). Language acquisition and literacyprocesses. In R. B. Ruddell, M. R. Ruddell & H. Singer (Eds.), Theoretical modelsand processes of reading (pp. 83-104). Newark, NJ: International ReadingAssociation.

http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/ILAC/ILAC_16.pdf

Teaching with puppets

Young children are extremely imaginative and fantasy is very much a part of their world. Use this to your advantage by introducing an English-only puppet into your classroom. Many teachers of young learners have been using an English-only puppet in their classes for a long time.

To begin, the teacher introduces the puppet to the class and tells them that it only speaks English. Having 'someone' in the class that only communicates in English can provide a need for the children to speak in the L2, which is especially useful in classes where students know their teacher speaks their mother tongue.

Your English-only puppet can be any character. You can use any cuddly toy, i.e. a teddy.

1. Before introducing the puppetSend a postcard/letter from the puppet to the children to raise their curiosity.

2. Introducing the English-only puppet to the childrenHello. Bye, bye.Show the children the puppet and say Hello, getting the children to copy you. Walk around the class letting the children stroke the puppet and encouraging them to say Hello to the puppet. Make the puppet disappear behind your back and say Bye, bye. To practise and elicit the different greetings, make the puppet appear and disappear by hiding him under the desk, in your bag, in a child's bag/desk.

1. Let them choose a name for him. (From now on we'll call the puppet Cookie.)

2. Show the children where Cookie is from using a map of England/the States/Australia or another English-speaking country.

3. Decide when his birthday is. Have a birthday party for him. Make cards and let the children write them in English.

4. When you go somewhere, take Cookie with you. Take a photograph and send a card to school from him.

5. Use him to get the children quiet. Say Cookie doesn't like noise. He's frightened.

Children who have been particularly well-behaved or have tried hard to speak in English can take Cookie home. The next day they can tell the class in their L1 what Cookie had for dinner, what time he went to bed, if he was well-behaved, etc.

In Class

3. Warm-up

Cookie can be used for a general warm up. At first he can just ask their names but you can start to integrate more complicated language as the children learn more – What's your favourite colour/number?, Do you like...?, Can I have a...? etc.

4. Giving instructionsThe puppet can do the actions for most classroom instructions: Stand up. Sit down. Colour. Cut. Draw. It is a good idea for the puppet to model the instructions using classroom objects at first so the children can see exactly what they need to do.

5. Puppet dayOn one occasion, you could ask the children to bring a puppet or any other soft toy from home to the next class. In the class they introduce their toy: My name is...

N.B. If you plan this for later in the course, the children could practise more language by giving further information about their puppet, i.e. I like bananas and pizza. My favourite colour is...

Games

6. What is Cookie thinking about?Place some flashcards of words you want to practise on the blackboard. Using the puppet, tell the children that he is thinking about one of the words and that they must guess which one. The puppet goes round eliciting the answers and shaking/nodding its head depending on whether the answer is right or not. If a child guesses correctly, give him/her the flashcard to hold.

7. Pass CookieTell the children that you are going to play some music and they must pass Cookie from one child to the next, round the class until the music stops. When the music stops, the child holding Cookie puts him on his/her hand. They can say anything in English or ask a question in English to Cookie or whoever they like in the class. Start the music again to continue the activity.

8. Cookie says...Play 'Simon says' but insert the name of your puppet instead so that it is giving the instructions for the children to follow.

Where's Cookie?

9. Yes/NoShow Cookie to the class. Choose a child who has to turn his/her back. Hide the

puppet somewhere in the class. Tell the child to turn back round and ask him/her Where's Cookie? The other children direct him/her to the puppet saying No until the child is close, when they say Yes. Alternatively you could repeat the above activity, only the children use hot/cold, to guide the child to the puppet. Cold = they aren't close, hot = they are very close.

10. Traffic lightsRepeat the above procedure only using the traffic light colours to direct the child. Explain to the children that Green = Go! Yellow = Slow down! and Red = Stop! The child starts walking round the class. Say Green until the child is close to the puppet. Then say Yellow so that the child slows down.When the child is right next to the puppet say Red, so that the child stops and looks for the puppet. The game continues with another child. The children can give the instructions and even hide the puppet.