This is how I learn!

1 This is how I Learn ©www.schooldiva.co.za

This is how I

learn!

Follow these 4 important steps to teach

the preschool child new skills.


INDEX

SECTION A : Gross Motor Skills .................................. 5

SECTION B : Fine Motor Skill ....................................... 11

SECTION C : Mathematics ......................................... 21

SECTION D : Visual Perceptual Skills ......................... 27

SECTION E : Auditory Perceptual Skills ..................... 37

SECTION F : Language Development ..................... 49


1. PHYSICAL

Start with the child’s body and senses. E.g. to teach the circle shape: allow the learner to form a circle

with his/her fingers, arms or body.

2. HREE DIMENTIONAL (3-D) Use any loose apparatus — blocks, toys etc.

Creative activities: box constructions, threading with needle, play dough.

3. TWO DIMENTIONAL (2-D) Use felt figures on a felt board, loose pictures on a background, educational board games, creative printed matter, activities like collage and pasting pictures.

4. WRITTEN WORK

Abstract—All worksheets, drawings, painting etc.

IMPORTANT

These 4 steps need to be fo l lowed to learn new concepts .

T H E R E M U S T B E P R OG R E S S I O N I N T E A C H I NG . S T A R T W I T H T H E T H I NG S / C O N C E P T S T H E L E A R N E R

K N OW S A N D M A K E I T MO R E D I F F I C U L T .


S e c t i o n A : G R O S S M O T O R

S K I L L S


GROS S MO TO R S K I L L S

Gross Motor refers to large movements that are driven mostly by the larger muscles groups of the body. Movements of the whole arm, the legs, the trunk, are all gross motor movements. Thus, gross motor skills are skills that develop through using the large muscles of the body in a coordinated and controlled way.

BALANCE Balance on one leg—demonstrate using arms stretched out. Walk on a line on the floor, toes and heel touch as the learner walks. Gradually start using a rope, low bench, edge of a sandpit, wall or balance beam. Jump on one leg on a line, rope. Jump zig-zag on one leg. Hop scotch is an ideal way to reinforce balance.

BILATERAL INTEGRATION Bilateral Integration is the brain's ability to allow its right and left sides to work together; for example, walking or riding a bike. Let the learners gallop and skip rhythmically. Use a tambou-rine to give the rhythm.

Star jumps: Start off by allowing learners to do it on the ground or cement to show them what a star jump is. Both feet and arms must open together when they jump. The best way to practice is to allow learners to star jump from a height e.g. a tyre or a small platform. It is best to let the learners jump onto sand while making a star shape.

DOMINANCE This is an indication of the hand, foot or eye a learner prefers to use. A child can also use both sides. No child must be forced to write with their right hand. To determine the dominant hand: Throw a ball at the learn-er. Note which hand he catches it with. Notice which hand he is using to draw, paint or cut out with. To determine which foot is dominant: Let the learner dribble a ball. Note which foot he uses. Climb a flight of stairs, The foot that is used instinctively on the first step is the dominant foot. To determine eye dominance: Use a rolled up paper, toilet roll or a paper with a hole in a paper. Ask the learner to look through the hole. The eye they use is the dominant eye.


8 7 9

6 4 2

5 1 3

Hopscotch is an ideal way to help children balance and jump on one leg. To further enhance learning, the hopscotch can

be made up out of different shapes and numbers.

Hopscotch with random numbers

Hopscotch with random shapes

Normal hopscotch

Hopscotch with shapes


GROS S MO TO R S K I L L S M ID L I N E C RO S S I NG

The midline is an imaginary line that runs down the body, separating it in half ver-tically from head to toe thus dividing the body into right and left halves. "Crossing the midline" refers to the ability to move a part of the body, such as a hand, foot or eye, into the space of the other hand, foot or eye. Being able to cross the midline indicates that the child has reached the point in his or her development that the right and left side of the brain are working in tandem. An example of crossing the midline is using your right hand to reach over your body and scratch your left elbow.

Use a rope that is placed on the ground and jump with both legs together from side to side. A long bench can also be used asking the learner to cross over the bench with the outside leg.

Use a beanbag and do a lazy 8 on the floor with your feet planted on the floor.

Touch with your RIGHT hand on your LEFT knee and LEFT hand on your RIGHT knee. Do different combinations e.g. kick with your RIGHT leg to the LEFT side and LEFT leg to the RIGHT side. Make a lazy 8 with your LEFT arm and with your RIGTH arm.

Count bottle tops from LEFT to RIGHT by moving it. Put blocks in front of the learner. Ask him to reach out to the LEFT with his RIGHT hand to get a specific block to build with. Eye exercises: Move your finger or a stick etc. from LEFT to RIGHT and back while only their eyes follow.

Use felt apparatus or loose pictures on a board. Start from LEFT to RIGHT to put them in a row. Put a series/sequence of loose pictures in a row from LEFT to RIGHT and tell the story in the proper sequence.

Draw a lazy 8 by crossing the midline. Write your name from LEFT to RIGHT. Paint or draw from LEFT to RIGHT. “Read” a sentence from LEFT to RIGHT.


GROS S MO TO R S K I L L S S P A T I A L OR I E N TA T I ON ( C o n c e p t s o f L e f t a n d R i g h t )

The ability to discriminate up/down, over/under, right/left, and so forth, in visual stimuli involves spatial orientation. Again, the importance of being able to recognize direction in visual materials is particularly evident in reading and writing skills.

Left and Right: Always start with teaching the learners about RIGHT until it is captured. Once the RIGHT is captured you can teach learners about LEFT. Any learners who are left handed need a “lefty scissor”. Do not force learners to be right handed.

Put a ribbon or elastic around the RIGHT arm or ankle. Place a dot on the RIGHT hand. Practice daily, asking learners to put up their RIGHT hand; touch their RIGHT ear, RIGHT foot etc., cross their arms. Ask the learners to catch a beanbag with their RIGHT hand.

Use blocks and place two blocks next to each other. Ask the learner the following questions: Place the red block to the RIGHT of the blue block etc.

Use felt pictures or paper/cardboard pictures on a board. Do activities where you place a red fish in the MIDDLE, ask the learn-ers to place a blue fish to the LEFT, a yellow fish to the RIGHT, an orange fish ABOVE, a green fish BELOW.

The following examples can be used to do on paper. Ask learners to draw a yellow apple to the RIGHT of the red apple. Draw a line through the ball that is on the LEFT. Draw a line through the boy that is behind the girl. Draw a bird above the tree. Make sure learners know the following RIGHT, LEFT, UNDER, ABOVE, IN FRONT, BEHIND.


S e c t i o n B : F I N E M O T O R

S K I L L S


F I N E M O TO R S K I L L S

E Y E MO V E M E N T

Specific eye movement exercises must be done daily to exercise their eye muscles. Ask learner to keep their head still while following an object with their eyes. Move a ball, stick, finger or laser light from left to right, up and down and . The object which they have to follow with their eyes must become smaller and smaller as time progresses.


P E N C I L G R I P

The correct way to hold a pencil:

Hold the pencil between 3 fingers while the wrist and two remaining fingers rest on the book. A correct pencil grip improves handwriting, helps to give more control and reduces hand fatigue. Give a learner a pencil grip writing aid if necessary.

These activities can be done to ensure a correct pencil grip. Start by using large paint brushes, thick crayons, thick pastels, thick chalk and thick pencils. Use large backgrounds like blackboards/whiteboards, walls, easels, large paper to develop the muscles of the whole arm. Paint, draw, cut, crumble, paste and play with play dough daily to develop the muscles in their fingers. Do not be too quick to use worksheets.

Right Hand

Pencil Grip Aids Left Hand



C O - O R D I N A T I O N A N D I N T EG R A T I O N

Fine Motor Skills are skills that require the use of small muscles such as the fin-gers. The goals and objectives of Fine Motor Skills are to allow the individual to be able to use their fingers and hands properly, hand eye coordination (make the con-nection in the brain between the hand and eye) and master the manipulation of objects such as writing, grasping small objects and fastening clothes.

Draw a path with two lines using chalk on cement or tar outside in the play area. Ask learners to run between two lines from left to right without touching the lines.

Draw a road with chalk on a flat surface. Ask learners to use a little car to drive the road without touching the lines.

Draw a curvy road on the black/white board. Ask learners to use their finger to drive in between the lines from left to right without touching the lines.

Repeat the step, but use a chalk/marker instead of a finger.

Give the learner a sheet of paper with a curve written on it. Make sure that there is a symbol to indicate where the learner must start and a symbol to indicate where the learner must stop the writing. Use a thick crayon or pencil and allow the learner to draw the line from left to right without touching the lines or lifting the hand up.


A C T I V I T I E S T O D E V E L O P F I N E MO T O R S K I L L S

P L A Y DO UGH

Cut dough — roll out the dough into snakes and cut it into slices with a plastic knife.

Roll out balls (5) and flatten with different fingers by pressing it downwards.

Supply different laminated backgrounds. Roll dough in little snakes and “write” with the dough.

Use different types of cookie cutters, tin lids can also be used.

Rolling pins, knives, forks, spatulas, sticks, toothpicks and Chinese sticks can also be used to manipulate the playdough.

Use real pottery clay with beads, buttons, seeds and bottle caps to decorate the play dough.


A C T I V I T I E S T O D E V E L O P S C I S S O R S K I L L S

Roll out play dough into little snakes, cut it into small slices with a scissor.

Cut out on a straight line. Use one hand to hold the paper and the other hand to manipulate the scissor.

Cut out shapes. The one hand must turn the paper.

Cut out an oval and circle.

Cut out curves.

Cut out zigzag patterns.

Cut out pictures from a magazine.


F I N E M O TO R S K I L L S : T E A R A N D P A S T E

Supply a small background, later the child will draw his/her own. Tear thin cardboard, newspaper or coloured paper. Use wallpaper glue or Pritt and let the learner paste the bits of paper inside the background.

F I N E M O TO R S K I L L S : C R UM B L E A N D P A S T E

Cut crepe paper in small pieces, crumple it into small balls and paste with white glue. Apply the glue first on the background surface. Cover the whole background. Toilet paper or tissues are more difficult to do than crepe paper.

F I N E M O TO R S K I L L S : P I N C H S T R E NG T H E N I NG

Use the following tools to pick up small objects: pegs, tweezers, Chinese chop-sticks. Use fingers to look for beads or buttons according to colour or shape.

F I N E M O TO R S K I L L S : T H R E A D I NG

Shoelace threading with beads, buttons, spools etc.

Thread beads and straws using plastic needles with large eyes.

Thread through bags that were used to package oranges or onions.

Use strips of cardboard to thread a mat.

Thread with needle and wool, practicing the upper hand thread and the in an out thread.

Make holes in polystyrene trays and thread through holes.

Thread according to a pattern (needle and wool) polystyrene and coloured straws.



E D U C A T I O N A L G AM E S

There is a big variety of educational games that can help to develop fine motor skills e.g. Pegboards, Elastic bands, board games, puzzles

and “tolletjie” knitting.


F I N E M O TO R I N T EG R A T I O N

B O D Y I M AG E Body image is how you see yourself when you look in the mirror or when you

picture yourself in your mind. Before the child can draw him/herself the child needs to know all his body parts and functions.

When teaching about the body, start with the head. Give each child a mirror, discuss the shape, position of eyes, ears etc. Discuss the symmetry, the purpose of each of the senses and their possibilities e.g. the eyeball can roll, the pupil is black and can grow and shrink when light shines on it. Discuss the neck, upper body, lower body, arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet and toes. Discuss the position of the body parts e.g. the arms are connected to the upper body. Practice every day to name the body parts. Do different movements with different body parts during “movement ring” to find out what each body part can and cannot do.

Allow learners to dress and undress dolls. Use songs and rhymes that allows them to use their body parts e.g. “head, shoulders, knees and toes”. Play games e.g. “Simon says: touch your nose.”

Make a collage with different materials and textures. Use large paper to draw the child’s body outline, let the child paint or draw the details in. Use educational toys e.g. puzzles, construction apparatus that teach the learner about the body.

Ask learner to draw himself using different drawing apparatus. Give learners a paper with the shape of a head on it and the loose facial parts of the head and ask the learners to paste the parts at the proper place. Draw an oval and let the learners draw their facial parts. Later do the same with the rest of the body.


E X AM P L E O F A GOOD MA N - D R AW I NG

head

hair

eyebrows

eyelashes

1 nose

2 ears

2 eyes

mouth

teeth / tongue

1 upper body

1 lower body

neck

shoulders

2 arms (position)

2 hands

10 fingers

2 legs

2 feet

10 toes

clothes


S e c t i o n : C M A T H E M A T I C S


MA T H E M A T I C S N UM B E R S

A number is a mathematical object used to count, label, and measure.

Ask learners to form groups of 3, 5, 6. Learners can practice this during “movement ring”. Count out loud with the learners on a daily basis. Start counting up to 5 in term 1, count to 10 in term 2, count to 20 in term 3 and count to 30 in term 4.

Counting out object: different counting apparatus can be used e.g. bottletops, icecream sticks, buttons, blocks, beads, shells, crayons etc. Start counting out with 3-D apparatus, then 2-D pictures and then lastly pictures or objects on a page. Concrete calculations: start off by using easy calculations and work gradually to more difficult calculations e.g. Ask the learners to form small groups and give each group small blocks. Ask questions like: Take 7 blocks and put in front of you. Count it. Add 2 more blocks, count how many blocks you have. Take away 3 blocks, count how many blocks you have now. Divide/share 10 blocks between you and a friend. How many blocks does each one get?

Use felt or loose pictures on a board. Ask the same type of questions and the learners must count the pictures and give the answers. Use flash cards with dots or the number 4 and the learner must recognize the “number”. Ask questions like: Which card has the same amount as the first card etc.

Use various worksheets where learner must answer questions by doint it on paper. Ask the following type of questions: select the “same amount”, which has the “most”, which one has the “least”, Which basket will have 6 apples if I add one more apple, Which picture will have 2 trees if I chop 1 tree down?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematical_object

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counting

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measurement


MA T H E M A T I C S

O R D I N A L S

An Ordinal Number is a number that tells the position of something in a list. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th etc.

Ask learners to stand in a row. Ask questions like: “Who is standing in front, who is second, who is in the middle, who is last in the line.

Place plastic animals or plastic cups in a line . Ask questions like: “Which animal is standing in front, which is third, which

Place felt figures or pictures on a board in a row. Ask learners which one is first, second, middle, last etc.

Use worksheets where you ask: “Draw a line through the third bucket. Draw a line through the apple that is in the middle.”

Draw a line through the apple that is in the middle.



S P A T I A L R E L A T I O N S

Spatial relations is the ability to perceive the position of objects in relation to oneself and other objects.

During “movement ring” ask learners to use different apparatus e.g. bean bag/scarf/ box. Instruct the learners to place the apparatus in front, behind, next to, on top, underneath, left or right of him/her.

Use blocks asking learners to: place the blue block in front/ behind/ left/ under the red block. Build a pattern with blocks and ask learners to copy the pattern you build.

Use pictures or geometric shapes you can stick to a board. Ask different questions to reinforce position. They Cn xopy ir

Use worksheets or cards that learners has to copy a block pattern. Draw a fish in the middle of a page. Ask them to draw a RED dot in front, a BLUE dot behind, a YELLOW dot on top and a GREEN dot below it.



S H A P E C O N C E P T S

A shape is the outline or form of an object.

Teach the learners different shapes. Begin with the basic shapes e.g. circle. Explain the characteristics of the shape e.g. The circle is round.; a square has 4 sides of the same length and consist of 4 equal corners; a triangle has 3 corners and 3 sides, but they need not be the same length. A rectangle has 2 long sides and 2 short sides. Ask learners to use their fingers, hands, arms and body to make the shape e.g. a circle.

Show the learners what a circle looks like. Play Tippy Tippy Touch and they must touch any circle in class. Collect different things that are round-shaped, and place it on the display table for the learners to explore.

Use felt or plastic apparatus on a board to build a picture made out of shapes e.g. a house. Paint a circle on a back-ground, cut the circle out and paste a pattern with different colours of circles.

Use worksheets in which you ask learners to name, draw or copy the shapes and also recognize the shapes in objects.


S e c t i o n : D V I S U A L P E R C E P T U A L

S K I L L S


V I S U A L P E R C E P T U A L S K I L L S

F O R EG R OUN D / B A C KG R O U N D

This is the ability to recognize and differentiate between foreground and back-ground forms or objects e.g.: when looking at a photo or landscape etc. being able to identify what is nearer or farthest away and select relevant information while screening out irrelevant information.

Let the learners do some screening exercises e.g. ask the learners to look for all the girls with long hair or all the boys that are wearing sandals.

Ask the learners to look for all the blue beads; or all the square shapes or all the red pencils in a box.

Use felt or cardboard shapes on a board. Ask learners to remove all the triangles etc. Learners can build a picture from different cardboard or felt objects e.g. a house with a tree behind the house and flowers in front of the house.

Discuss a picture with detail, “Find a worm, ball etc in the picture”. Use a picture where the objects are overlapping each other. Learners must colour in one object completely. Use a picture e.g. a fish with lines drawn over it and allow learners to colour the fish in. Verbal instructions: “Draw a house in the middle of your page. Draw 3 flowers in front of the house, a mountain in the back of the house”.



D I S C R I M I N A T I O N : S AM E / D I F F E R E N T

The ability to discriminate between visible likeness and differences in size, shape, pattern, form, position, and colour.

Choose two learners to stand in front of the class. Ask learners what are the differences between the two learners e.g. one has long hair, the other short hair; one is wearing a dress the other trousers. Let the learners also group learners together that have the same eye colour etc.

Use a bowl with blocks and small balls in. Ask learners to select only the balls. Learners can also sort crayons according to colour etc.

Use educational toys e.g. cards/pictures where learners must look for cards/pictures that look the same or that have differences.

Use worksheets where learners must spot the similarities or differences.

Spot the difference

Spot the same



C O L O U R CO N C E P T S

Colour is the quality such as red, blue, green, yellow, etc., that you see when you look at something.

Expose the learner to different colours, starting with the pri-mary colours e.g. Red. Let everybody with red clothes stand up. Ask learners to come to school wearing a specific colour e.g. green.

Ask learners to collect objects/things in class that is red.

Do a collage with a variety of apparatus e.g. material, cardboard, magazine paper, ribbons, buttons etc. in a certain colour e.g. blue.

Use worksheets where you ask learners to name the colours and also recognize the specific colour certain objects are e.g. strawberries are red.

RED



A N A L Y S I S A N D S Y N T H E S I S Analysis is defined as the procedure by which we break down/take apart a substantial whole

into parts or components. Synthesis is defined as the opposite procedure, to put together sepa-rate elements or components in order to form a whole.

Use crates to build a house during free play outside. Cover it with a blanket/net for a roof (synthesis). At the end of the out-side play time, ask the learners to take the crates apart (analysis) and to pack it away neatly.

Use 3-D construction apparatus daily where the learners build and disassemble the construction.

Use puzzles: Show the learner the whole puzzle (synthesis), disassemble the puzzle (analysis) and ask the learner to build the puzzle (synthesis).

Start using simple puzzles 6, 9, 12 and 18 and then 24, 36, 48 and 60 pieces.

Use a magazine picture that is divided into sections by using a marker. Cut along the lines (analysis) and build the picture again, sticking it to a background (synthesis).

Use cards that split the head from the tail of an animal or divide shapes into two and ask learners to form a whole.

Use worksheets where learners have to complete one halve of the picture etc.



C L O S U R E

Visual closure is the ability to identify or recognize a symbol or object when the entire object is not visible.

Let the learner sit behind a table. They must name the body parts that do NOT show or stick out. Let the learner stand behind a door with only the LEFT or RIGHT side sticking out. They must name the child who is standing be-hind the door and say which body parts are behind the door.

Hold a ball, glove, mug etc. behind a board or paper and the learner must identify it as a whole when only a part of the object is showing.

Use pictures, hold part of it behind a paper. The learner must identify it as a whole.

Use worksheets where the learners have to complete the object to make a whole.


V I S U A L P E R S E P T U A L S K I L L S

S P A T I A L R E L A T I O N S

Spatial relations is the ability to perceive the position of objects in relation to oneself and other objects.

These activities can be done during “movement ring”. Ask learners to stand behind, in front, left, right of each other or to put the chair next to, behind, in front of their friend.

Give the learners different instructions e.g. put the blocks in the box, place the red block left of the blue block. Ask learners to set a table e.g. the plastic knife on the right, fork on the left, cup above the plate etc.

Use felt/pictures on a board. Give instructions e.g. put the two apples in a row, put the banana on the right side. Make 5 loose cardboard houses e.g. 2 with a chimney on the left and 3 with a chimney on the right. Ask learners to find the 2 houses that look the same.

Use worksheets on which the learner must identify the objects that looks the same when it is rotated.



S H O R T T E R M M EMO R Y

Visual Short term memory is a memory system that stores visual information for a few seconds

to immediately recall the characteristics of a given object or form.

Play the copy cat game. It can be played while sitting or standing. Do a series of actions that the learner must repeat. Alternate large and small gestures. Repeat the series of actions again, but leave one of the actions out. Ask the learners which action was left out.

Have 3, then 4, then 5 objects in a box. Take them out and show them one by one. Put them back into the box and cover it. Show the objects again, but leave one out. Ask learner which object was left out. Expand the amount of items used gradually until you can use 10 items (Use items that are familiar to the learner, they must know the objects). Discuss for 1 minute any other 10 items in a holder, cover with cloth and allow learner to name items. Items that can be used: Plastic mug, car, teaspoon, key, block, doll, pencil, scissor, coin and piece of string.

Use picture cards and show it to the learners. Remove one card and show them the cards again. Ask them which card was left out. Do the same with storypictures.

Use worksheets where the learner must draw the objects that are missing.

What is missing?

http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Memory



L O NG - T E R M M EMO R Y

Long-term memory is a memory system that can store thousands of objects and can also store those objects with a remarkable amount of visual detail.

Teach learners action songs and dances. They must remember and do different movements in a sequence. Ask the learners to repeat it in the same order and sing and dance together.

Use the theme of the week e.g. “milk”. Tell a story about the cow eating grass, the cow gives us milk, the milk goes into the cold truck, the truck goes to the factory, the milk is put into cartons or bottles, we buy the milk at the shop and drink it. Use a series of pictures depicting this sequence of events. Ask learners to place the pictures in the correct order. Use a display table showing the sequence of the milk process and talk about it daily. On the last day ask the learners to recount the story of the milk process in the cor-rect order and place the flashcards in the correct order as well.

Give learners picture cards which were used during the term. Ask questions about the themes and they give you the an-swer and show you the card. For example: Milk—we make ice-cream, custard and butter from milk. Ask the learners to cut out pictures that show a sequence of events and paste it on a long paper in the correct order.

Ask learners to draw the story of milk or to draw what the daily routine at school e.g. carpet time, snack time, bathroom, story time, music, go home in the correct order.


S e c t i o n E : A U D I T O R Y

P E R C E P T U A L

S K I L L S


A U D I T O R Y P E R S E P T U A L S K I L L S

D I S C R I M I N A T I O N

Auditory discrimination is the ability to detect differences in sounds; may be gross ability, such as detecting the differences between the noises made by a cat and dog, or fine ability, such as detecting the differences made by the sounds of letters "m" and "n."

During a music ring ask the learners to close their eyes and listen to different sounds inside and outside the class, e.g. someone walking, a bird singing, a vehicle driving by, etc. Also introduce sounds that are loud and soft, near and far, fast and slow, short and long sound. Use percussion instruments, bells and whistles for the learners to listen to.

Play three instruments: A bell, drum and shaker. Ask the learners which sound did they hear first; second; third? Use a paper, glass with a teaspoon and a scissor to make a sound. Ask the learners which sound is the loudest? Use a cymbal, clapper and drum. Ask the learners which instrument’s sound can be heard for the longest time?

Use cards that show items/ animals that make sounds. Ask learners which is the loudest, longest, softest.

Use different worksheets where the learners are asked for e.g. to select the object that makes a “whistle” noise = kettle.



R H Y M E D E T E C T I O N

The ability to perceive words that sound the same and those that do not.

“cat, dog, mat - Which words sound the same?”

Rhyme is found in poetry, songs, and many children's books and games. Most children also love to sing and recite nursery rhymes. Words that can be grouped together by a common sound, for example the "-at" family — cat, hat, and sat — can be used to teach children about similar spellings. Children can use these rhyme families when learning to read and spell.

Place different objects in a tray. Ask learners to select all the items that rhyme with each other.

Ask learners to cut out different pictures from magazines that rhyme and paste them on a page.

Use different worksheets asking learners to choose the rhyming words.



C L O S U R E

Auditory closure is the ability to decode a whole word after hearing only part of it.

This is an example of an auditory closure exercise: "The frog is on the l_ _." The answer is log.

Retell a story to the learner, e.g. the three little pigs. Only retell half the story and ask the learner to complete the rest of the story. The teacher sings a song but leaves out words and ask learners to complete it e.g. ring a ring a ______? (rosy); a pocket full of ____? (posies).

Show learners a lamp and ask them to complete the sentence. “This __amp gives light.” (lamp) Show the learners a book and ask them to complete the sentence. “I can read from a b____.”(book)

Show pictures of different things, e.g. car, teddy, apple, bottle. Ask learners to look at the cards and find the picture of the word that is missing. My daddy drives his …..? (car) The baby plays with his ….? (teddy) The baby drinks his milk in a ……? (bottle)

Ask them to draw a tr…. (tree) I ride in a c….(car) (Draw it)



A N A L Y S I S

Auditory Analysis is the ability to break down what has been heard into smaller parts. This in-cludes breaking up words into syllables, and sounds. e.g.: boat = b-oa-t.

Show the learners an object e.g. tablecloth. Divide “tablecloth” into two words: table + cloth. Have the child extend his/her two hands forward. Repeat the word slowly, emphasizing the two separate syllables by pausing between them. Touch his/her left hand as you say the first syllable (“table”) and his/her right hand as you say the second syllable (“cloth”), explain to him/her that “this hand” (touch his/her left hand) “says ‘table,’” and “this hand” (touch his/her right hand) “says ‘cloth’.” Ask the learners, “if I break the word tablecloth into two what do I get?” table + cloth Ask learners to clap their names and break it into syllables e.g. Ju-lie (Julie); Bren-dan (Brendan)

Give the learners a string with beads, say a word and have the learner move a bead for each sound/section of the word.

Use different cards that the learners can use to break up words, e.g. a card of a jellyfish, jelly and a fish. Learners must select the correct pictures used to break the word up.

Use worksheets where learner can indicate how many “claps” a word is broken up into (syllables). Also use worksheets asking which word do I say last? cat—hat—bat Which word do I say in the middle? cow—car—tree Which sound do you hear first when I say snake?



S Y N T H E S I S

Auditory Synthesis is the opposite of analysis in that it is the ability to build sounds together to create meaningful words. e.g.: sp-oo-n = spoon. It is also to combine words to form a new word i.e. arm and band = armband.

Ask the learner to listen and say the word that they hear. (Put the word together) pa-per (paper); ap-ple (apple). Whose name do you hear? Fer-nan-do (Fernando); Cathe-rine (Catherine). What word do you hear? he-li-cop-ter (helicopter); but-ter-fly (butterfly)

Show learners a pencil and ask them to say what word are you saying. Remember to say the word in syllables e.g. pen-cil.

Use picture cards on a board. Tell the learners you are going to say a word in segments and they must look at the pictures and guess the word you are saying e.g. o-range. Use two pictures to form a new word. They must say the word e.g. motor + bike = motorbike.

Use different worksheets where the learner can build words e.g. motor + bike = motorbike.



A S S O C I A T I O N

Auditory Association is the ability to link spoken words in a meaningful fashion. Use words with associated common objects (e.g. shoe and sock) to stimulate auditory association.

.Ask the learners to complete the statement: I need a knife and ________(fork) to eat. The sun ________(shines) during the day.

Show learners a salt pot and ask them to complete the phrase: “salt and ______(pepper). Show the learners a hammer and ask them to complete the phrase: “hammer and _______ (nails).

Use cards/puzzles where the learners have to match the cards that associate with each other e.g. table and chair.

Use worksheets where leaners can finish the following state-ments by selecting the correct picture. When I get dressed I put on my socks and …..? (shoes) The baby drinks his milk in a ……? (bottle)

umbrella and ______?



M E MO R Y

Auditory memory refers to the capability of a person to process information that is given orally. The person carries out a mental analysis of the information and it is then stored for later re-trieval.

Stretch your arms, stand on your toes, touch your ears, shoulders, knees and toes. Clap your hands 5 times, stamp your foot 3 times, nod your head 2 times and sit down. Ask learners to repeat actions.

Play a story CD. Ask learners to retell the story.

Use percussion instruments while learners listen with their eyes closed. Play e.g. drum, bells and shakers. Ask learners to name the order: drum (1st) bells (2nd) shakers (3rd). Ask questions like which one was first? Which one was last?

The learners must listen, remember and repeat the words. Play the game: “My grandmother went to the market. She bought carrots, pumpkin and beans.” Ask learners to repeat it. Continue by adding new words. “My grandmother went to the market and she bought carrots, pumpkin, beans and cabbage.” Ask learners to repeat it.

Tell a short story and ask questions. Practice it often. Give the learners loose pictures. They must indicate which pictures are the ones that relate to the story.



S E Q U E N T I A L M E MO R Y

Auditory sequencing is the ability to remember the detail of what is heard and the order in which it was communicated.

Ask learners to do the following actions: touch your eye, nose, knee, elbow, chin and cheek. Ask learners to name the actions they had to do, in the correct order in which it was done.

Play instruments in a sequence, use a tambourine, rhythm sticks and shaker. Ask learners to name the 3 instruments in the order they were used. Add on a bell/drum etc. Ask learners again to name the 4 instruments in the order they were used.

Practice this listening skill often during the daily program: Say three words and ask learners to repeat it in the correct order. e.g. tree, mouse, bag. Say three numbers and they must repeat it e.g. 5, 8, 3.

If learners can master it, they can do 4, 5 or 6 words.

Listen and draw what the teacher instructs you to draw. “Draw a house using a square and triangle in the middle of the page; draw a man on the left and a car on right hand side. Give 3 instructions in a sequence, more instructions (four) can be added in a sequence as the learner progresses.



F O R EG R O U ND / B A C KG RO U N D Auditory foreground-background discrimination is the ability to isolate a particular sound in

the presence of other sounds. This skill is required in situations where it is necessary to listen and concentrate and recognize the educator’s / primary speaker’s voice above the noise of the classroom.

Listen to the sounds in the class or environment and ask the learners questions e.g. can you hear the car, airplane? Is the car/airplane coming or going away? What do you hear outside the class? Can you hear the voices, people walking, rain? Play a CD with percussion instruments. Ask learner to raise their hand when they hear the “drum”.

Give the learner specific instructions, e.g. “jump up and down” against the background of music.

Learners must work in a group and they must be able to complete their work while the rest of the group are talking/doing their work.

Play music in the background while the learners are working in their groups. As soon as the music stops, they must change groups wihtout talking.


S e c t i o n F : L A N G U A G E

D E V E L O P M E N T


L A NGUAG E D E V E L O PM E N T

V O C A B U L A R Y

Vocabulary development is a process by which a person acquires words.

New vocabulary must be taught every day. The child must understand the meaning of the words. Use word cards at the “Theme” table. Place words against the boards, flashcards with words and use new words verbally. It is important to teach learners the following: collective nouns e.g. a school of fish opposites e.g. husband and wife diminutives e.g. kitten gender e.g. boy and girl degrees of comparison e.g. small, smaller, smallest idioms e.g. it’s raining cats and dogs Learners must say and clap the new words they learned e.g. e-va-po-rate. They must also use the new words daily.

Various worksheets to develop language can be used.



S E N T E N C E C O N S T R U C T I O N

Sentence construction is the grammatical arrangement of words in sentences.

Expect at all times that learners use complete sentences. Use full sentences during discussions and question times.

Correct wordorder is important. Ask learners to put the sentence in the correct order e.g. what your name is = what is your name.

Use picture cards and ask learners to place in the correct order to form the correct sentence e.g. a picture of an apple; a picture of a circle on top of a rectangle (indicating the word “on”) and a picture of a plate. Let the learner build the sentence “The apple is on the plate.”

Use pictures about different scenarios and ask the learner ques-tions about the picture, encouraging them to answer in complete sentences e.g. visit the dentist



C A T EGO R I S I NG A N D R E A S O N I NG Categorization enables learners to classify objects as belonging to a group and having the char-

acteristics of that group.

Reasoning is the use of logical thinking to make sense of a situation or idea.

Do an activity where the learners form different groups, e.g. children who come to school by car/bus/bicycle. Ask learners what do you call these means by which you come to school to = transportation. If someone came to school using a bed on wheels, would it still be transportation? No, beds are furniture.

Ask learners to collect 5 things you would use to write (or play, or clean etc.) with. The teacher adds a different object to the collection and ask the learners “Which object does not fit?” Ask them also “why” does it not fit.

Show learners loose pictures of furniture, vehicles, cutlery etc. Mix the cards and the learners must categorise them in the 3 groups and name them “furniture”, “cutlery” and “transportation”. Take one category and add any other picture. They must identify the one that does NOT fit and give the reason. Give the learners pictures of “farm animals” and one “wild animal” e.g. an elephant. Which animal does NOT fit and why?

Use worksheets where the learner is asked to draw a line though the picture which does not fit or the picture of an object we use at school, or which food is healthy.

Draw a line through the one does not fit?



C R I T I C A L T H I N K I NG A ND R E A S O N I NG S K I L L S

I f y o u w a n t t o i m p r o v e t h e l e a r n e r ’ s c r i t i c a l t h i n k i n g a n d r e a s o n i n g s k i l l s y o u h a v e t o a s k q u e s t i o n s l i k e ; w h a t , w h y , w h e r e , w h e n , w h o , h ow ?

L e t u s t a l k - a b o u t : T h e s e a r e q u e s t i o n s t h a t c a n b e u s e d f o r w h e n y o u s h o w t h e l e a r n e r p i c t u r e s o f e . g . a n a c c i d e n t

s c e n e . Wh a t h a p p e n e d h e r e ? Wh y d i d i t h a p p e n ? I s t h e w om a n s c a r e d o r s a d ? I s t h e m a n

u p s e t ? H ow d o y o u k n ow ? L o o k a t t h e i r f a c e s a n d t e l l m e a b o u t t h e i r e m o t i o n s o r f e e l i n g s ?

Wh o d o y o u s e e ? H ow d o w e k n ow i t i s a b o y o r a g i r l ? T e l l

m e a b o u t t h e i r c l o t h e s ? Wh a t h a p p e n e d h e r e ? Wh y d i d i t h a p p e n ? Wh e r e i s t h e b o y g o i n g ? H ow d o w e k n o w

t h a t ? I s t h e b o y o r g i r l h a p p y , s c a r e d o r s a d ? Wh y i s t h e g i r l h a p p y , s c a r e d o r s a d ? Wh y d i d t h e b o y ’ s i c e c r e am m e l t ? H ow d o w e k n ow t h a t h e i s a t t h e b e a c h ? Wh a t h a p p e n s i f y o u w a t c h s c a r y m o v i e s ? Wh a t l e s s o n d o e s t h i s s t o r y t e a c h u s ? Wh a t d i d t h e b o y o n t h e b i c y c l e f o r g e t t o p u t

o n h i s h e a d . W h y ? Wh e n m u s t d a d d y d r i v e s l o w l y ?

L e a r n e r s w i l l s u r p r i s e y o u w i t h t h e i r a n s w e r s , b u t w e h a v e t o p r a c t i c e t h e s e s k i l l s .

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