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. onversations 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 !anguage !ab for e"ample. They invite ingenuity and individuality thus providing much scope for e"tended 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.

#"ample$ Talking about a trip to %rance, using the perfect tense &. Provide a visual stimulus for the conversation you require. 'Select one from your resources or the Schoolshape !ibrary( ). Provide the te"t for the conversation 'This could be taken from a previous writing or gap-fill e"ercise( *. Set this activity for your group to record with audio only. +. ,hen pupils have performed the task well enough with audio only, set the task again, this time requiring a video performance with a puppet. -. ,hen.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 Puppets /uth 0ennett 1n anada and the United States today appro"imately )&2 indigenous languages are still spoken out of the over *22 spoken before the arrival of olumbus '3rauss, &445(. 6owever, all is not well with these remaining indigenous languages. %or a language to stay alive, somebody has to be learning it. /ecent research indicates that only *- of the remaining languages in the United States and anada are spoken by young people '3rauss, &445(. ,ill these remaining languages survive7 Today, children are no longer being punished routinely for speaking their language in schools. 8any schools with indigenous populations, particularly on 1ndian /eserves and /eservations, have indigenous language programs. 0ut having a program does not guarantee that children are learning their languages. %actors e"ternal to a language program can play a considerable role. 9ne researcher has stated that today #nglish language movies, television, and videotapes are doing what a century of washing mouths out with soap in boarding schools could not accomplish '/eyhner, )222(. 1n addition to distractions from media, the family:s attitude is a factor. %or many decades, it was a rare family that was in a position to do anything to retain traditional language or culture. The e"planation for this is related to a need 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 States has eroded and needs restoration. #ffective instruction is needed in language programs to deal with a variety of issues. 1n this paper 1 offer an effective teaching method and illustrate it with a reading lesson based on native oral traditions. 1 take into account a range of recent research on children:s language and literacy learning. 8any tribal language programs have found that the story, that is, the oral tradition of the tribe, connects children:s reading to their lives. These tribes have a variety of ways of including content from the culture of the tribal community in their reading instruction '8c arty ; ,atahomigie, &445(. 1n alifornia, at a recent <dvocates for alifornia !anguage Survival conference, led by !eanne 6inton and =ancy Steele, presentations on tribal reading programs by alifornia tribes connected reading programs to their =ative oral tradition using a variety of activities, including storybooks, accompanying videos, live dramas, puppet plays, and games '!anguage is !ife, +th <nnual onference, 8arch &>-&4, )222(. <lthough puppet making is not traditional for alifornia tribes, puppets go hand-in-hand with traditional stories. Puppet performances harness group energy for the reading task by requiring a team of performers, a narrator, and readers. Puppet plays facilitate children:s literacy development because reading traditional stories can get learners close to the rhythms of their oral language. To insure this eventuality, 1 retained the original spoken 6upa language in writing the puppet show for the lesson described in this paper. 1 changed 6upa forms in

the te"t only when necessary for coherence. Indigenous Languages Across the Community &-) An Approach to Language and Literacy Teaching for Native Children 0elow is an e"ample of a teaching approach centering on a puppet play based on a script from a 6upa traditional story. 1t is understood in tribal language programs that language and culture are linked. Those tribes who develop reading programs from a cultural perspective understand that culture is an important aspect of an indigenous students: identity and that students will become better readers when they can identify with the stories they are reading. The !anguage Proficiency 8ethod described here puts many reading strategies together. 1n addition to a question-answer approach and the sequencing from easy to difficult questions, this method emphasi?es communication-based reading strategies, such as oral reading, group reading out loud, taking turns reading, and reading within peer groups. The si" stages in the teaching sequence are listed below. <t each stage, there is teacher-initiated language use, teacher questions and student responses, or student initiated language use. &. Setting the scene. 1nitial introductions vary. The teacher may describe the sequence of learning and what to e"pect in each stage of the lesson. The teacher uses flashcards, note cards, audiotapes, and other aids to catch students: attention. ). omprehensible input. The teacher asks easy questions where students demonstrate comprehension but do not have to respond verbally. 1f they do respond verbally, they need only respond with @yesA or @no.A *. Buided practice. Students respond with yes or no by repeating what the teacher has said or by answering either-or questions. +. 1ndependent practice. Students supply the vocabulary term in answering the teacher:s questions. Students may formulate words, phrases, and sentences. -. hallenge. 6ere, students initiate activities. They read stories from their oral tradition, perform plays adapted from the stories, or they play games designed from vocabulary in the lesson. C. #"pansion. #"tra-curricular activities. A Field Study The following description of a lesson using the !anguage Proficiency 8ethod is from a high school reading lesson in Danny <mmon:s first year 6upa language class on Eanuary )2, )222. 6aving a well-planned lesson is essential. < maFor benefit of planning is that it empowers students. Planning the lesson and sharing the plan with students gives them the opportunity to talk about their @goals, plans, and available actionsA 'Paris, !ipson ; ,i"son, &44+, p. >4&( while developing reading skills. <ctive participation helps in developing reading skills. 9bFectives in the lesson are to develop 6upa language proficiency by$

a( developing oral reading skills, b( increasing vocabulary knowledge, c( improving grammar functions, and d( e"panding story performance competencies. The reading material for the lesson is the 8isq:it 3in "otile story, a story about a young gambler from 8isq:it, a village in the 6oopa Galley. Broup oral Teaching Reading with Puppets &-* reading is the primary way of presenting this lesson. Broup reading out loud requires each student to read in front of the entire class, which offers the advantage of establishing group cohesion. 1t requires individual students to command the attention of the entire group. Broup reading is accompanied with studentinitiated questions about the reading. ,hen students initiate questions, they are already thinking about what they will be reading. There is some current research that documents the contributions of indigenous #lders to reading programs. The article, @=othing like a good read,A is a discussion of Success for All, a reading program developed at Eohns 6opkins University that incorporates #lders as volunteer listeners for oral reading classes '<rthurs, )222(. This article reports that, after three years, the percentage of students needing tutoring has decreased from -2H to below *2H. 1n addition, there has been a &2H increase in standardi?ed reading test scores and a higher percentage of students moving on to the ne"t grade at the end of the year. %inally, the presence of 6upa-speaking #lders is credited with putting an emphasis on proficiency and @giving the students language skills that are necessary in other subFects.A 1n another recent study conducted in a =avaFo language program in the community school at /ough /ock, <ri?ona, 8c arthy and ,atahomogie discuss @new developmentsA in the program, including having @high school students engage in applied research to develop =avaFo and #nglish literacyA '&444, p. *-C(. 1n this program, the applied research consists of students working with #lders to learn drama, storytelling, and =ative performing arts. 6upa elders were the source of the reading material for this lesson, and they helped teach the class. 1 first heard the 8isq:it 3in "otile story from 6upa language elders %red Davis, 6erman Sherman, and /uel !each on 8ay ), &45+. The story describes 6upa culture as it has been passed down through generations of 6upa speakers. 1t dramati?es beliefs related to winning when gambling with 1ndian cards and to reversing bad luck. 1n creating the written te"t, 1 first wrote a word-for-word transcript from an audiotape 1 had made. 1 then wrote a puppet play script from the transcript. 6upa elders Eames Eackson and alvin arpenter helped with teaching the puppet play lesson. They testified that the story is an old 6upa story and affirmed that the 6upa language in the story is correct. They talked about the importance of preserving 6upa culture, and they

discussed how learning the 6upa language is essential in preserving the culture. The lesson sequence is as follows$ &. Setting the Scene. Student participation in this lesson began when 1 introduced the lesson to them. 1 e"plained that in the one and a half hour session, 1 divided the lesson into stages$ &. Setting the Scene$ 1ntroductions and plan for the lesson. ). omprehensible 1nput$ Silent reading. *. Buided Practice$ Student questions. +. 1ndependent Practice$ Students taking turns reading the story on note cards. Indigenous Languages Across the Community &-+ -. hallenge$ a( Students reading the puppet show at their seats with each character reading his or her lines and the free #nglish that follows. b( Students performing the puppet show in the puppet theatre continuing the same reading procedure with 6upa and #nglish. C. #"pansion$ 9utside reading e"periences$ an optional stage in the method. 1 e"plained to the students that the lesson is designed in stages to ensure that instruction proceeds in a sequenced fashion from simple to more difficult and that students build their proficiency at one stage before tackling the ne"t one. 1 previewed student participation at each stage. 1 told them there would be opportunities for everyone to participate. 1n the oral reading stage, every one would read their part. <ll of the students would be asked to read the 6upa language as well as the #nglish. 1 told them that if they could not read the 6upa language, they could substitute #nglish. 1 told them it was important in the oral reading to keep the story going. ). omprehensible 1nput$ 1ncorporating Silent /eading. The need for silent reading becomes apparent if students are asked to read out loud and are hesitant. 1 characteri?ed the collective mood of this particular class as tentative. So 1 offered them silent reading time. Silent reading provides the opportunity for students to get involved with the te"t and to figure out what they do not know before their proficiency is tested. Silent reading gives them time to formulate questions. 1 handed out *2 cards containing the story segmented into *2 units. #ach card contained 6upa language, literal translation, and free translation. 0ecause the hesitancy remained at the end of the silent reading period, 1 repeated the instructions that each student take some time to read what was on their card, and 1 began to walk from one student to the ne"t asking if they had any questions or if they wanted to know how to pronounce any of the words, as in the e"amples below$ Student$ 'reads a card( 8inlung lo$q: yiditile 'ten otters( Teacher$ 6ayde minlung7 '<re there ten7( 'points at the word minlung( Student$ 'nods yes( Student$ 'reads from a card( 3:iye kin nawhle$te. '1 am going to gamble again.(

Teacher$ 3:iye Iung7 '<gain7( 'points at the word k:iye( Student$ 'nods yes( *. Buided Practice$ Student-1nitiated Juestions. 1n fact, the students did have questions. Juestions have been shown to be highly effective in stimulating reading comprehension. /uddell and /uddell, in a study of )+ teachers and -)) 3-* students '&44+( showed statistically significant reading and listening comprehension achievement gains for )nd and *rd graders who had teachers who asked questions and encouraged student questions over teachers who did not. Some students asked what they were supposed to read on their note cards. 1 e"plained reasons for my answers. 1 formulated questions based on the material contained Teaching Reading with Puppets &-on the note cards to give students practice prior to the group reading. %or e"ample, Student$ 'reads from note card( Tehtl:iwhne$s Tolq:ats:ding ch:isday. 'The water monster lived at Supply reek.( Teacher$ Tehtl:iwhne$s Tolq:ats:ding ch:isday Iung7 'Did the water monster live at Supply reek7( 'Teacher points at the words on the card.( Student$ Diye. <t this stage, the teacher tests student comprehension by posing yes-no questions based upon what the students have read. They can indicate comprehension and then read what is written on her card. Teacher questions are a way of monitoring comprehension of what students will be reading as a group. +. 1ndependent Practice$ Broup 9ral /eading. < significant body of reading research has dealt with the importance of guessing. Buessing has been identified as one of the three primary ways to develop reading skills, the other two ways being analogi?ing and patterning '#hri, &44+(. /esearch has found that students making guesses are correct more often than they are wrong. 1n Boodman:s miscue analysis, primary school readers during oral reading of te"ts made guesses that were @semantically and syntactically consistent with the te"t read up to that point,A indicating that guesses were based on e"pectations 'Boodman, &4C-, pp. C*4-C+*(. The independent practice stage of the lesson required students to read the sentences on their cards. 9ral reading forces a student to put their reading skills on the line, so 1 introduced this by letting students know they had choices. 1 used questions like, @,ho wants to K7A and @Do you want to K7A to allow students the choice of refusing. This dynamic works with classes where there is a degree of positive energy from the start. The 6upa language class at the high school is an elective, so it is one that students have chosen. < choice by one student helped

to establish and maintain a positive momentum. 6e said, @1 like to gamble,A as a way of indicating that he wanted to read a story about a young gambler. 1 told them it is important to continue on, even when they stumble, and to shift to #nglish or to guess, rather than stop reading. The students were required to read the 6upa language and then to translate or read the #nglish. Buessing involved pronunciation as well as making accurate free translations. 6ere are some e"amples of students reading in 6upa and then translating into #nglish$ Student$ 8e:dilme: "odilt:e$n, we:re bringing him back in a boat. Student$ !eno$ldingmil no$ch:ing:yehdilqe$t, we:re paddling past ,eitchpec. 1 found that when students didn:t use the 6upa language they read the #nglish translation so that the reading would continue. <n illustration follows$ Student$ !ong water snake, 'did not say( tehtl:iwhne$s. Student$ 6e was still breathing yet. 'did not say( La$t na:tilye$wh. Indigenous Languages Across the Community &-C 1n these cases, students whose Fob was to read the 6upa language may have shifted to #nglish due to their sense of audience. Their intention may have been to communicate the meaning of what was going on to those who would not immediately understand the 6upa language. 1n the 6upa high school class, two 6upa #lders, Eames Eackson and alvin arpenter, volunteered their help with the class and to listen to the group reading. Their presence validated the 6upa language being readM they were listening carefully to what the students were reading. 6aving 6upa #lders present is invaluable in emphasi?ing indigenous culture in 6upa language classes because our #lders are the embodiment of the culture. The presence of the #lders helps to validate the story. 1n answering student questions, 1 was able to refer questions to #lders to make the argument that the story is a true story. ,hen a student asked, @,hy do the sea lions go upriver to !e$lding7A 1 told him that the mouth of the South %ork of the Trinity /iver is where sea lions used to go to have their little ones in the old days and that there were, in fact, sea lions in the river. 1 asked one of the #lders if that was so, and he said, @That:s right. ,e used to have sea lions here.A ,hen another student asked, @,hy did the two boys happen to be there at the mouth of the 3lamath7A 1 was able to answer$ @ leaning sweathouses used to be a Fob young boys did, and sweathouses used to be close to the river.A <gain, 1 asked for verification from an #lder, and again 1 received an affirmative response$ @8en and boys used to Fust about live in the sweat houses. They had pillows in there and pokers for the fireNeverything they needed.A -. hallenge$ Broup performing with puppetsN hoices. 1ntroducing this stage, 1 told that students about the benefits of puppet show performances. Through such performances, students can e"plore stories in cooperation with their peers and also improve their individual proficiencies. <n individual student

will e"ert the effort to sound out a word if the others in the class are listening to what she is saying. 1ndividual students may be willing to work harder if there is a group goal. 1f a student knows that performance is the end goal, then she knows the purpose for practice. 9ne teacher 1 know had worked with the class practising lines for several days prior to my appearance. This involved many repetitions of words and phrases until students felt comfortable repeating them. The work he had done with the class during the semester showed in the students: abilities to read the 6upa language and by their good behaviour. The underlying principle is that the individual stays on task in a team effort. /esearch has shown the importance of student choices. Student choices in a language class, @established a common understanding of possibilities, yet permitted individual selection of what was accepted,A according to a study of a high school #nglish class in Santa 0arbara '/uddell ; /uddell, &44+(. Students in this study had the opportunity to make choices. 1t was found that this was essential for them not only in developing common views, but also in forming individual views. 1n Stage -, students chose their roles in the story by selecting puppets that represented the characters they would portray. There was a puppet for each charTeaching Reading with Puppets &-> acter. 1n the 8isq:it 3in "otile story, the characters are as follows$ Bambler from 8isq:it 'grown up(, Koung Bambler from 8isq:it 'younger man(, 9ld 8an who makes medicine, 0ig Sea !ion, !ong ,ater Snake, 0lack 9tters, ,hite 9tter, Two 0oys, %isherman, 9ld ,oman, 9ld ,oman:s Daughter. 1 brought out the puppets and laid them side by side on a table. ,hen the students saw the puppets, their moods varied. They became e"pansive or withdrawn, depending on whether they wanted to take this ne"t step into a performance or not. 1 told the students that we would choose who would take each puppet and asked if there was anyone who wanted to play the lead, either J:unch:iwilchwil 8isq:it 3in "otile, the younger gambler, or his grown up character. 1 held up both puppets as 1 gave them their 6upa names and one student said, @1 like gambling. 1 will be the gamblerA. 6e took the grown up 8isq:it 3in "otile and 1 scanned the class for interested looks. 1 asked another young man if he would like to play J:unch:iwilchwil 8isq:it 3in "otile and he indicated agreement by coming up and taking the puppet. Then, because 1 wanted to involve the young women in the class immediately, 1 asked if any of them wanted to be either Do$k:iwile, the old woman, or ,hiya$ch:e, the daughter. Two volunteers took these puppets, and 1 held up 3:iwing"oya$n, looking for a volunteer, and so on until all the puppets were assigned. Then 1 told the students that we would be reading and performing. 1 told them that, in the first phase, students would read the puppet show at their seats

with each character reading his.her lines and the free #nglish that follows, and then, in the second phase, students would perform the puppet show in the puppet theatre continuing the same reading procedure with 6upa and #nglish. <t this point, 1 got out an entire script so that a student who had not chosen a character could be the master reader, coordinating the students lines in case they became confused. The reading and puppet performance went well. ,hen the students were finished, there was a feeling of accomplishment. 1n a study of language and literacy development, 8cBee and /ichgels emphasi?e the importance of group reading e"periences and of @playful activities in which children tell stories, act out stories,A and use reading and writing '&44C, p. )&C(. 8cBee and /ichgels analy?e the success of these activities on the basis that @children tell their stories, other children are the audience, and they are free to make comments or ask questionsA 'p. )+)(. < second value of a puppet show performance is the way in which it incorporates spontaneity into group reading. #ven though the students have a script, they either recite the 6upa words or they present an #nglish translation. Sometimes, they will use words that occur to them. %or e"ample, 8isq:it 3in "otile interFected a line, saying$ @na$ne$layA '1 won(. The script did not have a line for him at this point. 1t called for 3:iwing"oya$n, the old man, to say$ @aht:ingq:a:unt:e na:usdilayA 'he won everything(. ,hen another student obFected that he was not supposed to say @na$ne$lay,A he responded, @,hy not7 1 did win.A 0ecause his argument was valid and his line fit into the plot, his spontaneous line was accepted. Indigenous Languages Across the Community &-5 Givian Paley has described the value of spontaneous interaction in storytelling activities. 1n one compelling narrative about her years as a teacher, she relates how she combined storytelling and play in an activity where she played a role and where she accepted revisions to stories as they occurred because of the value of spontaneity$ @1n storytelling, as in play, the social interactions we call interruptions usually improve the narrativeA 'Paley, &442, p. )+)(. C. #"pansion$ The 6oopa ommunity lass. This stage is optional and generally occurs in activities outside of the classroom. 1n the 6oopa community, there is a weekly all-community class available to high school students. The #lders present in the classroom were teachers in this community class, so 1 took the opportunity to invite the high school students to the community class for further work with the elders. 1 e"plained that this class meets once a week in the evenings with #lders present to answer questions and to spontaneously generate language.

The importance of the community class is to provide support for the language classes in the public schools and colleges, as well as to encourage community people. The class proceeds with a conversational approach, and 1 work in grammar teaching in relation to conversation that students are learning. 8otivational incentives for attending the class include its easy going atmosphere and having food. Students are not graded in the class, so they are released from the stress of being on task all of the time. #ating together in the community class provides another opportunity for spontaneous language use. The community class offers the chance to demonstrate proficiency in a community setting. Conclusion 1 suggest that reading instruction is an essential component in the curriculum, and further, that the oral tradition of the indigenous culture can enhance rather than inhibit reading programs. 1n this paper, 1 discussed the use of the !anguage Proficiency 8ethod with high school students. 8y e"periences with this method in the 6upa language program has implications for other indigenous language programs relative to three areas of development$ &. The development of academic discourse proficiencies$ The narrative is an @early formA in terms of its acquisition by young children, and its usefulness continues throughout every level of education for indigenous language students because narrative is the basic form of education in indigenous language communities. ). The development of second language proficiency$ /eading is an important medium for indigenous language revitali?ation purposes for developing language proficiency in those students who don:t speak the indigenous language '6eredia ; %rancis, &44>(. *. ognitive development$ =arrative performance incorporates a pragmatic approach that uses a traditional vehicle from the indigenous culture in teaching an important aspect of academic proficiency. Teaching Reading with Puppets &-4 References <rthurs, S.,. ')222, Eanuary )*(. Times standard. Northcoast News. #ureka, <, p. &. #hri, !. . '&44+(. Development of the ability to read words$ Update. 1n /.0. /uddell, 8./. /uddell, ; 6. Singer '#ds.(, Theoretical models and processes of reading 'pp. *)+-*-5(. =ewark, =E$ 1nternational /eading <ssociation. Boodman, 3.S. '&4C-(. < linguistic study of cues and miscues in reading. Elementary English, 42, C*4-C+*. 6eredia, <., ; %rancis, =. '&44>(. oyote as /eading Teacher$ 9ral Tradition in the lassroom. 1n E. /eyhner ' #d.(, Teaching indigenous languages 'pp. ++--*(. %lagstaff, <O$ =orthern <ri?ona University. http$..Fan.ucc.nau.edu.PFar. T1!QC.html 3rauss, 8. '&445(. The condition of =ative =orth <merican languages$

The need for realistic assessment and action. The International Journal of the Sociology of Language, !2, 4- )&. 8c arty. T.!., ; ,atahomogie, !.E. '&445(. !anguage and literacy in <merican 1ndian and <laska =ative communities. 1n 0. Pere? '#d.(, Sociocultural conte"ts of language and literacy 'pp. C4-44(. 8ahwah, =E$ !awrence #rlbaum <ssociates. 8c arty. T.!., ; ,atahomogie, !. E. '&444, %all(. /eclaiming indigenous languages. #ommon $round, *)-+). 8cBee, !.8., ; /ichgels, D. '&44C(. Literacy%s &eginnings. 0oston$ <llyn ; 0acon. Paley, G.B. '&442(. 'ollie is three( $rowing up in school. hicago$ University of hicago. Paris, S. B., !ipson, 8.K., ;. ,i"son, 3.3. '&44+(. 0ecoming a strategic reader. 1n /.0. /uddell, 8./. /uddell ; 6. Singer '#ds(, Theoretical models and processes of reading 'pp. >55-5&2(. =ewark, =E$ 1nternational /eading <ssociation. /eyhner, E. ')222(. < resources guide$ =ative <merican language renewal. Tri&al #ollege Journal, '*(, +)-+-. http$..www.tribalcollegeFournal.org. spring)222.resources.html /uddell, /.0., ; /uddell, 8./. '&44+(. !anguage acquisition and literacy processes. 1n /. 0. /uddell, 8. /. /uddell ; 6. Singer '#ds.(, Theoretical models and processes of reading 'pp. 5*-&2+(. =ewark, =E$ 1nternational /eading <ssociation.

http$..Fan.ucc.nau.edu.PFar.1!< .1!< Q&C.pdf

Teaching with puppets

Koung children are e"tremely imaginative and fantasy is very much a part of their world. Use this to your advantage by introducing an #nglish-only puppet into your classroom. 8any teachers of young learners have been using an #nglish-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 #nglish. 6aving RsomeoneR in the class that only communicates in #nglish can provide a need for the children to speak in the !), which is especially useful in classes where students know their teacher speaks their mother tongue. Kour #nglish-only puppet can be any character. Kou can use any cuddly toy, i.e. a teddy. &. Before introducing the puppet Send a postcard.letter from the puppet to the children to raise their curiosity. ). Introducing the nglish!only puppet to the children )ello* +ye, &ye* Show the children the puppet and say )ello, getting the children to copy you. ,alk around the class letting the children stroke the puppet and encouraging them to say )ello to the puppet. 8ake the puppet disappear behind your back and say +ye, &ye. To practise and elicit the different greetings, make the puppet appear and disappear by hiding him under the desk, in your bag, in a childRs bag.desk. &. !et them choose a name for him. ',rom now on we-ll call the puppet #oo.ie.( ). Show the children where ookie is from using a map of #ngland.the States.<ustralia or another #nglish-speaking country. *. Decide when his birthday is. 6ave a birthday party for him. 8ake cards and let the children write them in #nglish. +. ,hen you go somewhere, take ookie with you. Take a photograph and send a card to school from him. -. Use him to get the children quiet. Say #oo.ie doesn-t li.e noise* )e-s frightened. hildren who have been particularly well-behaved or have tried hard to speak in #nglish can take ookie home. The ne"t day they can tell the class in their !& what ookie had for dinner, what time he went to bed, if he was well-behaved, etc. In Class *. "ar#!up

ookie can be used for a general warm up. <t first he can Fust ask their names but you can start to integrate more complicated language as the children learn more S /hat-s your fa0ourite colour1num&er2, 3o you li.e***2, #an I ha0e a***2 etc. +. $iving instructions The puppet can do the actions for most classroom instructions$ Stand up. Sit down. olour. ut. Draw. 1t is a good idea for the puppet to model the instructions using classroom obFects at first so the children can see e"actly what they need to do. -. Puppet day 9n one occasion, you could ask the children to bring a puppet or any other soft toy from home to the ne"t class. 1n the class they introduce their toy$ 'y name is... =.0. 1f you plan this for later in the course, the children could practise more language by giving further information about their puppet, i.e. I li.e &ananas and pi44a* 'y fa0ourite colour is*** $a#es C. "hat is Coo%ie thin%ing a&out' 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. 1f a child guesses correctly, give him.her the flashcard to hold. >. Pass Coo%ie Tell the children that you are going to play some music and they must pass ookie from one child to the ne"t, round the class until the music stops. ,hen the music stops, the child holding ookie puts him on his.her hand. They can say anything in #nglish or ask a question in #nglish to ookie or whoever they like in the class. Start the music again to continue the activity. 5. Coo%ie says((( Play RSimon saysR but insert the name of your puppet instead so that it is giving the instructions for the children to follow. "here)s Coo%ie' 4. *es+No Show ookie to the class. hoose a child who has to turn his.her back. 6ide the

puppet somewhere in the class. Tell the child to turn back round and ask him.her /here-s #oo.ie2 The other children direct him.her to the puppet saying No until the child is close, when they say 5es. <lternatively you could repeat the above activity, only the children use hot.cold, to guide the child to the puppet. old T they arenRt close, hot T they are very close. &2. Traffic lights /epeat the above procedure only using the traffic light colours to direct the child. #"plain to the children that Breen T BoU Kellow T Slow downU and /ed T StopU The child starts walking round the class. Say $reen until the child is close to the puppet. Then say 5ellow so that the child slows down. ,hen the child is right ne"t to the puppet say 6ed, 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.