Before introducing 11 new colors to the students, it's always good to start class with a hello. Assuming that this lesson follows ESL Basic Numbers Lesson, it would be good to continue the lesson, with the teacher asking, "How are you?" so that the students respond, "I'm fine, thank you."
After this, it's natural to review. A simple review of numbers 1-11, for example, could include using number cards to count to 11, and count backwards after that. Young children will enjoy the Countdown Game:
- With the numbers arranged in order on the board, the teacher should have all the students stand, then squat down, with their arms pointed over their heads in the shape of a rocket.
- Counting backwards from 11, everyone blasts off at zero, jumping into the air.
When most of the class appears to be participating and recalling the vocabulary, they are ready for the new lesson content: colors.
Teaching Colors
Continuing the trend of teaching 11 new vocabulary words using cards as visual aides, the teacher should introduce Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Pink, Black, White, Brown, and Gray. The ideal visual aide card will feature a large square of the appropriate color, with the English word written on the card as well. Magnet-backed cards are perfect for display in classrooms with large chalkboards.
- As a class, students should repeat after the teacher.
- After teaching 3 colors, the teacher should review each color, grabbing one at random and asking the class (in English) "What is this?" once for each color. Asking the class to answer together, immediately following the teacher's vocal cue – "Ready, Go," for example – will keep the class orderly.
- Repeating this mini-review after every 3 colors for all the newly introduced vocabulary will ensure student comprehension.
After completing the vocabulary introduction, it's good to congratulate the students, giving them a lot of encouragement.
Teaching “What Do You Like?”
- The teacher should ask the students, "What do you like?" and, word by word, have the class mimic proper English pronunciation.
- As necessary, "What do you like?" should be translated into the students' native language to ensure proper understanding.
Colors Practice
- Responding to the question "What do you like?" students raise their hands to announce their favorite colors.
- A chosen student should stand, and the whole class should ask, "What do you like?"
- If the student answers, for example, "Green," then the whole class should applaud the student's proper pronunciation.
- The class should then mimic the student's pronunciation.
- As a reward, the student volunteer gets to hold the Green card.
- The process continues when the teacher returns to the chalkboard, gestures toward the remaining colors, and asks, "What do you like?"
- The remaining colors should be distributed to other volunteers; students practice the question and answer patterns useful in a "real-life" scenario.
Ideally, the students should say "Thank you," upon receiving cards, after being given the translation in their native language.
Leader Game
- The students holding the color cards are called to the front, to become leaders.
- The whole class asks the leaders one-by-one, “What do you like?”
- The first leader can give a one-word response, but after that, the leaders should say, “I like (the color I’m holding).”
- The teacher should then explain to the students (in the students' native language) the meaning of the sentence, and that while the one-word response is OK, the longer sentence-level response is better.
- Students repeat after the leaders, saying "I like (color)," for each color.
- When the first round of leaders is finished, they should be awarded with applause from their classmates.
- The leaders should then distribute the colors to other classmates, to establish new leaders, so that everyone has a chance to lead and practice individually.
- This process should be repeated until all students have had a chance to lead.
For 1st graders, if necessary, the first leaders can simply say the color in English to receive their cards, and, when leading at the front of the class, the students can simply practice repeating the color words. The second round of leaders would say, “I like (color),” with the students repeating. By the third round, the class should be able to ask, “What do you like?” with the leader saying, “I like (color)” and the class repeating “I like (color).”
Color Basket Game
- The class is rewarded for participation and concentration with the announcement of a game.
- Students push their desks to the back of the room and make a circle with their chairs
- The teacher stands in the middle of the circle and the seated class asks, “What do you like?”
- The teacher responds, for example, “I like white.”
- Students who like white (too) are asked to raise their hands.
- Simply put, students who like the same color as the person in the center should change chairs quickly, with the teacher taking a vacant chair. One student remains in the center.
- The student left in the center will become the new leader.
- The class asks the new leader her favorite color, and classmates who like that color change chairs.
- The game continues until time expires.
Notes: Students should raise their hands not just for one favorite color. If the same student becomes the leader a second time, he should pick a fruit he likes, for example.
Class ends with the teacher telling the students goodbye, and having the class return the goodbye.
The teacher should then be able to leave the classroom with the satisfaction of thoroughly teaching the students 11 very useful words using simple games that can be fun for both elementary school students and teachers alike. The color vocabulary is an excellent base to build from, to be used and expanded upon in subsequent lessons.
Kyle Timmermeyer - I'm a Catholic, a novelist, an ESL teacher, a Japanese language buff, and Bucketman. I have been writing since I was first able to tell ...
