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Teaching younger students requires a balance between discipline and patience. It is a tricky balancing act between engaging the students and providing the tools they need. Structure, ESA (Engage, Study Activate) method*, and games are essential tools that can benefit the young learners and their teachers. Kindergartners are usually around 5 years old. They are at an age where structure is essential to provide order, security, and routine. As a kindergartener teacher is it essential to follow a timed schedule. With a consistent schedule, the students can predict the lesson plan and feel secure. A set scheduled also allows the students to engage in the various activities without losing interest. This will also aid in getting the young learners to trust the teacher. The Engage, Study and Activate method is a useful strategy to use to provide interest, structure and balance within the lesson plan. The Engage stage the teacher attempts to arouse the students’ interests. This would include games, stories, pictures or music. It is less about teaching and more about getting the students excited. The next stage is Study. This stage the student will be given information. This can be exercised by drills, pronunciation, flashcards, gap-fill, lists, worksheets and definitions. Since kindergartens are the least motivated students (compared to older students) the Study stage might be a challenge. Younger students are usually more visual so this stage it might be helpful to create some visual queues or drills to keep the lesson interesting. The final stage is Activate. This stage the students can use what they learned in a discussion or role-paying activity. This offers the students a chance to freely communicate. Below is a sample ESA lesson. • ENGAGE: Bring to the classroom a basketball, baseball, tennis ball/racket, soccer ball, and hockey puck/stick. Ask the students if they can identify each of the objects. Ask them if they know how to play with them. • STUDY: Write the names of each sport on the board. Expand on the vocabulary words by listing everything associated with a basketball - (basketball player, court, sneakers, referee, uniforms, etc). • ACTIVATE: Go around the room and allow the student to talk about how they enjoy sports. Do they play, do they watch it on TV, or do they see others play at the park? Applying games within a lesson plan is useful for younger learns since it is fun and encourages communication, collaboration, and problem-solving. Some games you can play in the classroom are memory cards, bingo, word searches, and gap-fill puzzles. These are traditional games that can be customized with different topic to fit the current lesson. Teaching younger students comes with its challenges. Majority of the time could be focused on discipline. Always be mindful that as a teacher you want to have authority but not to overbear the students. Providing a structured lesson plan will keep the class focused and encourage participation. Most importantly the teacher sets the tone of the class, so enthusiasm and the love of teaching are essential in getting the best out of your students regardless of age. * All information regarding ESA is from the ITTT course (https://www.teflonline.net/)
