Teach English in Hedi Zhen - Yangquan Shi

Paper cards (flash cards) have been used since the 19th century and were first used in the educational process by F.L. Mortimer when teaching literacy. Flash cards are a set of information located on one or both sides of the card and are used both in the classroom and during individual training. On the card can be presented dates, formulas, and any items. Cards are widely used as a learning tool to help memorization through repetition. It is possible to use flash cards when learning both various aspects of a language (vocabulary, grammar, phonetics), and various types of speech activity in a language (speaking, writing, listening). For example, when learning to read, you can use flashcards with letters printed on them, combinations of letters, and individual words. When learning to write, you can conduct visual dictations. Moreover, when learning to speak, teach to make sentences with the proposed cards. When working with vocabulary, starting to learn the English alphabet, you can use the alphabetic book, with its help, master, and consolidate the vocabulary that will later be encountered. For each English letter, you need a card with an image of the object on one side and the written word on the other. First, the children become acquainted with letters and words and, as they memorize, new ones are added in each lesson. Thus in one lesson, you can learn a few words at once. When learning vocabulary, you can use the method of "image of the word." Its essence is as follows: first, you need to show the children an object, for example, an apple. “Apple” - children repeat. Then turn the card upside down and ask to read the displayed word. Moreover, soon, we learn letter by letter, word by word. Children begin to recognize typed words easily. Moreover, as practice shows, if they forget the name of the depicted object, they are asked to turn the picture to look at the letters that have become a familiar signal to them. The word becomes a clue for them. Moreover, this is when children still do not know the whole alphabet, and even more so, the rules of reading. This is the method of reading the "image of the word." When learning English vocabulary, flash cards should be used for: a dynamic amount of vocabulary; to demonstrate with the introduction of new vocabulary and its consolidation; to memorize the graphic form of words. Flash cards can be displayed both when the teacher is working in the front with the class, or when the students themselves and the group work. Today, flash cards can be presented electronically, but even new authentic manuals are provided with sets of paper flashcards since they have unlimited possibilities for their use. The use of flash cards when learning vocabulary is possible at any age, but the most effective and appropriate age-related features of their use are seen at an early stage since the role of visibility is excellent. For example, when studying English prepositions of a place in grade 2, you can use double-sided flash cards. At first, I showed the students a picture and called the preposition; then the students repeated the preposition in English after me. After all the pretexts had been worked out in this way, I turned the cards over and introduced the graphic form of the word. To consolidate the result obtained, the following game was played. On the board, I placed all the flashcards and asked the students to name the preposition in English, if the proposition was correctly named, then I turned the card over with a graphics side. After the students named all the prepositions correctly, I asked to read the words on the flashcards. Then students were offered a memory training game. They closed their eyes and then, opening them, had to remember which flashcards were missing. In my opinion, the advantage of flash cards is the fact that with their help you can simultaneously teach not only vocabulary and not only individual words, but also learn to use lexical units in the context of grammatical structures. For example, when developing affirmative sentences in Present Continuous in the 4th grade, lexical units on the subject “Noby” were simultaneously processed. Students were asked to go to the blackboard, draw out a flash card, and make an affirmative sentence in Present Continuous. If the sentence were correct, the students would chant the sentence after the student. This interactive technique helps to include all students in work and to work out a large number of lexical units in speech. When introducing the vocabulary on the theme “Clothes” in the 2nd grade, I used one-sided flash cards. The map was shown, the word was called in English, the students repeated in chorus. Then I presented a flash card and asked to name the item of clothing depicted. After each subject was correctly named repeatedly, students were asked to make sentences with each flash card. A sample was given: "I have got a ...." Then the flash cards were distributed to students, who would raise their card if they heard a sentence with this word. Thus, the development of not only lexical skill but also listening skills took place. Then I wrote on the blackboard the names of the items of clothing and asked the guys to correlate the written word with the flash card. All students coped with this task, and in the next lesson, they unmistakably learned, pronounced, and read the newly learned words. Flash cards can be used at all stages of working with vocabulary. So in the 4th grade, when fixing the vocabulary on the topic “Shopping for food.” I used one-sided flash cards with the image of food, as follows: the cards were located on the table, face up, students had to turn the map over and call the product. If the product was named correctly, then the flash card was removed from the table, and thus all the foodstuffs were not named correctly. Then the students worked in pairs, each pulling out the flash card and asking each other the question “Do you like ...?”. After that, everyone played the game What is in your lunchbox. The student went to the blackboard, chose several flash cards with food depicted, and held them in his hands so that others could not see what was depicted on them. The students asked questions like: “Do you have a banana in your lunchbox?” If the student had a card with the name of this product, then he answered in the affirmative and showed the card. Applying for flash cards in my lessons, I became convinced that they are an effective and necessary means of teaching various aspects of the English language and especially vocabulary and should be used as often as possible in the classroom precisely in elementary school. Today, the teacher can use both ready-made flashcards and create them yourself, but it must be remembered that flashcards are useful only when used repeatedly and variously. Thus, they must meet individual requirements: images must be recognizable, made on high-quality material, cards must be bright and memorable, of a specific size, allowing for such manipulations as demonstration, distribution. It is desirable that flash cards are used not only for frontal work and at the initial stage - the introduction of vocabulary, but also the stages of consolidation and testing.