Building Rapport with Our Students:

And Fun Prop Ideas for our Lessons on Colors

In our very beginner classes, with very young students, it can be a challenge to get them to smile, let alone speak. Given the situation, it makes sense that some kids might be totally freaked about meeting you. What if it was you? Imagine you come home, and your husband informs you that he has scheduled you for a video meeting with a total stranger, whom doesn't speak your language, and absolutely intends to talk at you and ask you questions. You'd be freaked too. As teachers, it is our job to consider how each student might be feeling about taking our class, and finding a way to reach them, and help them navigate to a place of comfort and readiness to learn. Building rapport with the student is one of the most important things we can do. It not only helps the student realize class is fun, but it gets the student excited to attend your class time and time again. Great for them and great for us!

So what are some ideas for capturing the attention of those younger students? Costumes, puppets, and noise makers are a great way to add dimension to your class, and most importantly, they make you seem approachable to the student.

“Costumes, puppets, and noise makers are a great way to add dimension to your class, and most importantly, they make you seem approachable to the student.”

Now that we've considered how our new students might be feeling about their first meetings with a new foreign teacher, let's check my rad new idea for teaching colors!

Birthday Party Favors Galore!

In search of some fun props to help me teach my trial lesson students, I came across these fun colorful party favor glasses. A single pack was only a couple of dollars, and contained several different colors. So how do I use them? I introduce the colors presented on the slides, and after the student has repeated the colors successfully, I play a quiz game.

The game:

Once the students have been introduced to the colors, put on the first pair of glasses, revealing a funny face, and ask "What color are these?". Prompt the child to answer in a full sentence "They are pink," etc. Keep switching out the glasses, and making a new funny face with each new pair. Be dramatic, be clear with your questions and prompts, and enjoy watching your student break out into huge belly laughs. This game is great because they laugh hysterically, learn their colors quite fast, and most importantly, they forget they are nervous about meeting their new teacher because she's obviously a goofball.

(#TeachColors #newstudents #buildRapport #StudentRapport #lessonprops #ESLonline #Teachonline #TeachESL)

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Thanks for reading!

Teacher Gillian G

NewTeacherontheBlock