CLIL PROJECT: FAIRYTALES

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1 CLIL PROJECT: FAIRYTALES Danijela Ljubojević Osnovna škola Kosta Abrašević, Belgrade Introduction Teaching young learners is very challenging and requires a lot of effort and creativity. The key words would probably be variety and activities in which children are not only actively engaged but also interested in the topic covered by these varied activities. While working with children aged 7-11, I have come across many difficulties that I am still trying to overcome. One of the approaches I experimented with is introducing CLIL to my classes. In collaboration with my colleagues I produced lesson plans full of correlated lessons. One example of such cooperation and correlation will be presented in this article and it deals with fairytales which were covered both in English and Serbian lessons at the same time in the fourth grade of primary school. This experiment became an elaborated paper that took part in the Kreativna škola competition organised by Zavod za unapređivanje obrazovanja i vaspitanja and became part of Baza znanja. The original version of the paper can be downloaded from with the detailed description of the activities and lesson plans. Approach and content There are many reasons why I decided to choose CLIL as one of my secret weapons in the classroom. Introducing content from different subjects into foreign language classes is not a new idea and can be found under different names, such as language across the curriculum, content-based approach, interdisciplinary learning and CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning). It is a very powerful means for solving problems and answering complex questions which cannot be addressed easily only within the scope of a single subject. Such an approach contributes to the teaching process as it integrates teaching language with some other content areas, making the

2 language alive and creating real life situations where language learners can actually use their knowledge. The advantages are numerous: it introduces basic vocabulary from the content area which is a good starting point for further linguistic development, it enables social, psychological, cognitive and emotional development, it gives the opportunity to use language as a tool /means to investigate and describe, it provides the opportunity for a teacher to address all the types of multiple intelligences, it motivates learners to creatively acquire and use grammar and lexical structures from the syllabus. Bearing all this in mind, it can be said that there is a pressing need to introduce CLIL into the classrooms starting from the very first grade of primary school. It is the only way that learners can accept a second language as a means of acquiring information, rather than as an end in itself (Richards 2001: 207). Besides, when exposed to a language in different situations, language learners are better at acquiring it smoothly, that is, to pick it up. Although it is more difficult for a teacher to manage interdisciplinary language classes and constantly cooperate with other subject teachers, the results are better for learners in the long run. Using storytelling and drama in the classroom is also quite rewarding because, as Carol Read noted in 500 Activities for the Primary Classroom, they build on children s innate capacity for fantasy and imaginative play (Read 2007: 114). Children are familiar with many stories and fairytales in their mother tongue, which provides them with a sense of security, self-esteem and willingness to listen to the same stories in English. Dramatizing fairytales gets children become actively involved since it engages them to learn by doing. Children can mime, use gestures, imitate, act out, use puppets or masks (if they are shy) thus, they memorize the key language in a natural way. There are several good examples of fairytales which can be used in the classroom: Little Red Riding Hood: to introduce/practice verbs such as to eat, to smell, to hear, to see; to introduce/practice I ve got structure; to introduce/practice parts of the face, etc. The Three Little Pigs: to practice past tense of the verbs through the voice of the narrator: was/were, lived, built, ran; to practice modal verbs, etc.

3 Cinderella: to introduce/practice clothes, to talk about good/bad characters, to practice telling time, etc. Objectives of the project While working on this project, we decided to integrate storytelling in the Serbian and English classes in the fourth grade because it is perfectly compatible with the syllabus. Fourth graders read a modern version of Cinderella written by Aleksandar Popović in Serbian. The other fairytales covered in these classes are traditional Cinderella and The Three Little Pigs while some other aspects of fairytales are covered either in English or in Serbian in the warm-up activity and linguistic introduction. The general objectives which we had in mind were: introducing English literature for children, comparing it to Serbian literature, establishing basic communication in English concerning fairytales, introducing new content and language integrated learning approach, arousing interest in a foreign language through interactive learning, developing creativity and imagination, motivating children to learn a foreign language, motivating children to read literature in a foreign language. Specific objectives were: reading modern versions of fairytales, concentrating on similarities and differences between the fairytales in question, presenting and practicing grammar structures (modal verbs) in English developing criticism and objectivity, creating competitive atmosphere, developing teamwork skills. Evaluation

4 The choice of activities used in the lessons was purposefully made so that a teacher was able to continually monitor the learners, their effort and progress. Evaluation is not based on tests or oral examination in this approach, but a teacher can at any time get the feedback information whether a pupil has made a progress or not. Furthermore, children are exposed to peer evaluation in the final lesson in Serbian, where the best pupil s project is chosen and all the other projects are marked by themselves. Thus, they develop a sense of objectivity and capability of distinguishing successful from unsuccessful projects. At the same time, when they are evaluated by their peers, children become more motivated and take peer evaluation seriously. A teacher monitors, coordinates and directs the process, while the learners themselves become active participants instead of being only the passive ones. Further activities The pupils who passionately got engaged into these drama activities can be engaged in extra classes to prepare the whole play. Our pupils acted out Cinderella in June 2008 at the end of the school year. Conclusion Dealing with fairytales in such a way both in Serbian and English resulted in positive reactions not only by children but also by their parents and other teachers. Children described the classes as funny, interesting, and what is more important they memorized the structures and vocabulary easily. As far as the English/ Serbian teachers are concerned, they find this kind of teaching challenging and rewarding. Although it requires a lot of effort to prepare such classes, the results are better in the end, and that is only what matters in the teaching process. Bibliography Opačić-Nikolić, Z., Pantović, D. PRIČA BEZ KRAJA, Čitanka za četvrti razred osnovne škole.. ZUNS, Beograd: Larsen-Freeman, D. Principles and Techniques in Language Learning and Teaching, OUP: 2000.

5 Nikolić, M. Metodika nastave srpskog jezika i književnosti. ZUNS, Beograd: Lee, W.R. Language Teaching Games and Contests. Oxford University Press, Oxford: McKay, P. Assessing Young Language Learners. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: Read, C. 500 Activities for the Primary Classroom. Macmillan Book for Teachers, Oxford: Richards, J. C. and Rodgers, T. S. Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press, USA: ***** Danijela Ljubojević graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy, English Department, in Niš, completed her master thesis in English literature at the Faculty of Philology in Belgrade where she is now doing her PhD in Applied Linguistics. Danijela has also got CPE and has been awarded Band 4 in TKT Modules 1, 2 and 3. She has been teaching young learners for the last four years and is perfectly happy with it.