TPR Songs and Games

以下摘录自Teaching Young Children a Second Language

Some popular songs and games adopted in the second language class- room are common TPR activities. Classical children’s action songs, such as Head Shoulders Knees and Toes or This Is the Way We Wash Our Hands or Hokey Pokey have been used to teach names of body parts. Classical games, such as Simon Says work for teaching common motion verbs. Some TPR games designed by language teachers specifically for the use in the second language classroom are discussed below:

r Clap and Snap. In this activity which is used for teaching names of body parts, the teacher alternatively claps her hands or snaps her

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Teaching Young Children a Second Language

fingers and directs students to point at different body parts while reciting the following chant:

Clap! Clap! Clap! Nose!! (Players clap and point at their noses.)
Snap! Snap! Snap! Ears!! (Players snap their fingers and point at their

ears.)
Clap! Clap! Clap! Shoulders!! (Players clap and point at their shoul-

ders.)

After a few turns, the teacher makes an unexpected “mistake” and tries to confuse students by pointing at the wrong body part; children need to pay attention and keep pointing correctly.

r Don’t Let It Drop. In this activity which focuses on the use of common verbs, the player picked to be “it” follows the teacher’s directions bal- ancing a small object, such as an eraser or an index card on his or her head. The teacher starts out with simple directions, such as Sit down! or Stand up! If “it” succeeds in not letting the pencil drop, directions get progressively harder. For instance, the teacher can ask “it” to bend down or to sit on the floor. In another version of this game, the teacher gives directions to the entire group of students.

r Preposition Gymnastics. Sometimes when performing a TPR activity, students manipulate a toy or a ball. For instance, when performing Preposition Gymnastics children move a toy, such as a teddy bear, fol- lowing the teacher’s directions. (e.g., Place the teddy bear on the chair! Place the teddy bear under the chair!)

r Edible or Inedible? In this TPR game, meant to reinforce the names of food items, the ball sometimes represents something that you can eat and at other times represents something that you cannot eat. The teacher throws the ball to players. However, players are not expected to catch the ball each time, because according to the rules of the game, catching the ball means eating something, whereas letting the ball drop means declining to eat. If the teacher names an edible object, players are supposed to catch the ball. If the teacher names an inedi- ble object, the players should let the ball fall. Students find the game all the more enjoyable if the teacher makes comments about their ac- tions, “Good! You ate an apple!” “Oops! You just ate a chair!”