UNICEF - Lesson Plan English, ages 8 – 13
Introduction to Lesson Plans
These lesson plans are designed to introduce children to the English language using repetition, simple activities, songs and games within a safe ‘circle time’ style environment. The structure and routine of the lessons remain very similar throughout the units. This is important for young children and refugee children who have experienced trauma. This is also important for children who speak different languages to those their teachers speak and to children with special educational needs and behavioural difficulties.
The teacher (and assistant/s) should be concentrating on supporting children to develop other very important skills throughout the lesson units. These skills, often referred to by teachers as behaviour for learning, include good sitting (sitting with legs crossed, arms/hands in lap, looking at the teacher, not talking etc), good listening (to the adults and other children), concentration, being kind to each other, following instructions and sharing and taking turns. These are skills that children learn when attending school and are important life skills, however, refugee children have often been out of formal education for many years or may never have attended formal schooling. Therefore these skills may need to be taught.
Teachers and assistants must ensure that time is taken in each lesson to remind children of how they should be sitting before starting, waiting for their turn sensibly without calling out and gaining children’s attention before moving on etc. Children need to learn behaviour for learning to be ready to learn in a classroom, or lesson, environment.
