Memory Momentum

Prepare a tray of objects at the front of the class – the more items the better. Ask the class to file around the table for a short amount of time, cover up the objects and the students to sit back down again. The class should then write down the English names of as many objects as they can remember, and then call out the objects so that you can write them on the board. When the list is complete, ask the children to tell you a bit more about what they can remember, for example, ‘what was the banana near to?’, ‘what was at the back of the table’, or ‘what was in the middle of the table’. (In the event that the students cannot remember, simply uncover the objects in order to enable further learning).

As an extension of this exercise you could move the objects around, so that the class can practice describing comparative positioning. Try to get the students to use as many different words to describe the same things as possible. E.G. if the banana was in the middle of the table move it to the back of the table, and ask them ‘where it is the banana now’, or ‘what it is the banana now next to/ beside/ opposite to/ adjacent to’ etc.

By Joanne Elliott