Parachute and Circle Time Games Debbie Abbs Primary Strategy Adviser (Languages) Norfolk LA

1. Parachute and Circle Time GamesDebbie AbbsPrimary Strategy Adviser (Languages)Norfolk LA debbie.abbs@norfolk.gov.uk

2. ‘We must provide an opportunity for early language learning to harness children’slearningpotential & enthusiasm ...The aim will be for a creative, flexible and imaginative approach to engage pupils so that schools can make the most of the rich vein of language learning opportunities that exist already...’(Languages for All: Languages for Life, DFES, 2002)

3. Language Learning Strategies • Use gesture or mime to show they understand • Look at the face of the person speaking and listen attentively • Pick out key words when listening • Practise saying words aloud • Repeat words rhythmically • Practise with a friend • Answer in their heads questions asked to other people • Try to use the language outside of the classroom • Use the context of what they see/read to determine some of the meaning • Use a physical response • Use a mental association to help to remember words • Say words to a rhythm • Play games to help to remember debbie.abbs@norfolk.gov.uk

4. When to use them? • For fun • To practise and consolidate key language • At end of a topic area to reinforce vocabulary and structures • To introduce reading/recognition of words/phrases • To promote group interaction debbie.abbs@norfolk.gov.uk

5. The Wheel • A game to unroll and use the parachute Mushroom! Start with the parachute on the ground, and everybody crouched down holding it. Count together ...1,2,3..Mushroom As you say ‘mushroom’ everyone jumps up and raises the parachute in the air Say the names of other vegetables, before ‘mushroom’, so that children concentrate on responding to the correct word. Count backwards as though a rocket is about to launch. Raise the parachute with ’lift off!’ debbie.abbs@norfolk.gov.uk

6. The King’s Game: moving with parachute in response to simple instructions Hold parachute low down - everybody chants together: ‘One, two, three, who wants to be the king?’ . Choose one child to be ‘king’. He/she goes under the parachute and stands up in the middle, with their arm above their head as a kind of ‘tent-pole’. Direct the other children to move around the king, clockwise or anti-clockwise, walking, running, jumping, etc, while holding the parachute, then . . chant and choose another ‘king’. debbie.abbs@norfolk.gov.uk

7. Can You Cross The Ocean? Move the parachute up and down slowly, shaking it a little, saying ‘Regardez la mer, regardez l’océan… Est-ce que je peux traverser?’ The teacher says: "You can cross the Ocean if you have the colour (blue)." Tu peux traverser si tu as lacouleur… bleu ’ Children with blue in their clothes or on them somewhere run across and take up a place on the other side. This can be adapted to practise many vocabulary areas: eye and hair colour / likes and dislikes / ages / brothers and sisters..etc. debbie.abbs@norfolk.gov.uk

8. Macedonia Macedonia Fruit salad – changing places game Give each child one of four nouns to remember, eg, lemon, banana, cherry, strawberry. Raise the parachute. Call out a fruit so all children with that noun have to change places with each other by running under the raised parachute. When you call ‘Macedonia’ everybody has to change places quickly before the parachute falls to the ground (you may need another adult to help you hold up the parachute) Alternatives: play this with any 4 words/phrases you choose. debbie.abbs@norfolk.gov.uk

9. Los Animales Vocabulary: Conejos, pájaros, arañas, serpientes Animals – changing places & saying words game Give each child the name of one of four animals to remember, eg, rabbit, bird, spider, snake. Call out a name, eg, rabbits. All children with this word run clockwise around the outside of the parachute - when they reach their place they run under the parachute into the middle, shout out their word, eg, ¡conejo! then return to their place. Try calling out two or three animals. debbie.abbs@norfolk.gov.uk

10. All change! Silent Statements: changing places silently under the parachute Call out a statement. Children for whom the statement is true change places under the parachute. You can start with simple sentences & opinions, eg, ‘Change places if you have blue eyes ... if you like strawberries ... if you love chocolate ...if you hate spiders ...’, etc. Extend these sentences, eg, ‘Change places if you have blue eyes and brown hair ... if you like strawberries but don’t like bananas’ debbie.abbs@norfolk.gov.uk

11. Colours Gameworking cooperatvely to move an object on the parachute • Throw a soft ball or bean bag or cuddly toy onto the parachute. Call out the name of a colour and the children have to work to make the object move onto that colour section of the parachute. • The Snake Game is a variation on this. Throw a skipping rope or snake cuddly onto the parachute. Call out instructionsso that the children make it slither towards the colours debbie.abbs@norfolk.gov.uk

12. The Storm The Storm: practising weather expressions with the parachute Everybody holds the parachute. Show a choice of two soft toys & ask children to choose who is going in the (imaginary) boat. Throw the chosen soft toy into the middle of the parachute and say ‘¡ Buen viaje!’ to the toy. Say weather statements so children agitate the parachute gently, then with increasing strength to create a storm effect. debbie.abbs@norfolk.gov.uk

13. Number and Colour Games • Give children a coloured sticker or ask them to remember the coloured section of the parachute. • Call out a colour and a number and those children dive under • the parachute to retrieve that number of bricks etc. • 2) Display some number cards (figures) on the floor around the parachute. Throw a foam dice and get pupils to count spots. The Dice thrower dives under parachute, retrieves the right number of bricks and puts them on the number card. • 3) Pauvre Jérôme! Throw a cuddly toy onto the parachute and count how many times he can be bounced in the air before falling off. • Or decide on a number and all count to it. On the given number try to make Jérôme fall through the hole in the middle. • 4) Bounce a soft dice on top of the parachute. Count the spots together. That many children then sit under the parachute. Continue until the parachute collapses. debbie.abbs@norfolk.gov.uk

14. ¿Es azul o es rojo? ¿Es azul o es rojo? ¿Azul o rojo? ¿Es blanco o es negro? ¿Blanco? ¿Negro? ¿Es verde o amarillo? ¿Verde? ¿Amarillo? Azul, rojo, blanco, negro Verde, amarillo Azul, rojo, Blanco, negro Verde, amarillo (x2) debbie.abbs@norfolk.gov.uk

15. debbie.abbs@norfolk.gov.uk

16. ESTE RITMO • Este ritmo se hace con las manos (clap twice) (x3) Con el bugui. bugui, bugui, bugui ba (clap twice) • Este ritmo se hace con los pies (stamp twice) Con el bugui, bugui, bugui, bugui ba (stamp twice then clap twice) • Este ritmo se hace con la boca (touch mouth and say “Ah-ah”) Con el bugui, bugui, bugui, bugui ba (touch mouth and say “ah-ah” stamp twice then clap twice) • Este ritmo se hace con la nariz (touch nose and say “tilin, tilin”) • Con el bugui, bugui, bugui, bugui,ba ( repeat all actions) • Este ritmo se hace con las orejas (pull ears and say “tolon, tolon”) • Con el bugui, bugui, bugui, bugui ba (repeat all actions) • Este ritmo se hace con los ojos (wink alternate eyes and say “clic, clac”) Con el bugui, bugui, bugui, bugui ba (repeat all actions) • Este ritmo se hace con el pelo (stroke head and say “fzz, fzz”) Con el bugui, bugui, bugui, bugui ba (repeat all actions) • Este ritmo se hace con el culo (wiggle bottom and say “pan, pan”) • Con el bugui, bugui, bugui, bugui ba (repeat all actions) debbie.abbs@norfolk.gov.uk

17. Si tu aimes le soleilLet go of the the parachute as the children do the actions. On line 3 of each verse call who is to change places: eg, les filles, les bleus, les trois etc. • Si tu aimes le soleil frappe des mains (clap-clap)Si tu aimes le soleil frappe des mains (clap-clap)Si tu aimes le soleil le printemps qui se réveilleSi tu aimes le soleil frappe des mains (clap-clap) • Si tu aimes le soleil tape des pieds (boum-boum)Si tu aimes le soleil tape des pieds (boum-boum)Si tu aimes le soleil le printemps qui se réveilleSi tu aimes le soleil tape des pieds (boum-boum) • Si tu aimes le soleil clique des doigts (zip-zip)... Si tu aimes le soleil fais le train (tchou-tchou)...Si tu aimes le soleil crie hourra! (hou-rra!)...Si tu aimes le soleil fais la poule (cot-cot)...Si tu aimes le soleil saute sur place (hop-hop)...Si tu aimes le soleil crie bonjour! (bon-jour!)... • Si tu aimes le soleil fais tous les huit! debbie.abbs@norfolk.gov.uk

18. Circle Time Games Circle time is … a space in which children can learn the skills they need to thrive in life, such as effective communication, emotional literacy..... Ultimately, circle time aims to create a space in which pupils can communicate…It is about discussion, reflection, emotional understanding, personal empowerment, personal identity and making connections.                                   Naturally, circle time also develops pupils' speaking and listening skills… Barbara Maines www.teachernet.gov.uk Circle time is when the onus shifts from you as a teacher to your pupils. It is a time when you create a safe environment in which they can lead. You will have to facilitate and may well use tools such as games and discussions to achieve this, but beyond facilitation, your role is secondary to that of your pupils.. debbie.abbs@norfolk.gov.uk

19. Games to learn names and to say your name to the group. • Children use different tones and voices to say their name around the circle. Everyone repeats each name in the same way. • Pass a hat around the circle. Each child puts it on in turn, whilst others chant: Who has the hat? Who can it be? Who has the hat? Let me see! The child takes off the hat, as dramatically as (s)he likes and the group say: It’s Charlie! • Pass a ball or beanbag across the circle. Say your name and the child does the same, giving his/her name. A more challenging version is for the question ’What’s your name?’ to be asked also. • Hot Seat. One child sits in the middle of the circle. A child behind him/her says their name (an imaginary one) in a disguised voice. The child in the hot seat guesses who it is. (3 children could give their names, and the child tries to identify one of them.) debbie.abbs@norfolk.gov.uk

20. Back to back drawingConcentration and remembering • Children all face in one direction around the circle. In pairs, one child draws something on the back of the person in front of them. • This drawing will depend on the vocabulary being practised. It could be the first letter of a colour / an animal / a number /a classroom object… • The child should be able to tell, in the language, what they thought they had drawn on their back. • A higher level of concentration is required if every child draws on the back of the person in front of them, as it is quite difficult to notice what you are having drawn on your back while you draw on someone else’s. debbie.abbs@norfolk.gov.uk

21. Fun! • Duck,duck, goose. Children sit in a circle. One child goes round the outside of the circle, chanting a rhyme / singing a song (with the rest of the class) / practising the question or phrase being learnt. At a given point in the song (etc) the child taps the person on the shoulder and they race round the circle to try to be the first one back to the place. • Examples include: Quel jour sommes-nous, M. Loup? (chanted by the group). The child as the wolf, says a day of the week and taps a shoulder. Children sit still for every day, except ‘dimanche’, when they have to race round the circle. • In any language, sing the song, asking your name. Child moving around the circle has a puppet/ grisly pet hidden behind his/her back. When he/she says the name of the creature, they race round the circle. • Quelle heure est-il, Mme Crocodile? Runs along the same lines, as children race around when the child says ‘il est midi’ (lunch time). • With the German days song, sing the days as the child moves around the circle. In centre of circle are materials for different activities, eg goggles, football gloves,(2 items for each activity) etc. Child says: Montag.. Ich gehe schwimmen..Both run to pick up goggles, and race round circle, back to place. debbie.abbs@norfolk.gov.uk

22. Body game!(encourages physical contact, listening, cooperation) • Children get into pairs (or are put into pairs) and fill the space in the centre of the circle. The person who is leading the game calls two body parts. • In response the pairs connect with these body parts, eg hand to foot, elbow to elbow. • When ‘the body’ is called, everyone moves to find another partner. • (Sing a song in between instructions, as children move around). • An alternative is to call numbers, and the children get into pairs or groups to make the shape of the number (or also could be done with letters) debbie.abbs@norfolk.gov.uk

23. Chain sentenceconcentration, cooperation, observation • Along the lines of ‘I packed my bag…’ • Each child has a cuddly toy / their own ‘sock’ puppet, that he/she names. The first person starts the chain saying, I’m called…, and their name. The second person says, ‘I’m called..’ (repeating the first) and then their own name etc. Puppets clearly serve as memory aids. • With the names of pets, and a set of flashcards, first child says, I have a …fish, and puts the card in the centre of the circle. The second builds on this, saying 2 pets and adding another card to the centre of the circle. • Sing a ‘colours’ song to a well known tune, each child adding one (or two) new word(s) to the song • One person says his or her name and a sentence about what they like, eg, ‘I’m called Jo and I like swimming’. The next person repeats and adds a sentence of their own. debbie.abbs@norfolk.gov.uk

24. Secret signals(concentration, observation, cooperation, fun) • The children in the circle follow the actions made by the leader in the circle. • The ‘detective’ has to go outside while the decision is made as to who will lead. • Everyone follows the leader but tries not to look directly at him/her. • The ‘detective’ comes back in and has to establish who is in charge of changing the actions/ words. • To practise a language, a list of words/ sentences is displayed, and the children chant the first sentence/word. At the signal of the leader, the group moves down to read and chant the 2nd sentence, and so on. • An alternative to this is that each child in the circle says, for example, their name. The leader gives a sign to each child in turn to indicate who is to talk next, trying not to let the ‘detective’ see to whom he is making the sign. To add an extra bit of excitement, play the game as ‘wink murder’ and each child falls on the floor after they have spoken. debbie.abbs@norfolk.gov.uk