UNIT 3.
ACTIVITY SYSTEM
Las siguientes fases y actividades no se desarrollan de forma aislada dentro del proceso de enseñanza-
aprendizaje, sino que son recurrentes y, se pueden solapar unas fases con otras siempre de forma progresiva
(e.g motivación+input; motivación+input+controlada; motivación+controlada; motivación+controlada+semi-
controlada; motivación+semi controlada). La fase de práctica semi-controlada siempre es la última por ser la
más compleja para el alumnado. *Todas las actividades hay que convertirlas en juegos (no competitivos).
1.º Warm Up activities
MOTIVATION PHASE
A propos. Authentic and genuine conversations between the teacher and the children which arise
spontaneously in class. They are not always related the lesson content. They are generally short, unprepared
exchanges that occur as a result of a specific situation. They involve real and authentic language. These
exchanges can be initiated by either the teacher or a child. The type of interaction can be varied depending
on the degree of the children’s implication in the conversation.
Motiva mucho. Es algo espontáneo que sucede que se incluye en la frase.
Eg A child starts a conversation with the teacher by telling him it’s a classmate’s birthday; The Tooth
Fairy context; a child is coming late.
Warm-up Routines. The aim of this activity is to centre the children’s attention, to make them feel relaxed,
motivated and ready to begin the lesson. These activities are not related to the aim of the lesson. The
teacher may put on music, have the children sing songs or do physical response exercises, or initiate the
lesson with routines such as describing the weather, saying the date, a fun anecdote of the teacher, etc.
No tiene por qué estar vinculado al temario dado, pero puede servir para repasar lo que se ha dado
anteriormente.
Eg The teacher asks the date, the weather, assembly, etc; canciones, preguntas-respuestas, good
morning song, el tiempo.
Setting. Teacher-student interaction in which the children’s attention is focused on a particular topic. The
teacher contextualizes the topic of the lesson by means visuals, real objects, listening material or other
resources. This activity may also involve introducing new vocabulary or reviewing content that students
remember from previous lessons and which is necessary for the following activities. Student contributions
are minimal and tend to respond to closed questions.
Relacionada con preparar la clase para lo que va a venir (presentar personajes o marionetas del cuento,
preparar teatro…)
a) The teacher presents new vocabulary before beginning a story.
b) The teacher reviews vocabulary already known before playing a game.
Brainstorming. The purpose of the activity is to generate multiple associations about a topic or predictions
about the contents which students are about to hear. The aims might include detecting students' existing
knowledge about a particular subject, both in L1 and L2, encouraging them to ask for the L2 equivalents of
expressions or vocabulary they already know in L1, or creating expectations towards a listening activity.
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It is similar to “setting”, but different in that in this case the activity involves a series of free contributions by
learners in both L2 and L1 (leading them to ask the teacher how to say in L2 things they already know in L1).
The teacher asks general questions to the class (without focusing on visuals) about the ingredients needed to
make a cake in order to identify what vocabulary the children know. If they answer in Spanish, the teacher
provides the L2 word
Closing Routines. This type of activity is intended to capture the attention of the learners in order to
complete the lesson together. They do not necessarily have to be related to the objective of the lesson. The
teacher has the pupils sing a farewell song, sit at their desks, put their heads on their arms, get ready for
recess, take out their snacks, etc.
Conecta a los alumnos con el final de la clase. Sirve para repasar lo que se ha dado, aunque no tiene que
estar relacionada necesariamente con el objetivo de la lección.
INPUT PHASE - PRESENTATION
Se realizan al comenzar la UD y no sirven para centrar la atención, sino para presentar primero el
vocabulario y después las frases que se van a desarrollar posteriormente.
Story/Song/Poem Presentation. The children listen to a song, story, narration or dialogue to identify the
topic and get a general idea of the content. In EFL classes the aim of the activity is to present new language
input to the children. The teacher may ask questions to help students understand the content of the
story/song. This activity differs from Language Modelling in that the verbal participation of the students
here is minimum and the emphasis is on comprehension. The students listen without participating.
Language Modelling. Presentation by the teacher of new linguistic models within a context (eg. story,
narrative, song, etc.) and with the help of visuals, photos, real objects, gestures, IWB, etc. The children
participate actively in the interaction, repeating after the teacher, responding to closed questions or
completing sentences begun by the teacher. The aim of this activity is for the children to contribute to the
oral interaction together with the teacher in order to assimilate and retain the new language patterns. →
The children repeats.
The teacher models and emphasizes new language patterns, asking specific questions to check the children’s
comprehension, by asking them to repeat expressions, by prompting them to provide missing words in a
sentence, etc. → he corrects the pronunciation of new linguistic models.
Content Explanation. The teacher gives an explicit explanation of conceptual content (sociocultural). The
explanation can include content related to culture or phonology function. This activity can occur in the
course of any other activity, at the children’s request or when the teacher considers it necessary as a form of
feedback.
Eg In a class, teacher explains what children usually eat in the UK at different mealtimes.
CONTROLLED PRACTICE PHASE - PRACTICE
Se muestra el contenido y se busca centrar la atención. Para ello, se practican los contenidos de manera
repetitiva. (El último tipo es de práctica semicontrolada).
Recognition. The aim of this activity is for learners to recognise the new language samples presented in
previous activities by the teacher. The children show they have understood oral language by means of a non-
verbal response. It involves the identification of vocabulary, a story sequence or specific linguistic patterns,
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etc., in response to a visual stimuli. Children show comprehension through physical responses such as
underlining or ticking a word or sentence, matching sentences or pictures, ordering pictures, pointing, TPR,
etc. It does not imply a linguistic response, they only recognise
Eg The children point to or hold up the correct picture when the teacher says the word in English;
Simon says game. Bingo game.
Drill. A linguistic activity characterized by stimulus-response exercises generally involving the repetition of
vocabulary or the substitution of some element of the sentence in order to practise pronunciation and
facilitate the retention of language patterns. Greater emphasis is given to the accurate production of the
linguistic pattern than to the communication of a real and genuine message. It usually involves verbal
responses at the lexical level only.
Se recuerda la dado anteriormente para que lo apliquen y solo repiten estructuras o frases de manera oral.
Deben repetirlo para memorizarlo.
[Link] children practice orally the language pattern (eg are you + action), repeating the same
structure in order to guess the action the teacher is miming; The children fill in a table by ticking the
food their partner likes (do you like, pears; do you like pizza?, do you like fish?); hot and cold game.
Song/Riddle/Poem Recitation. The pupils sing a song or recite a poem or a riddle individually or in groups
with the aim of practising pronunciation and rhythm of the language and/or certain linguistic patterns.
It almost always has a playful component. In any case, it involves the memorisation and oral 'reproduction'
of a previously learnt text (by heart).
Es interesante presentarlo en la fase de input. Cuando presentamos canción o poema, vamos a poder cantar
la canción o el poema en todas las sesiones con el fin de que lo memoricen.
[Link] children, in groups, sing a different verse of a song; In groups the children present a poem
they have learnt by heart .
Vocabulary Games. An activity with a specific goal and a series of rules in which the players are involved in
competing among themselves in order to win. The aim of this activity is for children to practise specific
vocabulary and language patterns.
Eg. Memory games; I spy with my little eye…; the teacher aks pupils to close their eyes and they have
to guess vocabulary hidden.
Checking. The teacher controls how much students remember or understand of information they have
received in a previous activity, usually by asking display questions about the lesson content. The activity is
characterized by the feedback the teacher gives to the students after hearing their responses, either praising
them or correcting their mistakes implicitly or explicitly, depending on the errors detected or the linguistic
needs that the activity has generated. It is considered an activity in itself and not part of an activity because
the purpose is to check the degree of achievement of objectives.
Comprobar si lo que se ha enseñado lo han aprendido, puede ser que lo hagan bien o no.
Eg. The teacher asks questions to check that the children have understood and/or can remember a story.
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SEMI-CONTROLLED PRACTICE PHASE - PRODUCTION
La participación del alumno es mayor.
Meaningful Drill. An oral activity in which the students work with a limited number of linguistic patterns
(frases que queremos enseñar) within a specific context in order to practise certain grammatical, or
functional aspects of the FL. In oral activities this usually involves the exchange of information in pairs or
small groups. The children do not merely substitute elements of the sentence and repeat the same
structure, but have to choose the language appropriate for the real meanings they are attempting to
communicate, although this language is necessarily limited by the type of interaction the activity demands.
Practican las estructuras y el vocabulario previamente trabajado pero en un contexto, es decir, repiten las
estructuras pero usando correctamente las palabras (libertad en las respuestas por lo que no solo repiten).
Es difícil hacerlo en parejas porque son muy pequeños, por lo que es mejor hacerlo en asamblea. Los
alumnos deben realizar una elección (lo que lo diferencia del Drill).
Eg. The children, in pairs, ask each other questions using two or three lingusitic patterns to guess the
identity of an animal (is it brown?; has it got a tail?, does it live in the forest?); Who is who game; board
games.
Retelling. The children begin to retell a story, a song or a narration in their own words story that the teacher
has been presented in previous lessons. When necessary, the teacher can help the children by prompting
them to complete sentences. The aim of this activity is for the teacher to assist learners in elaborating new
meanings within an extended discourse by providing linguistic and contextual support through closed
questions, discourse connectors or hints for to complete sentences.
The teacher has less control over the discourse and helps the children to produce the FL independently.
Their use of language is more elaborate, with the teacher acting as support, providing the stimuli they see
necessary.
This activity differs from that of Language Modelling in that the children do not just repeat or respond to
questions but take a more active role and attempt to initiate the story or song by themselves, children start
to initiate production in English (actividad más libre que el Language Modelling).
Role Play. In EFL classes the activity can include the production of a dialogue or the acting out of a sketch,
using linguistic patterns they have already practiced. The teacher rarely has to provide help.
Representar un diálogo sobre una situación real con las estructuras que ya conocen (se han estudiado
previamente).
Eg The children produce a mini dialogue they have learnt between a customer in a shop and the
shopkeeper; The children, in groups, act out a scene they have rehearsed in a restaurant.
Cued narrative. The children narrate orally a story or a poster using a series of visuals, diagrams, linguistic
cues or other stimuli related with the text they are narrating. The purpose of this activity is for the children
to use the visual and linguistic cues at their disposal to guide their speaking. The aim of this activity is for
students to construct texts semi-autonomously as they are provided with contextual and linguistic aids. It
differs from 'Retelling' in that students are more autonomous in their productions, with the teacher not
intervening unless students require his or her help.
Eg Using the visuals of a story sequence, a child tells the story in her own words by describing each of
the pictures in turn. The teacher only helps when she has difficulty remembering.
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El profesor ayuda con frlashcards, dibujos, diagrmas… a la reconstrucción del cuento. Siempre cuentan con
apoyo visual (palabras clave que el niño irá diciendo) para reconstruir la historia.
NON-CLASSIFIABLE ACTIVITIES – ANY PHASE
Preparation. In pairs, groups or individually, the children get ready for the following activity by preparing
materials, etc. These activities should not be excessively long.
Eg The children draw a picture of a monster that they will describe to their partners; The children
make a mural with the pictures they have brought from home or found on the web; The children
rehearse a dialogue in pairs
Organization. The teacher describes or comments on the organization of the final task. This activity normally
includes establishing the organization and grouping of the children and the distribution of materials for the
final task.
Eg The teacher asks the children to come and sit on the floor at the front of the class; the teacher
informs the children of the tasks that they will carry out.
Instructions. The teacher states the 'rules' to be followed in the immediately following activity. This includes
giving a detailed explanation of the general procedure required to carry out the activity successfully. As in
'Organization', students, aided by the context and the teacher's gestures, understand the content of the
teacher's speech.
Eg The teacher gives an explanation of what the children have to do in order to complete the
following activity successfully (final task)
Demonstration. The teacher, either by himself or with the help of the children, demonstrates how to carry
out the following activity. This involves showing the class what they are expected to do and giving an
example of the language patterns the children need to use in the next activity.
Eg The teacher demonstrates how to play a board game by throwing the dice, moving his counter,
picking up a card and performing the required action or producing the necessary language.
Games: Depending on the difficulty of the language being handled and the type of interaction it promotes,
the game may be a "mechanical structural exercise" (controlled practice) or "meaningful" (semi-controlled
practice). For this reason, play is not classified as a type of activity in itself, since the only thing that
differentiates it from other types is its extra-linguistic objective: competition or entertainment. It is an
organised linguistic activity , consisting of a specific task or objective and a set of rules which involve some
form of competition between players (e.g. board games, hangman, bingo, etc.). Its main aim is to
practise/apply certain linguistic patterns while introducing a ludic element which makes them more aware of
the purpose of LE use tan of the linguistic form.
It can be done in all phases, but the most common are: drilling, recognition, checking and language
modelling.
Poner énfasis en jugar con el factor sorpresa. No trabajar con la competitividad, mejor que sean juegos
colaborativos en los que todos participen.
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TIPOLOGÍA DE ACTIVIDADES
Motivation phase: todas las sesiones comienzan y terminan con una actividad de estas.
• A propos: conversación espontánea entre maestro y alumno sobre un tema de la vida real y no
sobre la unidad.
• Warm-up routines: rutinas de calentamiento. No tienen por qué estar relacionadas con el tema, sino
que sirven para centrar la atención de los alumnos (canciones, rutinas…). What day is today? What is
the weather like?
• Setting: centra la atención de los alumnos en el tema que se va a tratar a continuación y
contextualizamos los contenidos para la nueva actividad. Introducimos nuevo vocabulario o
hacemos revisión del contenido anterior. Do you remember it? Now, we are going to talk about.
• Brainstorming: detectar conocimientos previos, para ello, el profesor lanza preguntas y los alumnos
responden lo que saben. Does anyone know what is it? Do you know if…?
• Closing routines: captas la atención de los alumnos para finalizar la lección. Goodbye routines.
Input phase
❖ Story / song presentation: presentar contenidos nuevos a través de una canción, cuento o diálogo.
Los alumnos escuchan sin participar. Sirve para identificar el tópico y tener una idea general del
contenido.
❖ Language modelling: presentar nuevos contenidos de gramática y vocabulario. Los niños ven
tarjetas y van repitiendo con el profesor o este les pregunta. El profesor ayuda al niño si lo necesita.
What is it?
❖ Content explanation: explicación de los contenidos socioculturales o fonológicos a los niños.
Controlled phase: llevada a cabo por el profesor en casi todas las partes.
➢ Recognition: reconocer el vocabulario por medio de estímulos visuales o gestuales. Respuestas no
lingüísticas. Relacionado con imágenes.
➢ Drill: practicar la pronunciación o adquirir vocabulario por medio de una repetición mecánica. Repet
with me: the rabbit eats carrots.
➢ Song / riddle / poem recitation: los alumnos cantan una canción o recitan un poema que ellos ya
conocen o saben. Do you remember the song about carrots?
➢ Checking: compruebas que los alumnos recuerdan el vocabulario que han trabajado antes. Suelen
usarse palabras o respuestas cortas. What is it? The red box!
Semi-controlled phase: participación del alumno es mayor
▪ Meaningful drill: practican las estructuras y el vocabulario previamente trabajado pero en un
contexto. We are going to do what we practiced yesterday.
▪ Retelling: los alumnos con la ayuda del profesor, reconstruyen un relato o narración besándose en
las estructuras que ya han aprendido.
▪ Cued narrative / dialogue: narrar una historia con la ayuda de tarjetas, dibujos, diagramas… etc. El
profesor no interviene si no necesitan ayuda.
▪ Role play: representar un diálogo sobre una situación real con las estructuras que ya conocen, el
profesor no interviene.
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Any phase
o Instructions: describir las instrucciones de la próxima actividad.
o Demostration: ejemplificar lo que hay que hacer en la actividad. I am going to show you how to do
this activity.
o Preparation: los niños se preparan la siguiente actividad, con materiales…
o Games: se pueden hacer en todas las fases, pero las más comunes son: drill, recognition, checking y
languaje modelling.
Final task: es la actividad final en la que se llevan a cabo tareas que recogen todo el vocabulario y
estructuras visas a lo largo de la unidad didáctica. Esta sirve un poco de evaluación para ver lo que
los niños han adquirido o no. Se lleva a cabo de forma oral y las actividades más usadas son: cued
narrative / dialogue, role play, retelling, meaningfull drill.
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POSIBLES PREGUNTAS EXAMEN
1. ¿Qué es el “Sistema de actividades para la enseñanza del inglés en Educación Infantil”?
2. ¿Cuántas fases tiene el sistema de actividades? Enuméralas.
3. ¿Cuáles son las actividades de motivación? ¿Para qué sirven estas actividades?
4. ¿Cuáles son las actividades de presentación de input? ¿Para qué sirven estas actividades?
5. ¿Cuáles son las actividades de práctica controlada? ¿Para qué sirven estas actividades?
6. ¿Cuáles son las actividades de práctica semicontrolada? ¿Para qué sirven estas actividades?
7. Enumera las actividades que se pueden hacer en cualquier fase. ¿Por qué son actividades que
se pueden hacer en cualquier fase?
8. ¿Qué de actividades se utilizan para diseñar la tarea final? Describe cada una de ellas.
9. ¿Qué tipo de actividades utilizarías para el inicio de una sesión?
10. ¿Qué tipo de actividades utilizarías para el final de una sesión?
11. ¿Con qué actividades presentarías el nuevo vocabulario?
12. ¿Qué actividades propondrías para que tu alumnado practicara el nuevo vocabulario?
13. ¿Crees que practicar el nuevo vocabulario con actividades que implican repetición del mismo
favorece la memorización?
14. ¿Cómo motivarías a tus alumnos al principio de una sesión de inglés?
15. ¿Qué actividad utilizarías para contar un cuento en inglés?
16. ¿Por qué crees que las canciones y poemas favorecen la memorización del vocabulario?
17. Cuándo se presenta nuevo vocabulario el profesor realiza un “modelado de lengua” (language
modeling) ¿Por qué?
18. ¿Qué actividad propondrías a los alumnos para comprobar los conocimientos previos sobre
un tema que vas a trabajar en clase de inglés?
19. ¿De qué manera se focaliza la atención sobre un tema que vas a trabajar en inglés? ¿Qué
actividad utilizarías?
20. ¿Qué tipo de actividades puedes proponer en las que esté implicada la dramatización?
21. Si quieres explicar y demostrar cómo hacer alguna actividad en el aula de inglés ¿Qué
actividades puedes utilizar para evitar además utilizar la lengua materna?
22. ¿Qué actividad utilizarías para comprobar los contenidos trabajados previamente que
recuerdan los alumnos?
23. Si le proporcionas a los alumnos unas fotos y les pides que hagan un diálogo en parejas
basándose en esos dibujos ¿Qué tipo de actividad les estás proponiendo? ¿Cuál es el objetivo
de esta actividad?
24. Después de contarles el cuento, y de trabajar las estructuras lingüísticas del cuento con un
ejercicio mecánico de repetición se les pide a los alumnos que reconstruyan ese cuento de
forma oral, individual o en parejas o grupos ¿Qué se les está pidiendo que hagan? ¿Qué
objetivo tiene esa actividad?
25. Explica la diferencia entre los ejercicios estructurales mecánicos (drill) y los ejercicios
estructurales significativos (meaningful drill).
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ETWINNING
1. What is eTwinning?
eTwinning is an online community for schools, offering a secure and cost-free platform for teachers
and students throughout Europe. It enables schools to collaborate on projects, participate in online
discussions, share best practices, and enhance their professional skills together.
2. Who can join eTwinning?
The eTwinning community welcomes school staff, including professionals in Early Childhood
Education and Care (ECEC) and Initial Vocational Education and Training (IVET) within eTwinning
countries. Verified eTwinners have access to the restricted eTwinning area (My eTwinning) and
additional specialized features on the European School Education Platform.
eTwinning also provides opportunities for teacher educators and student teachers in Initial Teacher
Education (ITE) institutions to participate. Discover more about eTwinning for future educators. If
you are not a school staff member, you can still access all other services on the European School
Education Platform at no cost. eTwinners can also invite non-eTwinners to join specific projects.
3. What benefits does it offer by being part of eTwining?
The eTwinning project offers opportunities for its members, teachers and other school staff, such as:
• Collaborative projects: involve your students in national and European projects alongside
classmates from IVET, upper secondary, and ECEC schools. Work together safely in the
secure online environment known as TwinSpace.
• Online groups: where you can join one of the dozens of eTwinning groups made and run by
passionate educators to talk about your interests.
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