HEROES Teacher's Guide - Book - Page 14
The use of TPR appeals to all young learners. By motivating learners to respond to language
cues even before they are ready to speak, engaging in TPR activities increases the
confidence of even the most timid pupil and can allow the teacher to assess understanding
without necessarily requiring an oral response. Researchers in the field of psychology note
that young learners are primarily interested in their surroundings and the physical, tangible
world. Thus, movement in the classroom motivates pupils to engage in the language.
Moreover, TPR addresses the needs of various learning styles, specifically kinesthetic
learners who are interested in movement, visual learners, who are motivated by visual cues
(copying gestures), and auditory learners, who can benefit from TPR methods combined
with songs or a vocal cue (Er 2013).
Because TPR in the foreign language classroom is most effective when combined with
games, songs, and stories (Er 2013), Heroes incorporates opportunities for movements in all
these categories. Games that require pupils to act out action words, songs that invite pupils
to mime the meanings of the lyrics, flashcards that encourage accompanying gestures, and
role-plays that bring the stories to life, all enrich the program. Teachers are encouraged to
bring movement into the classroom at every opportunity. Specific instructions for gestures,
movements to accompany songs or chants, and story role-plays are included in the
Teacher’s Guide. Throughout the program, the teacher is explicitly instructed by the words
"gesture" or "act out." This should serve as an indication to the teacher to include
movement in the teaching, at her discretion and ability.
11. Course Book
The Heroes Course Book includes extensive practice of vocabulary, lexical chunks, and
phonemic awareness. Instructions for the activities appear in detail in the Teacher’s Guide
and in brief at the bottom of each Course Book page. Teachers should be aware that the
instructions in the Course Book do not reflect the full potential of each page and they should
refer to the complete instructions in the Teacher’s Guide. The teacher should encourage
pupils to produce more language than is minimally required to complete the activity by
asking relevant questions and eliciting previously taught vocabulary and lexical chunks.
An answer key for all the exercises in the Course Book appears in Appendix IV.
12. Using Max the puppet in the Classroom
Puppets are a very important teaching tool in educational programs for young learners. In
this program, Max is used regularly in class to engage and motivate pupils, and to help break
down their inhibitions about speaking a new language. He becomes another English speaker
in the classroom, someone to converse with during morning introductions and greetings,
when singing songs, giving instructions, reviewing pupils’ work, playing games, and praising
pupils for their participation or accomplishments. Max can be useful in modeling lexical
chunks, and questions and responses. He can be used as a partner in dialogues or in pair
work. Children will readily volunteer to interact with Max. Using him often in the classroom
increases their confidence in using the English language, encourages motivation to
participate, and sparks their interest in the lesson in general.
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