NCERT Book Class 6 English (Honeysuckle) Chapter 1 A House, A Home; Who Did Patrick’s Homework?

NOTES FOR THE TEACHER 1

GENERAL
l Learning a language means using it for a wide variety of
purposes. Language is best acquired when attention is focused
on meaning, not on form.
l Words and phrases not closely related to objects and action
remain empty and lifeless to young learners. Language comes
alive when presented in meaning-making contexts.
l Words/phrases that are used to accomplish many useful
purposes follow a certain system inherent in the language itself.
l Learners become familiar with the system through continuous
exposure to the language in meaning-focused situations.
l Interaction, discussion and sharing of ideas among learners
provide opportunities that elicit ‘real’ information about them
and their experiences and opinions.
l Encourage learners to work in pairs and small groups and let
them go beyond the textbook by providing a variety of language
inputs for spontaneous and natural use of language.
l Build on the exercises given in the textbook and design more
tasks/ activities in keeping with learners’ interests, needs and
surroundings. Employ free-response exercises (with more than
one possible response).
l Promote reading habits through story reading (not merely
teaching stories as texts), story retelling, choral reading, shared
reading, etc.
l Create class libraries for exchange of books and shared reading.
The library may also move with children to the next higher class.
l Poems need not be taught line by line, word by word. You may
give a model reading but let every child read the poem on her/his
own to feel the richness of language, rhythm and music of words.
Exercises accompanying the poem are more for understanding
the poem as a whole than for teaching language items.