FLASHCARD GAMES IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS: FIRST AND SECOND GRADE

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to show how primary school students in the fi rst and the second grades can successfully master the fi rst steps in learning a foreign language with the use of certain game elements. When choosing which games to use, EFL teachers should think not only about their students’ knowledge, needs and different types of learners, but also about the teaching facilities, that is, the size of the classroom and the available equipment and resources, as well as the number of children in each class. Listening and reading are skills that young learners develop at this stage. Since writing is introduced in the third grade, the aim of foreign language classes in the fi rst and the second grades, among other things, is to familiarise the students with the phonological system of the foreign language and the basic communication skills in spoken interaction. At this stage, young learners acquire a new language through what they hear, see and touch, which makes fl ashcards an essential resource for teachers. Some of the most popular fl ashcard games among young learners are Say the word, Bingo!, Noughts and crosses, Simon Says and Role-play. These games have a positive infl uence on the emotional, social, mental and physical development of children. Another advantage of these games is that their number is virtually unlimited, so that they can be adjusted to almost any topic assigned in the National Curriculum. Both teachers and students can easily make their own sets of fl ashcards for specifi c needs. Through games and specifi c roles they perform, children develop imagination and creativity, but at the same time, they practice different types of
socially acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.