METHODS AND TECHNIQUES FOR TEACHING JUNIOR PUPILS ENGLISH VOCABULARY BY MEANS OF DRAMA ACTIVITIES

Abstract

The article deals with the problem of developing new methods and techniques of teaching the junior pupils English vocabulary by using drama activity. In the article the author determines the lexical knowledge, lexical skills and abilities that the fourth-grade pupils of secondary schools should master in English; outlines the structure of the content of teaching English vocabulary at the primary school; singles out drama activity as one of the important means of teaching, which contributes to the increase of interest in a foreign language and stimulates the development of pupils' speech activity. The author describes step-by-step methodical actions for teaching the fourth-grade pupils a foreign language vocabulary. The actions are gradually becoming more complicated. These are the following actions: 1) for acquiring knowledge of lexical material: imitative, substitutive, transformational, selective, translation tasks which are spoken and written (except for imitative), 2) for developing skills of using educational lexical material: the same kinds as the previous ones, but with the time limit; 3) for developing pre-speech skills; 4) for developing speech skills on the basis of the active vocabulary. The effectiveness of all the above mentioned actions is enhanced by the use of ideal and material means of teaching. During the educational process the author puts forward 4 teaching aims. The first aim consists of the acquisition of the receptive and reproductive knowledge of words and expressions, which are based on thematic, stage, folklore and extra-linguistic vocabulary. The second aim means developing the receptive and reproductive skills of the use of educational lexical material. The third aim is oriented to develop the ability of children to use words and expressions under study in new phrases and sentences at the pre-speech level. The fourth aim is oriented to develop the ability of children to use the words and expressions under study in their own speech, that is, at the speech level. The article presents the criteria, evaluative indicators, levels of assessment of lexical knowledge and lexical abilities of the fourth-grade pupils; the results of experimental training.