1. Major Objectives:

    ~Comprehensible input

    ~ Language used in context

    Secondary Objectives:

    ~ Increased verbal interaction

    ~ Reduced anxiety

    ~ Active involvement

                                                                       

2. Name of the strategy

Realia Strategies

 

3. Description of the strategy

Realia is a term for real things, concrete objects, that are used in the classroom to build background knowledge and vocabulary. It provides the students with experiences on which to build and an opportunity to use all the senses in learning.  It allows students to see, feel, hear, smell, and sometimes even taste the object being explored.

 

 

4. Step by step procedure of how this strategy can be implemented in a learning activity and how it can be used in general. Use of graphics and summarizing important information is helpful. 

1.      Be aware of opportunities to include realia in lessons as you plan. Preread stories that you will be using in the classroom to identify any vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to the students.  Locate realia that will help their understanding.

  1. Begin collecting items that can be stored in the classroom to use whenever needed. Have parents help donate to the realia box.
  2. Collaborate with other grade level teachers to build a realia library to use for major theme units. Locate local merchants, farmers, and other resources for the loan of large items such as farm equipment or animals.
  3. If the item is too large to bring in or move and the students would benefit form seeing it, take a field trip.

 

 

5. Specific application and examples of strategy implementation in the classroom.

For a student who doesn’t know about the game of baseball, the teacher should have a baseball, a baseball bat, a glove, and should bring the child to a baseball field.

For a book of poems, the teacher may bring in items to go with each poem.  If there is one about making maracas form gourds, she might bring in gourds and have the students make their own maracas.

 

 

6. Conclusion:  (not to exceed two paragraphs double-spaced font 12).

The use of realia in the classroom supports student learning in many ways.  Allowing the students to explore the objects hands-on is a powerful way to connect vocabulary to real life.  Using realia is motivating to the students because they can see how the item is actually used and experiment with it.  By using realia, there is no question as to the size, color, texture, and etc. of the item being discussed. It conveys the meaning much more than any picture or illustration.  Students get so much more when teachers use realia in the classroom.

 

7. Site at least two references used to explain, discuss and implement strategy (APA style).

~ “Fifty Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners” by Adrienne L. Herrell

~ M. S. Thirumalai(2002). Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Language In India, Vol 2. Retrieved October 2002, from http://www.languageinindia.com/april2002/tesolbook.html

 

8. Suggested websites

This website offered great examples of how to use realia in the classroom. It also provided reasons why teachers should use realia when teaching.

http://www.geocities.com/stuncel2001/voctech.html

This website made realia come to life for me. It was an actual lesson plan that a teacher had created using realia. http://www.nashville.k12.tn.us/tsd/Resources/Units%20of%20Practice/1Fractions/fractions.htm

 

 

9.  Suggested readings, articles and other resources.

Books that have great ideas to bring realia into the classroom:

George, J. (1959). My side of the mountain. New York: Dutton.

George, J. (1979). River Rats, Inc. New York: Dutton.

Johnson, T. (1996). My Mexico---Mexico mio. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

O’Dell, S. (1960). Island of the blue dolphins. Houghton Mifflin.

Paulsen, G. (1987). Hatchet. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks/Simon and Schuster.