In order to develop all language skills according to the students’ types of intelligence, to motivate students to learn the language a set of activities and tasks was worked out.

Having studied the advantages and disadvantages of the project work and work in big classes it was decided to organise the class into groups and pairs.

The cognitive aim of the topic “My Body” was to review the knowledge about the body in English and through activities gain understanding of new information. Pupils were also expected to substantially develop their co-operative skills while working in pairs and in groups.

Table 2 reflects the summary of the activities used for developing four language skills. This material was designed for young children.

TABLE 2. Activities for the Topic “My Body”

Before the first lesson of the project work the author prepared a large chart which was attached to one of the walls of the classroom. In this chart the pupils were supposed to show their opinion after each lesson by drawing an appropriate face:

I like the activities in the lesson

I partly like the lesson

I did not like the activities

The first project task was begun with the song “Head and Shoulders”. (Appendix 3) Children sang and touched the body parts mentioned in the song.

The next step was work in pairs. Pupils were showed the parts of the body each other, were drawing and writing the parts of the body in their notebooks. It was done in the form of game. (Appendix 4)

Further, the teacher asked the children to listen to the dialogue and try to understand what the children were talking about. They also were supposed to discuss the dialogue, explain the phrases and words pupils did not understand.

Then the teacher planned work in pairs:

they mimed having a headache/earache/backache;

the children tried to guess what was wrong with them by asking “Are you ill?” or “What is the matter?”

Later the children wrote the new words and expression in the notebooks. They read in pairs about little John – decided whether little John was really ill, practised the short answers [ Pupil’s book “Enjoy 2”]

Work in groups: the teacher used Worksheet 1 (Appendix 5) for each group to fill in, introduced new words: weight, height, length, width.

The teacher together with the nurse weighed the pupils and measured their height pupils in the medical room of the school.

When Worksheet 1 was completed in groups, the pupils could repeat their results to their classmates at the second project lesson.

Work in pairs: What is different about English food? – children read the text (Appendix 6) They consolidated the vocabulary about food/likes and dislikes; discussed on good and bad food, and clarified ideas about the “Pyramid of Food”. (Appendix 7)

Work in groups: in this activity was used Worksheet 3 for making group pictures “Healthy Food for Healthy Body”. (Appendix 8)

Finally, the learners were offered to write “Table Manners” using words: dirty, hands, mouth, do not, fork, spoon, knife, hear, etc. (Appendix 9)

Analysis of the Results

When all these numerous tasks and activities were successfully performed, the author of the case study summarised the results of the students’ opinion about them.

TABLE 3. Self-assessment

Table 3 shows that 20 students out of 23 liked the activities, 3 students out of 23 partly liked the activities at the project lessons. It proves that activities at the project lessons were used successfully.

In order to observe a progress of the students’ knowledge an achievement test was suggested, which consisted of 3 exercises.(Appendix 10)

In those tasks the students had to demonstrate their knowledge of the new vocabulary which were used in the topic “My Body”.

Figure 2. The Result of the Achievment Test

Figure 2 shows the results of the test, where the vertical axis reflects the percentage of development of the students’ skills. According to the final test 15 students out of 23 are good listeners, 18 students out of 23 are good readers, 10 students out of 23 are good writers.

Finally, at the end of the project work the respondents were to choose the statment according to their feeling:

Speaking in English:

I speak as much as possible

I should speak more

I want to speak but I am afraid

So, only 7 respondents out of 23 confessed that they were afraid to speak in English. (see Chapter 4.1)

To compare the results of the first questionnaire with the final test the following conclusion can be drawn out that significant progress in training all language skills has been made. The results of the project work “My Body” showed that the pupils self-activity and potencial self-realization were grown.

Conclusion

Needless to say that the English language has become very popular today. About 350 million people speak English as its first language. It is an official language in 44 countries. It is the dominant language of the medicine, electronics and space technology. A foreign language is not just a subject learnt in the classrooms. It is something which is used in real life situations. Project work is one of the teaching methods teachers can use for teaching the English language during learning process.

The aim of the Paper was to stimulate the interest in studyng the English language and to improve the skills and knowledge of pupils with the help of project work “My Body”.

The objectives of the Paper have been completed:

metodological literature on teaching English through project works has been studied;

the case study has been carried out;

the results of the case study have been analyzed.

The research that was carried out based on the analysis of the theoretical literature and completed tasks and activities for the project work “My Body”, allowed the author to ascertain that the hypothesis of the Paper has been proved, that the effective use of the project work successfully develops all language skills of young learners. The study proved also that the project work elevated the effectiveness of learning English.

Project work includes a lot of practical activities through which learners develop all skills and knowledge even in different school subjects. Project work is an example of the co-operative learning. In big classes it is possible to organise dynamic and creative teaching with the help of such teaching/learning organization forms as pair and group work.

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Appendix

TABLE 2. Activities for the Topic “My Body”

Figure 1. Types of the Intelligences in Form 4