Support for Teaching Primaries

Primary Tips

Support materials and ideas for teachers teaching primary-age students.

Watch the performance of "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" and learn more about the important story-telling techniques with children, given by Debbie Beeks, the Learning and Participation Manager of Seven Stories, and Toni McElhatton, the Drama Facilitator.

Throughout the year you’ll be using classroom language and it’s important for children to be introduced to it very early on so that they can understand what you want them to do.

I decided to write a tip about using storybooks as I frequently refer to storybooks as being a way to approach topics and introduce vocabulary with young learners.

Every child is unique and approaches learning differently. You should always vary your teaching techniques to avoid alienating the students who learn differently to the way you teach.

Children all over the world love listening to songs and most of them love singing too! Using songs to introduce language and revise vocabulary is a great way to help children remember.

The tendency with primary learners is to treat the class as a whole group and underestimate their ability to work in pairs or in small groups.

Do you find yourself spending hours preparing your lessons? Are you getting very little support from colleagues? Is it difficult to know what to teach your children without a syllabus?

Teaching children takes a great deal of skill, patience and preparation, so this first tip is all about getting prepared and how to cope in your first few lessons.

It can be very daunting going into a class of 20 or 30 five-year-olds when you have little teaching experience.