TÜRK İLKOKULLARI YABANCI DİL SINIFLARINDA ÖĞRENCİLERİN KONUŞMA BECERİLERİNİ GELİŞTİRMEK İÇİN DERS KİTABINA TEKERLEMELERİ ADAPTE ETME

Abstract

In modern language learning and teaching methods students’ participation and being active in learning process has become essential in student-centered education. Learning a foreign language of young learners is completely different from adults because of having different mental, emotional and physical characteristics. Moreover teaching atmosphere of young learners should be convenient for them. At that point teachers should arrange the social environment and physical conditions according to students’ abilities, characteristics, attitutes and having fun. When the convenient atmosphere are prepared for young learners by their teachers, they are ready to learn the language and their performance can be accelerated and increased with the help of teachers Krashen, 1992 . Moreover, they are eager to speak English with a good pronunciation. Tounge twisters are one of the important activities for this aim. They can support teachers to improve the speaking skills of students in an enjoyable atmosphere. The purpose of this case study is to investigate whether using tounge twisters in English language classes of young learners in Turkey improve their speaking ability. In Turkey, the curriculum of Ministry of Education of 2016-2017 outlines the themes, functions, skills and activities fort he 4th graders. However, they don’t meet students’ needs and expectations properly. Thus the purpose of this case study was to adapt textbook with tounge twister activities compatible with curriculum in order to improve the speaking skills of students. The study was applied to 4th graders in a state school in Ordu. Student Interviews, Intrinsic Motivation Inventory IMI , Classroom Observations and Student Diaries were utilized as data collection sources. The results showed that tounge twisters are very effective and useful for students’ learning and they improved students’ speaking ability