Totem Pole Prompt Sticks

Totem Pole Prompt Sticks

• Why totem pole? The pictures carved into totem poles tell the reader information and I see the link between this and a "pow wow" - having a conversation.
• To develop and promoteconversation :  asking and answeringquestions leading to preparing and practising a simple conversation usingfamiliar vocabulary and structures in new contexts
• Each box on the totem poleprompt stick is a visual prompt for the children to develop their simplespoken conversation.
• The totem pole prompts start off as horizontal strips - questions prompted by pictures to prompt responses . It reads from left to right just like following a story for young language learners 

These are  card strips made from one A4 template of seven or eight identical strips or they could be computer generated and drag and drop pictures that the children can reorder  and create their own "pow wow" totem poles for more advanced activities - see below. 

Set the scene with this simple You Tube clip , which practises colours and numbers but extend this by asking the children when you pause the clip to decide what incidental greetings or questions might these two characters the cow boy and the squaw ask each other. Brainstorm possible answers. The responses expected from the children will depend on the stage they are at in their target language learning.

https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/ZiNFXntWOJw&source=uds

Simpleconversation asking and answering questions- Y4LKS2  activity

1. 1.       Revisitand practise with the children how people from different countries physicallygreet each other or say farewell   ?
2. Introduceeach prompt picture on the totem pole and discuss with the children possiblegreetings / farewells and questions that the very simple picture clues suggest( in this order the prompts require a greeting / a name question and response/a where do you live question with a true or imaginary response / an openquestion –what do you like ? or a closed question – do you like + animals etc/a farewell .
3. Childrenshould spend a few minutes practising with a partner how to ask the individual  questions – remind the children to listen outfor good pronunciation and the use of intonation when asking a question.
4.  Childrenshould then spend a few minutes practising their true responses as themselves
5. Childrenshould then work with a partner to create simple questions and responses using the pictures on their totem polesticks as their prompts and the order they should work in.
6. Canthe children re-run their questions and answers and add physical responses etc
7. Pairs to practise their dialogues – taking itin turns to be the questioner or the responder(themselves)
8.  Invitepairs to perform their dialogues for the class .

Extend  this activity by revisiting and creating new characters with thequestions and answers

Using APPS such as the String APPwhere children can generate a picture of a cartoon character sitting in theirown classrooms  , you could ask thechildren to use the same totem pole prompt stick to create an imaginaryconversation between themselves and the strange visitor from the “String APP” .Check out Mr Parkinson’s blog here  to find out more about the String APP. Here is an example used in Literacy with Mr Parkinson's class at Davyhulme CP School Augmented reality clip

Extendingconversations and creating an interesting performance using familiar languagein a new context- possibly an activity to develop as a revisitactivity in Year 5 and Year 6 UKS2

Here we want to encourage the children to move from a simple question- answer dialogue to a more engaging conversation that flows .

Give out the vertical totem poles this time 

A.      Revisitthe simple dialogues the children made using their prompt   sticks in Year 4

B    If the children created their own character videos etc then share     some of these with the class as a memory jogger 

C.      Howmuch more can they say now? Explore this with the class.   Now ask the children to take the basic building block prompts from their totem pole prompts and cut these up and rearrange them as the scaffold upon which to develop a new dialogue 

D.     Canthey add  new picture prompts or create a new totem pole       prompt stick of theirown so that they can share the new        questions and answers they have practised ?

E.      Introduce  simple phrases  such as   “and you ?” or “pardon” or “can you repeatthat? or “me too “ etc – see highlighted text below which gives you a simple example of this .Encourage the children to generatea conversation based upon a simple question andanswer dialogue that will to flow  e.g.

Hello ! How are you ?

I am fine and you?

Me too! I am called ...... What are you called?

I am called ..............Where do you live ?

I live in ........ And you? Where do you live ?

I live in ..............I like ..........What do youlike ?

I like ............. Do you like ..........?

No I prefer ............

Nice to meet you !

Bye for now 

 See you soon!

F.   Allowthe children time now to create a conversation with the   new language with apartner .

G.    Challengesome of the children to participate in a three or four way conversation once they have completed task E successfully .

H.  Eitherperform or film the conversations on IPads or Chrome Books  and share on class IWB as an “Our Class Conversations  “ film clips .