This is the third Newsletter in my “Getting Kids
Excited About Education” series.
This is about learning with pictures and sound
instead of letters and words.
You can watch this as a
Podcast on our You Tube Channel.

In University I encountered the concept
“Semiotics” and a quick Google-Wiki refreshed
my memory. Semiotics is the study of how
signs represent meaning. That is a real key
element in my Busy Beaver teaching method.

The principle idea of all of the lessons is to
communicate what’s going on in each picture
without reading the words.

Images are a great way to communicate
across all languages and cultures because
they are universal. If we see a picture of a
puppy sleeping, we all think “cute” regardless
of what language we speak.
Simply put – a picture says 1000 words.

When we consider the fact that we spend a
great deal more time in our lives “reading”
images as opposed to text it’s no wonder that
humans are predisposed towards images and
icons over written words.

Yet so many people believe that in order to
learn how to speak a new language we need
to sit down and pour over a book filled with
confusing words – Is that how you learned to
speak your native language? Or did you learn
it through using it?

I’ve had students who after 3 years of English
lessons still couldn’t read. They disliked
English and often acted up in class because
it frustrated them. I removed all of the
distractions (pencils, jackets, back packs etc.)
sat them down at a table and showed them
flash cards. Then I asked questions and
taught them to answer in full sentences.

The students picked up the new skill quickly,
because it’s simple, but more importantly the
kids who couldn’t read suddenly became
much more engaged. Now they were on the
same level as the kids who could read and
they were a lot more confident to speak up.

My point is that in learning a new language

Native speakers of any language learn the
spoken word before the written one.

If we’re studying math we need books and
pencils. If we’re studying a language we need
images and sound.

Dave

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Dave here, Busy Beaver guy.
Welcome to the 2nd in my series of Newsletters
about getting kids excited about education.
You can watch this episode as a
Podcast here on our You Tube Channel.

This one is about the innate attraction all humans
have towards music and how that can be utilized
as a teaching tool.

Have you ever seen a baby or a toddler start dancing
when she hears music?
It’s funny the way children seem to have an instinctual
reaction to music.
Without any instruction or encouragement often they
will just start dancing, clapping and participating along
with music when they hear it.
Why is that?

I remember going to visit my Uncle Randy and his daughter
Mary Jane when she was about 2 years old. I would always
bring my guitar and as soon as I got there I’d be asked to
perform a mini-concert. When I started playing Mary Jane
would sway into the middle of the living room and start
boogying. She was just doing what came naturally.

As an English teacher in South Korea I learned two things
very quickly:

The Problem – How do you get kids to digest the
bitter pill of learning something they don’t want to?

The Solution – Hide it in something they like – music.

One of the first videos I produced was The House Song.
(That’s why the animation for that one is so crude – I was just learning).
I wanted to deliver the target vocabulary, the rooms in the home,
in a fun way.

As a teaching tool that particular video worked wonderfully.
The kids had been struggling to learn the words “Bathroom” and
“Living Room” for several weeks. Each lesson I would hold up a
picture of a bathroom and ask “What’s this?” and only 2 or 3 kids
out of 10 would say “It’s a bathroom”. The rest of them, although
they had heard the words many times before, could not or would
not say it out loud.

But, after only a couple viewings of the video ALL of the kids were
singing along. Suddenly the daunting task of remembering and
pronouncing those difficult words became instantly achievable
when the words were set to music. The kids wanted to participate
in the fun and the only way to do that was to learn a new skill.
They all quickly did and practiced with pleasure.

Mission accomplished.

Dave

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Welcome to the first in my new series of Newsletters about
Getting kids excited about education.
You can watch this episode as a Podcast here on our You Tube Channel.

Now, I’ve often been accused of being a bit “long winded”
so I’m going to do my best to keep these episodes focused.

This episode is about “Learning to Walk Before We Can Run”.

I taught at a lot of different English Academies in South Korea
over the 6 years I was there and one problem I always
encountered was – the study material wasn’t properly matched
to the students’ abilities. Most often the books were just too difficult.

More than once I was asked to teach a story book to a class
of kids who couldn’t read. I said to my director
“They don’t know phonics! They can’t spell DOG.
This is ridiculous!”

How can you play Mozart on the piano without first mastering
the C major scale?
A weightlifter doesn’t load 1000 pounds onto a bar bell and say
“Well, let’s give this a try!” He works up to it slowly, over years.
The same goes for learning anything new.

In my experience the best way to empower students and make
them feel like they are moving forward is to start with concepts
they already know and are comfortable with and slowly build on them.

If a lesson is too difficult the students will become confused and
restless. If the material is just within their grasp they will become
engaged and interested.

Let’s say the target dialogue is “What’s this?” “It’s a book”
“What color is the book?” “The book is red”. Those are the lyrics
to The Color Song which I wrote for Korean elementary school
students. But, when I tried it with kindergarten kids they were lost!
Which is no surprise, it was too difficult.

For the kindy kids I went back to the drawing board and wrote
Electric Colors which simply introduces four key words
– Red, Green, Yellow and Blue – they loved it.

Then I wrote The Apple is Red and The Paint is Pink which
put the colors and objects they already know into a sentence.
They got it.
Finally after several months we moved on to The Color Song
and this time they all sang along.

We have to walk before we can run.

Dave

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Any experienced teacher knows that students’ minds move very fast and they become bored very quickly.

A great teacher changes the rhythm of a class often to keep learning exciting and fresh.

The We are Busy Beavers “5 Component Teaching Method” offers suggestions for teachers to control the energy of the classroom by switching from one component to the next about every 5 minutes.

For example, a typical 30 – 45 minute English lesson in an ESL classroom could flow something like this.

• Play a Video or Audio File and begin with the whole class singing along to a Song. (5 mins.)

• Next the teacher could use Flash Cards to review material from the previous lesson. (5 mins.)

• Students could perform a role playing activity to demonstrate their mastery of the old material. (5 mins.)

• The teacher could introduce a new concept with an Interactive Video File. (5 mins.)

• Students could then pair up and use the textbook to practice asking and answering questions with each other. (5 mins.)

• One or two Work Sheets can be completed in class to practice reading and writing or assigned as homework. (5 mins.)

• The entire class can join in a Bingo Game using the new vocabulary taught in today’s lesson. (5 mins.)

• Lastly, the entire class can sing or chant along once more with an Audio or Video File. (5 mins.)

There’s a 40 minute class that incorporates review, new material, speaking practice, role playing, writing, comprehension and FUN!

Why don’t you take a look at our Online Resources for Book 1 or Book 2 and give it a try in your classroom.

These are free samples for visitors to try out – paying subscribers can access everything.

Happy Teaching!

By Busy Beavers www.wearebusybeavers.com

By this point you should know that the We are Busy Beavers learning method contains Catchy Song Videos, Lesson Videos, Work Sheets, Teachers’ Tips, Games and more – but it’s also important how they are presented to students in each lesson.

This is what we call the “5 Component Teaching Method”.

There are 5 different ways the material for every lesson in our Online Resources can be used:

1. Songs
2. Interactive Video / Audio File
3. Textbook Activities
4. Classroom Activities
5. Work Sheets.

The combination of these 5 different approaches to each lesson will help students visualize what they are learning from 5 different angles.

Some students learn better through images, some through words, some through melodies and others through actions.

The We are Busy Beavers material is presented in so many different ways that all students can identify with it and understand it no matter what type of learner they are.

Let’s have a closer look at those 5 components right now.

The 5 Components

1. Songs: Each Textbook contains several songs. Each song relates to several sections worth of material. They help familiarize students with vocabulary, grammar, questions and answers. They can be played anytime the teacher or class feels like.

2. Interactive Video / Audio Files: These are mini-lessons that can be played as a Video File or Audio file on a computer. These files assist the teacher in demonstrating and practicing the material for each section. They can be used in a variety of ways. They can be watched and repeated after, chanted along with, read out loud or used for question and answer role playing activities.

3. Textbook Activities: The textbook is the “roadmap” for all of the material. The Online Resources and Work Sheets follow the flow of the textbook. The textbook can be used in many ways. The teacher can hold up the book, point at pictures and ask questions about the material to the entire class or individual students. Students can practice in small groups by pointing at the textbook and asking and answering questions to each other. Students can even practice at home with their parents.

4. Classroom Activities: There are a number of suggestions in every section how the teacher can expand on the material in the classroom. Teachers can organize small role playing activities or “skits”. Flash Cards can be introduced to play “Memory Games” or “Go Fish” games. Students can make art projects or draw pictures of their own. Plenty of coloring activities and Bingo Games are provided in the Work Sheets. There are endless possibilities!

5. Printable Work Sheets: Both Textbook 1 and Textbook 2 come with over 180 Work Sheets each. These will provide plenty of reading and writing practice to help students become literate in English. They can be completed during class time or assigned as homework and checked daily.

So how do we incorporate all of those elements into one learning experience?

Click here to learn about a typical class using the We are Busy Beavers method.

By Busy Beavers www.wearebusybeavers.com

• Songs – Music is used as a memory tool to help students remember common phrases. The melody acts as the glue that holds the sentence structure together.

• Images – We are Busy Beavers is a “picture-based” learning method. Students discuss the images they see in full sentences before seeing any written words on a page.

• Questions and Answers – Asking and answering questions in full sentences is the basis of every lesson.

• Sentence Structure – Why let them only say “Hat” when they can say “It’s a Hat”? Why let them only say “Black” when they can say “The hat is black”? Students build grammar skills automatically by always speaking in sentences.

• Repetition – These exercises are repetitious for a reason – to build good habits. There is no easy solution to learning. Practice and repetition are the only ways to improve.

• Review - We suggest 2 steps forward and one step back throughout the material. It will boost the students’ morale and ensure that they are retaining what they are learning.

Watch how these videos illustrate all of the points above:

The Alphabet Song below combines images with melody and repetition.

The accompanying lesson Alphabet Words combines the images and words that we’ve learned in The Alphabet Song with questions and answers in full sentences.

Likewise The House Song uses a catchy melody to help learners remember the sentence structure of the question “Where’s…” and “He’s / She’s in the…” It teaches both vocabulary and grammar at the same time – and it’s fun!

This lesson Everyday Activities builds on the line of questioning “Where is he/she?” “What is he/she doing?” as learned in The House Song, but expands on it with many new examples to help build vocabulary.

By learning English in this way students will learn to form sentences and communicate rather than simply memorize vocabulary. The We are Busy Beavers method is the opposite of simply reading words from a page. It is about being able to speak perfect questions and answers based on the images on the screen.

You may be thinking “How does a teacher combine all of these elements into every lesson?” That is where the We are Busy Beavers “5 Component Teaching Method” comes in. Read the next article here to learn more about it.

By Busy Beavers www.wearebusybeavers.com

This is Billy Beaver and his sister Betty.

They are always busy doing something!

They sing songs and play games.

They study English and learn with their friends.

Are you a Busy Beaver?

You can have fun with Billy and Betty and all of their friends.

Come along! It’s fun!

We are Busy Beavers is a fun, unique series of books and digital material for teaching English to beginners.

Our products and online services include: Textbooks, Work Sheets, Teachers’ Tips, CDs & DVDs & Online Resources.

The We are Busy Beavers system combines Textbook activities with Classroom activities, Songs, Interactive Media, Work Sheets and Games.

This variety of approaches to studying English makes learning fun and exciting for all students.

• Textbooks - Guide students through the material. They can be used in the classroom or at home.

• Work Sheets – Allow students to practice reading and writing with a variety of lessons, activities and games.

• Teachers Tips – Provide teaching ideas, tips and instructions how to make every lesson challenging and fun.

• CDs and DVDs – Videos and Audio files that can be played in the classroom or at home.

• Online Resources – Interactive Video / Audio files make presenting and practicing new material fun and exciting. Plus access over 350 Work Sheets and Teaching tips.

Whether you are a teacher of English, an English Student, a Parent or a Young Learner – you will find our website helpful and fun!

There are tons of Free Songs Videos, Lesson Videos, Work Sheets, Flash Cards and Games available for you to try at www.wearebusybeavers.com

Come and have a look!

Do you want to read more about our unique English learning and teaching method for kids, young learners, ESL English Students, ESL teachers, Parents of kindergarten, preschool and early childhood kids around the world?

Then click here to learn more about the We are Busy Beavers Teaching Philosophy.

By Busy Beavers www.wearebusybeavers.com

Announcing the World Premiere of our New ABC Alphabet Song Video on You Tube!

It’s no surprise that up until this point our most popular video has been our Alphabet Song

We’ve had more hits, feedback and interaction with that video than any other video.

We’ve always been proud of the fact that our Alphabet Song doesn’t have the same melody as the traditional “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” Alphabet Song melody. We created something original and people seemed to like that about it.

That got us thinking – “Surely we can write another song that sings the Alphabet to a different fun and easy melody!”

Our New ABC Alphabet Song Video is what we came up with.

Without further ado – here it is!

Enjoy!

Did you sing along?

If you have a You Tube account don’t forget to rate the video, write a comment and subscribe to our channel!
If you don’t have a You Tube account – Start One! It’s Free! (and fun).

We hope that this song works it’s way into homes and classrooms around the world like our last Alphabet Song did.

We also hope that it helps more and more Young Learners discover the best ESL English Learning Site on the Internet

Parents, teachers and students from every corner of the world have been logging into the We are Busy Beavers website to learn English and have fun. You should try it too!

By Busy Beavers www.wearebusybeavers.com

Hello everyone out there in the “intertubes”.

This is Dave – the Creator of We are Busy Beavers here and my “New Year’s Resolution” to myself at the start of 2010 was to commit to updating this blog on a more frequent basis then I have in the past.

When the “Busy Beaver Blog” originated in the fall of 2008 I envisioned it as a feature of my ESL Website where site visitors could contribute their own input. I guess I was hoping it would be more of a “Forum”.

The idea was for me to post an article about something relating to Education, Young Learners, ESL, Teaching tips, Classroom techniques etc. and it would be so engaging that readers would feel compelled to comment. Thus sparking a stimulating and enlightening conversation among people with a passion for education, or so I had hoped.

Sadly, that was never the case the only comments I ever received had something to do with “male enhancement” or making money really, really quickly.

So the “Teacher’s Forum” idea was soon discarded. In hindsight that was totally for the best. Let’s face it, there are already several sites of that nature already out there – and being the owner/operator of such a site was never really part of the big “Busy Beaver” picture.

Upon coming to terms with that and being disheartened by the absence of quality comments and overwhelming SPAM my posts got fewer and farther between.

By the time I moved my website over to a new server in mid-09 I had stopped contributing to the blog entirely. I also had no clue how to migrate the posts and I couldn’t be bothered to even try so they went to the place where Blogs go to die.

Here we are about 6 months into the “New Look” of the We are Busy Beavers Website and we’re “busier” than we could have ever hoped to be (bad pun I know haha).

In the past 6 months our sales and subscriptions have more than tripled. A big factor in this was also the release of our DVD “Party!” which has been our number one seller.

Probably the largest contributing factor to the success of the Busy Beaver Website however has been our You Tube Channel

Thanks to all of the hits that our videos have received on our You Tube channel we’ve generated a lot of visitors to our English Learning Website and that in turn has helped generate sales and help us continue to grow.

My intentions for this blog now will be to post helpful info about our material – how to use our videos and resources in the classroom and at home as well as any current news about our projects and new releases.

I do hope that this blog helps our fans and friends find us and learn more about us.

I’ll also do my best to keep updating it.

Cheers,
Dave

By Busy Beavers www.wearebusybeavers.com