Today we would like to present you in general terms the methodology of teaching English by Meshcheryakova Valeria Nikolaevna and touch on the most interesting points of this methodology.

The technique is designed for children of preschool and primary school age.

Since the work of a progymnasium is organized in our school, this method is interesting and effective for us. Using only some of its elements so far, we see effective results.

The structure of the "I love English" package is as follows:

Level 0 - I can sing (preschooler)

Stage 1 - I can speak (Grade 1)

Stage 2 - I can read (grade 2)

Stage 3 - I can write (Grade 3)

Stage 4 - I can analyze (Grade 4)

All steps are interconnected, and the I can speak step is the basic one, since teaching to speak has been and remains the main goal.

The purpose of stage I can sing is to teach children to perceive English speech by ear, to create an image of the language in the child's brain by repeatedly listening and then singing colloquial phrases and grammatical structures. Lessons are conducted in a musical and game form. Here, a big role is given to parents who provide daily listening to the recording. The text and songs on the cassette are performed by native speakers and presented in the form of entertaining illustrated stories.

At the initial stage, phonetic errors associated with the immaturity of the speech apparatus are ignored. It is only necessary to increase the number of correct repetitions of these sounds in the lesson.

Children perceive language material differently. Some already after 2-3 listenings begin to speak separate words, others do not speak a word by the end of the course. This is very similar to how children begin to speak their native language. If a child listens to the cassette with pleasure, accompanies listening with movements, gestures, i.e. understands the meaning of the sound, but nevertheless does not utter a word, this indicates that either the image of these words was not clearly formed in his head, or his speech-forming mechanisms are not ready to reproduce English speech. The best thing to do is to wait until the child speaks. After all, even in their native language, someone begins to speak at the age of 1.5, and someone is silent even at 2.5.

Here are a few words about the stage I can sing.

Question: Is it possible to start the "speak" stage if there was no "sing"? Answer: yes, but at the same time and on the condition that the parents ensure that the children listen to the audio course every day.

A distinctive feature of this technique is that the child uses in his speech only those words and structures that he has repeatedly heard in the speech of the teacher in the lesson or on the cassette. This, firstly, allows the lesson to be conducted in a playful way, and secondly, it makes the use of the language meaningful. An important role in this is played by the audio complex, which is composed according to the following principles:

visual support.

A coloring book is attached to the audio complex, which serves as an illustration of the audio lesson and in which the child completes the tasks given on the cassette.

2. Multiple repetition of language blocks, which provides involuntary memorization. The teacher, on the other hand, creates a situation in the lesson in which this structure is necessary.

3. Simplicity of control - every fourth lesson is a "control". On it, the teacher checks the quality of the assignments and makes the appropriate marks (+ -) on the corresponding. coloring book sheet.

4. The child sees perspective. The task of the child is to make a book out of separate sheets. The teacher's marks give him a clear idea of how he is progressing in this direction.

5. Minimum time with maximum success.

Each audio lesson lasts an average of 10-12 minutes. During the week, the child simply listens to the same lesson every day (moreover, listening does not require full concentration of attention and can happen by the way) and only on the eve of the “control lesson” does the tasks in the coloring book. On average, the task takes 15 minutes to complete.

To keep the child motivated, Valentina Meshcheryakova and her school have developed a whole system of rewards - from hearts drawn by the teacher for the correct completion of assignments and diplomas, to gifts from fairy-tale heroes who were helped by children.

We bring to your attention a fragment of the lesson of V. Meshcheryakova at the stage "I can speak".

Fragment view.

Worth noting:

Mobile activity and frequent change of games and tasks (a huge number of stages-sub-stages) - a cheat sheet for the teacher, in which the entire lesson is presented in a schematic form and in different colors. For example, the words of the teacher are blue, the expected answers of the children are red, the guest of the lesson (and it is different in each lesson) is green.

Vocabulary is semantized not only with the help of pictures and toys, but also with the help of gestures.

The teacher is a bright, emotional person. Do not belittle the importance of the teacher's emotionality, accompanying songs with movements, gestures and facial expressions. No matter how wonderful the manuals and developments for the teacher are, if you work on them without the above, it is unlikely that this will really interest children.

So, we have seen the initial stage. At a later stage, we put the maximum emphasis on speaking. Grammatical structures will be worked out always and in different speech situations.

In our work, we adhere to the basic principles of Valeria Meshcheryakova's methodology. We started work from the “I can speak” stage and use only some of its elements so far, but the result still exceeded expectations.

We would like to demonstrate a dialogue with a 5th grader who completed the speak level. Those teachers who took part in the Magic fairy land competition will surely remember our Alice, who felt completely at ease on stage, speaking in a foreign language. The children were not given a specific setting or topic of conversation. They were asked to talk about whatever they wanted to talk about.

In the process of viewing, you will see that the methodology is slightly modified, we considered it possible to correct it and add our own 2 rules:

Rule 1 - ignoring errors, correction occurs due to the teacher repeating the correct option;

Rule 2 - in a live dialogue, errors are not corrected by the teacher, they are analyzed by the students themselves when listening or viewing the material, the dialogue itself follows the principle of a scooter.

These two rules are built according to the minimax principle - ignoring errors in the flow of dialogic and monologue speech.

In conclusion, I would like to add that the methods and techniques of teaching reading are clearly visible at the stages of education. Even if you are not going to work according to the program of Valeria Meshcheryakova, then the unique method of color reading developed by her center in collaboration with the Kitaygorodskaya school will surely interest you. This technique allows you to learn to read without memorizing the rules of reading.

not only children, but also their parents. It is no secret that most children and even us adults do not read according to the rules, but read at the level of intuition.

Today I learned about Meshcheryakova's technique. I was surprised that the little children already spoke English, understood what the teacher was saying to them, behaved very freely, laughed, played as if they were not in the lesson at all. I even had a complex: I sort of study grammar, I draw tables with rules, but here the children conduct dialogues so easily and without any tables. Meshcheryakova herself did not look like a teacher at all, and it seemed as if a kind of cheerful Mary Poppins “number two” had descended on an umbrella.

English for children Meshcheryakova's lesson begins with cheerful greetings, in which everyone participates: the teacher, children, toys and even doors. All this is not said, but sung. Fingers began to count, and also for a reason: fingers sing and talk in different voices, there is a finger - a teacher and fingers - children. “Who didn’t show all the fingers, who forgot them at home?” Children laugh, they have fun. Then the teacher suddenly remembers that she forgot to get to know each other, and a face-to-face acquaintance begins.

The lesson is mainly in English and resembles a puppet show: all the toy animals talk and sing songs. Then suddenly there will be a knock on the door and you need to ask who is there and invite them in, then the exercise begins: Technique I can sing “Hands up! Hands up!” the teacher sings, and the children instantly raise their hands up.

Then a game of cat and mouse begins. The teacher turns into a cat, and the children into mice.

"I'm grey!" - the children scream and run away with a screech. At the end of the lesson, everyone says goodbye. The lesson lasted 15 minutes, but during this time the children managed a lot, and they were not bored for a single minute.

Interested: so what is this technique? And it became even a little envious - we were not taught that way. From the first lessons, we filled notebooks with a series of letters and memorized the phrases on duty, and many knew the language worse than these preschoolers.

Features of the English course "I love English"

Meshcheryakova system Valeria Meshcheryakova is the author of a course called “I love English” and teachers’ manuals, in which she already gives them lessons on how to teach children the language through songs, dialogues, reading and writing, so that they eventually master living conversational English. The course is suitable for children from 2 to 9 years old, each age has its own system. All lessons are built according to the type of children's TV shows: "Good night, kids" and "ABVG deika"

In the course, a big role is given to the teacher, especially for young children. He should be not just a teacher, but also an artist, an entertainer, a singer, a psychologist. Therefore, the author is interested in teaching, first of all, the teachers themselves.

Deep dive method

The deep immersion method Meshcheryakova is convinced that today the teaching of English in kindergartens and schools is wrong. The proof of this is that children at the end of school do not know how to speak. She builds her training not on theory, but on practice, primarily in audio lessons. Training is based on the deep immersion method:

Lessons are only in English
recordings in audio materials are made by native speakers
English is used for other tasks
Parents are also involved in learning

So how does this happen anyway? Imagine: the teacher speaks in English, other non-language tasks are done in English, the audio recording is in English, and spoken English - all this leads to the fact that language becomes a part of children's lives. Gradually, they begin to speak it fluently and think. Not surprisingly, children trained in this system speak English like their mother tongue.

The role of parents in teaching children

When Meshcheryakova addresses her parents, that serene cheerful image of Mary Poppins flies off her, and we again have a strict teacher in front of us. And it is clear why: after all, parents are able to spoil everything and ruin any impulse in the bud. So here are some of her tips.

Children learn fast and parents often fall behind their children, which is bad:

Firstly, the children, seeing the example of their parents and respecting them, will decide: well, since the parents themselves do not know English, then why should I know it.
secondly, knowing the language, you will be able to deal with your children yourself.

Video message to parents

How to conduct training correctly

It should be interesting for children, prodding of this kind is unacceptable: “Come on, immediately turn off the“ tanks ”and sit down for English!”

Do not allow incomprehensible places to arise, this will accumulate, and the child will not want to learn.

You need to listen to audio lessons constantly every day, without leaving all the material for the week for one day before the control task (control task - every 4 lessons)

You can listen to lessons everywhere, even on the way to kindergarten (school).

At first, it is recommended that you simply listen to the entire course three times easily, without completing assignments. Do not think that children will not remember anything. This will lay in them, to the depth of the subconscious, the primary passive vocabulary. Meshcheryakova gives an interesting comparison of vocabulary with an iceberg, in which the underwater part (passive stock) is often smaller than the surface part (active stock). And the task of the teacher is to bring the underwater passive part outward, to turn it into an active one.

If the parents still "screw up", Meshcheryakova offers this option of salvation:

include an audio lesson before going to bed, because any child of two evils - sleeping or listening - will still choose the second (such a little trick). Nothing distracts his attention, after that he will fall asleep, and all the information will be deposited in a long memory.

Development of new author's methods

The author is constantly developing something new, and really loves the language and his work. She created a language training center with the same name, and she published manuals for teachers specifically to teach them her method of teaching English through audio lessons. What a responsible person!. Her method of color reading, described in the “I can read” manual, is interesting. I will briefly describe it.

How can children who do not know phonetics learn to read correctly?

This seems like an impossible task. Indeed, in English phonetics there are a lot of different letter combinations and discrepancies. The same letter is read differently, for example, for vowels it depends on which syllable, open or closed, the letter is located. Consonants are pronounced as voiced, some as deaf. By sound: there are neutral sounds, some are not readable at all. In special texts, all letters are painted in different colors, according to how they are pronounced. For example, yellow is neutral, white is unreadable, black is deaf, red is sonorous.

It is not difficult for children to remember which sound corresponds to each color. Then they begin to apply the method of similarity, and gradually it is possible to move from color texts to black and white. Thus, without knowing the rules, you can learn to read even complex texts.

If you are interested in this training system, then all the details about where to purchase textbooks or take a seminar (if you are a teacher) can only be found on the official website of Meshcheryakova. It has exclusive copyright and strictly protects it. Therefore, do not rush to download torrents, but when signing up for courses on its system, be sure to ask the teacher for a certificate of completion of the seminar.

Popular English children's songs:

Information for parents

Information for teachers

Features of the I LOVE ENGLISH methodology

Features of the technique of V.N. Meshcheryakova. According to the school curriculum, the teaching of foreign languages begins at school, i.e. at the age of 6-7 years. And it is well known that the best time to start studying them is the age when the imprinting mechanism is still operating, i.e. preschool age. It is at this time that the study of a foreign language can take place in the most natural way, through gaming activities, and the knowledge gained and worked out at this time remains for life.

Particularly relevant is the early learning of listening comprehension, from which one should begin teaching speech in general. Unfortunately, in most of the programs offered, listening is given a secondary role, and many students simply ignore these tasks. Effective teaching of listening skills in live fluent English on CDs, as well as in the teacher's speech when immersing preschoolers in the language environment in the classroom, is possible if the teacher uses the I LOVE ENGLISH manuals. When they are created

Taking into account the interests of children of this age (audio materials are musical and playful in nature);
- used when recording discs of native speakers from different countries (Great Britain, USA, Australia);
- adhered to the principle of transferring the goal to the process (tasks are designed in such a way that English is a means to complete some other task);
- took into account the possibility of participation in the process of parent education (the manuals include "Notes for Parents").

A side effect of learning to listen early is that children start speaking English early and a lot. Thus, speaking is a natural consequence of children listening to interesting audio lessons repeatedly, and not the result of tedious drills. One of the clear advantages of this teaching of speaking is the fact that children who begin to speak after a long stage of listening (which is as close as possible to the natural path in mastering the language) do not need to produce English sounds. They immediately have a good pronunciation and often begin to think in the language even before they begin to speak.

The next stage of learning according to the I LOVE ENGLISH manuals is functional reading, i.e. reading with extracting information. Children learn to read only on well-known language material. It is also not an end in itself, but a way to perform other tasks. Practice shows that children learn to read not by rules, but by analogy. Therefore, to optimize the process of learning to read, we offer color reading technology, which is described in detail in the third part of the manuals.

Children begin to master writing simultaneously with the process of mastering reading. However, traditional forms of knowledge control, such as dictations, are unacceptable at this age. The basics of writing are laid in a playful way. Children solve crossword puzzles, make words from letters, etc.

Description of the methodological principles of the author's methodology for teaching English to children by Valeria Meshcheryakova.
At present, interest in foreign languages and, in particular, in English has increased significantly. Many adults, having realized in practice how difficult it is to master a foreign language in adulthood, are looking for an opportunity to give their child the basics of foreign speech at a time when his brain still has the ability to imprint entire language blocks into memory.

Our task is to create in the child's brain an image of the basic structures of the language. Since at this age the speech mechanisms are not yet fully formed, and the imprinting mechanism operates, the most effective way seems to be the natural way of creating an image of the language in a child - through repeated listening to the structures being worked out (an important role in this is played by the audio complex). When developing the program, we took into account the psychophysiological characteristics of children.
First of all, we focused on the involuntary nature of memory and attention, the ability to imprint, and on the game as the main activity. Based on the analysis of age characteristics, we formulated the following methodological principles.
1. The principle of comfort;
2. Immersion in the language environment;
3. The general development of the child through a foreign language, the disclosure of his creative abilities;

The natural way in language acquisition;
Minimax principle;
The principle of activation of the main channels of perception.

In our opinion, most of the principles have something in common with the concept of education by O.A. Kurevina - L.G. Peterson. "The concept of education: a modern view". Let's consider them in more detail.

1. The principle of comfort.
The more comfortable the conditions in the lesson, the more intense the assimilation of foreign language speech. Any stressful situation can destroy the child's desire to communicate with you, and therefore, there will be no need for him to use speech. In order for children to feel comfortable in the classroom, they should: not get tired; to be liberated; keep interested. So that children do not get tired throughout the lesson, they need mobile activities and frequent changes in games and tasks. When conducting classes, we strongly recommend that children be seated not at desks, but on chairs arranged in a semicircle in free space. This allows children to freely get up in the classroom to participate in outdoor games.
(For example: Unit I, lesson 3-1, p. 8 - see info in the manual Unit II, lesson 4-2, p. 4 - children act out the dialogue, see info in the manual).

In addition to games, each lesson includes 2-3 pauses - warm-ups.
(For example: Unit I, lesson 1-3, paragraphs 4,8,11)

When pronouncing poems and singing songs, you should accompany them with movements.
(Unit I, lesson 1-2 - song This is a bear ...)

Or at least gestures
(for example: Unit I, lesson 3-1 - Rain rhyme).

Given the fact that in most children at this age, involuntary attention prevails over voluntary attention, we consider it appropriate to change activities frequently. This makes the lessons as rich as possible and gives the teacher the opportunity to concentrate directly on the learning process, without being distracted by the restoration of discipline. The change of activities is considered not only the transition from sitting to active games and vice versa, but also the alternation of various tasks and demonstration material.

On average, each lesson consists of 12 - 16 points. With a lesson duration of 40 - 45 minutes, this means a change of activity every 2-3 minutes. However, starting from the involuntary nature of children's attention, we pay great attention to the development of the ability to concentrate it. This is facilitated by the presence in the program of a large number of educational games.

For example: Unit I see info in the manual

Rule number 1. Speak only English! At the very first lessons, this rule must be stipulated: “Guys! In the English class, we must only speak English! I will sometimes be allowed to switch to Russian, but not more than for one minute. And if you want to say something in Russian, come to me after the lesson, I will listen to you.” Later, this rule is reminded periodically if necessary: “Don’t speak Russian!”, “This is the English lesson!” Don’t speak Russian at the English lesson!”, “If you want to speak Russian, speak Russian after classes!” Practice shows that by the 3rd school week, communication in Russian practically disappears, and by the end of the first quarter, most children have a psychological ban on Russian speech in the classroom, which stimulates the need to express thoughts in English.

Rule number 2. The driver is in command! As a rule, this is a teacher, but if you are playing school and have already said the phrase: “I’m not the teacher! I'm a little girl! You are the teacher now!”, sit like a mouse and pretend to be a student. There cannot be two drivers in the game! From this point on, the problem of continuing the game rests entirely on the shoulders of the new leader-student in the role of teacher. The only right that remains for you is .... see info in the manual

Rule number 3. Don't make long pauses. Children do not tolerate emptiness, and if there is a pause in the lesson, they will definitely fill it with themselves. If the child does not answer the question immediately, you should not persuade him to “think”. The teacher must, with a series of leading questions, find out what exactly caused the child difficulty in answering (see the “ladder of knowledge”), and if you still cannot “talk” him, it is better to turn to other children or give the correct answer yourself.

Rule number 4. Voluntary participation in the game. Getting a child to play is just as difficult as getting a child to learn. The teacher should remember that it is possible to maintain interest in the game only while maintaining a positively colored emotional background in the lesson. How to make children obey the rules and follow you inseparably throughout the entire learning cycle? To do this, you need to know what motives are the source of activity and interest of students. We identify 6 main motives that can activate the activity of students of this age group. see info in manual 2.

Immersion in the language environment. The principle of activity for Kurevina - Peterson implies the "discovery" of new knowledge by the child. The main activity of the child in foreign language lessons is speech activity. Therefore, it can be said that when teaching foreign languages, the “discovery of new knowledge” means the ability to achieve mutual understanding by means other than native speech. Each new act of mutual understanding can be regarded as a "discovery". Only immersion in the language environment, up to a complete ban on the use of their native language, can stimulate children to these discoveries.

Starting from the 3rd academic week, the lessons are almost entirely taught in English, with the exception of those few moments when the use of the native language helps to create the necessary emotional tension (for example: Unit II lesson 7-3 - see info in the manual). Remember that for children you are a native speaker. In order for the child to have a desire to talk with you, it is necessary to let him know that you are primarily concerned not with the form of the statement, but with your mutual understanding with him. For example, if a child is asked: “What’s there on the table?” , answers briefly: “A bear!”, by all means express your approval with a nod of your head, a smile, or a brief “Yes!”. After all, the main thing (!) He understood your question and, by the way, answered it correctly (in a short form). There has been an understanding! Focus on this, but after that, be sure to give the full correct answer: “There is a bear on the table!” Non-translating semantization contributes to the creation of an atmosphere of complete mutual understanding in the classroom.

The teacher must remember that translating from one language to another makes it difficult to create an image of the language and slows down the reaction of the child. We offer the following methods of non-translatable semantization: see info in the "Ladder of Knowledge" manual. Let us consider the problem of mutual understanding schematically. Complete mutual understanding occurs if the question is perceived and the reaction to it is adequate. In this case, the student and the teacher are, as it were, on the same rung of the knowledge ladder (Fig. 1).

Now imagine that the teacher does not receive an answer to his question. This suggests that the child has not yet reached the stage at which the teacher expected to see him (Fig. 2) and the teacher needs to go down a certain number of steps in order to achieve mutual understanding. And here the teacher is tempted to slide down to the very foot of the stairs - phonetic practice, i.e. just invite the child to repeat the correct option (Fig. 3).

The English language manual for children from 3 to 6 years old is the zero step in the I love English learning kit and consists of a CD and a coloring book. At the end of the manual, methodological recommendations, translation of song lyrics (for parents) and a dictionary (also for parents) are given. At this level, children learn to perceive English speech by ear, follow the teacher's commands, play and sing songs in English. Classes are conducted in a musical and game form.

"I can sing"- musicals, author - V.N. Meshcheryakova

The English language manual for children from 4 to 7 years old is a continuation of the zero level in the I love English training set and consists of a CD and a colorful book for the child. At the beginning of the book there is a dictionary (for parents), and at the end there is the text of audio lessons in English. At the end of each semester, you can put on musicals in English with the children, the scripts for which are given in the teacher's manual.

"I can speak", author - V.N. Meshcheryakova

The English manual for children from 5 to 7 years old is the 1st step in the "I love English" training package and consists of a CD, a book with audio lessons and a workbook. Children continue to develop their listening skills and begin to speak English using about 250 words and 40 colloquial phrases. During the year, children learn 30 songs and rhymes. Also, children develop sociability, activity and independence.

"I can read", author - V.N. Meshcheryakova

The English language manual for children aged 6-10 is the 2nd step in the I love English training kit and consists of a CD, a book with audio lessons and a book on reading. Children continue to improve their listening skills, communication in English and begin to learn to read using the original technology of color reading on familiar language material studied at previous levels. Children easily learn to read English.

"Clumsy and Gracie", author - N.A. Poddubnaya

The set consists of a reading book, a workbook with a board game and a CD with very beautiful songs and well-read fairy tales. The book was created on the basis of lexical material acquired by children at the “I can speak” and “I can read” levels. This book develops the reader's curiosity, the ability to reflect, compare with personal experience and form their own opinion about what they read. There is a musical script at the end of the book.

"I can write", author - V.N. Meshcheryakova

The English language manual for children from 7-11 years old is the 3rd step in the "I love English" training set and consists of a disk, a textbook and a workbook. At this stage, children learn the basics of writing in English and, of course, continue to work with listening, speaking and reading. The audio lessons of this level contain a large number of new grammatical structures.

, author - N.A. Poddubnaya

The set consists of a reading book and a CD. This book combines entertaining texts with interesting tasks, where new vocabulary is presented in the technique of color reading. The reading and writing in this book is designed to develop critical thinking. At the end of the book you will find a dictionary and a musical script that you can put on with your children at the end of the school year.

Meshcheryakova Valeria Nikolaevna is the author of the unique I love English course for teaching English to children aged two to ten years. This technique is fundamentally different from that given in modern general education schools. The peculiarity lies in the fact that learning takes place through various games with the maximum possible immersion in the language environment, where the perception of information by ear, listening, performs one of the most important functions in the learning process.

Efficient and progressive

Children are engaged in this program with special interest and desire due to the fact that in the classroom they sing songs, read poems, act out scenes in roles and completely “lose” the entire lesson. The technique of Valeria Meshcheryakova provides children with an easy perception of new information in the classroom. A thoughtful approach to homework: young students (and their parents) need to listen to audio lessons every day lasting from ten to fifteen minutes. Audio texts are recorded by native speakers, so they allow students to form. All materials of this technique work on the accumulation of a significant passive vocabulary and on the development of linguistic instinct.

An important difference between this English and what the school gives is, firstly, that it is not the language itself that is studied and comprehended, but speech itself. Secondly, learning begins with listening and communication in the very first lessons without learning the rules or vocabulary.

Another unusual feature of this technique is the lack of correction of children's speech errors in the classroom by the teacher. Instead, multiple repetition of information blocks is introduced to master the correct variant of speech. This is done to prevent the appearance of psychological and language barriers.

Meshcheryakova's technique "English for children": stages of education

The technique is suitable for teaching children in the age period from two (three) to nine (ten) years and is interesting and quite effective. It must be said that training leads to real and successful results.

Meshcheryakova’s I love English methodology consists of several consecutive and interrelated steps in the study and development:

The zero step, mainly based on listening and memorization, is I can sing.
The first step, which improves listening and forms English speech, is I can speak.
The second step, which improves the previous acquired skills and teaches reading, is I can read. Reading comprehension takes place using a unique color reading technique based on previously studied material, as a result of which this process is mastered with ease.
The third step, which improves all previous skills and teaches writing, is I can write.
The fourth step - I can analyze - teaches you to analyze speech during its formation.

We will analyze some of the main stages in great detail in order to understand what the technique of Valeria Meshcheryakova is.

listening

The very first and introductory for those children who study the language from the very beginning is the zero step I can sing. Assimilation and study pass through singing, namely, due to the pattern repetition and memorization of phrases. This happens even without an initial understanding of the translation of the words. Understanding itself happens in the background. The child learns to understand the meaning of foreign speech unconsciously (passively) with frequent and regular listening to audio lessons. And active learning of the language is achieved already in face-to-face classes with a teacher who transfers the accumulated “passive” vocabulary into the category of “active”. In this age period, a person can easily learn the language (s) in a similar way, that is, with the right approach and organized training.

English Meshcheryakova determines the purpose of this stage - the development and perception of speech by the child by ear. Lessons are held with children in musical and game forms. The material of the methodology is texts with colorful, vivid illustrations and recorded songs performed by native speakers.

English according to the method of Meshcheryakova provides for the help and participation of parents in the learning process. Their actions are very important. Adults need to ensure that children have daily access to listening to audio recordings. What should be paid attention to (both parents and teachers involved in this system)? At this stage, the phonetic errors that the child makes due to the immature speech apparatus are not corrected by adults explicitly and noticeably for the child. Mentors in this case try to repeat correctly defined sounds or words as many times as possible in order to remember the only correct option for children. When speaking, gestures and facial expressions are used to the maximum to comprehend speech by the mind of the child.

Speech formation

The next step is the first and basic one - I can speak, since the formation of oral speech is one of the main tasks in comprehending a language. At this stage, the child begins to use phrases, words, clichés that have already been memorized and "imprinted" into consciousness (at the previous stage through repeated repetition and listening) when constructing his speech.

He conducts a similar lesson in the form of a game, and the child builds his speech more or less meaningfully. Meshcheryakova’s methodology ensures that children reach comprehension already at this stage thanks to well-thought-out and prepared materials and the correct presentation of information:

Visual support for audio recordings in the form of a synthesis of a book and a coloring book contains an illustrated picture for the lesson, in which the child performs the necessary tasks. The main task of the little student undergoing training is to collect these completed coloring sheets from lesson to lesson in order to assemble a whole book.
Language information blocks on the disk are repeated many times for the purpose of unconscious and involuntary memorization. The teacher in the lesson is already deliberately recreating situations in which these structures are used and reinforced.
Simple and timely tracking of the assimilation of knowledge by the child. Every fourth lesson is a control, where the teacher evaluates the “pluses” and “minuses” of the completed tasks so that the child understands how successful he is in performing certain tasks.
It must be said that the audio lessons themselves are thought out to the maximum in content and do not overload the children's consciousness and attention. One lesson lasts for ten to fifteen minutes. Throughout the week, the child listens to a certain lesson every day from once. But the more, the better. Listening is possible even with incomplete concentration, but in the background, as it were, by the way. And before the test lesson, he works through the tasks in his coloring book for a maximum of fifteen minutes.
A few words should be said about motivation. Meshcheryakova's methodology provides for a kind of assessment and approval by the teacher of the correct performance of tasks by the student through drawn pictures (in the form of hearts and flowers). The incentive system is thought out: even diplomas for excellent success have been developed. Also, a child can receive a gift on behalf of a fairy-tale hero with whom he had to deal with when completing assignments for the lesson.

Question of precedence

It happens that the teaching method of Meshcheryakova is not the first method that parents have applied and worked on with their child. In other words, they already have a certain information base. But there is also a desire (or need) to continue learning the language using a different, for example, more effective system, I love English. according to the Meshcheryakova method, it is necessary to study and master knowledge and skills linearly, sequentially and in stages (0, 1, 2, 3, 4). However, you can continue to apply the knowledge you already have and start learning from the I can speak level, with the only and necessary condition - daily listening to audio lessons.

Learning to read

Stage I can read forms the child's correct reading skills without memorizing and memorizing various countless rules for pronouncing certain letters or letter combinations. Meshcheryakova's technique ("English for Children") is a lightweight and unique color reading technique.

Children and teachers work according to the manual, in which all words, phrases and texts are highlighted in certain colors and in different fonts. In the process of learning, children easily understand and subsequently read these “markers”. There is no linguistic or semantic distortion in such a reading. The child in the process sees the correct graphic spelling of the word, but at the same time he highlights the corresponding sound-letter pronunciation through color without confusion with transcription. This technique allows you to immediately start reading correctly for both children and parents who do not know English, but provide control over the completion of tasks.

Meshcheryakova's methodology does not provide for the study of the alphabet at this stage. This is considered inappropriate and untimely: any is introduced when there is a need for it. It is explained by the fact that the names of the letters not only do not help, but often prevent children from learning to read correctly and fluently in English. Why would knowing the alphabet be useful? As a rule, for correct spelling and for searching for new language units in the dictionary. A dictionary, even at this stage (in order to understand the meaning of the word) is not yet needed.

Work in the lesson according to the manual is carried out in oral terms when the teacher fixes individual moments and exercises on the board. As homework, the child performs the written exercises passed in the class, and also independently works with additional exercises to consolidate the studied material. It is necessary to emphasize that the wording of the homework is given in the manual in Russian in order to fully understand by all participants in the learning process (students and their parents) what needs to be done. This was created intentionally for functionality, because reading words and texts in English is only now comprehended and comprehended at this stage (I can read).

Learning in the game

English according to the method of Meshcheryakova is taught in a playful way. Lessons are built in the form of regularly and frequently changing games. This allows you to make the learning process interesting and exciting, since the main activity of the child in comprehending the world around him takes place directly through games. Curiosity and passion create harmonious conditions for memorization, repetition, assimilation and consolidation of information. Positive children's emotions and enthusiasm activate their mental processes of cognition as a result of development. In addition, the game is a kind of imaginary and artificially created situation that motivates to use the acquired knowledge at the right time. The task of the teacher is to similarly create the necessary conditions for the development of English speech and the need to use the material covered.

The game is the engine of the development process. Being an excellent learning tool and sharpening the child's mental activity, it makes the lesson interesting and attractive.

The role of the parent

Meshcheryakova's technique implies, as mentioned earlier, regular and daily listening to audio lessons by children (which were recorded by native speakers). Successful language acquisition requires an appropriate environment, and audio recordings are a kind of this environment. The regularity of listening to these lessons (short in time) ensures success in mastering this technique. Moreover, the dependence of learning outcomes on the regularity of home listening is linear. In other words, the more a child listens to an audio lesson, the more it is clear to him. The more understandable, the more he likes it. The more he likes it, the more he listens to it again and goes to an English class. And vice versa.

It will be great if parents help their child in creating some kind of ritual for listening to lessons (for example, before going to bed in bed or on the way to / from school). The creation of some additional motivation on the part of parents would also contribute to more effective learning of a foreign language.

Listening to this audio material is generally an interesting and exciting activity, children like them. However, there are a couple of mistakes that parents make, as a result of which their child will want to stop listening to audio lessons and English classes:

Direct action substitution commands: "Instead of watching cartoons, it's better to go study English." This is a very rude and tactless impact on children's consciousness and psyche. Most often, this causes an internal protest and unwillingness to further develop in this direction. In its own way, this is a kind of negative program that a parent created in the subconscious of his child.
Rare and irregular (or no) listening to audio lessons. In face-to-face classes with a teacher, it becomes difficult for children who do not listen to lessons at home or do it rarely. Any difficulties in the child cause a loss of interest in classes.

The role of the teacher

The teacher in the classroom is a key figure in a successful and effective learning process. It is not enough to know the material and a foreign language. You need to have a lot of qualities. If we take the age limit of children according to this method, then the teacher needs to be a speaker, a psychologist, an actor, and an entertainer in order for the learning process to be as successful and useful as possible. In addition, a teacher is a person who loves and understands children, who knows how to speak the same language with them, but at the same time communicates with them and teaches them another, foreign language. That's how interesting and difficult it all is! To a teacher who conducts lessons in an accessible way, with love and interest, children are happy to go to classes and master the material without much difficulty, this happens automatically. A lot depends on the teacher!

It goes without saying that the teacher must be proficient in the different methods and techniques of teaching his subject. With regard to our topic, all this was wonderfully developed and thought out by the author of this course program, Meshcheryakova V.N. The methodology is unique and differs in many respects from the school teaching course. Accordingly, there are a lot of nuances that the teacher needs not only to know, but also to fully master all the subtleties. To do this, there is a separate teacher training program developed by the center of Valeria Nikolaevna, which professionally develops and certified explains how to conduct classes in order to teach English correctly according to the Meshcheryakova method.