Page 330 - KSPK ENGLISH LANGUAGE

4. Routines

Routines help build a child’s sense of security and confidence and also support language
development. A routine is a familiar series of actions related to an established schedule. For
example, the scheduled activity of ‘lunch time’ involves a series of responses which comprise a
routine:
 going to the toilet
 washing hands
 lining up by the door
 walking down the corridor
 going into the dining room and calmly sitting at a table.

Having clearly marked routines in English is very important.
 It results in children feeling safe and relaxed as they know what to expect;
 It reduced instances when children feel out of control or at a loss;
 It provides the boundaries children need to regulate their behaviour;
 It helps children become more responsible, independent and confident;
 It helps children predict and pick up language.

Routines in English
English sessions have their own schedule and related routines. Three routines within an English
session should remain a constant, not matter what the schedule is: the welcome routine, the
closing routine and transition routines.

The ‘welcome’ routine
The welcome routine is exactly that, a moment of salutation and an intimate time that helps ease
children into the English session. It normally takes place at the beginning of circle time and can
include: saying hello; taking attendance; asking about the weather, day, date; sharing personal
stories/asking about feelings.

1. The ‘Who’s here today?’ routine
This routine may be something the children have done already in Malay, however repeating this
routine will help reinforce certain concepts, e.g. number. There may be a visual on the wall
showing who is at school and who is not. You can refer to this too.
You can:
 Take the register, but use it for an opportunity to develop language (greetings and responses)
 Count the children
 Talk about who’s missing
It’s important to use the same question and follow-up responses so the children, over time, will
pick up the question and answer and say it with you.

2. The ‘What’s the weather like?’ routine
Many classroom walls may already have a weather chart or ‘weather wheel’ to be used in Malay.
 If this is the case, use it to support this routine.
 If there is none, make one for English.
Weather picture cards are also useful for this routine.

3. The ‘days, months and seasons’ routine
This can be included in English if the 5-year old children are including references in Malay to
these concepts too:
 days of the week
 the month
 days of the month
 seasons.
When talking about days of the week, use a visual support (e.g. a days of the week chart using
words and colours to show the days.

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