Top ten tips for teachers

How to get the most out of Cambridge Storybooks
Cambridge Storybooks are authentic texts, which have been carefully adapted for children who are in the early stages of learning English. Here are some ways to help the children enjoy the books and develop their confidence.

• 1. Keep it stress-free
  Children, like adults, learn best in a stress-free environment where they can relax and feel their efforts are valued. It is important to let them learn at their own pace and to give lots of praise and encouragement. Wait till the children are ready to speak, read or write - remember they are learning while they are listening.
• 2. Make it fun
  Children are more motivated to learn when they are having fun. Choose stories they will enjoy and exploit the elements of humour, fantasy and surprise that will appeal to them. Personalise wherever possible, and keep it interactive.
• 3. Exploit the pictures
  The illustrations, in a range of styles, are of high quality and closely match the text. They will certainly catch your children's interest and help them to follow the story, but you can also use them in many other ways, for example to pre-teach or revise vocabulary, predict what will happen next or to help them re-tell the story in their own words.
• 4. Choose the best activities
  All children are different. Activities are suggested for several levels and it is important to select carefully. Text strips, for example, can be used in a variety of ways, e.g. matching strips to the story, sequencing them, or for children to make and illustrate their own copy of a book.
• 5. Adapt the materials
  You know your children's needs. Many of the activities can be easily adapted or extended to practise other useful vocabulary and structures. You can use the picture cards, for example, for playing games and storytelling as well as to introduce and revise vocabulary.
• 6. Offer variety
  The books have many topics that children are interested in, e.g. animals, monsters, fantasy adventures, fun at home and at school. Make sure that your children are exposed to a wide range of stories so they can develop their own preferences. The pre- and after-reading activities also offer a variety of different activities such as playing games, miming role-playing, drawing etc. Children usually enjoy doing all of these things, but ringing the changes each lesson helps to keep their interest fresh.
• 7. Use the audio cassette/CD
  Hearing English spoken by different voices is also important for developing listening skills - and the music and sound effects that accompany each text help to keep the element of surprise and fun.
• 8. Sing the songs
  Make the most of the rhyme and rhythm in many of the texts. These are enjoyable for the children and also help make the language more memorable. Encouraging them to join in, clapping out the beat to start with before they are ready to chant or sing along with you and/or the audio cassette/CD.
• 9. Keep it short and sweet
  Children usually have a shorter attention span that adults and will quickly become bored if you try to labour the point. This can lead to behaviour problems and a negative attitude to learning - so be sensitive. Stop each session while the children are having fun and still want to continue.
• 10. Recycle
  Take every opportunity to revise vocabulary and structures the children have already met - many concepts such as talking about likes, abilities, counting, colours etc., recur frequently in the books. Regular practice is vital to support learning, and some repetition will also enable the children to participate more actively in the lesson. Last, but not least, it will build confidence and reinforce their image of themselves as successful language learners!

These top ten teaching tips were written by Jean Glasberg, Consultant Editor of the Cambridge Reading series. Cambridge Storybooks are based on material from the Cambridge Reading series and have been specially adapted to make them more suitable for learners in an English Language Teaching context.