THE PREOPSITION

Purpose

Direct
To bring the consciousness of the child to the function of the preposition.

Control of Error
The directress

Age
5 years onwards

Materials
– Three or four objects such as flowers, pencils, a vase if you have flowers, a box if you use pencils.
– Grammar symbols
– Supply tray
– Prepared slips, each with a noun phrase for each flower/pencil joined with a conjunction and another with a noun phrase describing the vase/ box.
– Prepared cards for use with the farm, one set with noun phrase and a second with prepositions.

Presentation

1. Invite the children to come with you.
2. Go to the shelf and bring the material to the table.
3. Sit and have the children sit.
4. Give the first child the prepared label with the words: “the blue flower and the white flower and the red flower”.
5. Have him read it and then go and get the material.
6. Have him put each flower above the correct words.
7. Give the second child the prepared label with the words: “the glass vase”.
8. Have him read it and then go get the material.
9. Have him place that above the label.
10. Tell the third child that you do not have a prepared label for him but you will write one for him.
11. Write “in” in red and give it to the child.
12. Have him read it.
13. Put the words together in a line in that order “the blue flower and the white flower and the red flower” and further away “the glass vase”.
14. Between the two labels, put the written label “in”.
15. Have the children read the words.
16. Ask the children if the flowers are in the vase. Have them put the flowers in the vase.
17. Say that you will now write something else, for example “beside”.
18. Place this label where the ‘in’ label was and have the children read the words.
19. Have the children put the flowers beside the vase.
20. Repeat using other prepositions.
21. Have the children symbolize the phrase asking the usual questions.
22. For the preposition use the question: “What is the word that shows you the relationship between the words ?”
23. Introduce the new symbol for the preposition.
24. Have the children read the everything again.
25. Have the children put the material back in the box.
26. Introduce the prepared labels for the farm.
27. Work as above with these labels.
28. When you are done, have the children put the material back on the shelf.