Abstract:

Recognition and proper usage of functional parts of speech are fundamental skills that are to be developed from the initial stage of foreign language learning. Awareness of speaking customs encourages children and boost their motivation. It is widely known that this grammar phenomenon should be acquired from an early age to prevent communicative difficulties learners may face. The aim of the research is to develop an effective set of activities for young learners to acquire functional parts of speech efficiently and identify the most resultative framework for this age group. In this regard we focused on the techniques which help children to recognize the importance of functional parts of speech both in a foreign and native languages.

The article presents the experimental study and its results conducted in the group of 15 third-grade students. At the first stage the initial level of the pupils’ abilities to use functional parts of speech were tested by offering them a set of various exercises. The second stage was devoted to developing the children’s skills by employing the framework like Public-Private partnership (PPP) along with the following activities: watching problem-related videos, singing special songs, working with cards and training hand-outs, etc. To evaluate the children’s progress they were provided with the tasks identical to those from the first stage. The outcomes of the experiment prove learners’ progress in acquiring and using functional parts of speech.

Moreover, the study has shown the PPP framework and the activities applied contribute to a more friendly educational environment and boost the children’s creativity and increase young learners’ involvement in the educational process. The findings of the study offer helpful recommendations to EFL teachers working with young learners.

Keywords:

Teaching English, young learners, functional parts of speech, motivation, child-friendly educational environment, teaching techniques.