How to Teach Prepositions?
a) Small children
The best way is by using song. The learners of this level enjoy singing songs very much and by using song, learners learn through the repetition and drillings. For example the song “Memorize Preposition” (the tune of Yankee Doodle). In this song, although it seemed that it had every prepositions on the list, the learners can learn them well. Teacher can also use pictures or video to help the learners understand the song. The learners have to memorize the song first before they can remember the song which will help them a lot in prepositions. The learners can used the list for several years until they recognize the prepositions and are no longer had to recite the song in their heads.
The lyrics of the song:
Yankee Doodle went to town above, about, across, after a riding on a pony. against, among, around, at
He stuck a feather in his hat before, behind, beside, between
And called it macaroni. by, down, during, except, for
Yankee Doodle keep it up. from, in, near, off, of, on, over
Yankee Doodle dandy through, to, toward, under, up, with
Mind the music and the steps above, about, across, after
And with the girls be handy. against, among, around, at
b) Intermediate Level
The most effective way to teach prepositions is by using the actions or pictures. Teacher could call a student to come in front of the classroom and also prepare two desks. Teacher introduces the preposition while the student will do the actions. For example, teacher says “Mat sits on the desk” and the student will sit on the desk in front of the class. Teacher writes the sentence on the whiteboard. Teacher repeats the step by using other prepositions such as under, through, beside, between, to, from and so on. The learners would learn well by remembering the actions.
The games of “Simon Says” is also great to make the students learn the prepositions, as the teacher can give directions for the students to move around. For example, teacher says, “Simon Says
The best way is by using song. The learners of this level enjoy singing songs very much and by using song, learners learn through the repetition and drillings. For example the song “Memorize Preposition” (the tune of Yankee Doodle). In this song, although it seemed that it had every prepositions on the list, the learners can learn them well. Teacher can also use pictures or video to help the learners understand the song. The learners have to memorize the song first before they can remember the song which will help them a lot in prepositions. The learners can used the list for several years until they recognize the prepositions and are no longer had to recite the song in their heads.
The lyrics of the song:
Yankee Doodle went to town above, about, across, after a riding on a pony. against, among, around, at
He stuck a feather in his hat before, behind, beside, between
And called it macaroni. by, down, during, except, for
Yankee Doodle keep it up. from, in, near, off, of, on, over
Yankee Doodle dandy through, to, toward, under, up, with
Mind the music and the steps above, about, across, after
And with the girls be handy. against, among, around, at
b) Intermediate Level
The most effective way to teach prepositions is by using the actions or pictures. Teacher could call a student to come in front of the classroom and also prepare two desks. Teacher introduces the preposition while the student will do the actions. For example, teacher says “Mat sits on the desk” and the student will sit on the desk in front of the class. Teacher writes the sentence on the whiteboard. Teacher repeats the step by using other prepositions such as under, through, beside, between, to, from and so on. The learners would learn well by remembering the actions.
The games of “Simon Says” is also great to make the students learn the prepositions, as the teacher can give directions for the students to move around. For example, teacher says, “Simon Says