Let's say that I am trying to teach a first grader some simple french words. The words are going to be boy (un garcon), cat (un chat), and house (une maison). Since these are words that I would expect a first grader to know in English, I could use pictures of each word. I would show them a picture of a house and write on the board 'une maison.' By doing this, the students could see the image (to clarify the idea), while also seeing the written word. While the first grader's ability to read may not be very developed, they would at least understand how to pronounce the word by sounding out each letter. I would do the same thing with a picture of a boy and a picture of a cat. Next to each picture I would write the French word. By doing this (with some repetition), the students would gradually learn the French words for the 3 pictures that they see. Also, by pronouncing the words, it would reinforce their learning. The students would see the picture, their brains would take a mental image and begin to learn their french translations, and soon a mental model would be created. Furthermore, by having the students pronounce the word, they would be engaging in the learning process.
This is really good idea, and it works! When I was learning Italian, our book had a lot of pictures with the words right next to them, so it was a lot easier for me to remember the picture and then the word along with it. For tests, I was more likely to remember words that went along with a picture, then one without. So great idea!
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