BACKGROUND

• Making Associations or conections is a very important thinking skill.
• This element is used with other thinking skills and has relationship to real world.
• Learners must learn to make as many associations or connections as possible with regard to what is required and to make them quickly. This skill or element will enable learners to tecall facts or information or to make relationships quickly.
• Therefore, learners should be exposed to make many associations.
• Making associations or connections can be carried with topics as suggested below:
• Non-living things:things in the classroom, school, house and surroundings

a. Non-living things:things in the classroom, school, house and surroundings

    - things of a certain shape, colour, size etc.

b. Living things:

    - animals (tame,domesticated, wild, characteristic

    - plants (flowering, flowering plants and characteristics)

c. People (race, religion, culture, dress, famous people, characters etc)

d. Cities, towns, villages, places and characteristics

e. Buildings: types of buildings, characteristics and features

f. Situations, experiences: happy, sad, busy etc.

g. Ideas: ways, systems

Refer also DSKP Bahasa Ingggeris (Std 1 – 6) for more topics which can use this element/skill

STEPS TO TEACH MAKING ASSOCIATIONS OR CONNECTIONS

1. Write the word “round” on the board.
2. Tell learners that it is important to make as many associations quickly.
3. Ask learners: What things are round?
4. Learners work in groups of three or pairs to discuss and answer the questions.  Learners may use bubble map to write the answer. egs: round can be associated with ball, clock,orange, moon etc.
5. Tearcher acts as a facilitator to help learners to make associations by asking problem solving questions types such as showing a picture and asks learners about its shape etc.
6. Any answers relating to vocabulary, idioms, metaphors or analogies such as walking round and round or he looks rounded  may be accepted.
7. Double bubble map may be used in order to make more associations or connectors.Ball can be associated with  tennis ball, football, pingpong ball etc
8. Each group leader will display their answers and other learners will have a gallery walk to read the displayed information.
9. Learners from each group may be asked to present their work in front of the class. The rest of the learners are encouraged to ask questions using HOTS type.

FURTHER ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES (SUGGESTIONS)

Learners are given additional activities..They are required to do the acuitivities in small groups. Different groups will choose different items.

1. Discuss and associate with each of the following using

           i-Think Map

           a. Bird   

           b. Tuanku Abdul Rahman

           c. Kuala Lumpur

2. How can you travel from Seremban to Kuala Lumpur?

References: Pusat Perkembangan Kurikulum: Developing Primary Learners’ Thinking Skils in the English Language Subject.