MY ABC & AIR LEMBU

Mengajar Bahasa Inggeris kepada kanak-kanak dari pelbagai bahasa memang menghasilkan banyak pengalaman luar jangkaan. Nampak gayanya, kami belajar lebih banyak dari mereka ... dan ini menghasilkan banyak penambahbaikan dalam pendekatan yang kami bawa. Berikut ialah pengalaman sebenar kami dengan seorang kanak-kanak perempuan Melayu ...

What Else? I Can Do It! ...

My ABC is a book. It shows pictures along with simple sentences on how to make a bowl of mixed iced drink. A very popular drink in Malaysia. In Bahasa Malaysia Air Batu Campur (ABC). Literal translation: Air Batu (ice) Campur (mixed). It is one of six books in a series entitled ... I CAN DO IT! for Early English.

I (Misna, Dr Arif was watching) was showing a 5 year old - this book, page by page, while asking her questions in both Bahasa Malaysia and English.

Writer:  What's this (Ini apa?) ... I asked, showing her the ABC picture.
Girl: ABC ... Air Batu Campur ... she answered confidently.
Writer: Pandai! (Very Good!). Tengok kita boleh buat ABC (See ... we can make ABC).
Writer: We need many things. What's this (Ini apa?). Showing her picture of a bowl.
Girl: Mangkuk!
Writer: Yes, very good. Mangkuk ... Bowl. Turning the page ... What's this? I continued.
 Girl: Air!
 Writer: Yes. Air ... Water. Pandai ... Very good! (I praised enthusiastically). What else? ... What's this? Ini apa? (I turned the page)
Girl: Sirap! ... (I could see that she was pleased with her ability to answer)
Writer: Very good ... Syrup. (Sounds almost the same in both the languages). Now ... What's this? ( I plodded on)

Girl: Ummm ...AIR LEMBU! (she blurted)

Writer: (Now ... Friends and families who had been watching had already burst out ...Praised be to ALLAH SWT ... I kept my straightmost face and said. ) ... VERY, VERY GOOD! Air Lembu (literally: cow's water). Betul ... air dari lembu. Kita panggil SUSU .. MILK. (Right ... water from the cow. We call it SUSU ... MILK ...) I explained gently.

...Now ...with this answer ...from a 5 year old ... How could we say that we know many things!

I CAN DO IT!

WELCOME and THANK YOU for visiting :-)

I CAN DO IT! is a series of six (6) books for younger children (3-7 years), published by one of Malaysia's leading publishers, al-Ameen. The series provides early reading opportunity for younger children. Each book contains clear and attractive pictures of real life processes familiar to children's world. Consequently, the processes can be turned into practical exercises to make learning more fun and meaningful. Set price RM29.90. Please contact http://http://www.ameeneducare.com.my/.

The I CAN DO IT! series contains the following titles:
1. MY ABC (ABC for Air Batu Campur!)
2. MY APPLE
3. MY BUN
4. MY CAKE
5. MY DRINK
6. MY EGG

Each  book contains a simple process or project that parents and teachers can do with the children.Our main aim is to start them talking! What else if not about their favourite food. For example, MY ABC is about how to make the well-loved Malaysian drink, Air Batu Campur. Use each book for its process, language and cognitive development.

This series complements our earlier series MY FUN PAGES (Books 1-11) published by Utusan Publications & Distributors. Check this series out in Googlebooks. 

We will describe in more details, the concepts and approach in the development of the books in subsequent postings.

Thank you ...

Dr Arif  & Hajjah Misna