was carried out by conducting an informal interview to an English teacher of SD Kanisius Baciro Yogyakarta, distributing the questionnaires to fifth
graders of SD Kanisius Baciro Yogyakarta, and observing the English class.
a. Interview
From the informal interview, the writer found out that SD Kanisius Baciro Yogyakarta
started applying the new curriculum, Kurikulum Tingkat Satuan Pendidikan KTSP
, in the second semester. Based on KTSP
, the teacher said that the objective of English subject was speaking. It meant the students were expected to be able to use English in dialogues.
The teacher said that the students had three meetings in a week and each meeting lasted for about 40 minutes. To teach English the teacher used
handbook from Grasindo and Yudhistira entitled Speed Up. The teacher usually used handbook, blackboard, picture, and objects in the classroom
as the media. In teaching learning process, the teacher rarely used English. She said that she spoke English only when she greeted the students and
gave them instructions. She also said that the students were familiar with greeting and instruction in English. They could also use simple sentences
for certain topics in the dialogue such as greeting and personal identity. Moreover, the writer asked some questions related to teaching learning
process. They were: 1
The importance of teaching English in the early ages fifth graders of elementary school
The teacher said that in globalization era, the technology growth could not be separated from English because English was used as the
international language. Therefore, it was important to teach it in the early ages, especially in Indonesia. English was the first foreign
language for the students so English teacher had to be creative and make the lesson interesting and enjoyable.
2 The importance of creating enjoyable atmosphere that can
motivate the students to learn English
The teacher said that it was essential to create enjoyable atmosphere in English class because the condition of learning could
influence the motivation to learn. In the teaching learning process, the teacher taught in serious and enjoyable way. The students would be
interested in learning English if they felt comfortable, enjoyable, and relaxed. Hopefully, they would be able to achieve the goals.
3 The teaching technique used by the teacher and liked by the
students
Mostly, the teacher used presentation because it was suitable for fifth grade elementary students as beginners in learning English. After
presentation the teacher would check the students’ comprehension by giving some questions. To give new spirit and make the students enjoy
the teacher gave games. The teacher also gave an opportunity for the students to perform and read a short dialogue in front of the class.
4 The starting point activities used by the teacher
For starting point activities, the teacher usually used short written text. Then, she asked the students to read it and list the words they
have known. Students liked it because they were involved in teaching learning process. To explore the topics discussed, the teacher used
picture in the handbook therefore the students could guess what they would learn from the picture so they could follow the lesson easily.
5 The opening activities used by the teacher
In the beginning of the lesson, the teacher checked their vocabulary relating to the topic discussed with memory challenge. Since the
purpose of opening activities was to help the students to catch the lesson successfully sometimes the teacher also asked the students to
find out related words using vocabulary brainstorming.
6 The main activities used by the teacher and liked by the students
The students liked answering some questions from the teacher as the main activities. They liked working in small group rather than
individually. Moreover, the students liked performing in front of the class by reading a short dialogue or sharing their experience. They also
made vocabulary list by themselves.
7 The evaluation method
The teacher evaluated the students’ progress using a test written and spoken. The teacher also considered assignments and homework
as the other factor to determine the final mark.
8 The topics needed by the students to build up English skills
The teacher said that the topics should relate to their daily life and be a part of their life so they could memorize it well. The topics were
Parts of the body, Daily activities, Telling the time, Hobbies, Transportation, Family, Holiday, and Places.
b. Questionnaire
