COOLTOOL – THE CARD CATALOGUE

The card catalogue is a set of cards for the words used most frequently in connection with teaching young children a foreign language, and covers the vocabulary used in textbooks for the young beginners/starters.

The card catalogue covers different topics, and has 700 most frequently used words. However, it can be purchased in four separate sets of 175 words, each containing all of the topics listed here but with different words.

The basic set of cards includes the words that are usually introduced to a beginner-starter, words that are also used in textbooks and workbooks for young starters. Additional sets are upgraded with new words that are often included in textbooks and workbooks in higher grades of young learners at elementary levels.

There are three different types of cards for every word, in different combinations of the word and its illustration. Therefore, every word has five cards, with the word being written in both capital and small letters. Some examples of how different parts of speech are combined with the matching illustration can be seen here.

Various combinations of a word and an illustration, as well as the card’s shape and size, enable many different types of didactic games and structures of cooperative learning (Kagan and Kagan, Kagan Cooperative Learning, 2009). The games provide the basis for any kind of learning, as they promote interaction, socialisation and communication between children. As such, they facilitate recognising, learning and memorising words, as well as encouraging speaking.

The unique feature of the cards is the simple fact that they are meant for children’s actual use in their activities.

Card type A demonstration:

Card type B demonstration: