Where English Connects with Their Living Environment

My English lessons this week focused on something simple yet powerful: helping students find their voices. In Grades 7, 8, and 9, I introduced vocabulary through themes drawn from their daily lives — at home, the beach, at the market, at school, and at the temple. Because the language reflected their own environment, students connected with it quickly and responded with genuine interest.

In Grade 7, students explored food vocabulary and taste words such as sweet, salty, spicy, sour, and bitter. When they began forming short sentences like “This mango is sweet,” it was more than a grammar exercise — it was a moment of growing confidence. Even the quieter students began to speak.

In Grades 8 and 9, students worked in small groups, moving step by step from grouping words, to labelling, and finally creating simple sentences together. The structured process gave them clarity, while collaboration in their groups gave them courage.

What makes this learning meaningful is not the difficulty of the material, but the steady growth in confidence. By connecting English to students’ real lives and guiding them gradually, the classroom becomes a space where language is not just learned — it is lived!

By: I Nengah Merdekawati, EBPP English Teacher