Thanks for all the comments yesterday, so today instead of enjoying my last day in Okinawa by the beach, it’s the turn of the Halloween Song to get some videos!
Here’s a video of the song in action:
(WARNING: don’t press play unless you want the song in your head all day!)
And here’s the Halloween version of the Harry Potter game (in Japanese but with English subtitles!):
(Click the full screen button at the lower right if the letters are too small)
If you can’t see the videos or want more info then check out the main Happy Halloween page at https://genkienglish.net/halloweensong.htm
The song you can find in the Download Pack.
Plus of course don’t forget the very scary Trick or Treat and not so scary Apple Bobbing videos!
OK, which themes do you want videos of next?
Again, these videos are great! Far better than just reading the explanation of the song and the game. I wish many teachers could see them and get the tip of how to teach it.
But Japanese teachers don’t bother to use internet. As long as Text, photos, and videos are on the web, they won’t reach teachers here.
I’ve asked, begged, pushed, and threatened my teachers, but they won’t click their PCs. Only a few very good teachers see the song page before their lessons.
If only the CDs were accompanied by such videos…
But if we did that I wouldn’t be able to give you guys the online ones for free!
What about thinking it as Teachers’ Training DVD vol.2?
The question is, how many of them have watched the first two DVDs? 🙂
What we really need to do is to find the key to make them passionate about their teaching, then they’ll seek the information out wherever it is!
I agree with Richard.
we have a pack of 60000Yen worth in school, but it’s lying in the Kouchoushitsu.
I can tell them to watch the DVD or, blablabla they won’t because there are so many things they “think” they have to do first.
I think it’s the same as with workshops: as long as not the individual pays for the things they won’t make real use of it.
I wouldn’t say they are not passionate about teaching, but they aren’t passionate about teaching English.
So what’s the key? I’m thinking about this all the time. It’s definitely not the Eigo Note.
Thank you so much for posting this game. I was having a real hard time trying to figure out how to play this ‘classroom based’. Margit very kindly sent me some tips via a pm (thanks again Margit)which also will help.
I have now decided that the children will all have to walk around like ‘mummies’ which takes the running element out of the game!!! It is such a cool game I cannot wait to use it.
We’ve been here before, but it’s worth remembering that no matter how passionate the HRTs might be about teaching English, they just don’t have the time to spend on planning the lessons. Too much other stuff to do, and it seems to me that English falls pretty low on the list of priorities. Possibly because they are apprehensive about teaching it in the first place. The idea of them practising the moves in front of the mirror the night before, as you suggest, is almost laughable I’m afraid!
I think that Eigo Note actually doesn’t help much by having the lessons planned in the teacher’s guide. The teachers simply trudge through those plans (which are already pretty dull) without really knowing where they’re going with it.
And of course there is always the ALT to add the genki-factor at the drop of a hat!
I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but I’m convinced that, in nearly every case, the lessons planned and led by me (invariably GenkiEnglish based) are 100% more enjoyable and – hence – effective than those led by overworked, under-motivated teachers. It’s a shame that so many schools seem to think they should try and do it all themselves.
Julian,
agree! agree! agree!
Should we write a letter to Kawabata san and gather sings from Hokkaido to Okinawa?
I don’t think that it’s the schools who want their own teachers to do the job. The truth probably is that nobody knows what’s going to happen next, and the reaction to that differs from school to school. The more worried principles tell their teachers that they have to teach 35 hours in two years and better get used to it, some do nothing, some depend 100% on the ALT (in most cases the best solution, I think)
In our case it’s the latter one, but as it is always a decision for 1 year, I’m getting nervous around March how the next school year is going to go. It’s not that I NEED that job, but I like doing it and first of all I want to plan my time ahead.
So, I’m really wondering these days wether I should take a step and a word further out (Kyoikuiinnkai or Monbusho, or as I said Kawabata san), or wether it is slightly too early, and it would be better to wait until we have some “Eigo NOte Failures”. But the poor kids who suffer from those!
I think we all have the same thoughts and ambition and passion, so this should light a fire!
Thanks ever so much for the harry Potter version. I didn’t understand the game and know that’s it. I’m going to try it soon. I’m sure it’ll work as well as the happy halloween songs i tried last year and that was loved at school.
Hello, I’m from Chile. Surfing the web I find this page. It has been very useful. The games, i have used several of them, specially the how are you? and mr. wolf to check the time. My students really like the lesson when it includes a game. It is my second year as a second language teacher. I haven’t buy any package, so I only use the games that appear on the page and i try to make similar worksheet taking ideas from the ones on the page. It is a good complement for my lesson. I suscribed to the page so i received weekly newsletters. I have took como games from there to. The students really reinforce the vocabulary and simple grammar by playing. It’s a fun way to keep the children motivated.
Thumbs up for your page. You provide a nice service and most of all you love to teach and one can sense that. Good luck in your proyects, hope you keep posting games and some free songs pleaseeeeeee, jejejeje, bye.