Page in Japanese

"Where are you going?" Lesson

Target English: Where are you going? + place names
Target grade: All ages 1
Song: The "Where are you going?" Song can be found in the Teacher's Set
Pronunciation Guide/Interactive Quiz: can be found in , the Teacher's Set
And in the new curriculum Level.

I often try to introduce a bit of foreign culture into my classrooms by using pictures taken on my trips abroad. Combined with the song they provide a big, multimedia learning environment!! You can also interchange any of the vocab here with the new "Where do you live?" theme, which is really useful for broadening the kids' use of the English they know.

In the classroom or at home ........

This is a great song! The best way to teach this song is to split the kids into 2 groups. You sing "I'm going to the beach" etc., then one groups says "beach", and then the other groups says "beach" - seeing who can sing the loudest! Then you can switch groups so the other group goes first. Here the kids learn the rhythm and the vocab, and naturally learn the sentence structure. Don't forget the gestures!



I'm going to the sea



I'm going to the mountains




I'm going to the pool




I'm going to the beach ( build a sandcastle)

Where are you going?
Where are you going?
Where are you going?
Where are you going?




I'm going to school ( writing )




I'm going to the shops ( carrying heavy bags)




I'm going to the park ( on a swing)



I'm going home



One of the best uses of this song is to use pictures of various places (such as beach, parks, etc.). either from different countries, or from your own travels. Teach the different words and then let the kids see the pictures, they almost certainly have a load of questions to ask you! Interesting things are the best, such as scuba diving pictures for "sea"!


The idea of splitting the kids into 2 groups works wonders! I usually then say that one group has won, really heaping praise on them, and then wait for the other group to start chanting "Try again!". It works great for motivation and is my best trick for making very ungenki 5th and 6th graders back to being genki again!



And another fantastic set of kids from Italy!



And Virginie's amazing students in France!



Recommended Games:
Soldiers & Ninjas - Island Hopping - Newspaper Sumo

or any of the conversation games on the page are great practice!

Or you can try the Leapfrog Game:



1. On the board, from left to right put the picture cards (see above right)
2. Split the class into two teams. One team lines up on the left side of the room, and the other team on the right side of the room.
3. The first kid from each team comes to the board, one at the left side and one at the right. They read the phrase out loud, one at a time,"leaping" along to their opponent's side of the board.
4. When the meet they have to Rock, Paper, Scissors. The losing kid sits down. This kid is replaced by the next member in their team. This member starts from the start of their line. The winning kid continues from where he/she stopped.
5. The teacher says "go!" and they start again, reading the words outloud until they meet.
6. Repeat from 4
7. If they manage to reach their opponent's side of the board they have won!

Readers' Comments

by Gumby

Put up pictures in the corner or on each wall and have students go to any of the pictures. Then they ask you "Where are you going?" You say a place that then becomes no longer safe and those students have to run to a different place, before you catch them. You can yourself godzilla or some other popular villian.

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