Joel Bacha
All of the games, activities, and information
from the Group A Elementary School
Workshop,
can be found here. Check it out…
If you have any questions of comments about
anything, please feel free to contact me
anytime.
Cheers all,
JOEL BACHA
jbacha@dokidoki.ne.jp
1. Pet Bottle Rocket - Count down from 10.
(Background Music Starts)
2. Good Afternoon
3. Actions - Stand Up, Sit Down, Jump, Spin, Cheep,
Sleep.
4. Pronunciation - V,B, Volley, Ball, Volleyball
5. Pass the Ball game - (See Ball and Music game)
6. Pass the Keitai - You can get fake keitai from most keitai
shops. Just ask for
their old samples. I got mine in Tokyo's
Akihabara (300 yen).
Variations: - Pass a can with colors in it.
The student who has the can when the music
stops has to pull out a piece of colored
paper and say that color.
- for small classes, put pictures on the
ground and have students jump to each picture.
Assign students a number. When the music
stops, call out a #. That student has to
say what he or she is standing on.
7. Pass the Number - Give half the students a number. When
the music plays, they stand up and pass the
numbers to other students. When the music
stops, call out a number. Ask that student
a question. Change the game by having everyone
ask the question. Please e-mail me if you
want further details: jbacha@dokidoki.ne.jp
**************************************
*Keep things moving. This keeps the kids excited and constantly
alert. For example; don't play Pass
the Ball
for 30min. Add some other activities/games
into the lesson.
*Change your activities every once in a while. Try different variations
of games. For example; don't play Pass the
Ball every lesson, try passing a keitai,
stuffed animal or something else.
*Get as many students involved as possible. This keeps everyone interested, everyone
having fun, and allows for maximum participation
and/or learning.
**************************************
(about 400 people attended all the workshops)
1. How many people go to shogakko at least once
a week? About 50%
2. How many people do one shot visits to
shogakko? About 50%
3. How many people are solely shogakko ALTs? About 15
4. How many people play games, have played
games, or want to play games in their lessons? About 100%
5. Why do we play games? It's fun.
It's fun for the students.
It takes the kids' minds off of learning.
It gets the kids interested in English.
**************************************
When learning a new idea, you need to be
creative and adapt it to your own situation.
For example; if you learned about the karuta
where you slap vocabulary cards hanging on
a chalkboard and you have class of 40 students,
then most of the students will be standing
around doing nothing while they wait to play.
Not good. So…make sets of cards and break
the kids into groups so everyone can play
at once. If you have small kids, put the
cards on the ground and have them dive on
the cards. Simple variations can go along
way. So before saying "I can't do that
idea because…," Take it, Adapt it,
Try it… then if is works, Pass it on to
others…COOL!!!
- Introduce yourself to as many people
as
you can in one minute. The person who
introduces
themselves to the most people wins.
Variations: -Play music. When the music stops, talk to
the nearest person.
-Talk to 5 people, then sit down. Time how
long it takes.
-Sit in a circle, say phrase to the person
next to you. Time it.
(see Stopwatch Game)
-For a big class, have more than one circle
and have the circles race.
-Super small class, do a relay in the gym
and time it.
(all of these variations can be used while
practicing any phrase…YAY!!!)
After getting a show of hands in Kobe, it
looked as though only about 50% of everyone
had heard that there will be a new curriculum
implemented in Japanese elementary schools
starting next April, 2002. Therefore, I'm
happy I handed out the following. It is from
the ALT Advisor at Monbukagakusho (new name
for Monbusho.)
The following is not the new curriculum itself.
It is just a brief description of how the
curriculum is laid out and an overview of
the International Understanding (kokusai
riikai) portion of the curriculum, which
ALTs may be expected to help with. It mentions
what may be expected of ALTs and suggests
what types of activities could be used. It
is possible that your schools would like
to explain the International Understanding
portion of the curriculum to you, but aren't
sure how. So, please have a read.
**************************************
Beginning in April 2000, elementary schools
in Japan were allowed to introduce a new
"Period of Integrated Studies"
into their curriculum. Next year, in April
2002, with the introduction of the new course
of study, all elementary schools in Japan
will be required to do so.
The Period of Integrated Studies is a period
that has been allocated for cross-curricula
study. Some of the suggested areas that can
be covered in this period are: international understanding (kokusai rikai), the environment, welfare, and information
technologies.
Teachers at individual schools are asked
to develop their own programs after considering
the interests and abilities of their students
as well as the situation of their school
and local community. In addition to elementary
school teachers, members of the local community
and other human resources may be utilised
in these programs.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
International understanding is one element that many schools may choose
to incorporate into their Period for Integrated
Studies. As an ALT, you may be required to assist elementary
schools with their programs.
International understanding education has
three main goals:
1) The development of attitudes that are
respectful of other cultures and qualities,
and the development of the abilities necessary
for living together with people from different
cultures.
2) Establishment of a strong Japanese identity
to better contribute toward international
understanding.
3) The development of basic foreign language
skills, the ability for self-expression and
other communication skills for expressing
one's own thoughts and intentions, while
respecting the position of others in an international
society.
In terms of specific learning activities
at elementary school, they may take the form
of 'student research projects,' 'international exchange activities,' and 'foreign language conversation'. All are effective for developing international
understanding and it is hoped that they will
be employed in an integrated manner.
Regarding the points to consider in developing foreign language activities
during the Period for Integrated Studies,
the Elementary School Course of Study states:
1) Activities should incorporate experiential
learning, appropriate for elementary school
students, in which the children are exposed
to foreign language and familiarized with
the daily life in foreign countries.
2) The primary purpose is to foster interest
and desire to use English-not to teach a
language. It is important to assess the students'
level and developmental stage in devising
activities. The contents and activities are
not fixed so teachers when devising activities
have to consider first the emphasis on 'spoken
English' and other areas such as: what the
students want to say and do; items that the
students can relate to in their daily lives;
items that increase students' awareness of
differences in other cultures,etc...
In keeping activities interesting, it is
possible to use such activities as: games, chants, suitable songs, picture books, easy role-plays/skits, use
of audio/visual materials, as well as events
introducing culture, special events and exchange
activities, etc..
The emphasis of foreign language activities
at the elementary school is on speaking and
listening rather than reading and writing.
The purpose is to spark an interest in foreign
language and cultures. It does not mean an
early introduction of junior high school
English.
This is Monbukagakusho's (new name for Monbusho)
handbook for elementary school teaching.
It is written in both English and Japanese.
It contains: - Sample Lesson Plans
- English Activities
- Information about Team Teaching
- Background Information for Teaching at
Elementary Schools
This book can be ordered from almost any
bookstore, or by the person who comes around
to your school handing out brochures and
pamphlets. It only costs 100 yen. All you need to order the book is the name
and catalogue #. That info is:
Shogakko Eigo Katsudo Jisen no Tebiki.
(Practical Handbook for Elementary School
English Activities)
published by Kairyudo
Catalogue #: ISBN4-304-04078-2 C307
Cost: 100yen
Remember, if some of these activities don't
fit your situation, like all activities,
try adapting them to fit your class size
and your students' abilities…YAY!!!
I showed a 3 1/2 minute video of activities
I did with my kids these past few weeks.
It included both English and cultural activities,
and featured my students speaking English.
Things such as "How are you?" "I'm
Great!!"; "When is your birthday?";
"What animal do you like?" The
main reason I showed this video is to prove
that the kids can do it, that they can speak
English.
I will be happy to make copies of the video
for anyone who would like one. Show it to
your teachers to show them what kind of activities
you can do, or show it to show those who
might be skeptical. Show them that the kids
CAN and WILL speak English.
Just e-mail me your address and a copy is
yours: jbacha@dokidoki.ne.jp
Many have heard the fixed phrase, "How
are you?
"I'm fine thank you,"
"and you?"
"I'm fine."
When I asked the people who came to the workshops
(about 400):
How many people teach this phrase? About 50% raised their hands
How many people use this phrase when speaking?
About 20 people raised hands
In truth, this phrase is English and there
is nothing wrong with teaching it. People,
though few, do use it when speaking; and
hey…it's polite. The problem I have with
its use in Japan is that, often times, it
resembles a computer response. For Example;
if you ask Ryusuke, whose puking his guts
out in the corner, "Hey Ryusuke, How
are you?", between heaves he'll turn
toward you and say, "I'm fine thank
you, and you?" rather than saying, "I'm
sick." My point is that most kids (and
adults) don't say how they really feel when
asked "How are you?" They are not
thinking independently and expressing themselves
freely. I believe that we must work toward
Independent Thinking and Free Expression.
So this is what I do for "How are you?
From the above fixed phrases, in front of
my kids, I pull out the "thank you"
and replace the "and you?" with
"How are you?" I'm then left with,
"How are you?"
"I'm fine"
"How are you?"
"I'm fine."
I then I teach them emotions such as, "I'm
good, OK, great, hungry, happy…" Then
I let them know that they don't have to say,
"I'm fine." They can say anything
they want.
For example, "How are you?"
"I'm good."
"How are you?
"I'm ok."
Independent Thinking and Free Expression!!!!
A great game to practice this phrase, and
many other phrases, is the Cockroach Game.
See the Gokiburi Game.
Dance Chants and Songs are a great way to
get kids to remember words. The chants, tunes,
and actions tend to stick in their heads.
Plus it's a super fun way to get everyone
speaking English. Here's what we did at the
conference:
1. Months
My chugakko 3-nensei are still doing it from
their days as 6-nensei.
The students simply repeat your words and
follow your actions…
Hands out and relax.
Claps hands above your head…
(NOW GO!!!)
"January" (do the cabbage patch)
"February" (do the cabbage patch)
"March" (throw your right fist
up)
"April" (throw right, then left
fist up)
"May" (throw right fist up)
"June" (throw left fist up)
"July" (throw right, then left
fist up)
"August" (throw right, then left
fist up…slowly)
(One more time)
Claps hands above your head…
(NOW GO!!!)
"September" (do the cabbage patch)
"October" (do the cabbage patch)
"November" (do the cabbage patch)
"December" (do the cabbage patch…slowly)
2. Head & Shoulders
About 70% of the people who came to the workshops
said that they had sung Head, Shoulders,
Knees, and Toes with their students. Of these
70%, almost all said that the 5 and 6 nensei
were not too interested in doing it. My 5
and 6-nensei were not so interested in doing
it either, so I had them get into groups
and make up their own dance. It went well.
This is what one group came up with. I've
done this with 3-6 nensei.
Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes (Touching
the body part as always)
HAND!! FOOT!! (Stick out your hand and foot)
Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes,
HAND!! FOOT!!
Eyes and Ears and Mouth (Touching the body
part as always)
and Nose.... (pick your nose and then… FLING
IT OFF YOUR FINGER.......)
Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes,
HAND!! FOOT!!
3. The "What's Your Name?"
Song
This is the song we sang at the conference
while waving our hands above our heads. It
can be found on the Genki English CD, Volume I.
4. The Hello Song
This is the song that I briefly mentioned
at the conference. It is GREAT for learning
"What's your name?" and is perfect
for the 1 & 2 nensei. It is written by:
Carolyn Graham (she also writes Jazz Chants)
The first song of the "Let's Go"
series by Ritsuko Nakata.
(Published by Oxford University Press)
(Also see Joel's Ideas Page)
Unfortunately we ran out of time at the conference
and we couldn't play all of the games I had
planned. So I quickly mentioned a few ideas.
Here's what I talked about:
1. "I like Color" Race - have color cards in the front of the class.
Have team members grab a card, search for
something of that color in the room, run
back to the front of the class and say, "I
like (color)." For more details, see Joel's ideas.
2. This and That - Use any flash card game for this. Both
you and the Japanese teacher hold flash cards.
If you say, "What's This?" then
the students must say what card you are holding.
If you say, "What's That?" then
the students must say what card the Japanese
Teacher is holding.
3. Newspaper Sumo - Two students stand on a newspaper. Whoever
says the flashcard first gets to take a half
step back. When the students' heals touch,
they try to push each other off the
paper with their bumbs. For more details,
see Joel's ideas or Newspaper Sumo
4. Banana Taking Game - Students write 3 or 4 of whatever they're
learning (adjectives, nouns, places, colors,
etc.) on 3 or 4 paper bananas in a bunch.
Two students practice the target phrase and
try to find out what is written on one of
the other persons' bananas. The person who
guesses gets to take that banana. The person
with the most bananas at the end of the class
wins. For more details, contact Joel: jbacha@dokidoki.ne.jp
Many phrases can be practiced with this game.
Such as: How are you?, Where are you from?,
Do you like….?, Are you….?, etc. It can
also be used in super small classes with
one or two people.
NOTE: this is not a writing exercise, but
TRY having your kids write the English words.
Give them a few extra minutes…they CAN do
it. For younger kids, try coloring the bananas.
We only had about 10 minutes to talk about
culture, so I quickly read off some ideas.
This is what I mentioned:
1. Holidays
-Christmas
-Halloween
-Hanukkah
-Thanksgiving
-Easter
2. Making food
-Gingerbread houses
-Vegemite or Marmite sandwiches
-Peanut butter and jam Sandwiches
3. Playing sports from back home (think back to when you 8 yrs. old)
-New Dodgeball version
-Capture the flag
-Hockey
4. Countries / The World
-Coloring flags
-Research:
country names in English
languages in different countries
greetings in different languages
-Ask kids where they want to go
-Time zones in different parts of the world
-What day is it in different countries?
-What season is it?
-How long it takes to get to a country by
train, plane, boat…show how big the world
really is from their perspective.
Remember: When teaching culture, answer any questions
your students may have about the world and/or
different cultures. This way you can answer
their personal curiosities and other questions
you have not touched on. It also gives you
a chance to see what level they're on. Talk
to your JTE about asking questions before
the class.
Lastly, one of the best ways to teach culture
is to get to know your students. Do activities
outside of your lessons with them. Clean
with them. Study Japanese in class with them.
Watch or join their sports practices after
school. Get to know your students!!! What
better way is there to spark someone's interest
in the world than for that person to have
a friend in the world?
These are a list of useful sights that were
listed in the handout:
o Genki English (www.genkienglish.com) - Great site with lots of games and elementary
school stuff. Created by former Elementary
School ALTs.
o The Three Wise Monkeys (www.edochan.com/teaching) - Great site with lots of game ideas
o ELT News (www.eltnews.com) - Has good information on teaching methods.
o Children only ESL/EFL (www.childrenonlyesl-efl.com) - Great stuff, but you have to pay!!
o E-Pals (www.epals.com) - Good to find e-mail exchanges!!!
The followings are some Ideas, Questions,
and Answers from the end of the workshops.
I1. 3 Questions Game: Play a game like Pass the Ball. When the
music stops the student that has the ball
has to choose a number between 1 & 3.
These numbers represent ?s. The ALT or teacher
then asks a question the question of the
number that the student chose.
I2. Counting to 13: With young students, most people count
to 10, but if you practice counting to 13,
you can not only teach time, but you can
practice the 'TH' sound.
I3. Teaching Hanukkah: Someone mentioned that he was Jewish, but
his school wanted him to teach about Christmas.
He used this as an opportunity to teach them
something different. It turns out that his
school had never heard about Hanukkah and
they were delighted to learn about it. If
your school(s) wants you to do something,
but you have another idea that they don't
know about, ask them if you can try it out.
**************************************
Q1. What is the point of teaching English
in Elementary School? They're gonna learn it in junior high anyway. I see where you're coming from. But think
about it…kids are like sponges; the younger
they are the faster their brains are developing
and the easier it is for them to absorb information.
They are literally creating synapses (connections
in the brain) while they speak. If they speak
English, some of these connections will harness
English. We can use this as an opportunity
to build correct pronunciation for sounds
such as "R" and "TH,"
build their vocabulary, or teach them basic
phrases so that when they get to junior high,
English is easier to learn. The majority
of adults in Japan started studying English
when they were in Junior High, but listen
to their English…IF they can speak it. So,
why not teach the kids English at a younger
age…besides, it can be tons of FUN!!!
Q2. How do you keep some of the older kids
interested in the lessons? Good Question. When I first came to Japan
I was playing a lot of flash card games.
The older kids weren't too motivated. It
turns out that it wasn't the games, it was
the content. I tried challenging my kids.
We tried more speaking games and activities.
They were stimulated again and became more
involved in the English lessons. Try challenging
the students a bit more and see what happens.
Q3. Is your teacher always in the room when
you teach? It is a law in Japan that a licensed teacher
must be in the room during lesson time. Since
we are not licensed teachers in Japan, it
is law that a teacher must be in the room
with us. However, this does not stop them
from not coming to class or leaving the lesson
half way through a lesson. I have had both
happen and it's especially frustrating when
I need their help. In these situations, I
asked the teachers after class to please
come to the lessons and remain in the room
because I may need their help…even if I
didn't mention it when we talked about the
lesson beforehand.
Q4. How much Japanese do you speak in the
classroom? Good question. I don't like to speak Japanese
in the classroom, but I have noticed that
I usually do on two occasions. 1) If I'm
explaining a game and I'm running out of
time I will explain it in Japanese. However,
if I have the time to demonstrate a game
with the Japanese teacher or explain it with
gestures I will do it in English. 2) If I
am asking or answering cultural questions
that my students have. However, I also usually
have help from the Japanese teacher cuz my
Japanese isn't perfect.
NOTE: I find that if I talk to the Japanese
teacher about lessons beforehand, then they
can help with game and cultural explanations
in Japanese if needed… thus I can avoid
speaking Japanese altogether.
Q5. I want to hang out and talk with my students
outside of class, but it gets old quickly
if I just speak English. Do you speak Japanese
outside of class? I totally understand. I want to hang out
with my kids too and I think outside-of-class
interaction is probably the most important
part of this exchange. It's how our kids
can really learn who we are and how we can
really learn about them. It's a catch 22
though. Part of what we're doing is teaching
English and we want our kids to learn/speak
it. So…what I do is speak the English I've
taught my kids with a few extra words that
I haven't. I speak the English that I know
they can understand and some extra English
that they might be more challenging. The
rest I speak in Japanese. Here's a basic
conversation of mine (probably with 4 nensei):
| Kids: | Bacha, Umeboshi suki? |
| Me: | No, they're supaisugi. |
| Kids: | Watashi ni mo |
| Me: | Do you like bananas? |
| Kids: | Hai!!! |
| Me: | Do you like big bananas? (gesture) |
| Kids: | (giggle) Oki na banana? |
| Me: | Yes!! |
| Kids: | (giggle) Yes… |
| Me: | Me too (pointing to my chest) |
| Kids: | Soto de issho ni asobou? |
| Me: | Yeah, let's go. |
| Kids: | Dodge Ball suru? |
| Me: | No, I want to play Oni goko… |
| Kids: | Oni goko shitai?… eh…nande? |
| Me: | Hashitai kara… |
| Kids: | Wakatta, Ja…oni goko shiou!! |
This is a pretty simple topic. With a more
in depth conversation I'd obviously speak
more Japanese. Hope this helps.
What I'd like you to do for a moment is just
think…think back to 10 years ago…
How old were you? What grade were you in?
Where were you living?… Think how big the
world was. There was no internet, very few
cell phones, and not so many international
plane flights…
Now think about today. Think how much smaller
the world has become. You can contact people
across the globe in a matter of seconds.
You can visit people on the other side of
the world in just a few hours…
Now think about your students… Yuki, who
is always out of his seat during your lessons;
Rina, who can run super fast; the boy in
the dirty shirt who always smiles when he
konchos you… where are they going to be
10 years from now when the world is even
smaller than it is today? Ten years from
now your 6th graders will be 22 years old.
What is the world going to look like to them?
As ALTs it is our job to help our students understand the world, NOT as it is in a text book, but as it
really is in the eyes of others. It is our
job to help them understand the world as
we see it, and… it is our job to help give
them the confidence to communicate with it.
|
We have talked about a lot of things today
and I hope you are able to take
home some
new ideas. Just before you leave,
I have
three favors to ask of you: |
If you have any questions of comments about
anything, please feel free to contact me
anytime.
Cheers all, JOEL BACHA
To email Joel, use the Genki English contact form:
And also have a look at his Play & Affect in Language Learning paper for a more academic look at things.
And there are even more ESL games ideas in Joel's Curriculum Guide Book
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