Every week I’ll be featuring a new Genki English lesson that you might have forgotten about or not tried before. It’s also a great way to give feedback if you have tried it!
Wow, it’s six years since I wrote this song from a request by Rosebud in Germany. (Yes you can indeed make requests!)
The theme is Easter and one very popular activity is an Easter Egg hunt. So that’s what we went with.
Grammar?
One of the key things of Genki English is that we don’t just teach vocab, we also naturally teach grammar as each theme’s vocab is linked in with a key sentence. This time it’s “look in the …..” (Needless to say these key sentences have to be ones the kids actually use!)
So you just mime looking in the different places as you sing each location.
Another key point of Genki English is that you mix in English from previous lessons. So if you have done any of the prepositions lessons (here, here or here) then you can also make sentences like “Look under the bath”, “Look near the fridge” etc.
If you haven’t done prepositions before, then its probably best to leave them for an other occasion.
Slow vs. fast
Also this song is very popular with teachers because it’s so slow. Ironically it’s also the least favorite song amongst kids. Because it’s so slow! But luckily here teacher bias come into play and if the teacher likes it, and shows enthusiasm for it, the kids end up liking it too!
( That’s also why some teachers just can’t teach fast songs even if the kids can do them easily with other teachers. What you expect the outcome of a lesson to be nearly always comes true. So whatever the lesson, think the kids will love it and theyll do super well and everything will be cool! Everything we test like crazy so all the lessons you see on the main site ( as opposed to the top secret VIP beta test forum) are all ready to go and a proven hits. )
There are tons more game ideas and printables (mini cards, A4 cards, posters, lesson plans, dominoes, dice & even spot the difference games) on the main Easter Egg Hunt page!
Have you tried the theme? Any feedback you’d like to share?
Happy Easter and enjoy!
As easter is really late this year, for the first time I’m having the chance to really do it and not only “show” it.
I quickly figured out, that it’s pretty different to other GE topics, not only because of the speed, but the level is pretty high. It has more words within the taught 8 that are rather difficult for the kids + the structure is a mouthful for really little ones (or if they’ve just started learning English).
Anyway, I’m doing it with most of my classes now 4 year to 8 beginner and experienced kids.
Later ones catch up really quickly and they also love the picture book, and can naturally correspond to the different meaning of “Look in” and “Is it in”, I also add “What can you see in…”
Beginners are busy with the words and right now I’m fine if they only get to the point to respond to “Look in” or “Is it in” and don’t have to say these phrases.
Years ago I made all colored easter eggs from colored cartoon, and laminated them (ten each color)
Yesterday I played one game of Mido’s book with those:
“Low hanging fruit”
I put several eggs on the table.
I asked the kids a question (What ever to review)
(The one who answered got to “catch” one of the eggs.
I found a “sticky hand ” in the 100Yen stop. It’s made of slime or something like that and the arm is looong and wobbly. If you hold the grip and let the hand go towards the card it sticks to it, really exciting for the kids)
So now when the kid has the egg, he/she has to say what it is: It’s a red easter egg. (or I have a red easter egg, etc)
If they can do so, they can keep the egg as a point.
Also I played a book with the printed minibook.
I hid one egg under one of the cards from the book (spread on the table) :
Tell the kids: “Look in the …”>>Looks
Now ask: “Is it in the…”>>No it’s not/ Yes it is
In the next round the kid who responded to your questions asks the next kid…
Thanks for your comment Margit!
As for myself I have taught some basic Easter vocabulary to the 3-5 yo ( Bunny, Easter bunny, Basket, Egg, Chocolate ) and we played many games related to this vocabulatry and theme ( colors, numbers, etc)
I have tried the Easter Genki lesson with my 5-6 years old who really liked it. They also know the vocabulary that I mentionned above.
Next year I will spend more sessions on that topic with GENKI. I also have to include the brand-new voc into the next couples of lessons to review them
Margit : please send me that sticky hand, it looks so much fun!!!!!
Usually I make the kids fish the cards ( which they love)but this looks like a lot of fun!!!