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Looking for Activities to Teach the Eigo Noto?

Below are activities used in the EigoNoto.com lesson plans. Most require no materials or preparation! Several of the activities have video explanations in Japanese.
Take some time to look around- there's a lot more than just activities at EigoNoto.com!

Janken or Rock-Paper-Scissors

Janken 4's -No materials or preparation! -日本語のビデオ説めもある

THE warm-up activity beginning all of the EigoNoto.com lessons. Works for any language pattern- Teaches conversation skills, too! See an in-class explanation on video

Janken Conversation Rounds -No materials or preparation!

*This activity was chosen by a group of elementary teachers as the main activity for their English classes. It is the best way to teach and practice Conversation Skills. It can be used for meaning- or pattern-focus, and for all of the language structures.

Maru-Batsu (O/X) Game -No materials or preparation!

EigoNoto.com version of the classic Japanese game. Very powerful learning activity.

Hot Potato -No materials or preparation!

A small group creative substitution activity.

Get The Picture (GTP)

see an in-class explanation on video

Pair Karuta -No materials or preparation!

A very simple version of the classic game.

Interview Bingo

see an in-class explanation on video

CROSSFIRE/Linefire

Eraser/Keyword Game

Pair listening activity from the Eigo Noto text.

Ohajiki Game

Listening activity from the Eigo Noto text. A blend of Bingo & Karuta...

Sugoroku

My version of the classic game. NOW it's really communicative! With a link to download the board.

Row Practice/Row Races -No materials or preparation!

Find 3 People -No materials or preparation!

Find 3 People-Tell the Teacher -No materials or preparation!

Liar! Liar! -No materials or preparation!

Hand Sandwich -No materials or preparation!

A fun way to finish off a pair activity (with a winner & loser).

Clue Bingo

Pair Slap -No materials or preparation!

Individual Student Translation

Short notes on how to lessen the stress...

Hebi Janken

Teams compete to get to the end of the line of vocabulary cards first.

Dictionary -(can be done with) No materials or preparation!

Builds an important skill for language learners- how to say a word they don't know!

Pictionary -(can be done with) No materials or preparation!

Builds an important skill for language learners- how to draw a word they don't know!

Gestionary -(can be done with) No materials or preparation!

Builds an important skill for language learners- how to act out a word they don't know!

WYAN- Word You Aleady Know. Students already know a lot of English words- prompt them to tell you what they already know!

Listen, Repeat and Point- Turn on students' power to remember.

Repeat and Change the Pattern Speaking- No materials or preparation!

A simple activity to help students perform short speeches.

Interactive Introduction- No materials or preparation!

A simple step-by-step way to introduce new language patterns. You do the speaking, the students learn the rest as a class.

Drawing an Explanation One Line at a Time- for Grade 5 Lesson 7 What's This?

Black Box Activity Adaptation- Let's all the kids participate, not just one at a time. For Grade 5 Lesson 7

Story Telling in Rounds

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Lesson Notes- Grade 5 Lesson 1  

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Gr. 5-1 Hello! Anyohasewo! Bon Jour!
Lesson Focus- Greetings & Saying Your Name
EigoNoto.com Additions: Japanese and World Greetings Culture, and Culture of Names
Conversation Skills: Speaking
Additional/Alternate Activities: Get The Picture (Greetings and Business Card Exchange); Row Races
   
    The targets of Grade 5 Lesson 1 are Greetings from around the world, and exchanging name or business cards. There are listening, chanting and speaking activities in each of the 3 lessons; the last half of the last lesson is given to a speaking activity. Eight greetings from around the world are introduced.


    The Eigo Noto lessons, as stated by the Ministry of Education (or at least as I understand them) are not meant to be conversation lessons. The goals of the curriculum highlight emphasis on home culture and cross-cultural awareness. However, in Book 1 Lesson 1, the Eigo Noto lessons take a very weak lead in discussing the culture of language and body language surrounding Greetings and name card exchange. And with the last half of the final lesson focused on speaking, there is obvious focus in this very first lesson on speaking ability.  The goals of the lesson seem at odds with these goals of the Ministry, but let’s see if we can improve the lesson on both counts.
    The speaking activities in the workbook lessons do little to motivate the students to do the activity.  The EigoNoto.com Get The Picture and Row Races activities add an element of friendly competition, not language-skill based, but Janken-based, that many students find intrinsically fun and motivating. It’s a simple approach, but effective nevertheless. If you use points for motivation (get an Aussie points map here) in your classes, this is another way to motivate some students.
    The Eigonoto.com lessons also begin with this lesson to use a large variety of international greetings at the beginning of every class. Speaking activities have also been included from the first lesson. And generally, a natural context and meaning has been construed with the language use in the EigoNoto.com activities that is typically missing in the workbook lessons. Language use, after all, is not only about the words themselves; language is a social activity, generally found within a context, and used for a purpose.
    The pictures used in the listening activity on page 6 are a great place to start a discussion about greetings in different cultures.  The obvious question to me is, “Which of the 6 greetings shown don’t show touching? And which doesn’t show the pair using eye contact?” Japan is a unique culture on both of these counts.
    In the activities involving a name or business card, there is also no discussion of the etiquette of name card exchange.  The culture surrounding this is also uniquely Japanese. It is very important etiquette in the business world, to be sure, but the almost ritual nature of the exchange is peculiar to Japan.
    There could also be discussion of why in Japan the pattern of family-name before given-name is common.  This, too, is unique to Japan and other Asian countries like China and Korea (North and South). The paternal, group-oriented thinking style is also peculiar to these cultures. Is there a connection? What is the historical basis? In Japan, it is only since the Meiji era, about 1870, that common people even have a family name.  The topics for fascinating discussion here are many.
    The “Hello Chant” used in this lesson is perhaps the best on the whole CD. There is rhythm, rhyme, a 4-beat count, and a naturalness to the use of the language pattern that makes it very effective. The listening activities in the workbook, incorporating listening, pointing, and choosing from the options in the workbook, are also very good. Having the students make their ‘own’ name card is also a very good technique: the sense of mine created in the making of the card provides a sense of realness that gives a deeper meaning to the card exchange activity (see Lesson Development Key #1). The time involved seems excessive, however, and could be better used. I have opted for students to write only their names on the cards.
    This discussion of Lesson 1 contains themes common to my critique of the workbook and the Eigo Noto lessons- there are worthwhile goals in the lessons, and some excellent and useful material. But there are also ways that the lessons can be made more suitable for helping all students feel achievment in the final activity; depth of culture explored; and higher level students challenged without discouraging students of lower ability.

Lesson Notes- Grade 5 Lesson 1SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

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