WS: "He is Mr Dom" 1st G JHS

When it come to the "Who is this...?" question and he/she answers, I use this sheet.



It's pretty self-explanatory, and works in the same way as my sheet for my "It's Ming's bike" sheet.

Students use the picture hints on sheet one to work out who they should be writing about, then write a "He is Mr Dom type sentence in the box.

That's it.

Takes about 15 mins with explanation.

So, here's the handout for download. It's a .docx, so if your computer (like so many in Japan) is still living in the dark ages, you'll need this .doc version. However, you can't edit the pictures in the latter, so you'll have to paste something on top of the deliberately obnoxious picture of me (I don't usually dress like that). Sorry. Blame Microsoft.

This is my own work, so please don't redistribute elsewhere without permission or credit :D

WS: "I want to be a..." 2nd G JHS

Just over half-way through second grade junior high, students learn about future job aspirations. Lucky for them, I made an awesome sheet about it!!!!!!!!!


Well, here's the teaching handout to download. It's in .docx format, so it you're using a (seriously) outdated Office package (I know many schools still are), here's a .doc version for download, too. The .doc one cannot be edited. Sorry, that's how Microsoft work.

It's pretty self-explanatory to Westerners but some Japanese have no idea how a flow chart works, so you'll find most of your time spent explaining and checking the meaning of the sheet:

1. Explain the concept
1. Make pairs
2. Winner of janken interviews the other student first
3. Winner asks "Do you want to..." and then the text from the first box
4. A "Yes, I do" answer means follow the arrow to the right, and a "No" to the left, and so on
5. The final letter reached through the interview has a corresponding job title on the back of the sheet
2. Get students to volunteer to translate each sentence on the front of the sheet, and then check comprehension of all the job titles on the back (you may want to change "International Playboy" if your students are more innocent than my loads of bad-asses.
3. Do the sheet. The doing only takes 10 mins max, but then you can ask students what their partner's want to be etc to fill more time.

Total time: 20-30 minutes depending on the level.

You can also have students draw by hand their own version if you want to fill the rest of the lesson.

That's it, see you next week.

PS: This is my original work. Please don't redistribute through some other site passing it off as your own. There was a Russian guy who actually published and sold a collection of people's worksheets from esl-printables.com. If anyone tries that kind of nonsense with me the D-Man gon get you..

WS: "Yes, she does" 1st G JHS

So, you're teaching "Does (person) (verb)?" ? Well, here's a game, then.



Very simple concept. It's an information gap.

1. There are three versions of the sheet, distributed evenly amongst your students (one each).
2. Students make pairs, janken, and the winner asks "Does Sally like maths?", using the grid to formulate the question.
3. The other student responds with "Yes, she does," the negative, or "I don't know".
4. Student A fills in the sheet and the pairs separate.
5. Continue until it gets boring or they finish. Then make them write three questions and answers.

It works well. Kids seem to enjoy it.

Bank on using about 20-25 minutes depending on how fun or well behaved your kids are.

Here's the worksheet to download.

WS: "The computer is on the desk" Game 1st G JHS

This is a fun game using prepositions. It exists in various forms for various grammar points from various sources online. Here is how we at AccessJ play it, which is by far the smoothest way we've found.




In groups, students need to work together to find and record the hints around the classroom.

Here's the sheet.

• First, cut out all the clues and stick them around the classroom. Make it a bit of a challenge to find them.
• Put students in their lunchtime groups. 4 students is ideal, but 3-6 is also fine, so if they have lunchtime groups just stick with those.
• Give them the three pages on the handout which do not contain the clues (so the room, blank hint sheet and items).
• One student is nominated to be the detective, one to be the scribe, one to cut out the item and one to stick it on the sheet. This changes each turn (rotate roles around the group).
• Detective stands up and goes to find a clue. He/she must remember the number of the clue and it's contents, then go back to the group and tell them his discovery.
• Everyone does their job, then the roles change. 
• Repeat.
• At the end, you can ask "where is ____", or blow up a sheet with the correct locations etc for them to compare.

Sorry for the dull explanation - it's a fun game, try it!

Fills about 30 minutes.

WS: Past Passive "Were drawn by" 3rd G JHS

This is a third graders' version of the first grade sheet I posted last week.


One side of the paper is the drawing areas, the other the lines for text.

Instruct students to listen carefully to your key words. They have 30 seconds to draw your key word as many times as possible in the appropriate box.

I chose simple things like socks, bananas etc to start with, then threw it some hard ones like Kappa Sushi Hello Kitty Grape Juice, 2005 Nissan Cube etc. near the end.

After drawing, get them to flip over the sheets, make pairs, and ask each other "How many _______ did you draw?" Armed with that information, they write two sentences. One in the past as "I drew six buses", and one as the past passive "Seven buses were drawn by Tomoya."

Here's the sheet.

Expect to fill around 15 minutes.

WS: "How Many?" Drawing Game 1st G JHS

This is a simple activity I found on Englishpedia. It's good, but like virtually everything on there needs updating for the 21st century. I've done that, and play it slightly differently.


One side of the paper is the drawing areas, the other the lines for text.

Instruct students to listen carefully to your key words. They have 30 seconds to draw your key word as many times as possible in the appropriate box.

I chose simple things like socks, bananas etc to start with, then threw it some hard ones like Kappa Sushi Hello Kitty Grape Juice, a bike, or a teacher etc. near the end.

After drawing, get them to flip over the sheets, make pairs, and ask each other "How many _______ do you have?" Armed with that information, they write two sentences. One for "I have...." and one for "You have...." (they don't know "has" at this point).

Here's the sheet.

Expect to fill around 15 minutes.

I've also converted this for the third grade grammar point of "Were drawn by". Check back next week for that.

WS: Eigo Noto 2: 5 General Vocab

Everyone can play ohajiki

I made this lesson plan for an elementary lesson I taught last week. I was asked to teach them the vocabulary needed for Eigo Noto 2 L5 (shops and buildings, library etc). However this lesson plan can be used to teach any vocabulary, and I would even use it with 1st grade JHS students.


Greeting Hello, how are you etc.

New words I skipped the warm up this week and concentrated on drilling the new words. First I held up the flashcards and had the students repeat the words after me, then I held up a card and they said the word in English. Boring, but effective. (my flashcards were pictures, but words can also be used). We looked at 14 new words this week, a bit many but that's what the school wanted.

Mystery card I was skeptical about this game at first, but the students actually really liked it. I had a sheet of card bigger than the flashcard. I hid one card behind it and revealed it millimetre by millimetre (the less you show the more fun!). The students raised their hand and guess (in English) which card it was. Simple, and surprisingly fun!


Ohajiki game 1 おはじき (ohajiki) means counter, like those used in board games, but you can use anything. Ask your school as they may already have some, I asked and was given about 2000 plastic flowers to use!
For the game students should have 5 Ohajiki each.
In the students textbook there is a page with pictures corresponding to the flashcards.
The students should place choose 5 pictures and put their ohajiki on them (one ohajiki per picture).
I then called out one of the shops names. If the student has an ohajiki on that picture they remove it.
The first student with no ohajiki on their page is the winner.
It`s kind of like reverse bingo!

Ohajiki game 2 This time students make pairs. Each pair should have one textbook between them, and a set of 5 ohajiki each.
This time, they both start with no ohajiki on the textbook and when you call a word out they both try to put an ohajiki on that square. The first student to place their ohajiki on the page leaves it there. The slower of the pair keeps their ohajiki.
The winner is the first student with no ohajiki in their hand.

Finger twister For the final game, students stay in their pairs, but discard their ohajiki. It is basically the same as game 2 above except they use their fingers to point, not their ohajiki. However, the fastest student leaves their finger on the page. So the next word they have to reach with their remaining fingers. Leaving them in a finger twister type situation!

WS: "Don't Pick the Flower!" JHS 1st G

About midway through the year (chapter 4 in New Crown), you'll be teaching first graders commands: "Don't use my camera" etc

Here's a fun activity I came up with today.

• First, play Simon Says, incorporating the "Don't" point. Start with basic gestures and icnrease the difficulty in stages:
• Run, walk, swim, jump, fly
• Touch... simple body parts, desk, textbook, friend etc.
• Pick the flower, tree etc.
• Play tennis, soccer, TV games etc.
• Be happy, hungry etc.
  
  
• Then you can move on to part two. Use a soft object/ball and have the kids move their desks to the edge of class and stand in a circle. 
• Throw the ball to one kid and shout "Catch the ball" or "Don't catch", until the kids get it. 
• After that, start using the vocab from Simon Says...
• Student gestures (or does the opposite gesture) and then throws the ball to someone else.
• In some classes, this can be very slow. If so, elect a good kid (or you) to stand in the middle and be "it", telling other kids what to do and then getting the ball back each time.
  
  
• Keep doing that until they're bored.
  

If you need to fill more time, Laura made a quick sheet covering some "Don't..." signs. Students work out what they mean as a class and then design their own. They can then show them to each other and get them to guess what they are, and write out a "Don't..." sentence.

WS: Eigo Noto: Spelling

You may find that many Japanese children (and adults) have trouble with spelling. I have friends who still are not quite sure of the correct way to spell their names.

In the 3rd grade elementary, students are taught to convert Japanese to English script. However for some bizarre reason they are not taught the same system as they will be taught a few years later in Junior High School; such as つ being taught as tu and not tsu, ち ci and not chi and し si and not shi.

Todays plan aims to introduce this to students through some fun games, aiming to have them remember these formations in romaji.


Greeting Good morning, how are you, small conversation about summer vacation etc.

Warm up We used the CD accompanying Eigo Noto1 to sing the 20 steps song (the 10 steps version is also on this CD).
The 20 and 10 steps songs are popular songs within Japanese elementary schools teaching number 1-20.
We sing it once with all the numbers, and then again with one number replaced with a clap, again with second number replaced with a jump, and then a spin, etc etc replacing numbers with moves until your students are collapsed on the floor in a heap...

Introduction
After handing out a worksheet with a katakana to romaji chart on I wrote "Suzuki Ichiro and Oshima Yuko" on the board and asked students to read it.
We talked about using capital letters at the start and the "chi" in Ichiro and "shi" in the names.

Writing Although the powers-that-be have said that we are not supposed to teach or encourage the children to write in elementary school.... but I could't resist this perfect opportunity to have the students write their name. I checked it for mistakes and then we moved quickly on.

Activity The students made groups of 4 - 6 students.
We used the karuta cards from the back of Eigo Noto2 which all students should have.
Each group took 3 sets and spread them out on the floor or desk.

I then read some 'English words' i.e. Japanese words used in English (sushi, origami etc), although it took students a while to realise this. Students then tried to make the words using the karuta cards.
The first team to raise their hands get 5 points, then 4, then 3, then 0 (you can give more points but I am mean!).

Below is a list of words I used
Sushi
Sashimi
Karaoke
Doraemon
Anime
Judo
Manga
Karate
Kendo
Futon

Extras As a little extra I asked students to spell my name, Laura. Laura is especially difficult to spell as in Katakana it is written ローラ and translated using their romaji chart this becomes ro ra. And they also don't know how to translate the Katakana prolonged sound mark (ー).
If students do manage to spell it, usually after me writing L _ _ _ _ on the board, I give them plus 10.

This, however, is a great starting place to talk about how easy it is to write Japanese words in English, but how difficult to write English in Japanese and then to translate them back.

Well, that's about it for this week. If you have anything to add, please comment below.

WS: Blockbusters (all grades)

Blockbusters is a famous quiz show format which you've probably heard of. Here's how to play it with your students.

Any age can play this if they can understand your questions (or translate some words).

Here goes...

MS Paint masterpiece

1. Draw a grid on the board, like this one. It can be bigger if you want/have more time to fill (a 6x8 grid can last all lesson sometimes).


2. Write a letter in each circle/shape.


3. Make a question for each letter. The answer to the question starts with the letter in the shape. 


4. Make two teams (you can try with three or four if you like).


5. One student from each team comes to the front, and sit either side of a desk (facing each other). 


6. On the desk is an object (eraser or something).


7. Students janken to see who starts. The winner chooses a letter from the first column on the board.


8. The two students put their hands on their head while you ask the question. The first student to grab the eraser answers the question. If they get if right, that circle is coloured in that team's colour.


9. After this question the students go back to their groups and the next kids come up to try.


10. The aim of the game is to get a line across the board (diagonally is okay). Failing that, the most number of circles in that group's colour.

A line all the way across the board earns 100 points. One top to bottom earns 50, and each square is 5.

WS: Eigo Noto 2: I Can 3

Three sessions may seem like a long time on one grammar point, but "I can" is so important, and has so many uses that it's well worth it.

After learning "can (+verb)" you can introduce more complex things.
I can play, I can play the, I can cook, I can make, I can eat etc.
By keeping the main grammar point constant ("I can" and "can you?") the introduction of these new verbs isn't as conceptually difficult as it may seem.


Greeting Good morning etc.

Chant Using the flash cards from previous weeks, with vocabulary the students already know. I have them chant I can/I can't. Strangely I always find that students can remember how to say "I can" but have trouble remembering "I can't".

New Vocabulary Next I introduce some new verbs. This week we studied; cook, make, ride and eat. We made example sentences and the students repeated them after me. I got them to suggest their own sentences, such as "I can't ride a dog" etc to make it more entertaining.

Activity Eigo Noto 2, page 27, has a space for students to draw pictures of things they can and can't do. Of course you can use a worksheet or even some scrap paper.
I had the students draw 3 things they can do, and 3 they can't.
I asked them to be as creative as possible giving them examples such as, "I can ride an elephant" and "I can't eat a monkey".
I made it clear that the students did not have to know the sentence in English, and could ask me for help. My students were great and came up with some very interesting ideas!
N.B. At this point I asked the students to draw their pictures secretly and not show anyone.

Speech In groups of 4 or 5 (they may already have groups or you might have to make them) I had the students made speeches using their pictures.
Hello, my name is ____________________
I can ____________________________________ x3
I can't __________________________________ x3
Thank you very much.

Activity 2 At this point I got students to collect the textbooks/worksheets in and bring them to me. (Tip: if using textbooks have them leave them stacked open on the correct page!).
I then chose a book at random (Tip: hide the name on the book!).
I then gave hints, I can__________ I can't____________________.
After giving the hints the students should guess whose book it is.
The students whose book it is should not raise their hand.

Problems you might face with this game:
1. Not being able to understand the pictures.
Whilst students are drawing at the begging of the lesson walk around and ask the students what their picture means.  There will be some you don't understand, but my students found it hilarious when I ended up with a pile of 10 books with pictures I couldn't decipher!
2. The students may very well all have the same ideas. I can play soccer, I can't play kendama.
When giving your examples make them as exciting as possible. the students will get a laugh out of it and it will hopefully encourage them to have a go at creating some funny sentences in English. If you are lucky you might get some ideas as interesting as these;

A few of my favorites
I can't ride a dinosaur.
I can't bungee jump from this school.
I can't sleep for 24 hours.
I can't put a car on my head.
I can eat monkey, and cheese and everything is delicious.
I can sew a wedding dress.
I can eat ume boshi on Wednesday.

WS: Eigo Noto 2: I Can 2

This is the second lesson teaching 'I can'. You may wish to introduce 'can you' at this point, but I found that due to time restraints, and a two week gap in my being at this school, the students couldn't remember 'I can' as well as I would have liked. So I stuck with it for another week


Greeting - Hello, How are you? What month is it now?

I can - Review vocabulary from last time "I can fly/run" etc.

• Then, introduce new verbs. "I can play basketball, soccer etc."
• Next, "I can play the piano, the guitar, etc."
• We repeat this as a class a number of times before I stop and ask students to guess why you say "I can..../I can play..../and I can play the..."
• After studying this I show some pictures of other things (instruments, sports etc.) and get them to tell me if it is play, play the, or just I can.

I can game - If you're in a regular classroom, students should be already in lines of 4-6 students. This will be their team today.

• Have the first student from each team come to you, and give them a verb flashcard. They should keep this card a secret.
• Next, have the student stand, facing one team. This should not be their own team.
• The student with the flashcard has 2 seconds to gesture what is written on their card.
• They should make the gesture as difficult as possible, they do not want the team to guess!

After making their two second gesture (it's best for you to time it and have all students present their gesture at the same time), the team gets to guess what the player was doing. They should say, as a team 'I can .....'
The student who presented the gesture should answer "I can ..." Or  "I can't..." If the team was correct, they get one point.

Repeat until all students have had a turn at giving a gesture.

Fruit basket - As played a few weeks ago.

• Students make  circle with their chairs. There should be one less chair than players. (I usually start myself to ensure this).
• The student in the middle will say "I can ......" or "I can`t...."
• The students sitting who have the same answer will stand up and change seats. The student left without a chair starts the next round.
• Saying "fruit basket" means all students have to change seats.

Finish - see ya.