Those of you who teach in elementary school have probably already gotten your first taste of “Hi, Friends!” – the book they’re using to replace good ol’英語ノート(EIGO NOTO). Hi, Friends!, which in no way lends itself to funny mock-titles, is dragging my elementary school kicking and fighting into the 21st century. Because while the book [...]
Last school year I heard my vice-principal half-whispering to my principal: “Oh, Amanda? She can do it.” “It” was teaching two out of three junior high school grades without a JTE. We had gone from three JTEs to two because of students-to-staff proportional downsizing, and it was just too many classes for them to teach. [...]
No, seriously, we do spelling activities, and the kids get way more into it than I ever would have predicted. Here is how it happened. I’ll warn you now that this isn’t a tips-and-tricks kind of ESS for this month; this is a whole system that will take several weeks to get implemented, but will [...]
This is one of the best games I played with my students in three years (I played it each year!). I call it simply: The Ainu Game. In essence, it’s a True/False game played in teams of 5 or so students. (I just tell my kids to get into “lunch groups’ and they seem to know what to do!) …
(Printouts are at the bottom of the post) A while back, one of my elementary schools requested that I read some English picture books to my sixth graders. So I ran to the nearest Junkudo (an hour away) and picked up the three most interesting (but still simple) I could find from their small selection. [...]
(Printouts are at the bottom of the post) Question and Answer Daily Speaking Practice One of the greatest disasters of the Japanese English education system is the lack of speaking and listening practice. But with the ever looming “Entrance Exams,” it’s always a question of how? Students already have too much to memorize and not [...]
Current Issue — May 2012
From the HT Photo Group
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Maigo in Hyogo – May ’12
What temple has the weary pilgrim found?Engrish Corner
Life After the B.O.E.
