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In the previous post we talked about a high school discussion class. But this theme is not limited to just discussion.

Here are some other effective language activities;


Simple Stories: Read easy stories about famous people.

Guess Who: Give clues about a historical figure and have students guess.

Pretend Play: Let students act like famous people.

Short Talks: Have students learn about one person and tell the class.

Find What's the Same and Different: Talk about how people from different times or places are alike and different.

Visual aids: Use pictures and videos to help students see the past.

Learning English can be more exciting by talking about interesting people from history. It helps students learn new words, understand stories, think for themselves, learn about the world, and feel inspired.

Best wishes,

Michael.

Recently a high school class had a discussion task in their textbook focused on historical figures.

The language advantages of this theme are;

(1) Interesting Words: History has lots of new and exciting words. When we talk about people like famous scientists or brave leaders, students learn these words in a way that makes sense.

(2) Great Stories History is full of amazing stories! These stories help students practice listening, reading, and telling things in English.

(3) Think and Talk: When students learn about what people did in the past, it makes them think. Students can share their ideas and practice speaking English.

(4) Learn About the World and Japan: History shows us different cultures and how people lived in different times. This helps students understand their world better.

Best wishes,

Michael.

皆さんこんにちは！
本日は木曜日のレッスンでの1コマをご紹介いたします(^▽^)
本日ご紹介するのは６人の低学年クラス。いつもとても賑やかです。
今週のレッスンでは、レッスン前に「日本語を話している子がいたら"English please"と言ってあげてね！」と伝えていたので、事あるごとに"English please!"と注意してくれました！
そのほかにも、立っている子がいたら"Sit down, please!"と言ってくれたり、とてもたくましい姿が見られました！
この調子で、どんどん自然に英語が話せるように頑張っていきましょう！

Japanese young learners often struggle with Eiken 3 writing ideas due to a learning focus on memorization over creative generation. Early English education might lack open-ended writing practice. Cultural tendencies towards indirectness can also make expressing personal opinions challenging in a foreign language. Limited vocabulary and grammatical structures can further hinder the articulation of ideas. Finally, unfamiliarity with specific prompt types can leave students feeling stuck. Shifting the focus towards brainstorming and encouraging creative expression is key to unlocking their writing potential.

One way around this is by mind mapping / brainstorming in Japanese before writing in English. This helps because it unlocks their inherent creativity and - once the writing task has a basic map - makes the grammatical task less daunting.

Best wishes,

Michael.

Japanese are accustomed to writing seamlessly, with kanji, hiragana, and katakana flowing together without spaces between individual words. This elegant system works beautifully for their, where grammatical particles and the inherent structure of the language help delineate meaning.

However, English operates on a different principle. Spaces between words are fundamental to conveying meaning and ensuring clarity. They act as invisible walls, separating individual units of thought and allowing readers to quickly parse the sentence.

When I practice writing with young learners I often get them to chant, "word - space - word" so as to install the importance of this.

今週のレッスンでは、小学校低学年クラスも高学年クラスも、楽しいアクティビティが沢山あります！低学年はポイント制のゲーム、そして高学年は世界地図で国の位置を当てたり、ヒントクイズなども行っております！アクティビティを行う前に一緒に練習した基本構文を使いながら行えるものなので、アクティビティを楽しみつつ、抑えるべき点もしっかり抑えられています！
この調子で話せる英語をもっと増やしていきましょう！

川口

Recently some students in a L&A Light class asked about "aisle" and "isle"?

These words are homophones; they sound exactly the same but have very different meanings.

An aisle is a passage between rows (like in a supermarket), while an isle is a small island. In fact the UK is sometimes referred to as The British Isles.

A good way to remember the difference is to put them into a simple context, for example "I'll walk down the aisle to the isle," or, "Walking down the grocery aisle, I dreamed of escaping to a tropical isle."

Other popular homophones are;

see / sea: I love to see the waves crash on the sea.
there / their / they're: They're going to put their bags over there.
to / too / two: I'm going to the store too to buy two apples.
hear / here: Can you hear me over here?
write / right: Please write down the right answer.
no / know: I know there's no milk left.
one / won: He won the race by just one second.
sun / son: My son loves to play in the sun.
new / knew: I knew about the new movie.
flour / flower: She used flour to bake a flower-shaped cake.

Best wishes,

Michael.

In all levels of language teaching, two techniques - overlapping and shadowing - are extremely effective. They work by combining listening and either reading or speaking.

Overlapping means listening to someone speak the language while you read the words at the same time. This helps connect the sounds you hear with the written words, making it easier to remember vocabulary and grammar. Seeing the words as you hear helps a student learn how to spell, pronounce, and understand them better.

Shadowing is all about repeating what you hear. A student listens to a native speaker and tries to say the same words at the same time, like an echo. This is great for improving pronunciation and how smoothly you speak. It trains your mouth and ears to understand the little details of the language.

Another advantage is that because this is a form of repetitive practice, the learner remembers new vocabulary.

Best wishes,

Michael.

長いゴールデンウィークが終わりましたが、皆さんのゴールデンウィークはいかがでしたでしょうか？
私が担当しているレッスンでは、生徒の皆さんにゴールデンウィークに何をしたかを聞いているのですが、
動物園に行った子、大阪に行った子、長崎のハウステンボスに行った子など、色々な所へ旅行した生徒さんが多かったです。
過去形を使いながら英語で説明できる生徒さんが増えているので、私も聞いていて楽しいだけでなく、いつも感動しております！
この調子で一緒に頑張っていきましょう！

川口

A clean learning environment is crucial.

Teachers aren't just instructors; they're caretakers of the space where students learn and grow.

A tidy classroom boosts focus, reduces the spread of germs, and fosters a sense of community.

When everyone contributes, it shows students that we all share responsibility for our school and instills pride and respect for the shared space, creating a better learning environment for everyone.

Best wishes,

Michael.