Recently we had to take a mock test and come up with stratergies to help teach some of the concepts to our highschool students.
I must say, I myself underestimated how difficult the test was and I could only imagine how the students feel writing it.
I decided to come up with new and interesting ways of teaching the material to them!
As a native speaker and teacher, that test was filled with very high level content!
It really made me take a step back and think..."My poor students".
So, I hope that all the new methods of helping them with that material really pays off!
I want to help them as much as possible! That test was a little scary!
- Khanya (Kay) Sensei
More English with Chocolate-O!
It's a rare thing to find students who truly make you laugh every single lesson. My class of Juniour High students on Wednesdays make my day every time. Our classes are filled with so much laughter! It still amazes me how far they have come from when I first started teaching them. This week, I began experimenting with new ways to get the students to speak more English in class and less Japanese. "Find the donought" was one of the games I made to help give the students motivation to speak more English. I hid three small, plastic donoughts in the classroom and the students have to find them. Each donought toy is worth 3, 4, or 5 points. The more English you speak, I keep adding points to the donought you found.
One of my students found all three donoughts! "K" is very bubbly and she was excited to hold all three donoughts herself. When one fell, she wanted to say something in Japanese, but realised she needed to speak English, so she yelled...Chocolate-o! oh my Chocolate-o!
It was so funny, we couldn't stop laughing! Well, her new nickname is now...Chocolate-o!
- Khanya (Kay) Sensei
It`s always wonderful to hear students taking what they have learned and using it in creative ways,
I`d like to highlight two of my students today who have done a wonderful job understanding what they hear.
The first is my Tuesday kindergarten student, H, we use small songs and rhymes to help students with tasks, like our "put away" song, after hearing so many times, little H has learned that it means it is time to stop playing and move to the next activity, and she uses that to her advantage, if H does not want to do an activity, she`ll cross her little arms and say "no, put away" which is both hilarious and adorable to see, I always love when students find a new way to express their thoughts.
The second student I`d like to highlight is at the opposite end, one of my highest level students, who I see on a Saturday. this student, R, takes great care in everything she says and is very charming and sociable, often times our lessons will go off topic because she and her classmate will ask "when would I say this?" or "what is the best way to say this?" and so we explore context and social cues just as much as the words themselves, it has led to our conversations becoming more and more complicated and natural feeling, and even a few lessons where she and her classmate have started teaching me! through our discussions I have learned a lot about festivals and manners in Japan, and all of it was explained in English!
I can`t wait to see what R, H, and all of our other students can achieve in the future.
-Jordan sensei
みなさんこんにちは！
1/13,14は共通テスト本試験でしたね。
試験を受けた皆様が実力を十分に発揮できたことを願っております。
さて、本日は共通テストに向けた、個別レッスンのお話をいたします。
高校3年生のKくん。共通テストに向けて、2年生から対策を始めました。
最初はリーディングのコツをつかむ練習をしていき、自分の中で点数の取りやすい順番などを一緒に見つけていきました。
すると、リーディングの点数が、初めの時よりも20点以上あがり、安定してきました。
リスニングも、最初は文章量に戸惑うことも多くありましたが、大事な情報の聴き取り方をマスターしてからは点数がぐんと伸びました！
個別レッスンでも、インタラクティブレッスンでも練習を重ねた成果がでています！
次は学校別の二次試験が待っています。引き続き一緒に頑張りましょう！
そして、共通テストはまだ先だと思っているみなさん！
何事も早く始めて損はありません。
今からでも一緒に練習をしていきましょう！
福田
The best things always seem to happen unexpectedly. Whether it's recieving a gift or getting good news.
These blessings can come as such a wonderful surprise, that they can brighten up any day!
Such a surprise came from one of my Junior High students "K". She is in a class with three other girls.
It has been such a pleasure watching them gain more confidence in themselves
but also getting to see how bright and bubbly their personalities are.
When I first started teaching them, they were very quiet and serious, seldom speaking up and making jokes.
Now they are on a whole new level. Sharing jokes, laughing out loud and always talking.
Last week, my student "K" shared a souvenir with me from Nagoya. It was limited edition Pringles, which I love!
I was so surprised and happy, that myself and her classmates were in her thoughts during her vacation.
It was such an unexpected blessing! She is so sweet!
- Khanya (Kay) Sensei
This week as we came back to classes so many students were excited to talk about their vacation, and our lessons armed them with the perfect pattern for it.
our middle grade students this week learned the phrase "how did you spend your summer vacation?" which of course can easily be changed to talk about winter vacation, New years, or even just the weekend.
After helping them connect it to "what did you do?" it was great to hear about all the trips to see family, all the delicious food, and of course all the shrine visits and beautiful sunrises that everyone saw!
-Jordan Sensei
みなさんこんにちは！
本日は幼児クラスのレッスンの様子をお伝えいたします！
幼児クラスの年長さん4人組。
みんなで天気を確認するとき、今までは文字を見て正しい天気を探していたのですが、今は探した後に小文字を読んでもらっています。
sunnyやcloudy、windyなど、ばらばらにアルファベットが出てきても認識がしっかりできています！
Good job!!
※iとlやbとdは間違えやすいので要注意！
幼児クラスから大文字・小文字が完璧だと、小学校にあがったときに、より英語が楽しくなりますね！
みなさん、これからも一緒に頑張りましょう！
福田
As a teacher, you always try to be mindful of your students behaviour. Good or bad. Silly or serious
So, it comes as no surprise that some of the funniest things that happen during the day,
come from students doing the most interesting things.
One of my interactive students "S" and I have bonded very well! So much so that I have my own nickname now.
He never fails to hug and greet me loudly before class. It always has his mother and everyone laughing. The name has stuck now.
One of the other students, "M" tried to call me by that name in class and "S" said, "Khanya Sensei for you. Khani-Chan for me!"
I laughed so hard but I was also so proud because he managed to say it in English!
- Khanya (Kay) Sensei
Everyone has their own way that they learn best.
Some of my students are very focused on memorising every bit of vocabulary they can,
Some of them love to sit and have conversations and feel how the language works naturally,
and Some learn their best when its snuck into games.
Lately one of my most invaluable tools in class has been a deck of cards, there are any number of games that can be played, from speed challenges, to games of chance, to memory tests.
if a student doesn`t want to work, the promise of a game at the end is a great motivator, and many of my students take the phrases from the games "do you have...?" "may I have...?" "where is the...?" and have become more confident using them in the classroom.
and that says nothing of their delight when they realise they have beat the teacher at a game, more than once lessons have ended with a group erupting into cheers when I have to admit defeat.
-Jordan Sensei
みなさんこんにちは！
今日は英検5級に向けて頑張っている生徒さんのレッスンを紹介いたします。
小3のOちゃん。現在5級に向けて練習中です。
その中でも、5W1Hを使った質問とその答えを、サイコロを使って学びました！
サイコロには、What, When, Where, Who, Why, Howが書かれており、出てきた単語から始まる質問に対し、自分の答えを言ってもらいます。
そしてその質問と答えをノートに書いてもらうことで、そのあと読む練習もできています！
1か月前よりも読みの力がぐんと力の伸びたoちゃん。
これからも一緒に頑張って5級を獲得しましょう！
福田
