Site: ETC
Lesson Title: What would you like to buy?
Date of Class: Mar 10, 2020
Time of Class: 8:15 AM
MC: AmandaAdventurousTraveler
DJ: ShelleySincereLearner
Assistants/Shadowers/Auditioner:
Module: Kindai Senshu Program
How Many Learners: 7
Materials Status (loyalty cards, alphabet sheets, etc):

Self Evaluation

Preparation: Forgot to Show Up (1) vs. Every Hair In Place (10) = 8
Technique: Completely Incompetent (1) vs. Flawless Delivery (10) = 6
Engagement: Snoring Loudly (1) vs. Absolutely Riveted (10) = 6
Connection: Open Hostility (1) vs. Kumbayah (10) = 7
Poise: Charlie Brown (1) vs. Prince (10) = 6
Reflection: “It was ok.” (1) vs. Life-changing Epiphany (10) = 7

What happened (as short or as long as you like, but be specific): TL;DR: Today was pretty dynamic and had a variety of activities, including money practice, buying stuff, singing, and walking around.

We were in the choir room today, which was weird because there were no tables or chairs to work with, just stairs/risers. It ended up being okay because we did a lot of non-seated activities, but we did some planning to figure out how we can use the room accommodate future activities, which will be more writing heavy (or can at least benefit from a table top). The projector was also broken, so we had to shuffle around the lesson plan a bit so we could start working on the song activity while the Japanese classroom had an open period.

Anyway. A lot of today focused on money and buying things. After a fun fruit basket activity (where we learned that one student doesn’t like anything but meat and milk–ha!), we did some money dictation and a “this is a ___” activity. We followed this up with a money grab activity, which went really well. One pair of students seemed to need to take it a little slower than the others, but they still pulled it off.

After money grab, we went to the other classroom to work on the Taylor Swift song. That went okay. The learners seemed pret-ty reticent to sing along, which was expected. A couple learners were more vocal than the rest, so hopefully they can encourage everyone to relax a bit as we keep going. (I also noticed their teacher singing along!) Keeping in mind their skill level and our limited time frame, we gave them the lyrics rather than having them write them down, which has its benefits and drawbacks. Amanda and I discussed that writing the lyrics down would probably help the learners get familiar with the words and lend opportunities for us to provide context while they write, but given their skill level, it seems like we wouldn’t get very far and it would be pretty exhausting. Luckily, on our way back to the choir room, a couple learners were looking at the lyrics together and singing along, so that’s cool. We also suspect that not having the other teachers around will help make singing a little more comfortable.

Next we did a shopping activity. Amanda brought in Portland postcards and teeny tiny animal figurines that learners could “purchase.” We started with a store transaction dialogue dictation, and then I played the part of postcard vendor. (Amanda played the part of a motion-sensor door.) The learners took turns picking out postcards and paying for them, following the dialogue. The prices changed, of course. Then we did a “this is a ____” activity for the little animals. Then Amanda played the animal vendor and I was the door. :) This activity was super cool because each learner got a postcard and an animal to keep. And I got to keep the eel that nobody wanted. Everyone wins today.

The next activity was really great because Amanda locked onto a formula that allowed learners to produce their own answers, which has been a challenge for us up to this point. We walked around outside, accompanied by the principal(?). It started more or less as a yelling tour guide activity, but at one point early on, Amanda stopped and had everyone listen to their surroundings for a little bit. She asked “What do you hear?” and was able to communicate what she wanted them to do by gesturing toward her ear and providing an example. The learners caught on right away, and that engagement helped guide the rest of the walk. The principal even participated (“I see many students!”) which was cool. He seemed to think this walking activity was great. It was exciting that the learners were able to take in their surroundings and produce their own sentences based on their observations. When we got back to class, we just went around and reviewed what they saw yesterday in Portland and what we saw today on the walk. (Spoiler: a lot of stairs.)

Despite the weird room and having to shuffle around the activities, today went really well. The lows were generally expected, and there were some unexpected highlights, too. Amanda’s preparation was excellent. The change bags, postcards, and animals really made the activities engaging. It also feels like a “yay” that the principal and the teacher seem to like our activities.

That’s the end! You made it. I don’t know why I feel like I need to detail the entire day in these write ups. I’m adding a TL;DR to this one.