Eden - Activities to Teach English

"A Book about Me"

Part I - Overview
Misuzu, age 11, Shimotayoro Elementary	Synopsis - Kids create a book about themsleves in English with Japanese translations and illustrate it with their own photographs, pictures from magazines, and drawings. In the process, they learn how to say phrases like, "I want to be an astronaut." At the end, students present their books to the rest of the class.
Target audience - The "A Book about Me" project is particularly flexible; I teach use it with 3rd- through 6th-grade elementary classes. It would also complement the 1st-year junior high English curriculum or a kids' English club.	Tsugumi, age 9, Nisshin Elem.-Jr. High
Kento, Nana, and Toshiyuki	Curriculum design - This curriculum is modular; you can extend it from two to four or more class periods. Kids learn one or two target phrases per lesson (e.g., "I like ~," and "I don't like ~."), and there are worksheets for six phrases. Each worksheet corresponds to a page in the book the students design, and so each student's book will have several pages, the exact number depending on what you decide to teach.

Part II - Handouts
	Worksheets Worksheets that give students for writing target phrases like "I like ~," or "I want to be a (occupation)." Some worksheets have two versions, one for younger students and one for older students. Teachinng students the phrase from a single sheet, having them complete the worksheet, and creating a page in their own "A Book about Me" requires about one class period.
	"A Book about Me" Page Template For each page a student is going to add to his or her book, I give them a copy of this to ensure they include the English, Japanese translation, and yomikata if needed.
	Handout - Materials to Bring A list of materials kids can bring to make their book. I give this to the Japanese sensei a few days before class so the students have time to collect materials. It's important to explain that they don't need everything, or even anything, on the list -- drawn pictures are just fine. Please don't confuse this with the list of materials you need to teach "A Book about Me" (see Part IV - Materials, below).
	Lucky and Unlucky Cards - 3 Sets These are for playing the "Round Robin" game to practice target phrases (see the Part III - Lesson Plans below).

Part III - Lesson Plans
These lesson plans are general in that they can be used for several lessons to teach the phrases in "A Book about Me."

Lesson 1
Activity	Description	Time
Teach "My name is~."	a. AET writes "My name is ~" in Japanese and English on the board, says the phrase several times, and students repeat. b. "Work the crowd" - AET then points to students and asks them to say this phrase individually. Energy!	5
Teach "I am (years old).	(As above.) "I am (years old)."	5 (10)
Round robin	Students form groups of four or five and sit in a circle. AET starts the timer for any period of 10 to 30 seconds, and each student takes a turn saying one of the target phrases. If the timer expires when a student is reading, he or she receives an unlucky card, and the person who read immediately before them receives a lucky card. (Lucky & Unlucky Cards, Adobe Reader format)	15 (25)
Introduce book concept	a. AET shows students a sample book and explains that each person is going to create their own books in English. b. Students start worksheets by writing , "My name is ~", and "I am (years old). May continue if time allows. * AET collects assignment and checks what is completed to hand back next class.	20 (45)

Lesson 2 and Beyond
Activity	Description	Time
Teach target phrases	a. As per first lesson. Teach one or two phrases per day, such as "I like ~," and "I don't like~." b. "Work the crowd" - Sensei then points to students and asks them to say this phrase individually. Energy!	10
Round robin or Message game	Round Robin - As per first lesson. Message Game (Good for review when books are nearly completed) - Divide the class into teams and whisper a target phrase to the first person in each group. When signaled, they whisper it to the next person and so on. The last person says what they heard aloud for all to hear. Note: Incorporate humor; e.g., "I like hanamizu (mucus -- kids love it)."	15 (25)
Complete worksheets	Students complete worksheets. When finished, they may start book construction.	20 (45)
Book construction	Students start construction of their books. They may draw pictures, cut them from old magazines, use stickers, etc. to decorate the pages. Use the template page to remind them to write both Japanese and English so they can understand their books later. * When class is finished, each student should put his or her book and materials in an envelope for the AET or Japanese teacher to keep until next class.	20 (45)

Self-introduction	For small classes with ample time, students may present their books to the class.	extra

Part IV - Materials
Below is a list of materials to teach "A Book about Me." There is also another materials list, but it is for the students and tells them what they might bring from home to make their books. A jazzy book about yourself for an illustration to show kids (the flashier, the better). Old magazines, calandars, etc. for the students to cut up (solicit them from your office, friends, and garbage dumpsters; also ask the kids to bring them from home). You can also ask the kids to bring stuff from home. Here is a handout you can give them that gives suggestions for materials. (It's important to note that they only need bring several or even none of the items; drawn pictures are just fine.) Fasteners of some sort to fasten the pages together and a tool to do it with, if necessary. Some sort of Japanese-to-English materials that the kids can use. I use a set of junior high Japanese-English dictionaries with katakana pronunciation, English picture books, and posters with animals, vehicles, seasons, etc. labeled in English. Any one of these would be fine, but the more the better. Photocopies of the worksheets with the target phrases you choose to teach. A kana-to-romaji table to help the students write their names. You can get a copy of one of these from nearly any English or Japanese langiage textbook. Large envelopes for students to put unfinished work to store it safely between classes. (Only if you do the "Round Robin" game:) A timer that can count down in seconds (e.g., from 15 seconds to zero; most schools already have one of these).