I can write on and on and on about how amazing my students are, but I’ll try to keep it short until the end of the trip. My children are simply amazing (yes, I call them children, despite the fact that they’re rising juniors — but they’re born in 2000!). On the first week we were doing a mind map of what they think of when they hear America; one of them said NAFTA, while another said playboy. I think that gives you a good spectrum of the intelligence and the humor of my students. And my roommate is simply amazing; I cannot teach without her!
Below is the list of lessons we have taught so far, as well as games, activities and songs. Every once in a while (average of 1 per week?) I take my students out to smoothies. The change in environment makes it more comfortable for them to talk, giving me a great chance for me and my roommate to learn about our students and what they think of the classes. Also, by brainstorm or mind map, I mean that I asked the students what words they thought of or what words they knew on the topic. If they do not say all the words I had prepared during lesson planning, then I add onto the list.
Note: this may not be in the exact order, but these are all activities, games and lessons covered. Also, this list will be updated rather infrequently.
Week 1 - Introduction, American culture
Day 1 - Introduction, help students pick English names if they want one
Day 2 - Make name cards, relationships (mind map)
Day 3 - American Culture: mind map of their perception of “America”, Word Snake
Day 4 - Animals (mind map), charades
Day 5 - American Southern Food, Musical chairs
Songs taught: Party in the USA
Word Snake: everyone stands in a circle. The beginning letter of the word you say must start with the last letter of the word that the previous person said. Great way to find which sounds are difficult to pronounce for the students.
Week 2 - Cultures, Small Talk
Day 6 - no classes (4th of July)
Day 7 - Switched with Jason’s Class - pronunciation
Day 8 - Korean culture (tradition and food)
Day 9 - Small Talk 101: divide students into groups, ask them questions about Vietnam / Quang Tri / hobbies / family, discuss as a group and one student answers. Everyone must speak at least once. Circle Game.
Day 10 - Finish Small Talk 101, Hangman, vote which topic to study for next week. Telephone.
Songs Taught: Love Story
Circle game: everyone stands around a circle with one person in the middle. The person in the middle says something that applies to himself / herself, and if the statement applies to anyone else in the circle, they must switch spots with someone else who also agrees with the statement (including the person in the middle). There will always be a person in the middle. Great way to get students to talk, and they also get very competitive.
Week 3 - Survival English
Day 11 - Shopping (mind map), shopping skit (a customer tries to return a purchased item, customer service tries to come up with reasons why the customer can’t get a refund)
Day 12 - Restaurant, brainstorm things they may hear at a restaurant, categories
Day 13 - Restaurant skit, discuss Culture Show. Tongue twister (Peter Piper picks a pack of pickled peppers).
Day 14 - Small Talk 102, Simon Says. Divide students into 5 groups, each group gets a topic (TV shows / movies, sports, books, games and family / pets). Go around each group to make sure that they are speaking English and to help them talk. Rotate topics.
Day 15 - Teach the song Faded. Practice being LOUD in class! Make them say a sentence loud from Faded. Make them repeat until they are loud enough. Tongue twister (She sells sea shells at the seashore). Tongue twister game. Emotions mind map.
Songs Taught: Our Song, Faded
Restaurant skit: print out a menu, 1 waiter and 4-5 customers per group. Add situations such as dropping a knife, customer forgetting to bring money, a customer needs a cab, wrong order came out, the waiter dropped a dish, a customer asks to explain a menu, etc. Students can be very creative.
Categories: the first person names a category.
Tongue twister game: divide class into two teams. Each person in the team must say the tongue twister correctly and loudly. They must repeat the tongue twister until the teacher gives the approval. The first team to finish wins.
Week 4 - Random Things I Wish I Knew
Day 16 - Continue with emotions. Charade. Directions. Blindfold activity.
Day 17 - I was sick and hence absent :’( They had to come up with 3 facts about Vietnam to tell me the next day, and my roommate helped them to prepare.
Day 18 - Present facts on Vietnamese culture. Body parts and hospital.
Day 19 - Careers brain storm. 7 Years.
Day 20 - Review: drawing activity, categories based on topics. Once Upon a Time.
Songs Taught: 7 years
Blindfold Activity: divide students into 3 groups. One student is blindfolded and he / she must touch 3 chairs that I placed randomly in order and then find me. After touching each chair he / she must spin twice. The other students on the team give directions to the blindfolded student. The team with the shortest time to reach me wins. Always fun because students are very competitive and will yell false directions to distract the other teams.
Drawing Activity:
Below is the list of lessons we have taught so far, as well as games, activities and songs. Every once in a while (average of 1 per week?) I take my students out to smoothies. The change in environment makes it more comfortable for them to talk, giving me a great chance for me and my roommate to learn about our students and what they think of the classes. Also, by brainstorm or mind map, I mean that I asked the students what words they thought of or what words they knew on the topic. If they do not say all the words I had prepared during lesson planning, then I add onto the list.
Note: this may not be in the exact order, but these are all activities, games and lessons covered. Also, this list will be updated rather infrequently.
Week 1 - Introduction, American culture
Day 1 - Introduction, help students pick English names if they want one
Day 2 - Make name cards, relationships (mind map)
Day 3 - American Culture: mind map of their perception of “America”, Word Snake
Day 4 - Animals (mind map), charades
Day 5 - American Southern Food, Musical chairs
Songs taught: Party in the USA
Word Snake: everyone stands in a circle. The beginning letter of the word you say must start with the last letter of the word that the previous person said. Great way to find which sounds are difficult to pronounce for the students.
Week 2 - Cultures, Small Talk
Day 6 - no classes (4th of July)
Day 7 - Switched with Jason’s Class - pronunciation
Day 8 - Korean culture (tradition and food)
Day 9 - Small Talk 101: divide students into groups, ask them questions about Vietnam / Quang Tri / hobbies / family, discuss as a group and one student answers. Everyone must speak at least once. Circle Game.
Day 10 - Finish Small Talk 101, Hangman, vote which topic to study for next week. Telephone.
Songs Taught: Love Story
Circle game: everyone stands around a circle with one person in the middle. The person in the middle says something that applies to himself / herself, and if the statement applies to anyone else in the circle, they must switch spots with someone else who also agrees with the statement (including the person in the middle). There will always be a person in the middle. Great way to get students to talk, and they also get very competitive.
Week 3 - Survival English
Day 11 - Shopping (mind map), shopping skit (a customer tries to return a purchased item, customer service tries to come up with reasons why the customer can’t get a refund)
Day 12 - Restaurant, brainstorm things they may hear at a restaurant, categories
Day 13 - Restaurant skit, discuss Culture Show. Tongue twister (Peter Piper picks a pack of pickled peppers).
Day 14 - Small Talk 102, Simon Says. Divide students into 5 groups, each group gets a topic (TV shows / movies, sports, books, games and family / pets). Go around each group to make sure that they are speaking English and to help them talk. Rotate topics.
Day 15 - Teach the song Faded. Practice being LOUD in class! Make them say a sentence loud from Faded. Make them repeat until they are loud enough. Tongue twister (She sells sea shells at the seashore). Tongue twister game. Emotions mind map.
Songs Taught: Our Song, Faded
Restaurant skit: print out a menu, 1 waiter and 4-5 customers per group. Add situations such as dropping a knife, customer forgetting to bring money, a customer needs a cab, wrong order came out, the waiter dropped a dish, a customer asks to explain a menu, etc. Students can be very creative.
Categories: the first person names a category.
Tongue twister game: divide class into two teams. Each person in the team must say the tongue twister correctly and loudly. They must repeat the tongue twister until the teacher gives the approval. The first team to finish wins.
Week 4 - Random Things I Wish I Knew
Day 16 - Continue with emotions. Charade. Directions. Blindfold activity.
Day 17 - I was sick and hence absent :’( They had to come up with 3 facts about Vietnam to tell me the next day, and my roommate helped them to prepare.
Day 18 - Present facts on Vietnamese culture. Body parts and hospital.
Day 19 - Careers brain storm. 7 Years.
Day 20 - Review: drawing activity, categories based on topics. Once Upon a Time.
Songs Taught: 7 years
Blindfold Activity: divide students into 3 groups. One student is blindfolded and he / she must touch 3 chairs that I placed randomly in order and then find me. After touching each chair he / she must spin twice. The other students on the team give directions to the blindfolded student. The team with the shortest time to reach me wins. Always fun because students are very competitive and will yell false directions to distract the other teams.
Drawing Activity: