Lesson 1-2 The Second lesson - Improving understanding of A-Z by listening skills... Eigo Noto Book 2 Lesson 1-2

For this second Eigo Note lesson we began with a review of the alphabet and the alphabet song. I’ve actually heard rumors from other assistants like me that some HRT’s had opted not to sing the song at all. I have to wonder why when the alphabet song is like the flagship of all English songs if not the most popular and known song in the English world. That’s like skipping the national anthem at a baseball game, perhaps saying, “We know it already so let’s just skip it.”

audio sample: alphabet pairing

 

 

Next, we did something a little different outside the teacher’s book. We gave an alphabet card to each student so they could try to find their own matching partner. You can maybe call it the Alphabet Pairing Activity.

After this we now had time to play the Karuta game!　 (The game we may know as snap, slap the card, or pick-up.) It’s a traditional Japanese game of pick-up played with hiragana or kanji cards. It is probably the most played ESL game in Japan, so it's no surprise it is used in the Eigo Note because it is always a safe bet. The kids like it too.

Actually, we did two versions. The first was 1 vs. 1 with two sets of cards, while I said the letters in random, to be picked up. The second was done in groups, with one set of cards from each player. This time, a player could only pick up 2 cards maximum. A lot of fun.

After some rest time, we got ready for listening portion and did the connect the letters exercises on pages 6 and 7. I have never seen my students take this so seriously. The room was silent with concentration. Perhaps everyone wanted to prove their ability and took this as a test. But in many cases, many Japanese kids take all tests and quiz sheets quite seriously., don’t they? We checked the answers verbally this time without posting cards on the board. Oh, and there’s the chime!

All in all, we spent too much time on Karuta but the kids had requested for more and I think they were looking forward to it. We didn’t get to the Mission Game but I felt it was destiny in a way. I think it’s a little hard for the kids at this point and mine are not all that ready. My “Alphabetically Acquired Students” runs at about 50%. I know I should push them a bit harder. But I think they will have more fun the better they are at this game. Luckily, there are at least 30 more lessons with the Eigo Note and the new English study system.

Hope your lesson went well!

The ENB

Eigo Note Book 2 Unit 1 Lesson 3...