Lesson 6-1 The First lesson - I want to go to Italy. (How about you?)...

I want to go to Italy. (How about you?)

I want to go to Hawaii!... (Watch out for the falling coconuts... DOH!)

This is the first lesson for Lesson 6 in Eigo Note's Book 2:

We were able to use the new touch panel-screen TV today so it was a bit of a change from the normal routine. We have two of them at each school in our city, but I'm not sure about the rest of the schools out there. It seems they cost around 1,000,000 yen.

They do get popular, though, and there are usually 3-4 teachers a day that are trying to get their hands on them for other lessons. So, is this the new wave of the future for technology in the classroom.

Well, it sure is a breeze to use and has all the functions of a personal computer and more. You can toggle around programs, use a mouse pen or your finger even as a mouse on the screen. Also, the electronic blackboard function is really excellent because you can write over your current display as well as save up to 100 pages on the electronic blackboard and toggle from page 1 to 100 by use of the sidebar on the left side of the screen.

How about the kids' reaction to all this? Well, they have already had much experience with these machines in other classes so they have calmed down a bit since they first came around here about a week ago. But, I overhead one of the kids say in Japanese "Is this going to become the blackboard of the future?"

Well, I'd be happy to say yes, but that all depends on budgets and money, doesn't it?

As for myself, I'm quite satisfied with its functionality and convenience when it comes to set up, presentations, and using the internet as a medium since these TV's are set up with a laptop which can be connected to the internet easily by a LAN cable. Couple that with the speed of broadband connections and the possibilities are just as limitless as the internet.

Here was the day's menu:

1. Greetings.

2. Phonics and Writing

3. An introduction to "want a" vs "want to"

4. Let's Listen 1

5. The "I want to go to Italy" Chant

6. Let's Listen 2

7. Consolidation

I think the kids were ready for their phonics exercises to start. It has been a long time since I've taught them anything on the subject. With the new textbook and all, I thought it would be a good idea to let the kids get more involved in those activities. We still have many lessons left over so hopefully we can get many things done before the end of the year. The phonics exercises were a blend of worksheet activities from A-F focusing on single letter sounds and a few double and triple letter words. "Time is always of essence" so it had to be kept short. There are so many things I'd love to do with phonics, but... I don't really think phonics is everything ESL and each area ESL must have its own time. Plus, the teachers don't really push for phonics in the schools where I teach.

Point 3 above was spent on reviewing what the kids never had gotten to study in Book 1 since they began with Book 2 this year. I thought it would be important to show that the meaning of want will change drastically just by adding "to" and with the help of the electronic-blackboard it was easy as well as a little exiting to see some "want" samples on TV. In Grade 5 with the "What do you want?" lessons, it is so easy to get examples out of the kids by asking questions then writing their answers on the electronic blackboard. It seems their answers are more "special" this way. I remember the old way by just writing it on the blackboard with chalk... and it doesn't really compare.

Points 4,5 and 6 went really well, especially teaching with the electronic blackboard. You can write notes on the screen and everything. I've also used these "e- boards" with the younger grades and they do help calm classes down after a very exciting activity so I guess that is another good use for them.

Have a look...at the listening quiz 1 on the electronic black board... and the picture of the notes on the tv screen below:

"Here is the..." (That's my missing audio...so, yes, even The ENB can make mistakes...)

There were only two kids in the class today...

Hope your lessons went well.

The ENB

( just kidding about "...only two kids in the class today..." )

 

Eigo Note Book 2 Unit 6 Lesson 2...