Polite English

Students are used to learning about and using polite words in their own language from a young age, so familiarizing themselves with these kinds of words in English can be very useful.

The phrases that I have selected for my lesson are "please", "here you are", "thank you", "you're welcome", and "I'm sorry", as well as terms that the students have studied before, such as "good morning/afternoon" and "how are you?"

After practicing the new words, I ask the students if they know how to say "thank you" in any other languages (apart from Japanese and English).  After this I show them a quick video clip of people from many different countries saying "thank you" in their native language.  Here is the video:

To practice "please", we play a version of Simon Says, using different commands with "please".  If I say "stand up please" or "clap your hands please", the students should do that, but if I only say "jump" or "touch your nose", they shouldn't do anything.

Next I use a Hot Potato game for practicing "here you are" and "thank you".  I give one student a plastic microphone, and they pass it around the room, using the target vocabulary.  As they are doing this, I play some music in the background.  When I pause the music, they stop passing, and I ask the student who has the microphone a simple question.

The main activity is a type of Go Fish card game, using cards with easy pictures on them, such as common foods and classroom objects.  Students make groups and each person receives 7 cards from the deck.  The remaining cards are placed face down in the middle.  One by one, each student asks one other student in their group for a card, such as "pizza please".  If that student has the card, they give it to them and say "here you are", and the first student says "thank you".  If the student who is being asked does not have the card in their hand, they say "I'm sorry", and the student who asked draws 1 card from the pile in the middle.  Then it is the next student's turn.  If a student has 2 of the same cards they put them down in front of them, and that counts as 1 point.

Here are the files for this game: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7lt2hgtnjs9n63c/AACnZsfbNubETZ4Q3iJNp4mSa

It is very important to make sure that students continue to use these polite phrases.  In later classes throughout the year, I check their usage during other games, or when passing out papers and materials.

How many?

There are many games and activities that are suitable for teaching about numbers.  My 6th grade students learn how to count from 1 to 100, and I try to pay specific attention to their listening and pronunciation of numbers that have very similar sounds in English, such as 13 and 30.  As with many of my lessons, the most effective activities are those that let students use different senses and learning styles.

The "How many?" quiz is challenging and engaging, and has students working together in groups to guess the answers to various questions.  After explaining each question and giving some visual hints, I set a timer for 1 minute, while each group thinks together and writes their answer on their worksheet.  After 1 minute, each group announces their guess, and finally I reveal the correct answer.  Here are some of the questions that I use:

1) How many bones in your wrist?  The correct answer is 8, and I show an x-ray image of a human hand, so we can count all the wrist bones together.

2) How many paperclips?  I take a handful of paperclips and connect them into one chain.  Then I walk around the classroom holding the swinging chain and ask the students to count how many paperclips there are.  Keep the chain moving!

3) How many cities in Niigata?  In recent years many parts of Niigata Prefecture have combined and merged into larger cities and wards.  Students try to guess how many cities (not including towns or villages) there are presently.  Right now there are 20.

4) How many marbles?  I prepare a small jar full of marbles, and ask students to guess how many are in the jar.  Each group has 10 seconds to handle and look at the jar, but they must not open it up.

5) How many keys (black and white) on a full-size piano?  There are 88.

6) How many dimples on a golf ball?  This is usually the final question, and the most ridiculous.  I let each group hold and look at a golf ball for 10 seconds, while giving them a hint that the answer is between 100 and 1000.  On a tournament golf ball there are 336 dimples.

The key to this kind of quiz is choosing questions that will challenge different kinds of topics.  Try to appeal to the students' interests in sports, animals, science, etc., while also using some realia and tactile materials.