Job Discussion Forums

[Magoo]

I now work in a primary school, so I use Roger's method (not stillnosheep's ), but, when the kids answer incorrectly, I hold the target student aloft, with a on my face. They love it. I was told by the head of my department, however, that I shouldn't be too fussy as they are "too young" and it's "not important' This from a woman who starts to speak in English, slides over to Chinglish, then gives up and speaks Chinese. And yes, Roger, she translates directly from Chinese. Badly

[stillnosheep]

I still think my method is more fun...

[peggiescott]

Here's what I use:
On the board I write:
My mother is a she.
My father is a he.
The school is not a she.
The book is not a he.

Then I write:
She is ...
He is ...
It is...

Then I say:
My Grandmother is a _____
My Grandfather is a _____
My aunt is a ______
All through the relatives.

Then I put my hand on the shoulder of one of the girls and say "Here is a __", and the class says "She." I do that for a couple more girls then wander back to the boys and put my hand on one of them and say "Here is a __". The class will inevitably have a few wags who say "She!" I put on a great display of exasperation and ask the boy to stand up. Then I visually demonstrate that the boy is straight up and down. Then I ask a girl to stand up and do the hand thing for curvaceous girl.

I go back to the board and circle the S in she and then draw an elongated S on the board and a reverse S to the right of it. I turn them into a dress; add legs, arms and a head. I stress that only girls and the word "She" have curves.

[voodikon]

so often they KNOW it, so drilling the rules won't help. it tends to be a genuine slip that everybody can giggle about later. my mother, who's been living in the u.s. for 40 years and speaking english all that time, still mixes up "he" and "she" occasionally.