Job Discussion Forums

[24601]

I have this one lesson I am supposed to teach which I should just write off as a shiat lesson and never do again. Except, it's a good one except for one part.

At the beginning the instructor asks "What would you miss about Japan if you lived overseas?" IF you are lucky they all understand miss. If not.... then comes 10 fecking minutes of trying to explain what "miss" means.

"To think about when something/someone is gone/not there."
"To long for"
"To wish someone/something was there"

Blank stares.

"You know when you drop your kid off at daycare for the first time and the kid cries when you leave? yeah that's because he MISSES you."

(some get it, generally more blank stares)

Eventually, if you're lucky, one of the other students looks at the one who doesn't get it and says whatever the translation is in Japanese.

I'd say 50% of the time I get to the end of the lesson, which includes a segment where you listen to a girl whine about things she would miss from home if she lived abroad, so it is contextualized, and someone says "I sorry, teacher, I still don't understand *miss.*"

So can one of you bright folks explain this to me?

Also, "things."

"Today, we're talking about things you like to do on the weekend."

Now, usually this goes fine. Occasionally what happens is "Teacher... what is... things?"

"Activities" Okay great but that doesn't help when next lesson is "Things around your house" now does it?

So I say "uh... stuff..." Then I realize that is not helpful. "Items, activities, a generic word for various......(blood pressure shoots up).... THINGS" arggggh....

Eventually I get so flustered something ridiculous like "every thing is a thing" comes out of my mouth.

So share some ideas please.

Thanks!

[furiousmilksheikali]

Okay. The first thing to do when teaching something like "miss" is to provide concrete examples at the beginning rather than try to give an explanation of the concept.

Write on the board:

1. crumpets
2. Premier League football
3. My family

Ask the students if they know these things. Then show them some ready made photographs. "Here's a picture of a crumpet. It's dripping warm butter, it's made of bread and it tastes great. I used to eat them for breakfast in the morning. BUT I can't get them in Japan. I wish I could.

Here's a picture of a Premier League game. I watched Premier League matches every Saturday, cheering on Everton at Goodison Park. BUT I can't watch them in Japan.

Here's a picture of my family. They are very nice people and of course I love them very much. BUT they don't live in Japan."

Then concept check the students:

"Do I like these things?" Answer yes.
"Can I see these things in Japan?" Answer no.

Write on the board underneath your list:

"I miss crumpets" Ask students to identify the word type under "miss" (It's a verb).

Then write "my dentist in England/Canada/US/Burkina Faso (where ever you're from". Then tell the students about your horrible sadistic dentist who extracts healthy teeth from your gums and inflicts as much pain as possible on you while sporting a manic grin.

Concept check

"Do I like my dentist?" No
"Is he here in Japan?" No

Write on the board:
I don't miss my dentist

Have the students identify the blue word (auxilliary verb). Concept check "Is the auxilliary positive or negative?"

Then have Ss produce a list of three things they would miss and one that they wouldn't.

Concept check them again with their lists. Could you find these things abroad? (if they say no then they understand, don't be pedantic or confuse them by saying that of course they could get sushi abroad if they write that).


Do you like these things? (they should have four things they can't get outside of Japan - or think they can't - three of which they like and one that they don't).

Then you have generated a list for later in the lesson when they have to perform a dialogue or role play which should also cut down their thinking time.

Concept check throughout class. "Would you miss co-ckroaches?", "Do you miss snow in Summer?" etc....

[JimDunlop2]

I probably could.... But I guess the first logical question that comes to my mind is, if your students' English is so basic that they cannot understand the word "miss" and "things you like to do" then I think your expectations for having this turn into any kind of meaningful exercise are slim to none.

First of all, the grammar point that you are using is the second conditional. It may be hard for them to grasp the second conditional which tends to be a much more advanced topic. I have an intermediate learner who has troubles with it, for example.

I'm not sure if there's a direct translation for the word "miss" however I know that you can express a similar idea with "sabishii" which means lonely or lonesome... E.g. When you don't see your best friend for a long time, you are "sabishii" for them. You MISS them.

Otherwise, the only thing I can comment on your lesson idea is that you should maybe try something a little less difficult first to build their confidence... Then, once you've got them speaking and exchanging ideas you can try to introduce something like this.

Good luck.

[furiousmilksheikali]

With things you may be better off teaching some of the constituent parts that make up things.

For example, write "objects" on the board and show the student some things: a pen, a table, a chair, a bag. Have Ss come up with a few and let them report these back. Put up a spider chart on the board, the Ss can even get up and write them on the board themselves. (It should be a circle with "objects" in the middle and a few of the "things" sprouting off from it).

Then do the same again with "activities". Give your own examples again: go to karaoke, go skiing, play football etc...

Then draw another circle with "things" in the middle and have two arms connecting this circle with the "activities" and "objects" circles.

"These are all things" you can announce.

Then ask "What things did you do at the weekend?" or "...will you do at the weekend?"

Ask them which circle they need to use. (It is likely to be "activities" unless "my girlfriend" appears in the "objects" list) and then let them figure out any verb changes for themselves. Put them in pairs and monitor their use.

BTW: In these types of activities always have the students put away their dictionaries to avoid them looking up these tricky concepts for themselves, it only causes confusion otherwise and the students who use them often stop listening to the teacher.

[bornslippy1981]

Is this lesson D1 at Nova?

I sure hope not, as I left there 3 months ago today, and it's a bit pathetic if I can remember that.

If it is, the points others have made are good.

I remember the first few times I "taught" this lesson, I got caught up on the same points.

I would ask, "What do you enjoy?"

In a four person lesson, it would usually be something along the lines of:
Kenji (salaryman) - driving;
Yuki (high school student) - sleeping;
Yuko (housewife) - cleaning;
Masayuki (retired salaryman) - driving.

After holding in my laughter, I would ask them to say something they enjoy that they couldn't do in Japan. I would do the "X"with my arms, and say, "You can't do it in Japan."

Responses would be:
Kenji - eating sushi;
Yuki - sleeping;
Yuko - going to an onsen;
Masayuki - pachinko.

I would then do as others have described, and explain that because you can't do these in another country, you would miss them if you lived there.

This was a humorous attempt at re-emphasizing what previous posters have said.

Have fun.

[gaijinalways]

I like Ali's explantions, though I would only add that teaching 'miss' is also things you want to do (and have done in the past) but can't do now (because of lack of time, people to do it, circumstances, etc.).

As to 'things', of course the word thing itself has a broad meaning; i.e. idea, object, activity, an animal, a thought, etc.

http://www.answers.com/topic/thing
19 defintions !

So don't give up. Ali's idea, more concrete examples will help ,and also make sure that they are examples that your students can relate to.

[NorthofAmerica]

[JimDunlop2]

Hehe... Simpsons flashback...

[wolfman]

[24601]

You guys are great, thanks, that will really help.

And yes bornslippy it's the dreaded D1. That one always goes great and wastes lots of time as long as no one asks the dreaded "teacher... what is... miss?"

[furiousmilksheikali]

[fluffyhamster]

Make sure you don't leave the students with the impression that 'things you miss' are always necessarily so far away (that is, always back in your home country):

I miss crumpets too (I'm also from the UK)
I miss Hokkaido (I live in Saitama now)
I miss my schools in Chiba (I used to live there)
I miss my last girlfriend (and she lives just across the street! Only kiddin'.)
I miss you (potentially said in the here and now to e.g. an estranged spouse)
etc.

The main thing is, you had whatever in the past, and you don't have it now, but you still want it (when you think of it too long). (Too much defining and one can start sounding like Wierzbecka LOL).

[furiousmilksheikali]

Yes, but given the target of the lesson is to find out what students would miss if they weren't in Japan it seems reasonable and necessary to have them think of things they would be leaving behind in their home country.

As you yourself point out it is not a good idea to overly define the concept but better to provide examples which give the students a "feel" for it.

But I suppose if you were to go down that road then you could say "If you gave up smoking would you miss it?"

Or

"I miss my family cat because she died a couple of days ago".

[Inflames]

I've never had a problem with D1. It's a sucky lesson (most of the D lessons are, but the TV lesson is good), but I've never had problems like this. For one thing, just stop giving the daycare explanation. A lot of mothers stay home with younger kids, so I doubt they'd know about daycare, especially in English (even if they knew about day care, you'd have to explain that too). Something like "I miss my family" is much more obvious. A pithy explanation is essential for lower level students (and even higher levels). I always ask students if I can't explain a word in less than 5 words (which I'm really good at now).

About the weekend one, say "We're talking about what you do on the weekend." Oh, and make students go into more detail than "I go shopping" or "I go shopping for clothes" (which they mess up and pronounce like crosses).

[Willy_In_Japan]

I have had students give blank stares with 'miss' too.....even when I give what I think are good examples.

I loved my Grandma. She died. I don't see her anymore. I miss her.

Nada.....very frustrating.

Sometimes I wonder if they actually try to figure it out even.