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flyingkiwi

Hey there,

I am just wondering if you could help me with some ideas for sixth grade:

all i have in my instructions for teaching sixth grade is:
songs, greetings, practice conversation, playing card game (karuta) and self-intro.

Self-intro of course I can do. However, I have no idea what songs, conversations, and what type of karuta card game they want to play.

Can you suggest something? Esp. with the karuta game. For sixth grade.

b.t.w. there are probably 30 students, in a usual classroom setting, with desks and chairs.

Thanks a lot!

chollimaspeed · Joined: 11 Sep 2007 Posts: 120

Activities or themes?

It also depends on whether they have studied any English in their earlier years at school.

Themes: colours, numbers, the alphabet, days of the week, months of the year, simple verbs, how are you? I'm fine, I'm okay, not so good, terrible with pictures representing the various moods which they can slap during karuta. sports, months of the year, food, seasons

Activities: rivercrossing game, fruit basket, chopstick game with numbers written on them, Simon Says, shopping game.

ddeubel · Joined: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 39

One very effective activity is a daily "radio show interview". Each day to begin class, one student is interview. Get and use a microphone and plug it into a cd player for sound/speakers. Use the Big town or Little town cards at Mes-English and have the students get to know how to ask for this basic information. Find them also in my teaching folder www.ddd.batcave.net Lots more there for grade 6

Once this becomes second nature, have them role play a super hero or celebrity while being interviewed.

Also, karaoke works wonders with Grade 6. Do you have multi media equipment, screen and computer. If so, I've produced lots of karaoke and we discuss it on my community at the link below. Very easy to set up and really takes the onus off the teacher and makes learning multi modal...

DD

flyingkiwi · Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 11:00 am Post subject:

kids speaking into a microphone in class? Shocked

Man, just to get them to speak out can sometimes be hard enough...

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

Yeah. Believe it or not... It's not a rule, but the culture is such that many things that are otherwise unacceptable become alright when they have a microphone in front of them. Kinda like when you watch some of those "anything goes" variety shows on TV. I doubt those actors behave that way off-camera.

In Japan, showing off for the cameras is de rigeur. I've even heard of people having to teach 1.5 yr old and 2 yr old toddlers who refuse to speak a WORD -- but when given an "imaginary" microphone, or a toy mic prop, they become little chatterboxes.

In N. America, we bust out a camera to take a group snap of some friends and everyone groans, "awww, man!!!" Here it's the opposite -- and everyone just loves playing it up!

ddeubel · Joined: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 39

JimD,

Thanks for explaining that. I guess I should have elaborated. But it works and really takes the social stigma off. Same with group work/focus.

DD

flyer · Joined: 16 May 2003 Posts: 539 Location: Sapporo Japan

don't be scared to do a few lessons practising writing

ie teach a simple grammar point

eg What sports do you play?
I play soccer etc

.. and then get them to write it out

take it very slowly (prepare print sheets with dotted lines) but they have been taught it all in the 4th grade and they will need it for next year

I have found that 6th graders don't take to games like the younger ones

you can find/make some good handouts here

http://www.handwritingforkids.com/handwrite/manuscript/sentences/index.htm