Korean Job Discussion Forums

[liverpooljohnny81]

i just started teaching 2 conversation classes outside our normal curriculum. they are double classes, so two 45 minute periods each. the problem is the director told me to do 1 unit a week in the book, in other words, one page per 45 minute class. none of the kids can have actual "conversation," its supposed to be just practice, but when i told my boss that i didnt know how to fill all this time, i was offered nothing but generalities (i assume most hogwon owners as business men with education experience)

i like being creative in class, but the pressure of having to develop everything is too much. i have come up with some excercises and activities, such as writing dialogue for photocopied comics with the original words taken out, and introducing themselves as a celebrity, "My name is Britney Spears, I am American", etc.

but any other suggestions for speaking-oriented excerises or games for mostly elementary and some first grade middle school students would be greatly appreciated.

(ps - while this info may be in the forum somewhere, i browsed and browsed before i asked)
thanks!

[Paul_Zerzan]

Go to the Kyobo bookstore and buy some "One-Card" decks. That will kill a couple weeks for you. Buy an activity book there, or purchase a membership with handoutsonline.com.

You could teach them how to play poker too.

Or Scrabble, Boggle, or Monopoly. Find out if your boss cares if you play games with them.

Eventually you may want to teach privately, so anything you buy to help this class may help then too.

[piscin]

Liverpool Johnny, I feel your pain.... I've met a fair few Koreans whose idea of teaching materials is handing you a marker.

Paul - what exactly are 'One Deck' Cards?

Cheers

[Christinateacher]

Your post has brought some terrible memories back...

I was once in a similar situation with an extra class during the winter term, but I didn't even have a book! My director said "just have conversations with them.."
There was a kid from the phonics level class who had undertaken this extra class because her father wanted her to be exposed to more English.
She could just about say hello, if pushed.
I bought some card games, which got an instant complaint from my director for playing too many games..
so I made a little English passport sheet for them to make in class, inside the passport had a little information page with name, address, age, birthday, favourite colour and some other crap like that. Then I made them learn the appropriate questions and answers, if they got all the questions correct they could get a stamp and were permitted to the country they wanted to go to.
I then made a medical book and taught them various sicknesses, if they would answer the questions they would get medical treatment (just a plaster on their head and sweets as medicine)
I think you can probably make some sort of point book with them and apply it to whatever kind of conversations you should be having, that way while they are busy making something you get to rest from doing all the talking.

[Paul_Zerzan]

[some waygug-in]

I don't know if this will help, depends if you have access to a computer with printer at work, but just in case.


www.mes-english.com

Have a look through, there's a lot there. Some good, some not.

Hope this helps.