Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Hyeon Een]

Once a week I take a trip out into rice-paddy land to a village where I teach a voluntary class (voluntary for them, not me) for children of rice farmers. They are quite different to town or city folk.. they're full of energy, they're not used to being inside so much, they don't go to any hagwans (Actually there is ONE piano hagwan, but that's it..) they're brown from the sun (I didn't really realise Koreans got this brown..) and most of them wear the clothes you put in the clothing donation bins. Basically they are poor uneducated kids, though fun to be around... mostly.

I have one class of 1-3 grade students which is fine.. they're enthusiastic and excited and I have a good time with them. My problem is my 4-6 grade class. I don't know what to do with them. I only see them once a week, for 40 minutes, and my class is voluntary. So it needs to be fun. The problem is most of the fun things I know from my hagwan days required at least a modicum of English ability. They know almost nothing in English. They ARE here to learn, but they're not here to study.. if you see what I mean.

Any suggestions for what to do with this class? Twice I've had them and its been ok.. the other two times were disastrous. I have a kind of classroom, but the walls are only 5'10 high, and the ceiling is about 10' high; on the other side of the walls is the library aka the village's room for children to scream and go wild in. So I have a lot of 'noise pollution' in my room. My class numbers are fluid, the other week I started with 15 students and within 10 minutes I was down to 6. I'd like to try and lay down some rules, but I get undermined by my 'assistant' (aka the librarian) who lets them leave whenever they want.

What I need is some fun activities, which might have some learning benefits on the side which will keep 4-6 grade elementary kids who don't know any english entertained. In terms of resources.. I have none. Actually that's not true, I have been promised a board (white or black I'm not sure) today which is pretty exciting. I also have access to paper and pencils (not colored). The only books I have are my own, which is a pretty limited selection. They don't have books, if I want to use stuff from my books I photocopy.

Any ideas for fun things to do with some disinterested 4-6 graders with no resources in a noisy environment?

-HE

[tomato]

Hello, Hyeon Een!

I hope that the Websites listed in my signature are some help.

[deessell]

Try this site. It looks good. My students are too old for this stuff, although its their level. I would like some feedback if you try any activities.

www.genkienglish.net/

[joe_doufu]

How about some role-playing? Teach a bunch of nouns (with flash cards) and the numbers. Then give some of them "shopkeeper" hats or aprons, and stacks of flash cards, and give others wads of photocopied money.