issn 2185 7822volume 5, issue 2

さいたま市教育家会ジャ

ナル

I

さいたま市教育家会ジャーナルThe

Journal of Saitama City Educators (JSCE)

A さいたま市教育家会 (SCE) Publication

Published in Saitama City, Japan

ISSN: 2185-7822

Volume 5, Issue 2

April 2015

Editor: John Finucane

Issue Editors: jennifer low &

christopher low

Lead Translator: Casie Wong

Translators: Mitchell Losh, C. Selene R. Della Queva

Proofreading: casie wong

Design & Layout: John Finucane

Find out more at:

http://www.SaitamaCityEducators.org

Foreword

We are proud to present this special

volume of the Journal of Saitama City

Educators; nine articles written, com-

piled, and edited by Assistant Language

Teachers (alts) of the Japan Exchange

Teaching Programme (jet Programme.)

Each year, the Saitama Board of Education

holds a skill development conference

(sdc) for jet alts. During the confer-

ence, language teaching professionals

from outside the jet Programme come

together with experienced jet alts to

provide keynote speeches and workshops

to improve teaching practices in Saitama’s

classrooms and support jets in their pro-

fessional lives. This volume provides a

record of alt’s contributions during the

2014 sdc to preserve their knowledge for

future alts.

Each article combines prior academic

training, “field” experience, and advice

or activities the authors have found effec-

tive. The workshops focus on a range

of topics from skills and strategies that

enrich teachers’ toolsets at any grade level,

to targeted development for different grades

or skill levels. melinda cartwright

focuses on how elementary ALTs can scaf-

fold the “Hi, Friends! 2” section on pre-

senting a Momotaro play as a capstone

project inspiring young learner confi-

dence and affect toward English learning.

andrew leistensnider describes how Jr.

High alts can create continuity and dem-

onstrate the long-term value of English by

referencing the Momotaro activity as stu-

dents transition between elementary and

middle school. shane lorenzo poole

provides insight on exploring second-lan-

guage learning from our students’ per-

spectives and how we can use that to build

more student-centered environments.

maggy roby explores how to bring the

magic of theatre into a classroom through

drama-based activities and improvisa-

tion. samantha kelley illustrates the

importance of teaching pronunciation

and presents immediate feedback strat-

egies for building pronunciation prac-

tice into classes. sara bochouros offers

time management tips, activities, and

advice for keeping classes moving and stu-

dents engaged at any grade level. Finally,

P. river ferreira details advice and

research on building work relationships,

maintaining a healthy and happy profes-

sional outlook, and conducting ourselves

as cultural ambassadors. Together, these

presenters have made valuable talents,

insights, and resources available to our

prefecture’s classrooms. We would like to

extend our sincere gratitude for their ser-

vice, and we hope future volumes of this

journal will continue to preserve similar

efforts and contributions of dedicated

jets in conferences to come.

The editors have also contributed articles

on two topics that have seen rising popu-

larity in schools throughout Saitama and

surrounding prefectures. jennifer low

offers note-taking and judging advice for

teachers newly introduced to debate as

well as guidance on how to give construc-

tive feedback. christopher low presents

an overview of a collection of activities

suitable for teachers seeking to imple-

ment Content and Language Integrated

Learning efl strategies during their les-

sons. We hope that these articles will be

beneficial to the teaching community as

well, as it continues to adapt to higher stu-

dent proficiency levels and new teaching

methodologies.

Contents

Melinda Cartwright

‘We are Good Friends!’

Making the Most of Momotaro:

Hi, Friends! Book 2 Lesson 7

Page 1

Andrew Leistensnider

Helping Students Transition from

Elementary to Junior High School:

How Momotaro Can Help

Page 7

Maggie Roby

Action! Theatre in the EFL Classroom

Page 11

Paulo River Ferreira

The Happy JET - Promoting

Interculturalism in the Workplace

and Community

Page 19

Sara Bachouros

“Short and Sweet Activities”–

A Workshop on Time Management

Page 23

メリンダ・カトライト

アンドリユー・ライステンスナイダ

マギー・ロービー

フレイラ・パウロリヴァー

セラ・バクロス

1

Samantha Kelley

Pronunciation Perfection!

Page 34

Shane Poole

Trading Places - A Student’s Perspective

Page 39

Jennifer Low

Tips for Beginning Debate Judges

Page 46

Christopher Low

Bringing CLIL into the EFL Classroom

A Collection of Unit-Based and Task-

Based Teaching Ideas for EFL teachers

and ALTs in Japan

Page 53

サマンサ・ケリ

シェーン・ロレンゾ・プール

シェニファー・ロウー

クリストフー・ロウー

‘We are Good Friends!’ Making the Most of Momotaro: Hi, Friends! Book 2 Lesson 7

Melinda Cartwright, BEd(Sec), PGDipArts(History), MA. (Melb)

Abstract

The Momotaro lessons can be both

rewarding and intimidating. This paper

will have a practical focus while discuss-

ing planning, lesson structure and ideas,

tips and tricks to engage & support stu-

dents while encouraging them to explore

an English text on their own terms.     

要旨

桃太郎のレッソンは実(みの)りがあり、緊張させる

こともあります。この記事の目標は生徒に色々な

ことに携(たずさ)わらせ、声援(せいえん)しながら、

生徒が自分で英語のテキストを探(さぐ)り、奨励(

しょうれい)するため、レッソン計画(けいかく)やア

イデア(あいであ)を解説(かいせつ)します。

About

Melinda Cartwright was born in

Melbourne, Australia and studied at

the University of Melbourne. She holds

a Bachelor of Education (Secondary), a

Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (History)

and a Master of Arts. Her interest and

aptitude for interdisciplinary work is

reflected in her research areas and

interests including such areas as ancient

history, Egyptology, Japanese popular

culture, cinema studies, discourse analy-

sis and classroom language use, music,

event management, languages and the

performing arts. Prior to teaching in

Elementary schools in Japan, she worked

in University administration, including

research centre management, Academic

Records and results management and was

a project officer and Course Advice Team

Leader in the University of Melbourne

Graduate School of Education.

2 3

JSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2 melinda cartwright - momotaro

1 Every Situation is Different - traditional caveat to any advice given to JET Programme participants.

The “Momotaro lessons” (Hi Friends 2

Lesson 7) can be intimidating to both stu-

dents and teachers; yet it can also greatly

build confidence and provide a capstone

experience for 6th year Elementary stu-

dents. The aim of this article is to pro-

vide structural guidance and practical

suggestions to help these lessons flow as

smoothly as possible.

First acknowledgement: not all classes are

the same, the dreaded esid1 applies, and

you are the authority on your classroom.

Please evaluate which strategies will work

best in your situation, as some suggestions

will require homeroom teacher input,

resources or additional preparation.

Presenting Momotaro as a play encour-

ages students to engage with an English

text of a familiar narrative, with unfamil-

iar words representing familiar concepts,

characters and situations. This allows stu-

dents to explore the use of English lan-

guage, and although they may be nervous

due to the “dramatic performance” aspect,

they also have the opportunity to explore

the way English is used as a communica-

tive tool, the way dialogues are structured

as an exchange and how the familiar con-

cepts represented in a Japanese tale are ver-

balised through the English play version.

The following structure suggests pre-

paring and presenting Momotaro over

the course of five lessons. The first les-

son aims to introduce fairy tales and the

Momotaro story in English. The second

through fourth lessons involve a deeper

exploration of the Momotaro play through

examination of the textbooks, dvd and

cd audio versions of the play, paired with

a live reading of the text by the alt and

students. I also suggest that side by side

translations of the shorter text in the

book be provided, as well as a katakana

version of the spoken lines in the longer

dvd and cd Audio versions. These explo-

rations should have a dramatic presenta-

tion of the story as a final aim.

Tips and Tricks: Making the most

of Momotaro

your role

Think of yourself as the Executive

Producer rather than the Director. You

are enabling the production to happen

rather than micromanaging the activities

within the cast groups. Provide guidance,

advice, suggestions, and language model-

ling, while allowing the cast to integrate

movement, characterisation, and their

own take on the play.

casting

There are a number of ways to assign the

roles, and the best choice will depend on

your class. One way is to allow the students

within the group to choose their own

roles. Another is to janken for all roles.

A third is to allow students to barter for

their preference by allowing larger roles

to carry the script during performance,

but requiring smaller roles to memorise

the lines. If appropriate, encourage the

hrt to allocate roles to each student if

classroom management or motivational

issues are present.

peer support

Momotaro can be a team building exer-

cise within the group and the class. There

is a level of trust required that all students

will learn their lines and that the perfor-

mance will be taken seriously. Allowing

the casts to take ownership of their group

encourages this peer support and learn-

ing. Although there may be variations

amongst the student body in terms of

commitment or assumption of responsi-

bility, the base line that all students are

required to participate will be made clear.

4 5

JSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2 melinda cartwright - momotaro

costumes & props

These are advantageous but not strictly

necessary. Encourage the students to

focus on their vocal performance, and

suggest that costumes and props can

help their characterisation. Allow Blue

and Red Demon to fashion clubs and

masks from newspaper; use aprons from

Home Economics for Grandma; use the

travelling to and from school flags; and

if acceptable, toothbrush bags full of

rolled up paper can be used as kibidango.

Gauge the level of involvement from the

students – suggestions made early can be

forgotten, so remind students at the end

of the third and fourth class that props

and costumes are ok.

rehearsal

Include regular breaks within the

rehearsal lessons. Use games such as the

pointing game, keyword game, fly swatter

game, and the Momotaro chant to re-ener-

gise the class between rehearsal sections.

Also, change up the way the original story

is presented: use the dvd to develop nar-

rative understanding, the cd to develop

listening skills, and repetition to practice

pronunciation. Float between the groups,

actively listening to their rehearsal. Your

presence will nudge the rehearsal along

and proximity can encourage students to

quickly clarify meaning or pronunciation.

Also – memorise the text if possible and

stand in for students who are absent.

performance day

Choose a character representative from

each group. One way to do this is to

janken for preferred appearance order.

Each group should present before their

peers. Encourage applause, and praise

each group; I also present participation

certificates to all students. Link the use

of “We are proud of you” in the final scene

to your praise – it can boost their confi-

dence and sense of achievement. A stron-

ger focus here also allows you to link this

phrase in your final lesson with the class

– “I am proud of you” will have additional

meaning and can round out two years of

formal studying.

Draw a montage of Momotaro images or

use key scene cards on the blackboard.

Preferably: Grandma and Grandpa house

and river on the left, the forest/road

in the middle where Momotaro meets

Monkey, Dog and Bird, and a stretch of

water with Onigashima on the right. This

prompts the students to have a place to

stand, and encourages them to move dur-

ing the performance.

performance versus presentation

Not all students will be talented actors,

so instead of critiquing dramatic per-

formance as the most important aspect,

focus on encouraging all students to per-

form their roles, i.e., approach the mate-

rial as dialogue instead of a section of

words to present. Add tone, emotion and

gestures etc., to help their communica-

tion skills – concentrate on demonstrating

how communication may take place on

many levels.

original characters

Encourage the use of original interpre-

tations (i.e., character changes, name

changes etc.), and allow the creation of

new dialogue if feasible. If students are

not enthusiastic or willing to create origi-

nal content, let it go. Encourage them to

present the provided content in the most

natural way possible. (Even the smallest

addition can be encouraged: one cast

added cries of “My home!” when the oni

attacked – unprompted, perfectly appro-

priate, and original). Also encourage

gender blind casting: all roles are open to

all students. If a female student is uncom-

fortable with the Momotaro name, use

Momoko. Change Monkey, Dog, and Bird

to Doraemon, Anpanman, and Luffy.

The sky is the limit!

6 7

JSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2

There are, of course, no guarantees. The

best preparation and intentions can’t

ensure success, but you can at least be cer-

tain your preparations are strong.

Momotaro is a valuable experience, but it

is not an easy one. Students and alts may

be intimidated by the requirements; the

performances may be lacklustre or not

taken as seriously as hoped; there may be

resistance to the idea of performing the

play at all. Regardless of the “success” of

the play itself, each student will have been

part of a play performed entirely in the

target language, something which may

have seemed impossible a short five weeks

prior. The best way to make the most of

Momotaro may be to simply provide as

much material, guidance, and support

to each student as possible, and they will

seize the opportunity themselves.

Helping Students Transition from Elementary to Junior High School: How Momotaro Can Help

Andrew Leistensnider

Abstract

Helping students transition from their

elementary English education to the

more systematic environment of junior

high English can be an important role for

an ALT. One way elementary ALTs can

help with this venture is to treat Lesson 7:

We Are Good Friends of Hi Friends! 2 as

a capstone of students’ two-year elemen-

tary English education. I will discuss the

language skills, classroom dynamics, and

role of the ALT in making the most of

Lesson 7 that is the fabled Momotaro play.

要旨

小学校の英語教室からもっと規則正しい中学校

の英語教室への移行を手助けすることは外国語

指導助手の重要な任務となり得る。小学校に勤

める外国語指導助手が手助けできる一つの方

法は、Hi Friends! 2のLesson 7: We Are

Good Friendsを二年間の小学校での英語勉

強の頂点として使うことである。この章では、伝

説の桃太郎のレッスンが最大限に活用できる英

語力・教室環境・外国語指導助手の役割について

議論する.

About

Andrew holds a B.A. in Economics from

Baylor University and is in his second

year working as an alt in Satte, Saitama,

Japan. He has done research on Japanese

international trade and studied the

Japanese financial system as an exchange

student at Hosei University in Tokyo. He

studies the Japanese language intensely.

To get in contact, email Andrew at:

jasc64.leistensnider@gmail.com

8 9

JSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2 andrew leistensnider - momotaro

The alt Skill Development Conference

(sdc) is a great chance for alts to share

ideas and troubleshoot difficult parts of

the English curricula in Saitama. One

particularly tricky spot is Hi Friends! 2

Lesson 7, often simply referred to as ‘the

Momotaro play’. The lesson requires sixth

grade elementary students to learn a

series of lines and simple acting necessary

to bring the Japanese fairy tale Momotaro

to life. Ideally, the students then perform

the seven-to-ten-minute play in front of

their peers. Because the lesson is quite

different from the other lessons in the Hi

Friends! textbooks, Melinda Cartwright

(an alt also in Satte) and I decided to

have a workshop about it this year during

our scd. We shared our experiences and

strategies to make the most out of the les-

son. In particular, we wanted to highlight

the ways the Momotaro play can be used

to ease the transition from elementary to

junior high English for students.

I should first clarify why this transition

can be difficult. Elementary English edu-

cation in Japan is completely oral, has no

homework or tests, and occurs once per

week for fifth and sixth graders. In junior

high school, the classes are much more

focused on grammar; students don’t often

speak English; there are tests, homework,

and grades; and English class occurs four

times per week for all grade levels.

First-grade junior high students often

have trouble adjusting to this new learn-

ing environment. They may lose confi-

dence in their ability to speak English

in front of their peers or forget to draw

upon their previously acquired English.

Often they become resigned to accepting

that speaking English is too difficult and

English class can’t be fun.

The Momotaro play can be used to pre-

pare students for these initial hurdles. To

do so, alts should treat the Momotaro

play as the capstone of the students’

elementary English experience. By treating

the lesson as a capstone, the alt is bolster-

ing the areas of transition from elementary

to junior high English. First, let’s look at

how the Momotaro lesson is a capstone.

The Momotaro play incorporates a lot

of English students have already learned.

The play gives them a chance to use that

previous English freely because it allows

students to alter it and create their own

‘original Momotaro play’. For example,

students can insert more dialogue for the

demons or heroes, such as, “I like kibidango”

or “I can smash!”. It also makes them per-

form using English in front of an audience

and requires them to speak English from

memory (often quite a lot, especially for

the student playing Momotaro).

Since presentations are often the final

parts of the lessons (see Hi Friends! 1

Lesson 8 and 9 and Hi Friends! 2 Lesson

5, 6, and 8) the students have also become

accustomed to lessons ending on presenta-

tions. They can gain confidence with each

presentation and often enjoy the commu-

nication with their teachers and peers.

Lastly, the Momotaro play is often viewed

by an audience of their peers. The play

can be performed in one final show either

in the classroom or, circumstances per-

mitting, in the school library room or

music room. Depending on the coopera-

tion of your elementary homeroom teach-

ers, students from other grades and even

parents can be invited to come and watch,

but this isn’t required. Regardless of the

particulars, when your students know they

have an audience, they will care about it

more and be prouder of their work.

These three reasons that make Momotaro

the capstone of Hi Friends! English are

also the three strongest areas of transi-

tion from elementary to junior high school.

The prior English used in the play

10 11

JSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2

becomes the proficiency students rely

on in the more homework-oriented envi-

ronment of junior high school. The play

they did for fun can become a source of

courage for students to continue making

presentations and enjoying conversation

time in junior high school. The pride

the students put into the Momotaro play

often becomes the confidence they need

to speak English in front of their peers.

With this in mind, an alt can help stu-

dents combat the common initial hurdles

faced in junior high English. Reminding

students that they have already accom-

plished performing a play in English can

help them regain their confidence. alts

can encourage students to be original

like they were just a few months prior in

the Momotaro play. In these ways, alts

can also remind students that English can

be fun and encourage their originality in

English once again.

Of course, this is a best-case scenario. The

cooperation of the homeroom teacher

can greatly influence how the Momotaro

lesson is handled. Students’ performance

in junior high school English is also influ-

enced by many other factors, not just their

elementary English education. Lastly, alts

may find discrepancies in class results

based on classroom dynamics, scheduling

limitations, and sometimes even just the

weather. For lack of a better term – every

situation is different. However, alts hav-

ing agency in their lesson planning and

playing an active role in helping students

have a positive experience in English from

an early age is of utmost importance. alts

can greatly shape the environment of a

lesson and should have concrete goals in

mind when planning how they will treat a

lesson. With a clear purpose in mind, alts

can avoid passively handling their classes

and missing opportunities to achieve more

with their classes. They can help their stu-

dents grow regardless of circumstances.

Action! Theatre in the EFL Classroom

Maggie Roby

Abstract

Even the most academically focused

students in Japan can sometimes have

a difficult time finding ways to practice

expressing themselves in English. Here

are a collection of activities based on the-

atrical drills and body language impro-

visation that I have used to provide

opportunities for students to practice

expressing themselves and foster creativ-

ity in using English.

要旨

日本でもっとも学問的に集中した学生でさえ、時

々英語で自分たちを表現する方法をみつけるのが

大変です。ここにあるのは演劇の練習と即興的な

ボディランゲージをもととした活動を集めたもで、

生徒たちに、自分たちを表現することと、英語使

って創造性を育成する練習をする機会のため、私

が与えたものです。

About

Maggie Roby is from Johnstown, Ohio

in the United States. A graduate of The

Ohio State University, she currently lives

in Saitama Prefecture, where she is in her

second year as an alt on the jet Program.

12 13

JSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2 maggie roby - action

“Ore?”

We’re all familiar with the scene—the

gasp of surprise, the desperate glance

backward, and the look of pure horror that

dawns on your student’s face as they real-

ize that you have, in fact, called on them

to speak. The ultimate goal of language

learning is communication, yet with the

Japanese educational system’s emphasis

on grammar-based standardized testing,

students rarely have the opportunity to

become comfortable speaking in the tar-

get language. As alts, it’s our job to offer

students this practical experience so that

they come to view English not merely as

another test subject, but as a living, fluid

means of expressing their thoughts, feel-

ings, and opinions.

Drawing on my background in theatre as

a university student as well as my experi-

ence as a summer camp group activities

coordinator, I have adapted a number

of acting exercises and games for use in

English classrooms. These activities are

designed to get students up out of their

seats and engaging with English in an

active, physical way that fosters creativ-

ity and freedom of expression. While

it may seem counterintuitive, many of

the activities featured here emphasize

nonverbal communication skills, such

as hand gestures and facial expressions.

Body language is essential to effective

communication, particularly in a foreign

language, and provides students with a

firm foundation upon which to develop

their speaking skills. The goal here is to

build students’ confidence in expressing

themselves by creating a positive and sup-

portive atmosphere in which they feel

comfortable making mistakes as they

work to improve their English abilities.

activity: Zip, Zap, Zop!

• Level: Any

• Number of Students: 5-15

• Target Skills: Focus, eye contact,

pronunciation

Procedure

Students stand in a circle. The first per-

son begins by making eye contact with

one other person in the circle. Then,

by quickly sliding their palms past one

another to produce a sharp slapping

noise, they point at that person and say,

“Zip!” That person then chooses some-

one else in the circle and repeats the

action, this time saying, “Zap!” The game

continues in this way, cycling through

“zip-zap-zop” and becoming faster and

faster. Students are eliminated if they

a) fail to make clear eye contact, b) go out

of turn, c) take too long to respond, or

d) say the wrong syllable. After a student

is eliminated, the game resumes begin-

ning with “zip”. The last person standing

is the winner.

Using It

The main purpose of this game is to

practice focusing on other people. This

is a fundamental skill in communica-

tion, particularly in Western cultures that

value eye contact. This game serves as an

excellent warm-up for any of the exer-

cises that follow and can also be adapted

for use as a pronunciation activity. Simply

replace “zip-zap-zop” with the desired tar-

get sound, such as “thip-thap-thop” or,

“vip-vap-vop.” This game works best with

smaller groups.

14 15

JSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2 maggie roby - action

Activity: Funny Faces

• Level: Any

• Number of Students: Any

• Target Skills: Non-verbal

communication (facial expressions)

Procedure

All students face the back of the room. The

teacher calls out a feeling, such as “happy,”

“angry,” or “surprised”. On the count of

three, students turn around and make a

face that expresses the given feeling.

Using It

The purpose of this activity is to give

students a chance to practice using facial

expressions to convey their feelings. This

is an important skill for anyone commu-

nicating in a foreign language but may be

especially useful for students interested in

joining speech contests. Be sure to encour-

age your students to be as silly as possible—

the more exaggerated the face, the better!

If you find your students are embarrassed

or reluctant to participate, try letting them

pair up with a friend and make the faces at

one another. This exercise works great with

an entire class and can also be used with

smaller groups by having everyone stand in

a circle facing outward and then spinning

toward the center.

Activity: Sculpting Clay

• Level: Any

• Number of Students: Any

• Target Skills: Non-verbal

communication (body language)

Procedure

Break students into pairs. One person is

the Sculptor and the other person is the

Clay. The Clay can only move their arms

and legs when the Sculptor moves them.

The teacher calls out a word or phrase,

such as “cat” or “playing soccer.” The

Sculptors then have 1-2 minutes to turn

their Clay into a sculpture that represents

the given word. When time is up, the

teacher chooses the best sculpture, and

that pair of students gets to choose the

word for the next round.

Using It

This activity is a fun way for students

to get comfortable using their bodies to

express their thoughts and ideas so that

they may be more easily understood by

others. Encourage students to be creative,

and allow them to choose their own part-

ners so that they are as comfortable with

the activity as possible. Students who are

uncomfortable with physical contact may

use verbal cues or visual mirroring to show

their partner how they should position

themselves. This activity works well both

with full classes and with smaller groups.

16 17

JSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2 maggie roby - action

Activity: Barebones Dialogues

• Level: Mid

• Number of Students: Any

• Target Skills: Speaking, creativity,

putting language into context

Procedure

Begin with a generic dialogue. Give

students time to practice and memorize

it. Then, break the students into pairs

or small groups. Each group is respon-

sible for creating a skit using the dia-

logue. Each skit should be grounded in

a specific situation, and each character

should have a concrete identity or moti-

vation. Does the skit take place between

a husband and wife at a party? Between

an astronaut and an alien on the moon?

Between a murderer and an unsuspecting

victim in an abandoned warehouse? Give

students time to practice, and then have

them perform their skits in front of the

rest of the class.

Using It

This activity is designed as a fun alter-

native to simply reading dialogues aloud.

By encouraging students to apply the dia-

logue to a specific situation, this exercise

ensures that students truly understand

the meaning and appropriate usage of the

set phrases they are learning. Creativity is

the most important part of this activity.

Encourage students to think outside of the

box and, of course, to use as many facial

expressions and hand gestures as possible.

Activity: Freeze

• Level: High

• Number of Students: 5-20

• Target Skills: Spontaneous speech,

creativity, body language/gestures

Procedure

Students stand in a circle. The middle

of the circle serves as the stage; students

should be encouraged to remain inside

the circle. Two people begin in the cen-

ter and improvise a scene, meaning

that they make up their own words and

actions on the spot. At any time during

the scene, anyone in the circle may yell,

“Freeze!” When that happens, the actors

must freeze in place. The person who

yelled, “Freeze!” must then choose one

of the actors, take up their exact position,

and begin an entirely new scene.

Using It

In daily conversations with native speak-

ers, there are no scripts or handy dialogues.

For advanced students, improvisational

games such as Freeze provide opportuni-

ties for them to practice thinking on their

feet and using English in a more natu-

ralistic way. Many students may be reluc-

tant to yell, “Freeze!” If this happens, the

teacher may assume the role of facilitator,

yelling, “Freeze!” at key moments and call-

ing on students to enter the circle.

18 19

JSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2

During my two years as an alt, I have used

these activities with students in a variety of

settings, from ess clubs to English camps

and from groups of five to classrooms

of forty. The results have been phenom-

enal and, more often than not, down-

right hilarious. My students never fail to

surprise me with their unique interpre-

tations of previously dull dialogues, and

some of my shiest students have revealed

secret talents for improvisational comedy.

I have seen improved fluency, increased

self-confidence, and above all a greater

sense of enjoyment in speaking English.

While I currently teach at a high school,

many of these games are easily adapted

to a range of grade levels and English

abilities. As you consider these activities

in the context of your own classroom, feel

free to use what works for you and change

what doesn’t. Be creative, and encourage

your students to do the same.

The Happy JET - Promoting Interculturalism in the Workplace and Community

Paulo River Ferreira BA GS

abstract

By convening dialogue and building

bridges while staying strong and positive

by communicating boundaries. Being

in an alien environment can seriously

affect perceptions of interpersonal rela-

tionships. How an individual deals with

challenging situations in a professional

environment and within the community

determines how happy she or he will be

in their jet experience. A happy jet will

be more productive in fulfilling his or her

important role as a cultural ambassador.

要旨

外国語青年招致事業の参加者（以下「JET」）は、

積極的に境界線をはっきりさせながら 議論を進

めたり文化的な懸け橋を作ったりすることで、職

場と社会でインターカルチャリズムが促進できる。

しかし、新しい環境でいることは人間関係の知覚

に影響を与えることもある。JETが職場と社会で

の問題をどう対処することによって、JETの経験が

ハッピーかどうかを決定する。ハッピーなJETは文

化大使としての大事な役割をもっと上手に成就す

ると主張する。

20 21

JSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2 paulo ferreira - the happy jet

about

Paulo R. Ferreira graduated from Simon

Fraser University with a B.A. in Business

and Liberal Studies and pursuing grad-

uate studies in Education (Curriculum

and Instruction): Law, Justice, and

Ethics in Education. Previous to the jet

Programme, Ferreira was the training and

volunteer coordinator at the Vancouver

Marine Mammal Research and Rescue

Centre and a facilitator for various school

programmes. He has over a decade of

training experience working with corpo-

rations, Winnipeg Police Service train-

ing scenarios, media production and

announcer/voice-over work for industrial

media productions, and Canadian gov-

ernment public service announcements

for radio and television. He is currently

an alt at Sayama School of Economics in

Saitama Prefecture.

Being in an alien environment can seri-

ously affect perceptions of interpersonal

relationships. How an individual deals

with challenging situations in a profes-

sional environment or community deter-

mines how happy one will be in one’s

jet experience. A jet participant who

builds bridges by cultivating dialogue

and “interculturalism,” is proactive, and

maintains strong emotional health by

defining boundaries will be more produc-

tive in fulfilling the important role of

being a cultural ambassador.

Interculturalism is proactively promoting

dialogue and interaction, versus merely

accepting differences, as espoused by

multiculturalism (Ibanez B. Penas, Ma.

Carmen López Sáenz 2006.) It is con-

sciously recognizing both what is similar

and what is different between cultures and

has, “addressed the risk of the creation of

absolute relativism within postmodernity

and in multiculturalism” (Ewijk 2010.)

Shifting our perceptions as cultural

ambassadors to seeing “problems” as

“opportunities” takes the focus away from

spending too much time in our own

heads and transfers that energy into cre-

ating positive change in our communi-

ties. Negative perceptions of what is new

and different in a community are going

to exist anywhere in the world. Recruited

as cultural ambassadors, we must accept

the reality that it is our responsibility to

actively take the first step to bridge that

gap, not the responsibility of the locals we

live near and work with. This reality can

be shocking and painful for some who

may suffer deeply as they react to it. There

are useful tools for dealing with these

situations, and by taking steps to protect

ourselves emotionally, we can take action

to help dissolve ignorance and embrace

that responsibility.

22 23

JSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2 paulo ferreira - the happy jet

Defining Boundaries

To be a strong, proactive cultural

ambassador, we must safeguard our own

happiness and self-esteem by communi-

cating and protecting our boundaries

while maintaining professional conduct.

Communicating those boundaries is also

an effective way to build self-esteem and

promote a positive work environment.

We must communicate boundaries to

each other. If we neglect to do that, we are

permitting others to cross those bound-

aries. When we feel like we are being

taken advantage of, the offending person

often has no idea that they are violating

a personal boundary because we have

not communicated it. Communicating

boundaries tactfully is very professional,

and not only maintains our self-esteem,

but leads others to respect us more.

To be a productive leader, we must increase

productivity from a resource to its maxi-

mum potential. When the desired pro-

ductivity is from a human resource, it will

often continue until the employee shows

some resistance by defining a boundary.

The foundation for these boundaries is

the job description or contract; but refer-

ring to these documents frequently can be

less than tactful. However, simply defining

a boundary while offering an alternative

can protect our morale while maintain-

ing professionalism. For example, if an

alt is asked to spend lunch with students

on a regular basis without compensation

for personal time, it may go from being a

favour to an expectation. If the boundary

is not defined, personal time is no longer

personal, and bottled up frustration will

wear the alt down. Worse, the frustration

may become instances of passive-aggres-

sive behaviour.

We can explore productive steps with

another example. The alt is on the

way out for an important appointment,

when a peer stops the alt to assist with

something.

First, define the boundary:

“You need some help? I’m sorry, it is the

end of my work day, and normally if I was

warned ahead of time I would stay to help,

but today I have an important appoint-

ment, and I was not made aware of this

until now.”

Second, offer an alternate solution:

“Will it help if I come in a little early tomor-

row to help you before classes?”

Always identify the behaviour and not

the person. Define boundaries by using

the first person as much as possible

while keeping the word “you” to a mini-

mum. In a professional environment,

asking for something is like making an

“interpersonal withdrawal”: before mak-

ing the withdrawal, we must have made

some kind of “interpersonal deposit” by

inquiring about others’ personal bound-

aries. We must build our foundation as

part of a team to build trust and respect.

A person who has completed a favour

for another is more likely to do another

favour for that person. Similarly, one who

harms another is more willing to harm

them again than the victim is to retali-

ate. Experiment in your environment’s

most challenging relationships by ask-

ing for help that sources that individual’s

strengths. Mirror people, acknowledge

your peers’ strengths and successes, and

sincerely show interest in the comings and

goings of your peers’ workdays. Sincerity

is essential in a professional environment,

as artificial acts of friendship are both

unprofessional and can be detected as fake

by many causing a wholly opposite effect.

24 25

JSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2 paulo ferreira - the happy jet

Reinforcing the confidence and morale of

peers gives us the foundation and confi-

dence to clearly define boundaries in our

personal experience. Boundaries should

always be communicated professionally

by offering an alternative that will satisfy

the situation. When people are aware of

these boundaries the respect and morale

we build gives us the strength to effec-

tively build bridges between cultures.

Building Bridges

Clearer communication flow between

groups is essential to dealing with today’s

problems, be they political, cultural, or

commercial. There must be a better way

to handle the incoherence of the danger-

ous, segmented thinking that divides us.

As cultural ambassadors, it is our respon-

sibility to bridge this divide despite any

negative resistance. Interculturalism pro-

motes cross cultural dialogue to resist

self-segregation tendencies.

We must equip ourselves with tools that

enable us to promote interaction. A cul-

tural ambassador must be familiar with

how to initiate dialogue. David Bohm

explores the behaviour of society as a

whole, and that of one’s own behaviour

within society in ‘On Dialogue’ (Bohm

& Nichol, 1997.) Bohm’s text introduces

dialogue as a form of improving commu-

nication between people when there may

be conflict. He explains that dialogue is

a conversation where members let go of

views and beliefs they hold onto strongly

by listening to other’s conflicting views.

The goal is not to reach an agreement nec-

essarily, but to gain mutual understand-

ing. This is assisted by striving to engage

with others’ viewpoints completely, as

they attempt to engage with ours.

Bohm explores dialogue exactly as the

word is defined: as a flow of meaning. In

a dialogue group, this flow passes from

person to person on a level “playing field”

(as embodied by a circle). He describes the

concept of dialogue as a give-and-take of

our standpoints in a mutual desire to find

meaning and understanding without the

goal to win, as in a debate. He explains

the importance of being open to possibil-

ity and letting go of views we hold dear;

those we have always “known” to be true

in our lives.

Bohm also underscores the discipline our

awareness must have to remain focused

on the topic. He challenges us to be atten-

tive to our reactions and defences by “sus-

pending” these emotions, wherefore we

can observe them and their nature before

they emerge. Along with this self-disci-

pline, he encourages including personal

experiences and perspectives instead of

focusing on what we each define as fact.

Explaining our stories and experiences

provides a clearer view of who we are as

individuals versus set beliefs that may

strongly conflict with others’.

As cultural ambassadors, we also may

begin challenging our own strongly

defended beliefs as well as the “little

things” (so familiar to us yet alien to oth-

ers). As children, schooling provided a

lot of knowledge to absorb, and we were

expected to just accept it as fact. Like all

children, I trusted all grown-ups; not just

teachers and family, but also those on

television and in church. We learned to

accept these facts, and to reject ideas that

conflicted with them. Bohm challenges

us to suspend that certainty; to hold it up

and look at it objectively.

Why do we react so passionately? Can that

reaction be one of the things that push

us apart? What would happen if we all

learned how to listen to the other side

without reacting?

26 27

JSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2

Bohm shows us that if we try to under-

stand people that frighten or anger us,

we will realize that they are really feel-

ing the same fear we are. Our fear can

begin to melt away through open dia-

logue. It is also important to familiarize

oneself with one’s own weaknesses, try

to control them, and strive to find genu-

inely reliable sources of evidence; and

test them whenever possible. Being able

to reach decisions through clear dialogue

and objective evidence will make a life of

unknowns easier to navigate.

Conclusion

Promoting dialogue while protecting

personal boundaries can help us under-

stand that our rudimentary needs are

essentially the same. Furthermore, we can

be more productive by striving to under-

stand each other’s unique perspectives on

how to fulfill those needs. It is our respon-

sibility to take the first step, and once we

have confidence in the power of that ges-

ture, we affect real positive change in the

world that endures well after we are gone.

The first step can be made by walking

with the mantra:

Always be the first one to say hello.

Always.

References

Bohm, D., & Nichol, L. (1997). On dialogue. London ; New York: Routledge.

Fogel, M., & Highnam K. (2007). Interest-Based Negotiation & Conflict Resolution ; Simon

Fraser University

John Nagle. Multiculturalism’s Double-Bind: Creating Inclusivity Cosmopolitanism and

Difference. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2009.

Ibanez B. Penas, Ma. Carmen López Sáenz (2006). Interculturalism: Between Identity and

Diversity. ; Bern: Peter Lang AG

Hans van Ewijk. European Social Policy and Social Work: Citizenship-Based Social Work.

Oxon, England, UK; New York, New York, USA: Routledge, 2010. P. 136.

http://www.brainpickings.org/2014/02/20/the-benjamin-franklin-effect-mcraney/

http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/ben_franklin_effect.htm

28 29

sara bachouros - time management“Short and Sweet Activities” – A Workshop on Time Management

Sara Bachouros

Abstract

One of the challenges of working as

an Assistant Language Teacher is learn-

ing to adjust to a variety of situations.

Sometimes this means suddenly joining

an extra class or finding ways to finish a

lesson even when an activity took longer

than expected. This article will provide

new alts with knowledge and tools for

classroom success.

要旨

外国語指導助手が直面する一つの問題は、色々

な状況に応じてやり方を調整することである。例

えば、急に追加の授業に参加することや活動が長

引いた時に授業を終わらせることなど。この章で

は、新しい外国語指導助手に成功に必要な知識

とツールを提供する。

about

Sara Bachouros graduated from The

George Washington University with

a BA in Asian Studies and Japanese

Language and Literature. She is cur-

rently an Assistant Language Teacher at

Municipal Urawa High School in Saitama

City. She can be reached by email at:

sarambach@gmail.com.

Introduction

One of the challenges of working as

an Assistant Language Teacher is learn-

ing to adjust to a variety of situations.

Sometimes this means suddenly joining

an extra class or finding ways to finish a

lesson even when an activity takes longer

than expected. In other words, the most

important skill for an alt to have is the

ability to be flexible. However, for new

alts fresh to Japan and surrounded by

a new culture, a new work environment,

and a new language, it may take some

time to develop the good time manage-

ment skills necessary to be successful. This

article will provide new alts with knowl-

edge and tools for classroom success. I

will discuss 1) how to streamline classes

and know where time can be cut and

2) fallback activities for times when impro-

visation might be necessary. The following

is a summary of some of the most poten-

tially useful ideas and some suggestions

provided by alts in Saitama Prefecture

as to how they may be used effectively.

Time-Saving Strategies

Of course, each school and each class-

room is different, and not all of the fol-

lowing ideas will be useful for every alt.

However, getting into the habit of using

some or all of these strategies can free up

a surprising amount of time.

Eigo Gakari

In every class, there should be a stu-

dent who has been assigned the role of

eigo gakari. This student is in charge of any

tasks related to English class. An easy way

to shave a few minutes off of a class is to ask

the eigo gakari to pass back graded home-

work or other papers that don’t require

further explanation from a teacher.

30 31

JSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2 sara bachouros - time management

Kitchen Timer

One of the easiest ways to make sure a les-

son plan stays on track is to give students

time limits for each activity. Timing each

section of a class with a simple kitchen

timer means that everyone stays on the

same page. Students can clearly see how

much time they have to complete their

work, which usually encourages them to

stay focused.

Preparing the Board

If you know you need to assign groups for

a lesson, draw a seating chart and map out

the group assignments on the whiteboard

or blackboard before class starts. You can

also write the time flow, goals of the class,

or homework if time and space allows.

Don’t Wait for Volunteers

Ideally, students would be happy and

quick to volunteer when asked. However,

this is usually not the case. One faster and

fair way to choose students is to make use of

their shuseki bango, or “student numbers,”

by randomly calling on students by num-

ber instead of by name. There are vari-

ous ways to do this, but some ideas are

to prepare wooden chopsticks with num-

bers (usually 1 through 40 or so) written

on the bottoms or buy a set of bingo num-

bers. Unlike name cards, number cards or

sticks can be used in any classroom.

Stick to Patterns

Creating a pattern for each lesson to fol-

low allows students to become more com-

fortable with the class and more confident

because they know what is expected of

them. For example, the same class struc-

ture could be used each week with the

same greetings and a similar flow of activi-

ties. In addition, if students become famil-

iar with commonly used activities, time can

be saved by skipping lengthy explanations.

Short Activities

alts are often advised to have a “bag of

tricks” or short activities that can be relied

upon to help teach a variety of topics at

a moment’s notice. The following activi-

ties can be completed in five to ten min-

utes. Of course, the ideas listed here only

scratch the surface of possibilities.

Odd One Out

• Time: >5 min.

• Level: Any

Write three or more pictures, words, or

sentences on the board. Ask students to

choose the one that does not belong. This

activity can be adapted to quickly review

literally anything and any level. Ex. One

word is spelled wrong, one word is not

related to the same topic as the others,

one word has a different vowel pronunci-

ation than the others (cut, but, nut, and

put), or one sentence is using the target

grammar point incorrectly.

Blackboard Relay

• Time: 5-10 min.

• Level: JHS/HS

• Extra tools: Timer

Give the class a topic or question. (Ex.

What can we do to help the environ-

ment? What animals do you know?, etc.)

Divide students into teams and ask them

to run to the board one by one and write

something related to the topic. Don’t end

the game when the first team finishes.

Instead, use a timer to set a time limit and

ask everyone to continue from the first

student again and again until the time

is up. The winning team is the one with

the most ideas at the end. To make the

game more challenging, tell the students

that they will only get points for original

ideas. (This reduces the amount of copy-

ing from other teams.) This is a good

activity for reviewing vocabulary or brain-

storming about a topic (before a writing

task, as a warm-up, etc.)

32 33

JSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2 sara bachouros - time management

Expand Sentences

• Time: 5 min.

• Level: JHS/HS

• Extra tools: Timer

Write a verb on the board twice. (Ex. “go”)

Divide students into teams. Ask them to

come to the board one by one to add to

the word either at the beginning or the

end. (Ex. “go” ~ “I go,” ~ “I go to,” etc.)

Set a time limit of 3 minutes (of course,

the time can be adjusted depending on

the level of the class). The team with the

longest sentence when the time is up wins.

At the 30 second mark, warn students that

they must finish their sentences soon.

What is number…?

• Time: 5-10 min.

• Level: Any

Draw some pictures on the board and

number them. Ask students questions

such as “What is number 3?”, “Which

number is the cat?” etc. This is a good

activity for reviewing vocabulary.

Invisible Man

• Time: 5-10 min.

• Level: JHS/HS

This is a twist on the game “hangman”

without the dark imagery. Choose a word

and draw a line for each letter on the

board. Also draw a stick figure. Ask stu-

dents to guess letters. If the letter is in the

word, write it in on all the blanks where it

appears. If not, write it in a box of “used

letters” and erase one part of the stick fig-

ure. If the students guess the word before

the figure becomes “invisible,” they win.

Conclusion

No matter how experienced you are as

an alt, there is always a new trick to learn.

Fortunately, there are many available

resources, including books, the internet,

and our colleagues, from which we can

gather new ideas while sharing our own.

The following are some suggested places

to start:

Planet Eigo

Web address:

http://genkienglish.net/juniorhigh.htm

Planet Eigo is a team-teaching book

compiled by the Association for Japan

Exchange and Teaching. It contains activ-

ities for all levels and is written in both

Japanese and English. Some of the activi-

ties can also be found on the “Genki

English” webpage.

Teach This

Web address:

http://www.teach-this.com/

“Teach This” is a compilation of idea sub-

missions from ESL/EFL teachers around

the world. There is an extensive list of

games and activities that covers a wide

range of topics.

Breaking News English

Web address:

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/

At “Breaking News English” you can

find premade lesson plans structured

around recent news topics for a variety of

levels. The lessons require minimal plan-

ning or preparation.

Activities for ESL Students

Web address:

http://a4esl.org/

On “A4ESL” you can find online quiz-

zes for a variety of topics and levels. This

may be a fun resource for classrooms with

access to computers and the internet.

In addition, idea-sharing or community web-

sites (for example, Pinterest) can be really

useful for developing more creative ideas.

Although this article only scratched the

surface of activities and strategies, it is

my hope that at least one alt has found a

new strategy or activity to help make their

lessons more successful.

34 35

samantha kelley - pronunciation Pronunciation Perfection!

Samantha Kelley

Abstract

Pronunciation is an important building

block in language learning, yet it rarely

makes an appearance in the classroom.

This article discusses some activities and

tools ALTs can utilize in their lessons to

get students actively and accurately prac-

ticing pronunciation.

要旨

発音は言語学習の基礎的要素だけれど、教室に

はめったに登場しない。この章では、外国語指導

助手が利用できる生徒の発音力向上ツールにつ

いて説明する。

About

Samantha Kelley has been an Assistant

Language Teacher on the jet Programme

for 4 years. Education is a completely dif-

ferent field from her major in college,

which was Opera Performance. However,

she tries to incorporate the pronunciation

techniques she learned through studying

opera into her lessons. Samantha enjoys

traveling, baking, and playing music, but

she picks up new hobbies all the time!

Pronunciation Perfect!

As alts, pronunciation is not only a huge

part of our jobs but also one of the most

important. Generally speaking, when a

person learns a language, grammar and

vocabulary can be learned by studying by

him or herself. However, when it comes

to pronunciation, it needs to come from

an authentic source. Accurate demon-

stration of the new sounds must occur

alongside the monitoring of the stu-

dents’ practice. The alt, in this case, is an

invaluable asset to the class, demonstrat-

ing tough sounds like “r’s” and “l’s” and

making sure the students are saying them

correctly. Yet, students are still struggling

with English pronunciation, and here are

some reasons why.

In my experience as an alt in Japan, I

have found that many things are only

taught to the students once and expected

to be retained. There is very little review

or practice. So with pronunciation, if a

particular English sound is taught, it rarely

gets brought up again. It goes unprac-

ticed and is soon forgotten altogether.

In many cases, pronunciation practice

doesn’t make it into the classroom at all.

In Japan, English is a subject used primar-

ily for passing tests, and subsequently the

focus falls more on learning the correct

grammar or listening and reading com-

prehension, instead of how to physically

speak the language. Therefore, it comes

down to a lack of practice.

Bad pronunciation is usually ignored.

You can’t let it go! (Don’t sing the song…)

You cannot ignore bad pronunciation.

Practice makes permanent, so any incor-

rect sounds students are making now will

stick for a long time, if not forever. I used

to let my students get away with bad pro-

nunciation or katakana English all the

time. alts usually know what students are

trying to say and don’t always have time

to correct their mistakes. We are usually

36 37

JSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2 samantha kelley - pronunciation

too busy trying to get them to answer at

all. It occurred to me recently though

how important it is to fix these errors in

pronunciation.

My students recently presented their

town to the class. As you know, the /s/

and /ʃ/ (or “sh”) sounds are difficult for

Japanese students, so right away we heard,

“Welcome to Saitama Sh***y!” instead of

“Saitama City”. A hilarious mistake, but if

those students were to go abroad and say,

“I love New York Sh***y!” they would either

offend someone or be laughed at, both

of which could hurt their confidence. It’s

important to remain vigilant and make

sure students are properly pronouncing

these very important English sounds.

Speaking of which, English has a lot of

different sounds, both consonants and

vowels. To compare, English has 26 con-

sonant sounds while Japan only has 20. As

for vowels, Japanese has /a/, /i/, /u/, /e/,

/o/, while English has an extra six vowel

sounds on top of that; /i/, /I/, /e/, /ɛ/, /æ/,

/ə/, /u/, /ʊ/, /o/, /ɔ/, and /a/. No wonder

students are struggling! The most com-

mon consonant pronunciation problems

for Japanese students are those which exist

in English but not in Japanese: for example,

/ ɹ / and /l/ as in “grass” and “glass”, /θ/

and /s/ as in “thick” and “sick”, /s/ and /

ʃ / as in “sip” and “ship”, and /b/ and /v/

as in “berry” and “very”. Vowel sounds like

/ɛ/, /æ/, and /a:r/, /ɛ:r/ are also very chal-

lenging. These are the sounds I practice

with my students the most.

The best activities to practice pronun-

ciation are those which give the student

instant feedback to show whether or not

they’re doing it right. Information gap

activities work really well for this. In one

such activity, the student is given a list of

English words or minimal pairs with trou-

blesome sounds. Each word is assigned a

number. The student must then dictate

to their partner their birthday using the

English words, in MM/DD/YYYY format,

or DD/MM/YYYY if you prefer. Using

this table…

Pronunciation is not only an essential

part of learning English but also a tool

that can be used to excite students and

make English learning fun! Think back

to past experiences of learning another

language. How fun was it to make those

interesting, exotic sounds? For me, study-

ing German, I loved putting extra umph

behind my “Ach!”, because the /x/ sound,

made with friction in your throat, is not

one we get to use in English. Students will

love trying to make “r” sounds in their

throat or “th” sounds with their tongues

between their teeth. They will laugh at

themselves and perhaps tease each other

a bit, but they will be more engaged in

the lesson and they will try harder to mas-

ter the sound.

…my birthday, which is 12,22,1987, would

be “see, she, she, she, see, seat, shin, sin”.

My partner should translate that into

December 22nd, 1987. It becomes appar-

ent very quickly that if I do not pronounce

the words correctly, then I will be passing

on the incorrect information. If my part-

ner comes up with January, 11th, 1977,

(which would offend me slightly), then

I’ve made a mistake in my pronunciation

and should try again, making a clear dif-

ference between /s/ and / ʃ /. There are

many variations of this activity. Telephone

numbers can be used instead of birth-

day dates, and you can swap out the

/s/, / ʃ / sound for another minimal pair

you’d like to practice with your students.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

See She Sip Ship Seal She’ll Sin Shin Seat Sheet

38 39

JSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2

Pronunciation is a great tool for making

English learning fun for your students.

There are a plethora of activities out there

that are both fun and effective. Give stu-

dents an important building block they

need in speaking English and let them

have some fun in the process!

Trading Places - A Student’s Perspective

Shane Poole

Abstract

In this workshop, participants played the

role of a student learning a second lan-

guage - just like the ones alts teach every

day. During the workshop, participants

learned and discussed what it feels like

to be a Japanese student communicating

with his/her alt. This article relates the

information and format presented during

the workshop and provides final thoughts

on how alts can apply these thoughts in

their teaching.

要旨

このワークショップでは、外国語指導助手の参加

者は第二言語を学ぶ生徒の役を演じた。日本生

徒が外国語指導助手とコミュニケーションを取る

ときの気持ちについて学んで議論した。この章で

は、ワークショップの情報・形成・最終的な考えに

ついて説明する。

About

Shane holds a Bachelor’s Degree in

Graphic Design, a course which he

completed after obtaining his diploma

in Multimedia at the Cape Peninsula

University of Technology in his native

country, South Africa. He has experience

in web design and development and dab-

bles in designing and programming video

games in his spare time. He currently

lives in Kawaguchi, Saitama, where he

continues to study the Japanese language

and spends time with his friends. You can

reach him at: poole.shane@gmail.com.

40 41

JSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2 shane poole - trading places

Workshop goal

The goal of this workshop was to remind

attendees, fellow ALTs, what it feels like to

be a student in a classroom studying a for-

eign language. Participants were meant

to be confused and slightly frustrated but

feel hopeful at the same time, so as not to

put them off the lesson.

Workshop intent

I was at a loss as to what kind of workshop

I could offer for a skill development con-

ference, as I didn’t know what to teach to

my fellow ALTs. I had the following ques-

tions lingering in my mind: “What can I

teach ALTs that they won’t forget? What

can I teach them that would be truly

meaningful to them?”

A few weeks later, a colleague told me

about a workshop in Gunma that was

run by a South African couple, in which

they taught basic Afrikaans to the attend-

ees, in the hopes of reminding them what

it feels like to be a student studying a

foreign language. This, I felt, would be a

fitting workshop for me to run, not only

because I’m South African, but because I

was raised in Afrikaans.

I quickly set off to look up basic explana-

tions for Afrikaans grammar and South

African history.

Workshop procedure

Below is a rough flow of how the work-

shop was designed:

1. Bombard

This section was rather simple: bom-

bard attendees with Afrikaans phrases

to confuse them and throw them off.

This served as a nice introduction

as to what the lesson would entail:

“You’re going to learn a foreign lan-

guage, and you’re not going to under-

stand everything.”

2. Exchange greetings in Afrikaans

Here, I simply taught them a very

basic greeting in Afrikaans, which

was displayed on a PowerPoint slide. I

proceeded to walk around the room,

exchanging greetings with the partici-

pants and shaking their hands.

3. A brief history of Afrikaans

Naturally, attendees were very curi-

ous about Afrikaans, as it is not a very

well-known language. As such, I tried

to pre-emptively answer their ques-

tions by giving them a brief history les-

son about the Afrikaans language and

South Africa.

4. Afrikaans grammar

Next, I taught them very simple

Afrikaans grammar by comparing sim-

ple, compound and negative Afrikaans

sentences with their English counter-

parts. This helped to put the differ-

ences between the two languages in

perspective for the participants. Some

sentences are nearly exactly the same,

word for word, while other sentences

(especially compound sentences) are

wildly different.

5. Write your own introduction

Finally, I asked attendees to write

their own introductions in Afrikaans.

Each received a printout with brief

instructions and examples, with an

accompanying “vocabulary box” with

useful Afrikaans words and their

English translations. Attendees asked

me many questions and really wanted

to write creative Introductions. This

was my favourite part of the lesson.

After a few minutes, I asked some vol-

unteers to do self-introductions in

Afrikaans. There was never a shortage

of volunteers.

42 43

Name - TitleJSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2

6. Discussion

In the final section of the lesson, I

made the participants form little

groups and discuss their thoughts and

any important observations they have

made. After a few minutes, I had each

group share their thoughts with the

rest of the class.

Observations

The reactions I received from the attend-

ees were rather interesting. Some were

frustrated, some spoke in a German/

Swedish accent, while others, unknow-

ingly or jokingly, uttered Japanese phrases,

such as “e-e-eeeto” (umm...) or “ano”

(well...). Needless to say, it was all very

amusing, but it was very informative, too.

I found the exact same student dynamics

present in the classroom that you would

find in any traditional English language

classroom in Japan. These are some of

the specific things I witnessed :

• Some attendees were trying very hard

to get the pronunciation right and in

the process sounded like they were

speaking in a totally different west-

Germanic language.

• Some attendees were showing off

their Afrikaans skills (or lack thereof),

which I felt was very healthy for keeping

them and their classmates motivated.

• Some attendees understood the con-

tents of the lesson very quickly (usually

those with a background in studying

German) and helped their classmates.

• Some attendees used Google Translate.

• Some attendees made fun of words

that seemed strange to them, e.g. “slap-

tjips” (French fries), words that sound

very mundane and normal to native

speakers of Afrikaans, such as myself.

• Some attendees were a bit shy.

• Some attendees got caught up in their

conversations and missed some of my

instructions (very few though).

• Nearly all of the attendees were very

enthusiastic and enjoyed the les-

son thoroughly. All of the feedback

I received was very positive.

Final thoughts

The workshop was very successful, with

attendees walking out with smiles and

showing interest even after the workshop

ended. However, there are a couple of ways

I would improve the workshop for future

scds. These are some of the problems and

possible solutions I have thought about:

Non-native speakers have no idea how to

pronounce Afrikaans vowels.

Next time, it would be better if we prac-

ticed pronouncing Afrikaans vowels and

important consonants that make the lan-

guage unique/different from English.

South African history is very, very compli-

cated. There was too little time to go over

the entire scope of Afrikaans history.

The history of Afrikaans, I believe, is

vital in teaching the basics of Afrikaans

and for helping learners to know what

to expect from the language. Next time,

I would try to make this part of the les-

son briefer and remove the less important

parts about South African history.

The lesson was perhaps too easy and too

forgiving.

Only one attendee remarked that the les-

son was a tad bit too easy/forgiving. This

was the biggest challenge for me in setting

up this lesson, finding a balance between

making attendees understand their stu-

dents’ situations through frustration and

44 45

JSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2 shane poole - trading places

making them feel comfortable enough

to enjoy the lesson. Next time, I may

dedicate more time to the writing and

speech activities and make attendees do

a more challenging self-introduction that

requires more information.

What does this mean for ALTs?

Considering the foreign language set-

ting from a student perspective can be

very revealing and helpful for alts.

Firstly, people approach learning unfa-

miliar languages in largely the same way.

People from different countries with dif-

ferent cultural and linguistic backgrounds

show the exact same classroom dynamics

when faced with the challenge of learn-

ing a foreign language. This helped me to

more fully understand the fact that people

really are all the same. Japanese students

are not so different from their western

counterparts and therefore shouldn’t be

treated very differently.

Secondly, it is imperative not to underesti-

mate the difficulty of any lesson, whether

communicative or grammar-focused.

Things that we, as native English speakers,

take for granted may be much harder for

Japanese students (or non-native English

speakers in general) to comprehend.

While most alts understand this princi-

ple, I feel that many, if not most, teachers

forget what it was like for them to be stu-

dents in a classic high school classroom

environment.

Therefore, one important step in creat-

ing a positive classroom atmosphere/envi-

ronment is fully empathising with your

students and trying to look at any situa-

tion from their perspective. This is some-

thing that requires practice and patience.

One way, I believe, to hasten this process

is by spending time with one’s students

and asking them for their feedback after

lessons, whether in a survey or through

casual conversations. Of course there are

many other ways, and I encourage anyone

to try to find and incorporate them, too. I

believe the success of any lesson is highly

dependent on how much you understand

what your students go through.

46 47

jennifer low - tips for judges

abstract

As the popularity of English debate

rises in Saitama Prefecture there is an

increasing need for judges. Often alts

are called upon to fulfill this role. alts

may have little or no past experience with

formal debate competition in their home

countries, and no experience with the

Japanese debating style and format. As a

result, many beginning judges find they

are frustrated and bewildered as they

feel pummeled with a barrage of data

and high-speed English. This article will

address note-taking, arriving at a deci-

sion and making comments at the end of

a debate. These are three aspects of judg-

ing in which many alts new to judging

find to be the most stressful. The goal of

this article is to provide sempai advice

and additional training for new alts who

are asked to judge in debate competitions.

要旨

埼玉県で英語のディベートが徐々に盛んになるに

つれ、ディベートの審査員も必要になってくる。多

くの場合、ALTはこの役に抜擢される。ALT達はも

しかすると母国でもディベート大会の経験が少な

いか経験したことがないか、その上に日本のディ

ベートスタイルと形式は未経験だ。その結果、初

心者の審査員は高速な英語と情報の嵐でたじた

じになり、困惑や焦りなどを感じる。この記事は

口述筆記、勝敗の審査、ディベート後にコメントを

することを取り扱いする。　審査員の役割でもっ

ともストレスになるのがこの三つである。この記事

のゴールは、新ALTがディベート審査員に選ばれ

た際、先輩からのアドバイスや指導などを提供す

ることである。

about

Jennifer Low is a licensed teacher in the

U.S. (Secondary English,) and has  been

an alt in Saitama Prefecture, Japan for

three years.  She has taught in elemen-

tary, junior, and senior high schools at a

variety of foreign language proficiency

levels in both countries. She has also pre-

sented workshops for native and inter-

national educators at skill development

conferences and orientations sponsored

by the Saitama Prefectural Board of

Education.  Jennifer loves traveling, expe-

riencing the world with family and friends,

and thinking about language education,

and sees life as an “adventure in learning.”

As the popularity of English debate rises

in Saitama Prefecture there is an increas-

ing need for judges. Often alts are called

upon to fulfill this role. alts may have

little or no past experience with for-

mal debate competition in their home

countries, and no experience with the

Japanese debating style and format. As a

result, many beginning judges find they

are frustrated and bewildered as they feel

pummeled with a barrage of data and

high-speed English.

alts often feel the most stress with the

following aspects of judging: note-taking

tips, arriving at a decision, and giving

comments. The following are some tips

that have been gathered from previous

alts and myself from participating in the

debate circuit for the past three years.

Tips for Beginning Debate Judges

Jennifer Low

48 49

JSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2 jennifer low - tips for judges

Note-taking

1. Try to familiarize yourself with the

resolution and common arguments

for and against the topic. This allows

the judge some ability to predict the

direction that the arguments will take.

2. Don’t try to write everything you hear.

Listen for key words and use your prior

knowledge to fill in the gaps. Some

things may be repeated later in the

debate and the judge can fill in those

gaps at that time. Question time is a

good time to listen for repeated items.

3. Many teams try to use as many num-

bers as possible for evidence with-

out explaining how they calculated

those numbers, and may only briefly

explain the data. In this case, try to

take note of the number and what it̀ s

for if you can. If you can’t catch every-

thing, then the other team probably

couldn’t either, and will most likely

ask again during the question period.

If they don’t ask and you still can’t

hear or understand, it may be better

just to make a note of the argument

and that they had numbers to back up

their statements. It’s the other team’s

responsibility to actually know and

analyze those numbers.

4. Many judges find it helpful to color-

code their debate notes. This helps to

find important information quickly

later on when they must make a deci-

sion or give comments. One method

is to use one color for affirmative and

one color for negative. Then the same

colors can be used to underline impor-

tant parts attacked by the other team in

the attack and defense notes. Everyone

has a method that works best for them.

Get a good multi-pen and try out dif-

ferent methods. Just keep in mind that

consistency and organization is neces-

sary to keeping good notes.

Arriving at a decision

Debate judges are not judging the issue

and evidence itself, but how well the teams

argued for their particular stance. This is

very important to keep in mind in order

to avoid bias in making the final decision.

1. Advantages and disadvantages (ADs

and DAs) are judged on the follow-

ing criterion: strength; strong/weak/

none, probability; high/low, and

impact; large/small. You should base

your decision on how the teams eval-

uate the arguments. If they attack

an argument and say it is weak then

you must believe them that it is weak.

(Even if you think the attack itself was

a little weak).

2. Consider how the other team attacked

and defended. During the attack and

defense segment of the debate, teams

should be testing the support of the

other team by making attacks and

defending against the attack. If all

attacks are defended against, then the

AD/DA is strong and remains. If both

teams defend against all attacks, then

consider the strength of the defense.

If no attack is made against an AD,

it should be considered strong and

stands. Likewise, if a team makes no

move to defend against an attack, the

AD/DA is weak and is does not stand.

3. In some situations both teams do an

amazing job attacking and defending.

Likewise there are times when both

teams have difficulty debating. They

aren’t communicating their ideas to

each other properly, they aren’t mak-

ing obvious attacks, they leave things

undefended, or many other things

could go wrong. In these cases it is

very difficult to determine a winner.

In this case, the common model used

in debates in the Saitama area by the

HenDa organization, states that the

team arguing for the negative side

automatically wins.

50 51

JSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2 jennifer low - tips for judges

4. When making a decision, please try to

narrow down to one ad or da that was

your deciding factor.

5. As a rule, English ability is not part

of the judging criterion. However,

judges are encouraged to discuss com-

munication points with the team. It

may be helpful to make a couple of

notes related to how the teams or

specific members showed effective

communication.

Giving Comments

Comments can be another source of

stress for new judges. As a rule of thumb

comments should take no more than

5min. Some judges, usually the Japanese

English teachers who are judging, will

give comments in Japanese for the sake

of clarity and time. However, it is not

required for judges to give comments in

Japanese and many prefer to give com-

ments in English. However, taking into

consideration the students’ English ability,

it is better to keep them short and to-the-

point. Judges don’t have to give a blow-by-

blow account, instead, just focus on the

highlights of the debate. The following

are some ideas of things judges should

comment on after the debate:

1. Any really interesting points or facts

the team brought to the discussion.

2. Any really good attacks or defenses

made by the teams. You can also

discuss what effect the attacks and

defense had on the overall strength or

probability of the argument.

3. Comment on the summary. The sum-

mary speech is one of the most diffi-

cult portions of the debate. It must be

composed in a short amount of time

and should encompass all aspects of

the debate. Students who do the sum-

mary deserve feedback on their work.

4. Finally, comment on any really good

communication points the teams

made or places where they may need

more work (speaking too fast, not

looking at judges or other team…)

5. Announce the winner last, after you

have made all of the comments. A team

who is really upset by a loss will prob-

ably not listen to the comments after

you announce that they lost. Likewise,

the winning team may not think that

they need to listen to the comments

because they won. Commenting is a

chance to teach as well as give con-

structive feedback. Always congratu-

late both teams.

6. It depends on the judge’s comfort level,

but it might be a good idea to avoid

giving students a chance to ask ques-

tions. This opens it up for the teams to

question the decision and judges must

maintain their authority do invite any

other judges and teachers in the room

to give comments to the teams as a

courtesy.

Of course, if you have been on a debate

team in the past or have had the oppor-

tunity to study debate at some point then

you are a rare and glorious treasure. Still,

remember that the students are debating

in their second language and most high

school students are just beginning to

learn how to think critically. As a judge

your job is to give constructive feedback

and gently guide them to make logical

connections that they may have missed

when analyzing the issues themselves. It is

not helpful to the teams to penalize them

for not addressing certain aspects of the

issue they may not have thought about.

Rather try to lead them to making those

connections on their own.

52 53

JSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2

Debate is a wonderful opportunity for stu-

dents to build confidence and improve

their English skills, as well as a great intro-

duction to logic and critical thinking. Of

course, it can be a difficult challenge for

anyone being introduced to it for the

first time. Hopefully this introduction

has offered a few helpful starting points

of advice. If all else fails and you are still

lost, don’t forget to ask your sempai alts.

They will be happy to lend an ear and

advice. Happy judging!

abstract

Content and Language Integrated

Learning (CLIL) is a popular approach

in Japanese EFL education today. This

article gathers a variety of approaches to

EFL teaching that are CLIL-friendly to give

ALTs new methods and lesson ideas they

can put in practice at the start of their

next week.

要旨

今日日本のＥＦＬ（外国語としての英語）教育には、

ＣＬＩＬ（クリル）という人気なアプローチがある。

この章では、外国語指導助手が来週でも新しい授

業計画が使えるようにＣＬＩＬに適したＥＦＬ教育

の様々なアプローチを説明する。

About

Chris is a passionate elementary school

teacher with a B.A. in Japanese Language

and Culture from Ball State University.

He has also been a teaching assistant in

Special and Emotional Needs programs

in elementary and middle schools, and

has taught economics, sociology and

management fundamentals as an adjunct

professor at the International Business

College in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He lives

in Saitama City with his family, teaches

EFL/ESL, and has a decidedly hard time

limiting his interests. To find out more,

visit: www.christophermlow.com

Bringing CLIL into the EFL ClassroomA Collection of Unit-Based and Task-Based Teaching Ideas for EFL teachers and ALTs in JapanChristopher Low

54 55

JSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2 christopher low - clil

ALTs, both new and experienced, are

always asking themselves, “How can I find

more ways to motivate my students to

learn English?”

Below is a collection of alternative lesson

format ideas ALTs may find useful when

trying to design engaging learning expe-

riences for students. These ideas are unit-

based or task-based. They can be arranged

to fit into a stand-alone lesson or multi-

ple lessons so teachers can help students

interact with targeted EFL content con-

sistently over a prolonged period of time.

Each task or unit can also be arranged to

provide meaningful repetition of gram-

mar points targeted in textbooks. They

are presented below as merely ideas, so

that ALTs can develop them to meet their

students’ particular needs, as well as their

own unique personalities or interests.

Each unit or task intends to offer develop-

mental opportunities in each of the four

skill areas identified in the Content and

Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) for-

mat popular in Japanese EFL education

today. Now, I do not pretend to be an

expert on CLIL. However, there are many

resources available online to become

acquainted with some of the principles,

and I highly encourage anyone interested

to do so.

CLIL focuses on four “C’s:” Content,

Communication, Cognition, and Culture.

“Content” refers to both the skills students

will learn as well as the knowledge they will

gain. “Communication” describes the way

students will be using the target language

to convey their thoughts and ideas about

the content. “Cognition” means that stu-

dents will be combining the language and

lesson content with problem-solving skills

and deep-thinking to engage the informa-

tion creatively. Finally, “Culture” means

that students will be developing a deeper

understanding of their worldviews and

their relationships with the world as they

learn. Each of these areas help students

learn how to apply a foreign or second lan-

guage while they learn it, while helping

them develop critical thinking skills and

an understanding of themselves as part of

the global population (Teach Zone, 2011.)

After a brief description of each idea

below, I have denoted which of these four

skill areas, as well as other beneficial skills,

applies under the “Targeted Skills” bullet.

Watch and Discuss Movies and TV Shows

Watch, discuss, and write about popular

or iconic TV shows or movies and search

the scripts for unknown words, phrases,

and concepts.

Targeted Skills:

• Content

• Communication

• Cognition

• Culture

Suggested Shows (most are available on

Youtube, unless other links are given).

1. BrainPop! - a popular children’s web-

site dedicated to learning a host of top-

ics, suitable for native speakers ages 6+.

2. Bill Nye the Science Guy – a popular

children’s science program with clear,

simple explanations, repetition, and

solid educational memory theory incor-

porated. Many shows are available on

Youtube as of the date of this article.

3. Yo Gabba Gabba! – a popular chil-

dren’s program with characters resem-

bling Yurakyara, focusing on cultural

themes, behavioral lessons, morals

56 57

Name - TitleJSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2

and ethics, and communicating with

others well.

Any shows or movies from a foreign coun-

try or culture are theoretically okay, as

long as the language and film content are

acceptable for the learning environment.

Read and Discuss Literature

Read, discuss, and write about classic or

popular stories, websites, poetry, or books.

Targeted Skills:

• Content

• Communication

• Cognition

• Culture

This is a fantastic way to introduce students

to literature they may encounter while

studying abroad or to build on authors or

literature they may have touched briefly

on in their first language.

Practice and Perform a Play

Select, practice, rehearse, and perform a

classic or well-known, skill-level appropri-

ate theatrical play for the school and/or

parents and other attendees.

Targeted Skills:

• Content

• Communication

• Cognition

• Culture

This is another fantastic way to introduce

students to literature or contemporary arts.

Create a Game

Have students create their own board

games, PowerPoint games, or other inter-

active projects that specifically require

players to use grammar, words, phrases,

or other skills to develop a set of rules that

others must follow. Start by playing and

examining the rules structures of popu-

lar games today, such as Monopoly, Life!,

or Trivial Pursuit. For easier games that

require more basic but equally useful oral

interaction, try Candyland or Chutes and

Ladders.

Targeted Skills:

• Content

• Communication

• Cognition

• Culture

Science Experiments

Perform science experiments with

instructions and materials prepared in

English, and create reports about their

results. This may be particularly useful in

schools identified as “Super Science High

Schools.” Appropriate yet simple science

experiments can also be found on Bill

Nye’s website.

Targeted Skills:

• Content

• Communication

• Cognition

• Culture

Write Stories

Write, edit, and revise fiction stories,

poetry, or essays and present them to

other group members or partners.

Targeted Skills:

• Content

• Communication

• Cognition

• Culture

Write Research Papers

Write, edit, and revise research essays

and present them to other group mem-

bers or partners.

58 59

Name - TitleJSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2

Targeted Skills:

• Content

• Communication

• Cognition

• Culture

Stations Repetition and Portfolio

Assessments

Students rotate in groups in class to a set

number of stations and complete tasks that

target specific goals at each station. As

students continue to complete full station

rotations, new content can be introduced.

Students practice learner autonomy, and

alt and jte can help students as necessary.

Students can keep materials produced in

a portfolio that can be assessed for prog-

ress periodically.

Targeted Skills:

• Content

• Communication

• Cognition

• Culture

Example Stations Rotation:

1. A Listening Corner where students use

CD or mp3 players and headphones

to listen to something and complete a

worksheet or other task.

2. A Reading Corner where they read

a selection and work toward under-

standing it sufficiently enough to talk

about it.

3. A Speaking Corner where students

use their understanding and prepara-

tion of the material they read to have

a guided discussion in a small group

with a native speaker.

4. A Writing Corner where students write

in their journal about what they read,

heard, and talked about, and record any

other thoughts they had on the subject.

Other stations can be added to emphasize

free-writing skills, interactive games that

incorporate all skills, interact with other

students with written records of their con-

versations, or any other focus the teachers

want to include.

Skills or Standards Based Ideas

There are also many different

Communicative Learning and ESL

approaches that lend themselves well to

CLIL methodology, which can be used

to challenge and enhance the learning

of higher-level EFL students. Many edu-

cational bodies around the world have

developed systems of standards for stu-

dents whose native languages are not

English. For example, the Indiana Board

of Education’s English Language Learner

Standards in the United States has adopted

standards that, according to the Indiana

Dept. of Education, “allow English learn-

ers to communicate effectively for social

and instructional purposes and aca-

demic content in the areas of language

arts, mathematics, science, and social

studies” (WIDA One-Pager, 2014). These

standards and other communicative strat-

egies can be used to design CLIL lessons

that focus on developing students’ abili-

ties to produce language as a set of skills.

Furthermore, approaching language

learning from academic perspectives may

provide students with motivation to learn

beyond the goal to able to communicate

while traveling abroad.

Skills or Standards-Based ideas might

include the following:

Learning and relying on communication

strategies as described by Don Maybin,

an accomplished teacher trainer, asso-

ciate professor at Shonan Institute of

Technology, and CEO at Sulantra, LTD:

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JSCE - Volume 5 Issue 2

1. Control situations when a student does

not understand.

2. Elicit and ask for unknown words.

3. Produce “copy-corrected” output that

is understandable and increasingly

correct to the listener.

4. Improve learner confidence in the

educational value of making mistakes.

For more information or to contact

Mr. Maybin, visit his website, Sulantra.com.

Any of the ideas described above can

become a strong, memorable, and engag-

ing learning experience for Japanese EFL

students and bring excitement and intrin-

sic motivation back into their explora-

tions of the English language. Whether

you are a new ALT looking for an interest-

ing approach to building relationships

with students in the classroom, or an

experienced ALT looking for a new idea to

shake up an established routine, unit or

task-based learning may be just what you

were looking for.

The 4Cs Of CLIL - Module 1. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2014, from

http://www.slideshare.net/AclePage/the-4cs-of-clil-module-1

WIDA One Pager. Indiana Department of Education. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2014, from

http://www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/elme/wida-one-pager.pdf

BrainPOP - Animated Educational Site for Kids - Science, Social Studies, English, Math, Arts.

(n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2014, from http://www.brainpop.com

WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards Framework. (n.d.). Retrieved

December 3, 2014, from

http://www.doe.in.gov/elme/wida-english-language-development-eld-standards-framework

CLIL. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2014, from http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/clil

Sources