Tuesday's Assignment

Can you remember the trauma of going back to school? Or perhaps going to school for the first time? What were you excited about? What were you fearful of?

Did this cartoon make you laugh? Discuss with two or more classmates.

This week we consider a child's education in Canada. How different is it from your childhood experience?

Here are your tasks:

1. Listening: A Day at School
1. What words or phrases were hard to understand at first?
2. What surprising pronunciation rules did you discover?
2. Vocabulary: Naming Kids
1. What new words did you learn?
2. What new ways can you use those new words in?
3. Role Play: Types of Students
1. What new meaning and pronunciation items did you learn?
2. What do your partners say when you check your reading with them?
3. How did your Audioboom.com recording with your partner go? What about your classmates'?

1. A Day at School

    1. words: cafeteria  

    2. surprising pronunciation rules:  Japanese pronunce letter "r" as "l".

Listening Exercises

1. How does Joshua go to school in Japan? C
A. He takes a school bus every morning
B. He rides the subway at 8:00 AM.
C. He walks with a group of students.

2. Which item did Joshua NOT mention when talking about the things he takes to school? C
A. backpack
B. gym clothes
C. school hat

3. What is one of the first things Joshua does when he arrives at school? B
A. He practices his reading and writing.
B. He stands and bows to the teacher.
C. He puts on his gym clothes for class.

4. Where does Joshua eat lunch at school? A
A. in his classroom
B. in the lunchroom
C. in the gymnasium

5. What time does Joshua probably get home from school most days? B
A. between 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM
B. between 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM
C. between 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM

Text Completion

Randall: Hello. Today I'm interviewing Joshua on his (1)experiences going to a Japanese school. Now Joshua, what time do you go to (2)school?

Joshua: Eight O'clock.
Randall: Eight O'clock. And do you (3)go by yourself, or on a school bus?

Joshua: No, I have a group that goes with me.
Randall: So you go with a group?
Joshua: (4)Uh-huh.

Randall: Now what (5)kinds of things do you take to school?

Joshua: I take my taiso fuku, that is gym clothes, and I take my backpack and my books [Oh, okay] and (6)stuff like that.

2. Naming Kids

    1. new words: tease / to appease / alliterative / alternate 

    2. sentences