Today I would like to highlight two of my students who made a very big step in their English lessons.
H and S were P3 students last year and sat on marshmallow seats singing songs, They have now begun P4 lessons, sitting on big kid seats and learning more vocabulary and grammar than ever before. THis was a very big and scary change for them both.
In our first lesson both students were very nervous, S put on a brave face and pushed through but H became very overwhelmed and didn`t feel good about the lesson.
I was worried for both students, But now at the end of 4 lessons together, I feel confident that They can handle our lessons, S and H now understand the new way lessons work, and they are working hard to repeat long sentences and difficult vocabulary.
S is very confident and quick to answer questions, And H is incredibly sweet and dilligent, no matter what activity we do, both put in their best effort and get excited for our games!
I look forward to seeing how both Thrive throughout the year.
-Jordan Sensei
みなさんこんにちは！
今日は中学生クラスのお話をいたします。
中1のKくん。
今年から中学生になり、英語にももっと力を入れていきます。
レッスンの中では、'What do you do in your free time?'の質問をしたのですが、自分のことだけでなく、主語を家族や親戚まで話を広げていきました。
その際に、構文の質問だけでなく、自由時間にしていることに対し、追加で質問をしてもらいました。
次に目指す英検準2級は、今年から自分で質問文を考えるライティングが増えたため、レッスンの中でたくさん練習をしています！
スピーキングだけでなく、ライティングの練習も一緒に頑張りましょう！
福田
As a new week sets in, I am reminded of the students who always do the most!
Put in the most effort or Try the hardest in class.
One such student, is "K". She just moved into P1 this year from Baby D!
She is the most talkative of all my P1 students! She reads along with mom and I.
She tries so hard to remember and repeat all our vocabulary! She even understands "How are you!"
and can tell me all the emotions and pick the one she is feeling!
"The How are you song" is one of her favourites!
Last week we were learning about colours and fruits. She not only paired the colours and the fruit correctly,
but was able to even mix and match them! Mom and I were so impressed with her progress!
She even said "Green melon" all on her own. AMAZING!
She sings the songs and classroom chants along with me and mom, she repeats at story time! plays all our games and
even tries to ask questions! This little girl is always doing the most!
- Khanya (Kay) Sensei
These past few weeks I have had the privelage to get to know many knew students in my lessons,
One of the ways I have done this is to exchange letters with my older students.
As well as a great way to get to know them and their interests, It is a wonderful way to practice reading and writing in English.
When I was younger, I had a pen pal in the USA, I wrote many letters to her and learned about her country and her life. I think it is a great opportunity for students to learn about life in other countries and ask questions they might not think about during class.
I hope everyone continues to enjoy it!
-Jordan Sensei
みなさんこんにちは！
今日は、小学校低学年クラスのお話をいたします。
4月より新しいメンバーになったとあるクラス。
今週より、新しく男の子が増えました！
みんなお友達が増えたことをとても喜び、たくさんお話をしていました！
その日の構文は、'Are you a/an ～?' 'Yes, I am./No, I'm not.'の文でした。
男の子チームと女の子チームに分かれて、何の職業カードかを当てるアクティビティをしました。
チーム内で、これじゃない？あれじゃない？と相談し、みんなで大きな声で答えを発表してくれました！
これからも新しいメンバーで楽しくレッスンをしましょう！
福田
On Tuesday I had the pleasure of teaching two interesting P1 students. We were learning about colours and fruits!
"I" and "R" have such different personalities but they are so entertaining. As I had never taught them before I was
a bit nervous but I ultimately had a really good time with them! It certainly looked like they had fun too!
"I" was a bit sleepy and a little non-responsive at first but soon he was all smiles and speaking as much as he could.
He also made funny sounds and faces that had mom and I laughing so much! "Green Melon" and "Pink Peach" were the cutest as he said them with a big smile on his face!
"R" was such a champion! He repeated everything said and read to him with so much excitement! Even when I praised him he repetaed it!
His grandmother and I thought it was so funny, when he kept saying Good Job and Nice Work! It was hilarious!
He was able to remember almost all our colours and fruits together! I was really impressed!
Who knew learning about colours and fruits would be so much fun!
- Khanya (Kay) Sensei
みなさんこんにちは！
今日は年少クラスのお話をいたします。
3歳のKちゃん。
今年から独り立ちをし、自分の力で頑張っています。
一回目のレッスンからとてもたくさん話をしてくれて、レッスンの中でも、'My name is 〇〇!'と大きな声で発表してくれました！
色の確認のパートも、自身のクレヨンを使いながら探したり、発話を楽しんでいます。
そして、聞きなれているABCの歌も、一緒に大きな声で歌ってくれました。
また少しずつ新しいレッスンに慣れていって、自分で発表できる文を増やしていきましょう！
福田
Being New in the Big Class...
My Wacky, Wednesday class has a new face from another school. Student "K".
He seems a bit shy and I am trying to find the best way to get him more intergrated into the group.
It is a big class and I worry that he might disappear into the background. Some of the personalities are very big
in that class and I don't want him to feel pressure or feel out of place.
As a teacher with a big class and a new student, it's often hard to balance the two things.
Student "K" comes across as quiet, but I can tell he has an interesting personality!
He laughs at all the jokes from the other students and myself! I am hoping this will continue to encourage him to open himself up more.
So far I am very happy with "K" level of English as it has potential grow and quickily!
Being New in the Big Class can be very scary and but it can be exciting though!
- Khanya (Kay) Sensei
The second week of school has brought with it some interesting challenges.
I have a few large classes and one of them is my very wacky and fun 2nd year Junior Highschool class.
It's a full house, I am trying to come up with some innovative seating arrangements to make the class seem less...crowded.
I used an L shaped arrangement for the tables and had the students sitting freely infront of them. Whilst that seemed to work, I doubt it can work for long. I wonder if I could come up with something long term and most effective to run the class smoothly. This requires more thought, but I love that my students want to be involved as well. My student "Y" jumped at the idea to help me re-arrange the class and she was really enthusiastic to explain it to her classmates!
Despite it being a full house, I thoroughly enjoy teaching that class.
The variety of personalities and the overall group dynamic always makes the classes interesting!
- Khanya (Kay) Sensei
Amongst the cherry blossoms this week we have started to see something even more special bloom.
Our students, getting to know eachother and their teachers, and seeing the friendships begin to bloom in the classrooms.
There have been several students I`ve seen immediatly click with each other, and I could easily be convinced they had been friends all their lives.
Others are less immediate, but still warming up to each other in such a wonderful way.
I can`t wait to see how everyone will grow closer throughout this year and I want to support each and every one.
-Jordan sensei
