Language Resident Name: Yohichi Tagami
Day and Date: Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): Advanced Japanese
Class theme/topics discussed: “Graduation Ceremony”
Goal of the class:
Students will understand the Japanese graduation ceremony and compare it with theirs.
Students will read an article related to that topic and understand the story.
How did you structure the class?
Activity 1 (15 min): Attendance check & Announcement & Warm-up
I check students’ attendance and give them announcements. Then, I casually ask the students about their updates and news, leading small conversation in the class. I will mainly ask them about their Easter and summer vacation.
Activity 2 (8 min): Introduction of Today’s Topic
I announce the today’s topic and discuss them in the class. Students talk about their experiences of graduation ceremony and share them in the class.
Activity 3 (10 min): Discussion in the Class
We discuss general information of graduation ceremony in America and Japan. And then we compare the results and talk about some points in the class.
Activity 4 (10 min): The Features of Japanese Graduation Ceremony
I introduce some of the features of Japanese graduation ceremony with the images on the powerpoint and explain them one by one while interacting with students.
Activity 5 (17 min): Reading a Story
I give them pieces of paper and briefly introduce a story. Students read them and try to put them in a right order in pairs. After that, they summarize the story and then we review the story and discuss it in the class.
What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)
Powerpoint
What worked well in this class? What did not work?
The class was good in general. We talked about graduation ceremony in the class. One of the students had sick, so she was not active in the class at all. The other students were okay and participated in the activities. But their attitude towards the class was rude overall. Two of the students were really like a child, the other students were like a robot. If this happens in the next class on Thursday, I need to do something in order to improve the class and students’ attitude.
How could this class be improved/ modified?
Today I did a new style of activity related to reading in the end of the class. It went well and students liked it, but some of the students spoke English, not Japanese during the activity. Also, I found many parts needed to be revised while they were working. So I am going to modify the plan tonight for intermediate class tomorrow.