My kids are smart. They really are.... at least that's what I keep telling myself. Usually, they will surprise me for the better, but today, I have absolutely no idea what was going through their minds. Let me explain.
One of their favorite games is the "Dengon Game," which is basically like "Telephone." In my classroom, the rules are as follows: the last person in each of the six rows comes to me. I whisper a word to all six. They then whisper it down their respective lines. The first person in each row then runs to the blackboard and writes the word while my vice principal makes sure they don't cheat by looking at each other's word. Now, this game is absolutely great for phonics. In fact, usually it is the culminating activity after a month long study of difficult phonics. It forces the students to watch each other's mouths, listen carefully, and practice correct pronunciation. Plus, the students always get a kick out of the resulting words. Well, today they weren't only laughing, but also scratching their heads.
Word 1: lice (It is very important for Japanese students to know the difference between "l" and "r." Few things sound weirder than them saying "I eat lice everyday. Or I ate lice for breakfast" :-)
Word 1 answers: lice, rice, lice, lice, rice, rice (mistakes are understandable)
Word 2: bat (Students easily confuse t/d/b/v and a/u)
Word 2 answers: bat, bad, but, bat, but, bat (ditto)
Word 3: she (sh/s is a challenge. If you ever want to really confuse a Japanese person just say "She sells seashells by the seashore")
Word 3 answers: she, sea, see, love, she, she (hmmm.... now that's interesting)
1 comment:
love?!
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