It was new experience for me to create the proverbs. Rule was simple. 2 person gather and discuss which picture matches with the word in paper. There was 29 pictures and 29 words, so we had to match them one by one. Standard for matching depends on each team, we just had to make sentences which connects two ideas.
As a person who is lack of imagination, this activity was fun, but also difficult. One of the impressive results of matching was star picture and jealousy. I thought because star in this picture was shining, so maybe we could match it with the words that had something good meaning. But, very creatively, my partner match star with jealousy, and she made proverb, everyone feel jealousy to the stars. Here she made new meaning, celebrity, to the star. It was kind of surprising to think beyond the given materials, and I promised myself not to be confined to the existing stereotype. It was a precious experience
2. Are You a Spy-Song? & Character Description
This time, I prepared activities as a host, and I finally get to know the hardship of preparing for class (Thank you professor) I had to consider many factors, such as time, to fully fill up and not to exceed the limited time (30 min), pedagogical purpose, to listen and speak, and the degree of fun, to draw voluntary participation from our group members, etc. Luckily, I can get many ideas from English in Action class, especially when I was preparing for character description activity.
Because I am weak to speaking, I tried to prepare instruction parts a lot. I tried to explain my activity in detail, so that they can understand what they will be going to do, by reading it and with some of my complementary words. Moreover, just in case that they dont understand the rules at once, I prepared 2 rounds for first activity.(But I didnt expect that they wont understand instructions at once) Unlike my expectation, they got some troubles in understanding at the first time, so I had to explain more than I had thought. At the time they had finished the 1 round of the first activity, finally they said that they got it. I become to realize that paper explanation materials only cannot be perfect for students, and they need supplementary oral explanation from teachers and some examples.
It took about 2 day preparing two activities as a host, but it was invaluable experience for me. Especially I feel so proud when our group members said that mine was so much fun. I would never forget this experience.
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Anonymous
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RE: Teaching Listening and Speaking (Spring 2019) - Week 4 Reflections for Dexterous
For week three, our group had three very different and interesting activities. The first activity, designed by Misu, was an activity in which we had to create our own proverbs according to different pictures and adjectives. We were paired up, and each pair was given a sheet of paper with a grid of adjectives, and little pieces of paper with different pictures such as mountains, ice cubes, and roses. Our objective was to compare and contrast the words with pictures, and come up with proverbs according to their similarities. This activity was actually really meaningful because it required a lot of deeper thinking to. For example, I was able to come up with a proverb that went: Love is like a rose, for theyre both beautiful
After we finished matching all pictures to adjectives, we then switched partners to create a whole new set of proverbs. This was actually really interesting because although weve played the same exact activity once before, we were able to come up with new proverbs that we didnt use for the first round, matching different pictures with different words this time. In fact, for the second time around, I created Love is like fire because theyre both symbol of passion, matching the word love with the picture of fire, rather than with rose, which I did for the first time around. I especially loved how this involved a lot of in depth thinking, and a lot of speaking, since we had to explain the meaning behind our proverbs to our partner.
The second two activities were designed by Hyunjung. First, we played Mafia-song game. Each members were given a card with either a name of a place, or a picture of spy-song. The objective was for the citizens, who had a specific name of a place on their card, to find out who spy-song was, and for the spy-song to figure out what place everyone else has on their card. The way of doing this was by going around and asking questions to the person sitting next to you. On the first round, we were a bit confused by how the procedure was supposed to be. However, for the second round we all understood and asked a lot of critical questions to each other, which was really fun!
The second activity Hyunjung designed was listen and draw. We were divided into two teams for this. Each team was given a picture of a character, and were instructed to come up with physical features of the character. We were given a character from the disney movie, inside out and the character had furry pink body and a long, pink-shaped nose. After coming up with the characteristics, each team said them out loud for the other team, as they draw the picture according to the explanation from the other team. I was able to guess who my character was during the procedure of drawing while listening, which was really fun. Usually when I talk, Im not too descriptive. I often tend to exclude physical details of whatever Im talking about. So this activity was even more helpful for me, since I got to practice describing in great detail, in order for the other team to draw the picture accurately.
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Anonymous but identified
Date:
RE: Teaching Listening and Speaking (Spring 2019) - Week 4 Reflections for Dexterous
This activity was making proverb by integrating the adjectives of emotions with the pictures. The host let us use similarity and comparison to make a statements. It has a simple rule and we did this activity twice. The earlier youd done, you are the winner. After explaining the rules, the host set us in pair groups.
We got a piece of paper with the lists of the words of emotion and bunch of pictures. Some pictures were not obvious so we got more options to connect them with adjectives. Of course, I spoke and use English a lot to make proverbs in terms that it requires us to make sentences as soon as possible. Me and my partner struggled to make fancy proverbs. At the end of session, I asked to other team for which was the most impressed sentence they made. I just did that because I wondered how differently people think. The one sentence I made and remember is Apple means shyness because the face turned red as apple when people feel shy.
This activity demands lots of energy and my creativity but it worths because I spoke a lot to explain why I think in that way. Overall, it was fun and meaningful in that we use our creativity and practice language at the same time.
In my opinion, this activity was really hard to come up with idea in no time. While writing this reflection, I think it was very intellectual and suit on the literature class! In other words, it was the integration of teaching language and literature class. It was a romantic and emotional activity. If I could speak English as much as I speak Korean, it would be so romantic and enjoy more.
[Second session]
Are you a spy-song?
First of all, this game was really fun and interesting. The game is to figure out who is spy-song who does not know which place the others are talking about among the lists. The spy-song has to guess which place they are describing with acting as if she knows.
At first, I read the instruction and didnt get understand at the first place. I was picked as Spy-song and started the game without understanding rules, which made me a bit nervous. There were bunch of the expression I can use but I couldnt use it because I didnt understand the rules. I was the second who make question. The questions were in a row; How do you feel when you are in there?and Who do you usually go there with. And the more the question popped up, the clearly I understand how the game works. At the end of the first session, I successfully disguised myself as a normal player and beat the other player! The next session was even funnier and tensed. And the spy-song beat again.
This activity was designed to use more descriptive vocabulary and the host gave lots of vocabulary the players can use. While investigation, we spoke a lot and accused each other by reasoning. For example, she might be a spy-song because her answer was irrelevant.
How does your character look like?
This activity is about description of pictures. It was encouraged us to use descriptive expression. While one team describes the pictures verbally, the other draw a picture. We got three minutes for preparation. Me and my partner talked and tried to come up with the best way of descriptive expression. The host prepared the colors and paper. The outcome was funny because it looks like an alien. While describing the pictures, I learnt some vocabulary such as arched eyebrow and oval-shaped face. Overall, it was interesting and make me speak quite a lot.
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Anonymous
Date:
RE: Teaching Listening and Speaking (Spring 2019) - Week 4 Reflections for Dexterous
Our host prepared a matching game. We were divided into three teams. With a partner, we had to match a word to a picture making a related sentence. Although it sounds easy, it was quite a difficult task to come up with a sentence that matches both a word and a picture. At first, we made some sentences that are very common and simple. However, as only difficult topics are left, we tried to find sentences that are from fairy tales and emotions.
I think this task requires some creativity and vocabulary. This is because in order to make sentences we had to understand the meaning of the words and come up with some interesting ideas. Moreover, we were able to talk about the topic by asking some questions about the meaning of the sentence that one made, and adding some details to the sentence. Although this activity was very simple, it was complicated enough to use our brain and speak a lot with the partner.
Are you a Spy-song?
This activity is also a deductive game. We pick a card in order to get a role; and one person is a spy-song and tries to find the place that the rest of the people got. By asking and answering the questions, the spy song gets some hints and tries to guess which place they are talking about. Thus, people have to try not to be too specific or too broad because everyone does not know who is a spy.
I liked this activity because every gets a chance to ask and answer the questions and talk with many people as many as possible. Moreover, it was fun to find some characteristics of the place in order to hide (or find) the answer. Thus, I think this activity can be very helpful for learners to think about some vocabularies or expressions related to the place.
However, as the answers related to the place are too easy, the game ended too early. I wanted to play more! J
How does your character look like?
We were divided into two teams and given a picture of a character and a paper that has plenty of word expressions that represents the character. We checked the word expressions that indicates the picture and let the other team draw based on them.
This activity requires some vocabulary so that we can check as many word expressions as possible in order to identify the character. It was a very short and simple game that could be good for icebreaking.
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Anonymous
Date:
RE: Teaching Listening and Speaking (Spring 2019) - Week 4 Reflections for Dexterous
In this activity, we are paired and asked to match with objects with words about feelings by similarities and to explain why this two should be together. The first group that ends the game wins.
From it, the input is words about feelings. This game kind of mix them together and make us enhance our comprehension and to distinguish the differences between some similar words both from spelling and something underlying semantically. It is good for lower class of English learners such as high school students. And I think what is good is we get the chance to really look into what our perspectives about things and may come up with new things since we have a group member who may share something different about the same topic. It is interactive. Also, when learners are asked to output a lot by trying to capture some features about objects.
However, I think it lacks of purpose. What we match these for? Why? If all we need to do is to finish as soon as possible, then students might just take these papers on and agree to each other. Maybe we can make it a pair competition, and try to come up with things that support our reasons of matching to convince the other.
Are you a spy-song?
The host gives each of group members a small paper randomly and one of them will get a blank paper that indicates the person is spy-song, the others will have the one same words among the list of places that the host offers us. At first round, everyone will ask the person right beside her a question about the places to see if she is a spy and in second round, we can ask anyone especially the one you think is suspicious. I think this activity takes brain cells. And it kind of lack meaningful input. Moreover, if we are not looking suspicious, then we will not have much time to be asked. But it is a quite interesting game!
How does your character look like?
It is a listen and draw activity. We are divided into 2 groups and give as possible detailed description as they can about the picture they are holding in turn while others will listen and draw the characters. Who draw the most similarly with the original will win. I think it is quite good for group members to talk about the character before officially drop to the others because we are not only outputting meaningfully but also try to make it more precise. And for the person who draws, they need not only to comprehend descriptions and also turn into pictures while the group keep talking about this. It may be not too easy for some learners. I think it will be better if the groups are required to organize their descriptions in certain order and deliver it to drawers one by one with short intervals.
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Anonymous
Date:
RE: Teaching Listening and Speaking (Spring 2019) - Week 4 Reflections for Dexterous
On the fourth week, we did two activities: Proverb game and Are you a spy-song & How does your character look like?. I prepared Proverb game and Hyunjung prepared Are you a spy-song and How does your character look like.
Proverb game
I prepared proverb game because I thought it is very helpful to find similarities and differences. The rule of this activity was very simple: First, students draw cards from the concept pack and lay them face up on the table. Second, if students find a point of comparison between the concept card and picture card, then students can discard the card they hold. For example, "Sorrow is the lemon because both of them are very sour" is in that case. If students cannot do this, the turn papers to the next student. The student, who the first do so is the winner on this activity. I thought it takes few time, but it took rather long time because it was really hard to find similarities and differences. However, our group members found comparisons very well. EunBin, who was my partner found similarities between laziness and sugar and it was the most impressive answer for me, "Laziness is like sugar because both of them are very sweet."
Although it was really complicated, this activity can find some characteristics of objects such as love and rose. Moreover, it stimulates students creativity by connecting relationship of two different things such as laziness, sugar, onion and shyness. I think this activity is not that hard, but I think this activity requires lots of deep thinking and creative ideas.
Are you a spy-song?
Next, Hyunjung prepared two activities: Are you a spy-song? & How does your character look like? First, we did "Are you a spy-song?". The rule of this activity is like this: 1. Host will give each of stuendts a small paper randomly. 2. One member will get a 'Spy-song' character, which means that she is spy-song and the rest of group members will ge t a name of specific place, which means that they are just noon-song . One of the places on the list, which you are given by host, is the answer place. If a spy-song figures out the name of the place or noon-songs cannor quess who she is in the limited time, then spy-song wins. The place was 'theater', and Noon-songs asked the information about theater such as "How often do you go ther?" and "Is it crowded?" Although I gave very specific anwer "It costs about 10,000 won" , spy song couldn't figure out the answer.
I think it can be good to use after learning about some places because it improves speaking about some information of certain places. Also, it can help students to use descriptive words such as "It is very crowded place" and "It is sometimes very dark like night". Moreover, it can improve student's reasoning power because the purpose of this activity is finding spy-song. By detecting student's behaviors, students can find spy-song. This activity was a really valuable activity. When I teach some students about places, I will do this activity.
How does your character look like?
Lastly, we did "How does your character look like?". The rule of this activity was really simple: Students are divided into 2 groups and give as possible detailed description as they can about the picture they are holding in turn while others will listen and draw the characters. Who draw the most similarly with the original will win this activity. My group described Ping-pong, which is character of 'Inside Out'. Although we described this character specifically, another group couldn't described Pingpong very well. My group was same with another group. They descrbied their character specifically, but I couldn't draw the character well. After I saw the answer, I finally understood what they described.
I think this activity is really helpful to use descriptive words. It can be really good to be used with learining descriptive writing or vocabularies. When we discribed the character, we used lots of descriptive words such as ginormous oveweight, chubbly, and spotty. It can stimulate student's describing ability very well.
