adding a little culture to my lessons?

Question

Hiya, i am teaching students english at my home and i decided to try and incoporate some UK culture (if you can call it culture,,,sigh) into my lessons, for example am using a BIG BEN theme while am teaching them to tell the time in English, I come from scotland so naturally i want to add nessie to my lessons for fun, or haggis even and even some irish culture like shamrocks, but i am out of ideas, i will teach students basic English in a fun way with lots of games, and i want to teach them time,body parts,actions,ordering food, weather,days of the week etc,,,,my students are japanese and very young you see, so does anyone have any good ideas to spice up my lessons? I am also teaching them money (UK currency ) too. I have 2 kids of my own and its really hard to take the time to THINK over my lessons. thanks for any help.

Answer 1

i did that in france, i took in magazines and asked them to take them home and translate an article which interested them. this way they get to read contemporary stuff which they like and do homework they can sort of enjoy!
plus in magazines you have all the fashion, horoscopes etc which are fun, but you learn at the same time.
if you can sing then you could teach them some songs (head shoulders knees and toes, knees and toes)
please record session and put on youtube!!
good luck

Answer 2

I am in the same situation and asked a similar a question on Yahoo. Have a look at the answers given to me. I lived in Japan for two years and taught business English so I know what it is like to teach Japanese students. In my experience, Japanese students have wanted to focus on grammar rather than conversational English.
With my students, we pick one theme per day. Always focus on what is relevant to them and take their age into account.
For example, will singing songs, from a practical point of view, help some adults? Today, for example, we talked about 10 things they want to achieve in their life.
Also, they often need practical advice about things like going to the doctor, supermarket, travelling etc. Help them with this.
Do they have children? If so, they might want talk about them. Improving their English skills does not always mean they have to focus on the culture of English speaking people. Ask them about their culture!

Answer 3

I think your ideas that you have already are great! Why not take them on an educational trip to London/Edinburgh (or anywhere) and get them to do things while they are there - if London, take them to big ben and get them to read/learn the time from there...take them to a shop and give them so much money and ask them to buy something...I find learning practically helps alot, as you can see how the theories/ideas work in practice!

with food, help them to make some cultural dishes, and then do a role play where they have to order it, pretend they are in a restaurant...they will have fun cooking (even if it is just cakes) they will learn team work, and then they will learn how to order the food!

Body parts.....get a large piece of paper, get them to lie down on it, draw around them, and ask them to write on the drawing or point out to you the body parts they know, then as lesson prep, draw in other areas, or cut out bits for the kids to stick on (kidney/liver/heart etc) and ask them if they know what it is? if they don't you can tell them, write it for them on the corresponding area....then gradually take away words, and keep testing them....they will enjoy the fact that it is their body, and will have fun doing the art prep....

Weather, get them to build different parts of weather station, like a rain collected, they can monitor rainfall whilst learning about it....make a simple sundial/weather vain....

keep things practical and I am sure you will do wonders...your ideas are there!

If you want anymore ideas, please feel free to send me a message....

Answer 4

You could take in a suitcase of clothes and everyone has to come to he front and take a piece out and say what it is

What about teaching them the song,"HEad, shoulder, knees and toes"?

Head, shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes.

Head, shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes.

And eyes, and ears, and mouth,
And nose.

Head, shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes.

You could get them to fill in a weather chart - you provide them with a grid and they have to write in the day of the week and draw a picture of what the weather was like, and write a sentence underneath explaining it

Answer 5

in no way British subculture is evolving each and all the time, this dish replaced into developed in Britain to verify british palettes, a lot of our flavor in nutrition and each little thing else has come from British people traveling in another country and enjoying the community subculture and delicacies, even interior the early days, potatoes, tobacco, tea, espresso all imported and correctly-called component to our way of existence. shocked you extra this up because of the fact poultry Tikka Masala replaced into Britains ordinary dish back interior the eighty's and has held that call for years even nevertheless a lot of people have moved on from that.

Answer 6

yes there are so many things you can teach children about the uk....but I think kids enjoy folklore alot..even at a young age..so what bout stories like george and the dragon and king arthur...and the loch ness monster...I bet they will love it...