Phonics Match Up

A few months ago, I introduced my Aurora class to the book, "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom." The book was one of my favorites as a child, and it gets kids interested in the alphabet in a fun and silly story.  Since then, we have turned an entire wall in our classroom into a Chicka Chicka Boom Boom inspired tree, that incorporates art and phonics. We use it during lessons to reference letters and sounds, and we use it to play games. 

The next addition we've made to the wall is to now include vocabulary. For the past two weeks we have brainstormed words that begin with each letter sound, and I made little picture flashcards based on the vocabulary the class provided me with. The students helped color the pictures and once they were laminated and cut, we started the next project with them.

I asked Aurora to all sit on the ground, facing the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom wall. I spread the picture cards out on the floor in front of them, and each kid was given two turns to pick up a card and match it to the letter on the wall.

As they matched the cards to the letters, they had to show the rest of the class what they picked up, and repeat the word and the first letter sound. For example, if they picked up, "Jellyfish," they would have the repeat the word and then say, "J-J-Jellyfish." The kids were all eager to have their turns to stand a speak before the class. 

This project was incredibly challenging and advanced for ESL students, ages three to four, but Aurora impressed with with their ability to both follow directions and successfully participate. 

As I watched each kid take turns I was so proud of how far they have come this year and how much they have learned in English. What I hadn't anticipated, which I think made me the happiest, was their eagerness to help one another. This project was very difficult for their age group, and while many of them understood what was being asked, a few needed a smallbit of assitance. They students were patient with one another and gave them guidance when it was required. Their ability to aide one another demonstrates that not only have they learned the material, but also that they are engaged and paying attention to the lesson.

On Friday we only made it through about half of the alphabet, so we still have a lot of work ahead of us. 

As the school year continues, we will continue to add to the wall, as Aurora builds their vocabulary. 

Fall Harvest

I moved to Matsumoto during the last week of April, and began working at The World International Preschool. The first weekend I spent in the city, I helped get the school's garden started with my boss and one of my co-workers. Six months have passed since that weekend, and finally we were ready to harvest some of the vegetables we planted. While we have been snacking on little cherry tomatoes the past few months, it was time for the sweet potatoes to be dug up. In small groups, I took the kids in Aurora out to the garden and showed them how to pull the gigantic potatoes from the earth. Due to the massive size, the kids had to work together to rip the roots and pick the vegetables up. The kids loved getting their hands dirty, and were so excited to be in the garden. When all the sweet potatoes were out of the ground, we sent each child home with one, and then I made sweet mashed potatoes for the Halloween party with the left overs. 

Halloween

Halloween is a huge holiday in America. It's the night where children and adults both get to run around in costumes, attend parties, and eat tons of candy. Living abroad is an amazing experience, but there are often times when being away from your own country is difficult. Halloween is my favorite American holiday, and since I can't spend it with my friends and family back home, I wanted to share part of my culture with the kids in Aurora. I spent the month of October teaching them about the holiday and how we celebrate it. We did arts and crafts that focused on it, as well as read books about monsters, ghosts, witches, and other ghoulish creatures. On October 31st, The World International Preschool hosted a Halloween party for the parents and children of our school, and all the kids and teachers dressed up in celebration. To do something special for the kids in my class, I brought them all cards with little treats inside. Seeing my class enjoy my favorite holiday made me appreciate the little joys in living in a foreign country. 

Wrapping up Halloween Crafts

The last activity Aurora did for Halloween was making pictures of ghosts. I cut out about a hundred little paper ghosts and then let the children each pick about four ghosts. They drew different faces on them, some scary and some cute. I passed out black construction paper and had the children draw their version of a haunted house, or a spooky Halloween night. When they were finished they pasted the ghosts to the paper and our project was complete. This activity focused on Halloween vocabulary, as well as following multiple directions in an art project. 

Bats In My House

Me- "Who has seen a bat before?"

Student- "I have!"

Me- "Oh really? Where was it?"

Student- "This one time there was a bat in my house and it was flying around and my dad caught it 

and was holding it."

Me- "Wow, that's a great story. Who else has seen a bat?"

(Everyone's hands raise)

One by one I start asking them to share their bat stories. Everyone who speaks has the exact same story....