#1627. Integrating Japanese into an Elementary School P．E．Lesson

Language, level: Elementary
Posted Sun Mar 12 22:52:44 PST 2000 by Thad Schmenk (thadsensei@hotmail.com).
Matsuyama BofE, Japan
Materials Required: flashcards, whistle, worksheets,-see lesson plan
Activity Time: 45 minutes
Concepts Taught: Integrating Japanese into an Elementary School P．E．Lesson

Title: Integrating Japanese into an Elementary School P．E．Lesson
Aims: Teaching Japanese through elementary school P. E. activities. (teaching across the curriculum)
To raise foreign language awareness at the elementary school level.

Objectives:
Foreign Language Objectives
1. Working in teams of 2 or 3 the students will create hiragana characters using their bodies.
2. The students will run and pick up flash cards depicting the written form of the hiragana characters as called out by the teacher.
3. The students will complete a dot-to-dot handout according to the order of the hiragana characters as called out by the teacher.
P.E Objectives
1. The students will practice working in teams.
2. The students will practice using gross-motor skills.

Level of Students: Elementary School 2-3 graders, no significant foreign language abilities. (Prior to this lesson, students received an introduction to foreign writing systems with emphasis on Japanese Hiragana. This emphasis entailed 20 characters and a few basic Japanese children's vocabulary. E.g. ，いぬ、おんな、　おとこ)

Procedure:
1. Re-introduce the Japanese writing system. For example, “Do you remember what country these characters come from?” (3 minutes) Flash-cards
2. Divide the students into groups of three or four. Groups of three are preferred.
3. The teachers will explain the activity and demonstrate what is to be done.
4. The teacher will show the groups a flash card of a hiragana character and call the pronunciation of the character. The students will then create the hiragana create hiragana characters using their bodies. Flashcards
* The other teacher will walk around and assist groups who have trouble.
5. The first group to finish will receive the flash card.
6. After all flash cards have been used, the group with the greatest number of flash cards wins. (20 minutes)
7. Next, the students will quickly review the pronunciation of each character by repeating after the teacher.
8. Next, the students will pronounce the sound of each character on their own as the teachers flips through the flash cards. (3 minutes) flash cards
9. The students will be divided into two teams.
10. The teachers will explain the activity and demonstrate what is to be done.
11. The teachers will then scatter two sets of hiragana flash cards on the basketball court. One set on each side. 2 sets of hiragana flash cards
12. The students will line up as a team. One team on each side of the basketball court. Each student will then be given a number. The teacher will then call out a hiragana character and a number. The respective students will then run and search the corresponding flashcard. Once he/she has the flash card in hand, he/she will run and hand it to the main teacher. (To the teacher calling out the characters.)
13. The first student to hand in the correct flash card gets a point for his/her team.
14. When all flash cards have been picked up，the team with the most points wins.
*For slower learners, the other teacher will be sitting in the center circle of the basketball court. Students may run and seek assistance from that teacher. Pen and scrap paper
Time remaining:
15. The students will be given a hiragana dot-to-dot handout to complete by connecting the dots according to the order of the hiragana characters called out by the teacher. Handouts and have students bring pens or pencils.
16. At the end, students will turn in the worksheets to be checked by the teacher.