Tag: Thanksgiving

Using English in Performances

Using English in Performances

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November Speech Day (on Zoom)

The past few eventful weeks have been full of memorizing English speeches and scripts for recent big events at the kindergarten. From the beginning of November, our selected Speech Day kids practiced their speeches every day with the English teachers. We started by reciting each word together and then practiced on the stage leading up the the big day.

On the 25th, we celebrated Thanksgiving by performing a short skit. Jupiters played turkeys, Saturns played Native Americans, and Mercuries played Pilgrims. Each class spent time learning some basic lines, then we performed all together while wearing our specially crafted Thanksgiving hats.

Our Native Americans gathering their harvest

As December approaches, our focus shifts to the upcoming Christmas show. This year’s theme is Home Alone, a story about a boy who gets left behind by his family on Christmas Eve and has to protect the house from burglars. Everyone has a lot to remember, especially Mercury class, so we’ve all been working very hard!

Mercury boys playing Kevin in Home Alone

When getting ready for a big event like these, whether it be a short skit, a speech, or a big holiday show, there are certain things we always work on with our kids.

  1. Getting them able to speak loudly in front of a big group of people
  2. Remembering certain words and phrases without teacher help
  3. Adding the right pronunciation and inflection to what they’re saying
  4. Showing them how to use their whole body for their performance

All these points are what makes a normal presentation into a great one!

We are so proud of our kids at the kindergarten for slowly becoming more confident in their English skills and performance skills!

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Thankful for…

Thankful for…

by internationallanguagehouse ♥ 1 Comment

As we put our last sticker on the month of November and receive our gohoubi stickers, it’s the best time to reflect and think of how much we have accomplished in this busy month.

Nov. 6th, field trip to Kodomo no Kuni

We hit the ground running this month with a field trip in our first week. The destination was Kodomo no Kuni— a wide space full of nature, animals, and playgrounds. Everyone loved rolling down the big hill and jumping on the white trampoline, as well as meeting some sheep and cows!

enjoying the last few days of warm weather

We also have been blessed with warm weather throughout the month, so park days have been extra fun! Our current after school program teacher, Jojo Teacher, has also been playing games with our after school kids a lot outside in the afternoons.

Fathers’ brunch

In the middle of the month, our English teachers enjoyed a nice brunch outside with some of our Mercury students’ fathers.

Speech Day

On the 18th, our Speech Day students finally presented their speeches in front of the school (and parents through Zoom). All the English teachers were so proud of everyone who did their best!

birthday party, Thanksgiving skit

As the month started to wind down, we had two more celebrations. Our birthday party for November birthdays on the 25th, and our Thanksgiving skit on the 26th. We had a lot of fun dancing together, as well as dressing up and pretending to be turkeys, Native Americans, and Pilgrims.

various activities at ILH Bazaar

Our final event of this busy, busy month: Bazaar! Thanks to all of the mamas who put the event together, the day was full of fun events, shopping, and crafts! It was beautiful weather, so some games were outside in the fresh air.

Although this month was nonstop action for our teachers and students, it was full of fun and unique experiences for everyone! We are so thankful we were able to practice safety and excitement at the same time.

Now that it’s already December 1st, our minds have quickly changed to thinking about our Christmas show. but for a while, we hope our students and families have found some time to rest after a busy month!

Thankful, Thankful, Thankful

Thankful, Thankful, Thankful

by internationallanguagehouse ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Have you ever experienced Thanksgiving in Japan? Every year at Language House, we bring some American history to our school to celebrate the holiday!

For the last few days before the actual day of Thanksgiving, we spent time making Pilgrim hats, Native American feather headdresses, and turkey headbands.

We also spent time making dreamcatchers, which are a part of Native American culture. It’s important for us to understand both the story of the Pilgrims and the Native Americans when talking about Thanksgiving, since both groups of people have different perspectives.

Mercury class’ dreamcatchers displayed on the ceiling of the second floor.

On the day of Thanksgiving, which falls on a Thursday every year, we invited the preschoolers to watch us perform our skit that we had rehearsed.

We also had everyone bring in some food for our Thanksgiving feast! We brought in various types of vegetables to wash and insert into a yummy soup, as well as some fruit for a refreshing fruit salad.

The performance and the feast were both so much fun!! We love being able to celebrate fall together in a way that’s not common in Japan.

Every Thanksgiving, we like to show appreciation for what we have in our lives. ILH is thankful for such warm-hearted kids, a cooperative team of teachers, and a happy atmosphere where we can share our languages with each other.

What are you thankful for?