Passive Voice Lesson

The first thing the san-nensei's (Ninth Graders) learn in English is how to use the passive voice. So I came up with an activity so they could actually use it in coversation. In writing, I've always been taught to avoid it, but it does have it's uses. One of the other ALTs in Hokkaido suggested that one of the best uses of the passive voice in conversation is to complain about things. For example: My wallet was stolen! My seat on the bus was taken! My mom was abducted by aliens!

So, using his suggestion, I designed an activity based around the students' worst day ever. A terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. The kind that makes them want to move to Australia.

I made up a worksheet and had the students write sentences (using passive voice) about their terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Then, in groups they got to choose which sentence was the worst. Er, best. The best worst sentence. Those went up on the board and were given points. One point for each sentence, two points for correctness, one point for creativity, and the last point for horribleness. The last point was awarded by the students.

Here are some of the sentences I got, as written by the students in the Grade 9 Advanced English class:

My friend was eaten by Mr. Kousaka. (The English teacher.)

My father was smashed into pieces in the world.

My dog was eaten by the cat.

When I went to school, my school was destroyed. Because I came back to my house but my house was destroyed, too. I am shock!!

My mom was abducted by Donald (Donald Duck). Today diner is Donald Duck!!

Mr. Yokoyama (the gym teacher) was crushed by a stone.

And my personal favorite, even though she forgot to use passive voice... (she fixed it after it was on the board)

My friend made dinner for me. I was very happy. I ate it.
...What!?
Oh!!
This tastes shit!!!
So, she put her shit in my dinner!! Our friendship is finished.

I would have liked it better if she had used the grammar I wanted her to focus on.

Well, I wanted to be busy...

Ask and you shall receive.

The weekend before last I was in Ashibetsu (home of Anne of Canadian World) meeting with the HAJET PC Board to figure out what we want to achieve this year. I have one of the most labour intensive jobs on the board -- publications. More on that later. That same weekend, I was also in Sapporo for a couple of nights where I lived it up on the town. I don't get there terribly often, so I have to make it worth my while.

I also met up with my good friend Mike, who was on the second week of a three week whirlwind tour of Japan. I took him out on the town in Sapporo, and then back to my little town where I showed him a few days in the life of an ALT, including a visit to my Junior High School, the local juku teacher's house, and a curry night with some of my nearby friends.

The following weekend was of course more musicalling. It was our last rehearsal before performances start up next month, and the show is really starting to look good. Hopefully we will be video taping at least one performance, because I want a copy.

And that brings us to today -- one of the few nights I have nothing planned. Actually, tonight I am treating myself to an early bedtime and some relaxation. Between enkais, meetings, rehearsals, school and HAJET, I feel like I haven't slept all month. My JTE says I look it.

I will be posting more soon, but not tonight. Tonight I'm crashing early.

Until my next update, here's a Japanese article about the workshop I helped out with in Shihoro a few weeks ago. That's me teaching the children of Shihoro (and a bunch of Hokkaido ALTs) how to do our "Big Finale". From here. I haven't read it yet, or I'd give you non-Japanese readers (I currently read at about a Grade 2 level -- woo hoo!) a summary. Enjoy the picture.


2006年4月11日の記事
子供たち笑顔でダンス　「北海道プレヤーズ」研修会
　
道内の外国語指導助手（ＡＬＴ）でつくる自主的なミュージカル集団「北海道プレヤーズ」のワークショップが、９日午後２時から町総合研修センターで開かれた。町内外の子供たちが参加し、メンバーと一緒にダンスを楽しんだ。　同集団は９年前から活動し、毎年ミュージカル公演などを道内各地で行っている。今年はニューヨークのギャングをユーモラスに描いた「ガイズ＆ドールズ」を５月に音更町などで公演する。約４０人のメンバーには町のＡＬＴスチュアート・グレゴリー・エドワードさんも参加している。　この日、小学生や保護者ら約２０人が参加。初めにメンバーが「ガイズ－」の２幕の１場面を披露した。ワークショップでは、子供たちは緊張気味だったが、ゲームでリラックスしてメンバーと一緒にダンスを体験。　「ガイズ－」の最後の場面のバックダンスを教わって体を動かすと笑みがこぼれ、参加した宮部純香さん（上士幌小４年）は「楽しかった」と笑顔だった。　「ガイズ－」の公演日程は、岩見沢市民会館文化センター（５月１３日午後５時、４９５円）、新冠レコード館（同２０日午後５時、大人７００円、中学生以下５００円）、音更町文化センター（同２７日午後５時、同）。ホームページアドレスは、http://www.hajet.org/　問い合わせは町教委（０１５６４・５・４７３３）へ。（新目七恵）

Another busy weekend

Wow -- I can't believe I've had such a busy week! And the weekend promises to be even more intense. Tomorrow is the inagural HAJET PC Board retreat, so this evening (after a much-deserved power nap) I'll be driving to Ashibetsu.

The plans are a day of meetings, naked bonding at an onsen in the middle of nowhere, and of course an enkai. It should be good. I've got a very busy position, and it looks like I'll have to start the HAJET printing presses ASAP. I've done a very rough inventory, and it looks like I'm almost out of most of our popular titles, and in need of updating the rest of them. Whee! And I want to get these things done at the latest before new JETs arrive at the end of July. Ganbaro!

Sunday I won't be heading home, but to Sapporo to meet my friend Mike. He actually arrives in Hokkaido today, but I have this meeting to go to, so we'll be meeting up on Sunday before heading to my town. I hope he doesn't get lost... Once in my town, he will be treated to experiencing the life of an AET. Should be interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing what my life looks like to someone outside of it. And it will be good practice for when mom and dad come to visit in June!

Have an excellent weekend. Love to all!

Shihoro Musicalling Insanity Sauce

Our last rehearsal for the musical was this weekend in a little town called Shihoro. Although we technically have one more get-together before performances start, that is a dress rehearsal, and I think our director will have us running the show over and over and over...

So, needless to say it was a busy weekend. Compounded by the fact that I have just finished a week of enkais. Welcome parties for the new people at my office and school and farewells for people like my supervisor. My new supervisor is still a little shy, but I think he'll be okay.

Friday was the Farewell to the old and Hello to the new party for my office. Of course I went, seeing as I was having a change in supervisor. So I went, ate, and drank far too much. I was only being polite though. I wasn't able to go to the ni-ji kai though, I had to go home and pack up to get to rehearsal. My musical buddies Jeshie and Svending Machine came by to pick me up and we were on our way through the mountains to musical mayem.

I had my own ni-ji kai, san-ji kai and probably yo-ji kai upon getting to rehearsal. I was lucky the next days rehearsal and run through wasn't more painful for me personally than it could have been.

Saturday evening after rehearsal we had a late dinner reservation at a yakiniku joint, so we had plenty of time to hit the onsen. A whole group of us ended up as some tiny, tiny onsen in the middle of nowhere. It was seriously a ghetto onsen. There had only recently been a wall put up between the male and female sides of the bath, and the unisex rotenburo (outside bath) was closed. But the people were very friendly, and after you've been singing and dancing all day a nice hot onsen is the best thing ever. I did feel kind of bad for my friends' cousin who was visiting from the States -- the little ghetto inaka onsen was his first introduction to onsen culture, and I'm not sure how much he enjoyed it...

Sunday was a full run through, with props and costumes. We managed to get the whole thing down to two and a half hours, and I'm sure we can get it down more. Yay!

After an exhausting weekend, there was still more for us to do. Shihoro gave us use of their town theatre/BOE building (including a place to stay!) all for free. In exchange, we taught a workshop for the kids in town. I stayed to help out, seeing as it wasn't too far of a drive home for me, and I really enjoy teaching elementary school kids.

Turns out, I was volunteered to lead said workshop, and teach the kids present our "Big Finish". They were incredibly shy though! I must be spoiled in my town, because only the littlest kids are painfully shy with me. These kids didn't even want to come on stage with us! After some coaxing and an excellent warm up game led by Miss Jeshie, they warmed up to us a little. That must be what happens when the town AET is a tall bald man who plays a cop with somewhat frightening ease (Gregory, if you're reading this, I love you, but you scare me). It was extra exuasting because the kids needed a lot of AET monkeying to get them to participate. It all worked out in the end though, and we even won over the grouchy new boss-man who wasn't too pleased about us being there.

We were also interviewed for an article about these workshops for a Hokkaido-wide magazine. If I can get my hands on the article I'll be sure to post it.

After School Special

Today is the first official day back in class. It's good to be back. One, I have classes to teach, and two, I have an internet connection at my desk at the Junior High School. Life is good.

Yesterday was the opening ceremonies for the Elementary and Junior High Schools. It was much like the graduation ceremonies of last month, only with the younger students. The same marching in of the students, and never-ending speeches. Although at the elementary school, I was actually able to follow the speeches seeing as they were geared towards Grade 1 students. I was a bit miffed that I wasn't introduced at the Elementary school along with all of the other teachers. If I had realized what was happening I would have just gone up with everyone else. They had all of the teachers come on stage and introduce themselves to the students and parents at the ceremony. I think that my main contact at the elementary school forgets that I at least speak a little bit of Japanese -- at least enough to introduce myself. Oh well. The students there already know me.

In the afternoon I went to the Junior High school entrance ceremony. I barely recognized last years Grade 6's in their uniforms. I hope they have a great year.

And of course, no Japanese ceremony is complete without an enkai. After work yesterday I went to the welcoming enkai for the new teachers -- my new JTE among them. There was (as usual) much eating and drinking. Unfortunately, my new JTE isn't much of a drinker, but he does like karaoke. He did a superb rendition of Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer" at the second party. I made it to the san-ji kai (the third party) with the hardcore among the staff. It was hilarious. The male teachers all ordered "nabe ramen" -- giant family sized portions of ramen. It was hilarious.

A good night all in all, but I'm spectacularly tired today. And I have another enkai tonight with the Board of Education. And then it's off to Shihoro this evening for a musical rehearsal. Yes, straight from enkai to musicalling. I think it's the start of a very long weekend...