I'm almost finished with my first week of summer camp. They call it "camp" but it's really just a class. This week I have the 1st grade class (middle school 1st grade = 7th grade in the US) which I am teaching alone. So far this is the best camp I have ever had. It starts at 1:30 pm, rather than in the morning, which is nice. I also have a good group of students. The 1st graders are mostly well behaved, and the ones in this summer class have above average English. The best thing about this camp was my co teacher told me how he wanted it to be. He told me exactly how much time he wanted me to spend on games, activities and studying, so it was easy for me to plan.
Next week is 2nd grade which I will teach with my co teacher. The day after it ends I will go to Japan.
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Japan trip
I'm going to Japan next month. August 9th - 19th. The main purpose of
this trip is to go to Yakushima. But I will also be going to Osaka and
Kyoto. This will be my 6th trip to Japan. Living in Korea, I am so
close to Japan, but this will be my first time to go there since I came
to Korea. I'll be taking a boat to Fukuoka from Busan and flying back
to Seoul from Osaka.
Seoul Korean Language Academy Pt. 2
I've been taking Korean classes at the Seoul Korean Language Academy three times a week since April. This is what it is like:
Right now there are 4 people in the class: me, another American, and two Japanese.
Typically we spend 1 1/2 - 2 classes on each chapter. We start the chapter with the new grammar. There are usually 3 grammar points in each chapter. The teacher explains it, makes sample sentences, and we practice making sentences. Either with the teacher giving us some starting point or hint for the sentence we should make, or just making our own sentences. I hate making my own sentences and I'm really bad at it. Even when I understand the grammar I usually can't think of anything to say with it. If I actually have something I want to say it's much easier for me to make a sentence.
After the grammar we look at the new vocabulary and the teacher clarifies what the words mean and uses them in sentences, and sometimes we make sentences with the words. After the vocab we read the dialog. First we repeat after her, then we read it with a partner.
The class is in all Korean, even the grammar explanations. The teacher rarely uses English or Japanese. And even then it's just like a word or two, usually to clarify something when we don't understand. At the beginning of class before we start and throughout the class there is a lot of talking about random things, mostly between the teacher and us. I'm glad it's all in Korean. I'm not going there to speak or listen to English.
Overall I enjoy it, but the class movies too fast and there's no review. I understand the new grammar when it is presented, but after learning it and practicing it that day we never see it again in the classroom, unless it comes up during a conversation.
My Korean is coming along ok. I wish I there were more times when I really had to use it, other than things like ordering food at a restaurant or something. Most people I know speak English well enough that it's too easy to just be lazy and use English instead of Korean.
My speaking still lags way behind reading, writing and listening. That's normal I guess, but annoying because so many times I can understand what someone says to me but cannot respond quick enough. Or I can only respond in the most basic way.
Below are pictures of the school:
Right now there are 4 people in the class: me, another American, and two Japanese.
Typically we spend 1 1/2 - 2 classes on each chapter. We start the chapter with the new grammar. There are usually 3 grammar points in each chapter. The teacher explains it, makes sample sentences, and we practice making sentences. Either with the teacher giving us some starting point or hint for the sentence we should make, or just making our own sentences. I hate making my own sentences and I'm really bad at it. Even when I understand the grammar I usually can't think of anything to say with it. If I actually have something I want to say it's much easier for me to make a sentence.
After the grammar we look at the new vocabulary and the teacher clarifies what the words mean and uses them in sentences, and sometimes we make sentences with the words. After the vocab we read the dialog. First we repeat after her, then we read it with a partner.
The class is in all Korean, even the grammar explanations. The teacher rarely uses English or Japanese. And even then it's just like a word or two, usually to clarify something when we don't understand. At the beginning of class before we start and throughout the class there is a lot of talking about random things, mostly between the teacher and us. I'm glad it's all in Korean. I'm not going there to speak or listen to English.
Overall I enjoy it, but the class movies too fast and there's no review. I understand the new grammar when it is presented, but after learning it and practicing it that day we never see it again in the classroom, unless it comes up during a conversation.
My Korean is coming along ok. I wish I there were more times when I really had to use it, other than things like ordering food at a restaurant or something. Most people I know speak English well enough that it's too easy to just be lazy and use English instead of Korean.
My speaking still lags way behind reading, writing and listening. That's normal I guess, but annoying because so many times I can understand what someone says to me but cannot respond quick enough. Or I can only respond in the most basic way.
Below are pictures of the school:
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