In Japanese

GenkiEnglish.com Curriculum / Lesson Plans


First...
Songs & Games to
learn the English

Then...
Put it to use in
real projects!

How to use this EFL/ESL Curriculum

  • The themes chosen were taken by researching hundreds and hundreds of kids (mostly by eating school lunch with them) and finding out what they want to say!
  • If you are teaching in a normal elementary school then I would recommend using these lessons as the main base of your course.
  • If you are teaching smaller groups in private settings then please feel free to use these ideas as a "spice" to liven up your textbook!
  • The themes are presented in a thought out way that allows for plenty of review and a balance between topics that are very easy and those that may present a bit of a challenge. However the curriculum is non-linear in format, so please feel free to mix and match, and change the order as much as you like! All classes are different and it is very important to mold the curriculum to the children's interests and abilities, not the other way round!
  • The songs are the key to success. They allow you to teach a theme and the kids can then use the song to review everyday, even if you are not present. e.g. on the lunchtime broadcasts, morning assembly or "cleaning time".
  • Reviewing of the material is very important. Review the previous lesson at the beginning of each new lesson by using the song. Leave room for lessons that are purely for review.
  • Each theme consists of one English question and several answers to the question. The quantity of material allows a full theme to be taught in one 45 minute lesson

  • Each lesson should be broken down into the following sections:
    • 1. Warm up/Review (3-5 minutes)
    • 2. Introduction of new English (15-20 minutes), including teaching of the song. Use this 3 step approach to keep kids interest and energy levels high.
      • a) introduce new vocab
      • b) teach song a cappella with no CD
      • c) sing together with CD,
    • 3. Practice of new material (15-20 minutes)
    • 4. Ending using the "Thank you" song
    • (See the "planning a fun 45 minute lesson" page for more details!)

  • And of course all the lessons are designed to be lots of fun!


Easy, easy themes


Title
Target English
Genki Disco Warm Up stand up, sit down, clap, cheer etc.
Rock, Paper, Scissors The game of "Janken" in English, getting the kids used to English and having fun. In Japan a very effective first lesson. For other countries, go straight to "What's your name?"
What's your name? What's your name? My name is ...... Nice to meet up.
+ eye contact!
How are you?
 		How are you? I'm .. hungry, tired, cold, sad, happy, great, good, OK.
Left and right Left, right, forward, back, stop, stand up, sit down, spin, jump
How old are you? I'm ... (years old). 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12
(including 1 to 12 makes the step to teaching the time easier)
Weather What's the weather like? / How's the weather? It's..... rainy, cloudy, windy, snowy, sunny, fine, hot, a beautiful day.
Good Morning review of good morning, good afternoon etc.

Linking together themes


Title
Target English
Do you like food? Do you like.....? I like..... + kids favourite foods
Do you like animals? Same English as above with animals.
Do you have any pets? "Do you have ....?", "I have a ...."
hamster, rabbit, turtle, goldfish, lion, lizard, horse, gorilla
Animal Voices I have a ... dog, cat, bird, mouse, chicken, sheep, cow, pig, elephant, monkey, snake, tiger + the sounds they make.
Baby Monkey Family Who's this?
This is my ... brother, sister, dad, mum (mom), grandma
Do you have any brothers or sisters? Do you have any brothers or sisters?
I have 1,2,3,4 brothers.
I have 1,2,3,4 sisters.
No
Under the sea "What can you see?", "I can see a ..."
whale, squid, seahorse, jellyfish, crab, dolphin, shark, starfish
Make a Face Parts of the face: "Put on the ..." ; "Draw a ...."
nose, ears, mouth, eyes, eyebrows, cheeks, hair, tongue.
Body Parts Doctor, doctor, my .... head, arm, leg, stomach, hand, foot, back, tooth .... hurts


A touch higher level

Title
Target English
How much? How much is that...? I'll take it! Thank you, goodbye
Fruit Market What's this? What's that? Apple, orange, pineapple, banana, lemon, cherry, strawberry, watermelon, peach, grape, pear, kiwi fruit,
Learn to speak GermanCome on, Come on! kick, pass, shoot, save, catch, throw, head, score.
Learn to speak German Can you kick? Can I play?
Can you ... kick, pass, shoot, save, catch, throw, head, score?
I can do it! Confidence building! Can you do it? I can do it!
I can play the .... + musical instruments
Where are you from? Where are you from? I'm from...... America, Australia, Britain ( and constituent countries), China, Canada, Korea, New Zealand, Japan + any other countries that are relevant to the children's lives.
Where do you live? "Where do you live?", "I live near the...."
forest, river, bridge, farm, hospital, station, castle, supermarket.
How do you say ? How do you say ... in English? Review theme
Mr Octopus review



More things kids like to ask

Title
Target English
What time is it, Mr Wolf? What time is it? it's 1...12 o'clock.
What sports do you play? What sports do you play?
I play.... tennis, soccer, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, badminton, rugby, baseball
What time is it? 2 It's 1:05, 2:10, 3:15 etc,
When is your birthday? January, February, march etc. When is your birthday?
How did you get here? I came here by... aeroplane, car, train, rocket, helicopter, boat, bus, mountain bike
Colours red, blue, green, yellow, black, white, pink, orange, purple, gold, silver, bronze
The phrase "What's your favourite....?" maybe introduced here or saved for a later date.
What's your favourite ... ? What's your favourite ... ? movie, sport, cartoon, video game, pet, food, comic book, TV show.



Describing and ordering

Title
Target English
Where are you going? Where are you going? I'm going to .... + mountain, pool, sea, beach, school, shops, park, home + other words that are relevant to the children
What are you doing? What are you doing? + I'm... eating, drinking, reading, sleeping, singing, dancing, cooking, fishing
I have a question! Is it... big, small, a fruit, an animal, heavy, light, red, green
More questions Is it good, bad, slow, fast, expensive, cheap, scary, cute?
It's not bad, it's good! It's (not) hot, cold, new, cold, good, bad, high, low, fast, slow
I'm thirsty! I'm thirsty. Would you like a drink? Yes, please!
I'd like an orange juice, a glass of milk, a cola, a lemonade, a cup of tea, a hot chocolate, a milkshake.
What would you like for breakfast? I'd like some bacon, ham, eggs, bread, cereal, pancakes, fish, salad.
Bigger Please bigger, smaller, slower, faster, cheaper, "Is this OK?"
What do you do? What do you do? I'm a ... pilot, chef, farmer, teacher, doctor, student, fire fighter, police officer, carpenter, singer, dentist
Where's the....? Where's the... toilet, phone, TV, teachers' room, computer, piano, CD player?
Over there!
When, When, When? When? This year, last year, next year, next month etc., Next week etc., today, yesterday, tomorrow.


More themes + special events


Title
Target English
Creepy Crawlies What's that? What's this? It's a ... cockroach, beetle, caterpillar, butterfly, ant, worm, dragonfly, mosquito
Where is Mr Monkey? Where is ...? He's near, next to, in front of, behind, under, on, in
Where is Baby Monkey? Is he in the ... kitchen, living room, bathroom, bedroom, dining room, garage, attic, garden.
What do you think of ... ? What do you think of ...? I think it's/he's/she's good, great, cool, excellent.
Ordering Food I'd like some... apples, bananas, cheese, doughnuts, eggs, fish, grapes, hot dogs, ice cream, jelly, ketchup, lettuce, mayonnaise. Try the "Do you like food?" theme before this one!
Easter Egg Hunt "Look, in the ...."
trees, grass, pond, flowers, bath, bed, fridge

Happy Halloween		 Happy Halloween! "I'm scared", "Look, there's a ..."
wizard, witch, ghost, mummy, bat, broom, wand, vampire

What would you like for Xmas?		 "What would you like for Christmas?" "I'd like a ..."
robot, doll, bag, video game, bear, phone, rainbow, bone



Printable Lesson Plans ( CD Owners Club Members)

English
Japanese
Thai




If you have regular lessons you may also wish to include some Genki Phonics or English Readers.



+ Exclusive Download Themes

If you are a member of the CD Owners Club, you can also access these exclusive extra picture cards for Days of the Week, Vegetables, Animals Part 2 and How are you? Part 2





GenkiEnglish.com Real Projects
For students who have completed most of the songs & game themes

Once children have studied the songs and games they will have a very solid base and be able to communicate most of what they would like to be able to say in English, the topics were, after all, chosen by talking to hundreds of kids and finding out what they wanted to ask people from other countries. From this point they actually use this English to learn about the World and gain "International Understanding". This section of the curriculum is still under development, but two projects that are available and which work very successfully are:
These projects make full use of the technologies around today to allow the kids to directly communicate with their peers in other countries. It really instills a desire to communicate and learn more about the World!

Try them out and let me know how you get on!





Other "English Activities" Lesson Ideas


Here are some other lesson ideas that rather than teaching English, they fall under the category of "English Activities" where the kids don't necessarily learn any English but get to see it used in a lesson. Great for adding a bit of variety to your school year!


When the kids have finished, why not make them a groovy certificate?






These pages are designed to give you a helping hand in constructing your school or town's Elementary School English or International Understanding Curriculum. They are consistently under revision, so your feedback is very important!





You might also want to have a look at Joel Bacha's Curriculum Guide, which offers more detailed topics for each grade level along with suggested games and activities.
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