A trial lesson is usually a single lesson where the children can see how fun it is to learn English, and at the same time, the teacher has to develop the lesson in a way that is convincing to the observing fathers and mothers. It is also an opportunity to test the teacher’s skills as an English teacher in just one lesson. It will be the children’s first time in a new place, with a new teacher and in English, so they will likely be very nervous.
Start the lesson with the following in mind.

  1. Remember children’s names, as they are often booked in advance.
    Cute name cards can be prepared and hung around the children’s necks. Of course, write the names in the alphabet.
    As you hang the cards around their necks, read out the names you have written in English, smile and shake hands, saying “Oh, you are Akiko! Nice to meet you.” This is an excellent way to relieve tension.
  2. Place fun English music, English picture books, and posters so that children can enter the English world naturally.
  3. Show them how fun it is to use English through the activities they do in English.
    It is natural that they may not be able to speak out loud or say English from the start. Praise them highly when they are able to say even a single word.
    If the children can spontaneously say even one word of English out loud by the end of the lesson, it is a great success.

Here’s a popular activity that children who know no English at all will enjoy right from the start!

1　『Let’s Make a Face』（Target 3-10 year olds）

This is an activity in which the children make their own faces by choosing different-sized, long, and colored face parts. They have fun making three or four faces, as shown in the example below.

The completed faces are numbered and the teacher chooses one face and explains it in English. The children can listen hard to the English and guess the face chosen by the teacher, as they have made it themselves.

The activity is followed by Chants: let’s make a face, which is a fun recitation of the lesson’s target English (in this case, the face part).

After the lesson, explain to the parents the purpose of the lesson, such as…

  1. The importance of communicating one’s intentions in English
  2. The importance of creative activities that do not have pre-determined answers in language activities
  3. Listening should be able to be done if there is a purpose
  4. The importance of reciting target vocabulary and sentences in chants in a fun way
  5. Importance of knowing that there are people with different colored eyes and hair all over the world.

While you are talking to parents, you can ask children to draw a face of their own inspiration. （Materials used： Learning World Book 1 Activity Sheets 90/Learning World 1 NEW Teacher’s Manual CD-ROM【3rd Edition】）

◆Click here for the detail.

2　Lesson using the picture book ‘Vol. 2 A Beautiful Butterfly’.

The 10 volumes of the APRICOT Kids English Picture Book Series are ideal for hands-on lessons, as all of the books have human development learning through language learning, as well as the fun of guessing the next page when reading through a picture book. One of the most popular of these books is “ A Beautiful Butterfly“, which is popular with children of all ages.

Ask the children to imagine, in Japanese or otherwise, what kind of food the caterpillars eat each time they turn the page. The teacher repeats what the children have said in Japanese in English.

The page with the line drawings of the butterfly at the end of the storybook can be copied in advance for the number of children.

After the CD is played and read to the children, each child colors their own butterfly to complete what they think is a ‘beautiful butterfly’. (If there are two teachers available, the explanation can be given to parents during this coloring-in time).

When students have completed their butterflies, you can tell them that in a normal lesson, students will show their drawings to the class in turn, saying This is my beautiful butterfly.

As a souvenir to take home from your trial lesson, cut out the butterflies and use them as a dash of pepper with disposable chopsticks. This picture book has an eye-catching Big Book for children to use in class. We recommend using the Big Book in your classroom regardless of class size.

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