Crazy Superstitions

This will take 1-2 lessons, depending on how much time your students need writing and if you want them to share their creations at the end.

I start by introducing the class to superstitions with a powerpoint. This should be after the conditional clause has already been introduced to the students. The powerpoint gives examples of different superstitions from around the world. The students will probably be surprised at how many are similar or the same in Japan. Ask the OTE to help you check students understanding of the superstitions (student translation into Japanese). At the end encourage students to share some other superstitions. In my class we allowed them to use Japanese for words or phrases they didn't know how to say in English yet, with the OTE/ALT reinforcing the "If ~ then ~" clause pattern for each one.

Sadly, my powerpoint COULD NOT be uploaded (too big) but it shouldn't be too hard to make your own. Googling "world superstitions" brings up many examples.

My favorites:

• From Korea - if you sleep with a fan on, you will die in your sleep.
• From Russia - if a bird poops on you, you will become rich.
• From Brazil - if your wallet touches the ground, you will become poor.

**Check the sentences you'll use with your OTE before the lesson. It's easy to use future tense for these, which may or may not have already been introduced to the students - it's in the next chapter. Depending on the class, though, they may be able to figure out the meaning of simple sentences in future tense**

For the main activity, I first give students the worksheet which instructs them to write down a number of random nouns, verbs and adjectives. Don't tell them what they are to do yet, and encourage them to write the most random words they can think of. Tell them their words are a secret and they can't show their friends.

When everyone is finished, students should swap their papers with a partner. Hand out the second sheet (sentence builder) and tell them to select words from their partner's word list to make sentences. They can only use each word ONCE. They should be stuck with some strange sentences that elicit a few giggles, such as "If you eat a car, you become a purple horse."

Optionally you can ask them to write the meaning of each sentence in Japanese on the back of the worksheet or in their notebooks to ensure they understand the meaning (even if it is super strange).