ASSIGNMENT #1: Should it be done?
ASSIGNMENT #1: Should it be done?
MY PROPOSED PLAN: a short book (not ebook) titled "The Magic of Karuta Tori". It's a play on the popular "Magic of Housecleaning" book, though not everyone will pick up on that. It's okay. In the book, I plan to detail the different ways that I use this traditional Japanese card-slapping game to foster not just vocabulary practice, but also phonics skills, speaking practice, real-world istening skills, and cooperative learning. I also use it to assess classes as a whole, to assess individuals within the group, and to assess the words being studied (i.e. played with) as to salience and difficulty level.
SHOULD IT BE DONE? Well, it won't change the world, but it may give some teachers a different look at a well-known approach to vocabulary and reading practice, so sure: I think it should be done.
WHO WOULD READ THE BOOK AND WHY? I have a specific audience in mind: my lovely Japanese teacher friends here in my home city of Hadano. I feel certain that they would appreciate the practical advice and the fresh look at an old game. These teacher friends and I have presented together before, and we're always surprised at our different approaches to the same games; I'd like to give them something that looks nice, sparks their creativity, and is an enjoyable read. Of course, if anyone else is interested, that's wonderful, but I'm not out to make this a best-seller.
WHAT ARE THEY CURRENTLY READING NOW?: Many of my friends use bilingual texts, like the Matsuka Phonics series. I'd like to make my book bilingual as well.
WHY DO I THINK MY IDEA IS GOOD? Firstly, I've never seen an EFL book focusing on one specific game before, so I think teachers might be curious. Secondly, I've been developing, using, and refining my own variations of this game for years, so I can write well, using interesting examples from my own experience. It's an original idea, it's a subject I can write about confidently, and it will potentially be useful to my friends.
MY PROPOSED PLAN: a short book (not ebook) titled "The Magic of Karuta Tori". It's a play on the popular "Magic of Housecleaning" book, though not everyone will pick up on that. It's okay. In the book, I plan to detail the different ways that I use this traditional Japanese card-slapping game to foster not just vocabulary practice, but also phonics skills, speaking practice, real-world istening skills, and cooperative learning. I also use it to assess classes as a whole, to assess individuals within the group, and to assess the words being studied (i.e. played with) as to salience and difficulty level.
SHOULD IT BE DONE? Well, it won't change the world, but it may give some teachers a different look at a well-known approach to vocabulary and reading practice, so sure: I think it should be done.
WHO WOULD READ THE BOOK AND WHY? I have a specific audience in mind: my lovely Japanese teacher friends here in my home city of Hadano. I feel certain that they would appreciate the practical advice and the fresh look at an old game. These teacher friends and I have presented together before, and we're always surprised at our different approaches to the same games; I'd like to give them something that looks nice, sparks their creativity, and is an enjoyable read. Of course, if anyone else is interested, that's wonderful, but I'm not out to make this a best-seller.
WHAT ARE THEY CURRENTLY READING NOW?: Many of my friends use bilingual texts, like the Matsuka Phonics series. I'd like to make my book bilingual as well.
WHY DO I THINK MY IDEA IS GOOD? Firstly, I've never seen an EFL book focusing on one specific game before, so I think teachers might be curious. Secondly, I've been developing, using, and refining my own variations of this game for years, so I can write well, using interesting examples from my own experience. It's an original idea, it's a subject I can write about confidently, and it will potentially be useful to my friends.
Ruthie - that is a very cool idea! I like how you have a specific audience in mind. Thinking about how they will respond to your book and how they will use the ideas in it will help you reach other teachers too.
ReplyDeleteI like this and since I use my vocabulary flashcards for something similar (not exactly the same!) I'd love to see this, since the Koreans also play that game.
ReplyDeleteOh, sounds cool. Is it just for Japanese speakers? Do you have a way to get the bilingual part done? That's one great thing about self-publishing--big publishers almost never do things with native language support, although they can be really useful! I've done a few books and a lot of editing for B2B Press in Japan, which does bilingual books.
ReplyDeleteDorothy, it'll be for native speaker teachers as well. I can twist my daughter's arm to get the bilingual part done. I've never heard of B2B Press--now I'm curious...
ReplyDelete