Every Friday I visit an elementary school where I teach 3-4 classes per day. For the time being, there is no formal English curriculum at the elementary school level in Japan. However, there appear to be slow changes on the horizon. Visiting elementary schools are a lot of fun, but also require a lot more planning than teaching at Jr. High Schools. Because there is no set curriculum, JETs are usually free to teach what ever they wish.

This past Friday was an exciting day! The first grade elementary school students and I have been working on a play, “The Big Turnip” and today was show-time! If you don’t know the story of “The Big Turnip,” you need to read more. It’s a NY Times Best Selling story about a grandfather who grows a turnip and then the turnip grows so big he needs other people to help him pull the turnip out from under the ground, including the strength of the town mouse to complete the task. Our audience consisted of kindergarteners, next year’s first graders. Here’s a few lines from the award winning play!..

The Big Turnip

Grandpa: “Sweet, Sweet – Big, Big – Turnip! – Pull! Pull! – Pull! Pull!!”

Turnip: “Noooo, not yet!”

Grandpa: “Grandma, please help me!”

Grandma: “Oh, o.k.”

Grandpa and Grandma: “Let’s pull! Pull! Pull! – Pull! Pull! – Oh no!”

Turnip: “Nooo, not yet!”

Grandma: “Grandaughter, please help us!”