THE ISHII ELEMENTARY ENGLISH/ IMMERSION PROGRAM GUIDE - 2009/2010 GUIDE & MANUAL - An Introduction ~ About Ishii Elementary Our Mission & Purpose Meet Our Ishii Elementary English language Teachers The Ishii Elementary English Program & Immersion Subjects
We have a Vision for the Future. Welcome to Ishii Elementary School Ishii Elementary school is located in the heart of Okayama City, Okayama prefecture, in the western part of Japan, just a five minute walk from the West side of the Okayama train station. The school grounds and the local area are surrounded by lush trees, gardens, and flowers, as well as beautiful natural surroundings, providing a positive and encouraging atmosphere for the Ishii elementary children and teachers. There are currently 281 students and 37 staff members altogether, and everybody works together as a team to help make Ishii a successful role model for English language Education through Immersion learning.
OUR MISSION
Let s Meet Our English Language Instructors! Scott Bowes Scott Bowes is from Canada and grew up in a small town called Mahone Bay, located on the South Shore of Eastern Canada, a place well-known for its beauty and friendly people. Scott has lived in Okayama City for over eleven years and has been teaching at Ishii Elementary for over three years. He teaches English and Art to our 1 st and 2 nd graders and really enjoys working with the students to communicate more effectively in English. Scott Says: The students and staff at Ishii Elementary are great to work with every day, and there is a very positive learning environment here. LUNENBURG TOWN, CANADA
William Terry William Terry comes from a small town called Mount Macedon, just outside of Melbourne in Australia. William is teaching P.E., Art, and English for his second year at Ishii Elementary school. He loves the kids and enjoys challenging them in new ways to expand their knowledge and communicate better in English. William has a passion for the environment and holds a degree in zoology. He has been living in Japan for four years and really enjoys the climate of Okayama City. Mount Macedon
LucyYoshioka Lucy is from Nairobi City located in Kenya, Africa. She Joined the Ishii Elementary Immersion team this year and is now teaching the immersion Art and Music classes. She has a lot of experience teaching in elementary schools, and has a great confidence when teaching music. Lucy loves dancing and singing with the children, and she always creates a fun and energetic learning atmosphere in the class through her smiling and cheerful personality. I love the club activities at school and eating the school lunch. It is my favorite part of the day!
The Ishii Immersion Subjects There are three school subjects currently being taught to students as the main focus for the Immersion Course at Ishii Elementary School - Arts, Music, and Physical Education (P.E.). PHYSICAL EDUCATION (P.E.) The students enjoy activities through English Immersion by learning the vocabulary and expressions associated with playing sports and games together. During the physical Education class, the children encourage and Support each other through a variety of exercise, fun and learning. ARTS In the art lessons at Ishii Elementary, children learn a variety of skills through creative and practical projects, instructed by the Immersion Language Teacher. There are many art projects to enjoy such as creating objects from boxes, collecting leaves and rocks from outdoors and putting them together, and making masks and costumes so the kids can enjoy Halloween. Everyone enjoys being creative and artistic with our unique English Immersion art program. MUSIC Music is one of the most expressive forms of communication, and here at Ishii Elementary the children have the opportunity to learn to sing in English. There are many famous English children s songs introduced in this program, as well as the traditional Japanese songs that are taught by the Immersion Language Instructor. The students are also introduced to several musical instruments and they learn to play many songs in English through this Immersion music course. Singing and dancing with English is a lot of fun, so please come and watch us!
The Ishii Elementary English Program English Time As of April 2008, a new English course was begun at Ishii Elementary School and we call it the Morning English Time, in which the students during this course have a fifteen minute English Time every morning. During this time they will sing songs, learn new vocabulary, play games, and do activity sheets based on the theme being studied. The purpose of the English Time is to give the students a chance to remember and practice the words and phrases used in both the regular English lessons as well as the Immersion course subjects. The Morning English Time, from April 2009 is currently being taught to the first and second grades by Scott, and the fifth grade students are instructed by William and Lucy. The students look forward to the Morning English Time as a great way to wake up their day through learning some practical and useful expressions they can practice throughout the day at school. In addition to the English Time, the students at Ishii have regular English lessons at least once a week where they can expand their knowledge of the English language and study more in depth the material being taught in the Morning English Time.
The Ishii Elementary English Broadcasting Program A great way to start the day at Ishii Elementary School is with the English Broadcasting Show that takes place at 8:40 every morning, for 3-5 min, before classes start. The English Broadcasting Show is hosted by Scott and it includes a new topic that is selected every month as the theme of the show. The topics include such things as animals, nature, sports, places around town, school life, our town, or countries around the world. Join us here for fun with games and quizzes, student interviews, and learn something new every month with our show. SEE YOU SOON!