Engage a learner with a song and visuals:

1. Show an image of Setsubun and introduce it saying “we’ll celebrate Setsubun and throw beans at ogres to drive away bad luck”.
2. As a pre-listening question, ask the learner to find out what color underwear the ogres are wearing.
3. Have the learners watch the above song “Oni No Pantsu (Ogre’s underwear)” , a well-known, silly, cute Japanese rhymes for Setsubun. After watching the video, scaffold the learner in expressing the colors of ogres’ underwear. They’re “kiiro (yellow)” or/and “chairo (brown)”.

This book, おにのパンツ (Ogre’s Underwear), is a songbook featuring the same song used in the pre-task activity above. It’s a silly, cute Japanese nursery rhyme loved by children. Read it interactively, engaging in back-and-forth conversations with a child.

Sing along with the songbook:

1. Ask a pre-reading question, “Can you find out if a mouse is wearing big or small underwear? おおきい、ちいさいパンツ(big or small underwear)?
2. Sing the song along with the songbook and have the learner answer the pre-reading question.

Enjoy pretend play using puppets created from online printable materials! A sad ogre puppet asks to be changed into big/small, colored pants, and he becomes happy after getting the right-sized, right-colored pants, as you direct.

1. As you direct, demonstrate the language and encourage imitation of the adult’s speech, using two-word phrases: e.g. “おおきくて あかい パンツ (ookikute akai pantsu) or あかくて おおきい パンツ (akakute ookii pantsu), meaning a big, red underwear”, with the strong help of gestures or visuals. 
2. Instead of rushing children to produce words, have the learner enjoy participating in pretend play and receive tons of ample enjoyable input, promoting back-and-forth conversations.

A sample conversation we had for this post-reading activity:

Ogre (an adult): Pun pun pu, okotteru (I’m mad). Ookii, shiroi/ookikute shiroi pants hakitai/chodai (Please give me big white underwear).

Child: Okii, shiroi pantsu? Ookii, shiroi, iru (Do you want big white underwear)?

Ogre (an adult): Un, ookii shiroi/ookikute shiroi pantsu chodai/iru). (yes, big white underwear, please).

Ogre (an adult): Arigato (thank you)! Do this after getting the right pants and flipping the puppet to the happy side of an ogre.

Watch the same song video from Day 1 and ask reflection questions to remind the learner of cultural products and practices of Setsubun, e.g. “What do we throw at ogres on this day?/Do we throw beans to wish for good or bad luck?”

• Tips: On the second or third day of using the same song, shift the focus from providing input to encouraging the learners to produce language by singing autonomously, with or without an instrument, and with or without the video.

Watch the presentation video about the New Year’s Holiday and have the learner respond to it interactively while watching.

• Perspectives📝: They will learn about the belief that everyone has both positive and negative ‘ogres’ (lazy, night-owl, angry, etc.) within themselves.

Repeat Day 1 pretend play. Most importantly, enjoy encouraging conversation with the child, using the target vocabulary and phrases through child-led pretend play.

Repeat Day 1 lesson but implement the lesson in a different way as explained below.

1. Use the same image and ask reflection questions to remind the learners of cultural perspectives behind the bean throwing tradition, e.g. “Why do we throw beans at ogres on this day (Doshite onini mameo nageruno) ?/ Do you have a happy or sad ogre in yourself today (Kyowa, minnano kokorono nakani ureshii oniga iru, soretomo kanashii oniga iru)?”.
2. Use the same song video, but this time, encourage the learner to sing along with it.

Read the same book interactively. How can we lead interactive reading? You can ask questions or offer commentary to promote the child’s comprehension and curiosity. Here are some example comprehension questions you can ask:

• “What color are ogres’ underwear (Onino pantsu wa nani iro)?”
• “Does the underwear last for five or ten years (Onino pantsu wa gonen soretomo jyunen yaburenai)?”
• “Is ogres’ underwear strong or weak (Onino pantsu wa tsuyoi, soretomo yowai)?”

Repeat the pretend play from Day 1 and Day 2. This time, encourage the learner to take ownership of making requests using two- or three-word phrases with colors and sizes, supported by gestures, visuals, or onomatopoeia.

1. Have a learner watch the same presentation video and respond to the questions independently. Assess how they can express the target vocabulary and phrases interactively while watching. Click the button to download the assessment rubrics.

Before the song video, introduce Moon Viewing Day by saying, “We’re going to see the most beautiful full moon on Otsukimi (Moon Viewing Day).” Then, ask a pre-listening question: “Can you find which animals appear during the song? They are symbols of Otsukimi. ” After watching the video, have the learner express the animals either verbally or with gestures. The rabbit on the moon is a well-known legend in Japanese folklore.

Read the book おつきさま こんばんは (Good Evening Mr. Moon) interactively which is such a calm, simple, charming book for little children.

How to read interactively? Ask questions or offer commentary to promote the child’s comprehension and curiosity. Here are some example comprehension questions you can ask in a child’s first or target languages:

“How is the moon feeling now? (Otsukisama, donna kimochi kana?)”

“Who is bothering the moon? (Darega Otsukisama wo jyama shiteru?)”

“What happened to the moon? (Otsukisamani naniga atta?)” or “I would not be happy if the cloud covers my face! How about you? (Watashidattara, kumoni kaowo kakusaretara iyadana. Anatawa?)”

Enjoy creating and engaging in pretend play with Origami moon faces!

• Demonstrate how to make origami moon faces and draw different facial expressions on the moons to represent various emotions, including the four basic emotions: happy, sad, angry, and afraid (fear).
• Most importantly, promote conversation with the child, using the target emotion vocabulary through child-led pretend play.
• As usual, we end the activities with a food related to the theme. This time, since the focus was on the moon shape, our child enjoyed a moon-shaped cookie at the end.

Before the song video, remind the learner of the symbol of Moon Viewing Day, Tsuki (moon). On the second or third day of using the same song, shift the focus from providing input to encouraging the learners to produce language by singing autonomously, with or without an instrument, and with or without the video.

Repeat Day1 interactive reading using the same book, as shown above.

Enjoy pretend play with moon emotion puppets!

• Using puppets created from online printable materials, have a learner make guesses by asking, ‘How does the moon feel? どんな きもち?’ Show and hide each emotion puppet quickly with the puppet cover while a learner guesses. Use onomatopoeia and gestures to express each emotion.
• During pretend play, focus on demonstrating emotions to encourage a learner to imitate your speech and actions.

Repeat Day 2 lesson. For reflection and/or assessment, have the learner watch the short interactive video and respond to the questions independently.

←Click to watch the video

1. Have a learner watch the same reflection video and respond to the questions independently. Assess how they can express the target vocabulary and phrases interactively while watching. Click the button to download the assessment rubrics.

Enjoy decorating cupcakes with the recipe from the lesson! Make sure to do the following:

• Use the recipe from the lesson to decorate cupcakes topped with three-colored dango (rice cake)-shaped frosting, with each color representing a different season celebrated on this Cultural Day.
• Have learners review the presentation video and perform independently.

Click below to see a shopping video on Instagram↴

1. Have a learner watch the same presentation video and respond to the questions independently. Assess how they can express the target vocabulary and phrases interactively while watching. Click the button to download the assessment rubrics.

Enjoy scavenger hunt! Make sure to do the following:

• Engage in scavenger hunt while watching the below summer festival videos or traveling or participating in Japanese summer festivals as shown in our Instagram post, if available.
• Have learners review the presentation video and perform independently.

Click below to see a shopping video on Instagram↴

1. Have a learner watch the same presentation video and respond to the questions independently. Assess how they can express the target vocabulary and phrases interactively while watching. Click the button to download the assessment rubrics.

Watch the video twice:

(1st Viewing) Have a learner focus on pointing and reading on screen text.

(2nd Viewing) Have the learner focus on pointing at images on the screen to match them with the correct words at the end of the video.

Enjoy shopping with the shopping list! Make sure to do the following:

• Double check on the shopping list as learners obtain an item.
• Have learners review the presentation video and perform independently.

Click below to see a shopping video on Instagram↴

1. Have a learner watch the same presentation video and respond to the questions independently. Assess how they can express the target vocabulary and phrases interactively while watching. Click the button to download the assessment rubrics.