Foreward
If you are thinking a year ahead, sow seed;
If you are thinking ten years ahead, plant a tree;
If you are thinking 100 years ahead, educate the people.
Kuan Tzu, 400 BC
Down
to Earth English was designed to help ALTs and JTEs integrate environmental
education into their English language classes. The book aims to open Japanese
studentsf eyes to environmental issues in Japan and the rest of the world,
while at the same time challenging them to think of practical steps they can
take to help solve these issues. The book aims to empower and inspire young
Japanese students to take charge of their future by learning how to live in
harmony with the environment.
All
the the lessons in the this book have been tested in a team-taught classroom.
While teaching these lessons, bear in mind that the aims of the JET Programme
are "to assist in teaching English and to internationalize" Japanese
students. The aim to internationalize is the primary objective of Down to
Earth English.
Some
of the ideas presented in this book may seem to oversimplify the issues. Our
purpose was to make sure the ideas were easy to grasp for students studying in
a second language. Also, since these lessons are supplementary material to the
national curriculum and need to accommodate the ALTfs irregular class visits,
each lesson was designed to exist as a single 50 minute period. A few of the
lessons, however, require more time. It is true that this limits the impact the
lessons can have on the students, but this is the unfortunate reality that most
JETs face.
The
lessons are designed for mid-upper level junior high school and high school
level students. I have refrained from assigning a specific year level to each
lesson because ability levels vary from school to school. Instead I have used a
three star system to specify the level of the lesson (* = least difficult, ***
= most difficult). Teachers can determine what is appropriate for their
classes, and with a few adaptations, the lessons can be changed to suit
different classes. The environmental terms list is included as an aid when
planning lessons. It is always useful to know at least a few of the main terms
of the lesson in Japanese.
Unfortunately,
at this time Down to Earth English could not be translated into
Japanese. We realize that this could be a problem for some JTEs and other
Japanese people interested in using this text. One of our goals for the next
edition is to produce a bilingual publication.
Beyond
the lessons, there are some extra ideas and school-wide projects located at the
end of the book. We encourage you to try them as they involve a larger number
of people in cooperative activities to help the environment.
Japanese
students, like all young people need, to be exposed to environmental action
when they are still forming their attitudes about the world around them.
Hopefully they will gain a deeper respect for our Earth and the enthusiasm to
save it.
We
hope this publication is fun and educational for all.
Happy
learning,
Samantha
Berman
Down
to Earth English Editor