2nd week of class

Last Friday was my second class, and I think it went really well.

I began class by showing a bunch of slides of some architectural styles of American houses. You see, in Japan, it is required by law that homes are destroyed and rebuilt every 20-30 years (depending on the materials used in construction). It probably makes sense for a country with such a high population density and earthquake frequency. I asked the kids to write sentences about their observations of the slides. I showed some cool styles, and I got some hilarious and awesome responses.

Then I did an overview of American kitchens and garages, which are extremely different from their Japanese counterparts. I think the kids found those pictures pretty interesting, but it's always hard to tell, since they sit silently with blank faces for 90 minutes.

I transitioned from the garage talk to Weezer's "In the Garage", and I gave a little presentation on D&D, KISS, and X-Men (which are all in the song lyrics). I discussed the use of the garage as a private or special place for Rivers Cuomo. Then we listened to the song, which is always a blast!

Oh also, every single student in my class has a last name that starts with "T". Thought that was pretty cool.

Here are some pictures I used in my class, just to give you a taste of the experience.