There is:
1) The word sheet (fill in the words)
2) The story (in English and in Japanese)
Notes:
-It is color coded to help visually as well. You don't have to print one out for every student. Only 4 or 5 prints of each document are needed for large classes. (I recommend printing them on larger paper so everyone can see.)
-You should print the Japanese version separately and cut out each sentence of the Japanese version.
Instructions:
1) Split the students into 4 groups (they will put their desks together.)
2) You will hand out the Word Sheet first. Tell them to get creative and work together to fill in the blanks. They can use their dictionaries and tablets too. There are examples at the bottom of the page, but the crazier and more random their words are, the funnier. (Maybe give them about 20 minutes)
3) When they finish, the group should raise their hand, and you will give them the ENGLISH version of the story first. They will fill in the blanks with their chosen words.
4) After they do that, they should raise their hand again and you will give them the cut up Japanese sentences. They should fill in the Japanese words and then try to arrange the sentences to match up with the English story.
5) Presenting!! Once everyone finishes, have them listen. You will read one English sentence at a time out loud, and one of the students in that group will read the corresponding Japanese sentence (so the class can understand). You can do this for all four groups. That way, all the groups can hear (and understand) everyone's version of the story.
6) If there is time, have the class vote on their favorite story (they can't vote for their own). Whichever group has the most votes wins! (I typically give them stamps or prizes in class)
Other Notes:
-This way is designed for a full class period (because my JTEs want me to use the full class) but feel free to alter it to your needs.
-My Japanese translation may not be correct. I plan on asking my JTE to check before I do this activity, so please fix it if you need to T~T
-The arranging of the Japanese sentences is just to make sure they can understand the English meaning/grammar point. Hopefully the repetition at the presentation part will help them with their understanding.
Thank you for the color coded words! This is an excellent material for students who are struggling with long sentences.
I love the idea of doing the same thing with the Japanese sentences, but arranging them to match the English story! Great for comprehension.