Japanese: The Enormous Turnip story

This unit has been designed to encourage oral story re-telling. Along the way, students can learn to read keywords and expressions, if the teacher wishes to also make this an aim for the unit.

The story file pages can be displayed using a data projector/IWB or printed to make a hard-copy storybook.

Encourage students to join in with teacher reading, initially with the うんとこしょ、どっこいしょ parts, then gradually taking on character roles.

The story lends itself to performance. Have student groups perform the play for the class or School! If possible, have dress ups and props to make it more fun.

Video the performance so students can see ( and listen to) the end result of their efforts! Share with parents too.

Using an iPad app, such as Toontastic, students could also animate the story and record themselves speaking— an excellent assessment item.

Included in this kit are more family members so teachers and students can be a little creative and make their own versions of the story! Who will help pull out the turnip?!

I have deliberately used the more versatile form of the word for BIG—おおきい, a word students may well have already learned. ( This form can be used both to modify nouns and as a predicate eg. おおきいかぶです。かぶはおおきいです。)

The story is popular in Japan with kindergarten-aged children and YouTube has a number of filmed performances. You will need to search using おおきなかぶ by which the story is known in Japan.

Various URL links are provided in this kit.

The comprehensive resources include

* the story - with fabulous original illustrations

* 2 versions of the story script - for differentiation purposes

* flashcards, playing cards

* student activity book sheets - including assessment tasks and an oral story re-tell assessment rubric

* comic-book-style reading/writing tasks

* bingo cards

*' I Have...Who Has' game cards

* animal headbands

* a Flip Strip story to aid student re-tell

I have not included a Teaching Sequence with this resource.

Thank you to my special friend Yohko for her illustrations - they are gorgeous!

Please note that this resource is for single teacher use. It may not be shared, for example, digitally or by photocopying etc.
Additional licenses can be purchased for colleagues at a discounted rate.