The Language Teacher
August 2003

The Bear Homestay Project

Jacqueline Norris-Holt

Nagoya City University

<jnorris@hum.nagoya-cu.ac.jp>

QUICK GUIDE

Key Words:Creative writing, explaining Japanese culture
Learner English Level: Elementary and above
Learner Maturity Level: First-year university
Preparation Time: Varies
Activity Time: Can be ongoing
Materials: A teddy bear or other soft toy, a sturdy journal, some photos, a map

On a recent visit to Australia, I was fortunate enough to come across a teddy bear journal project which had been introduced in the school my 6-year-old was attending. Adapted from The Teddy Bear Exchange, a project developed by iEARN (International Education and Resource Network), each primary school class had adopted a bear, which then spent time in each student's home. The bear came complete with a set of colouring pencils, a journal, and a backpack. Each child in the class was responsible for looking after the bear for one night and then writing in the journal and drawing a picture of what they had done.

Procedure

Step 1: Purchase a teddy bear or some other stuffed toy. The maturity level of the class may determine the type of toy used. A toy representative of the native fauna of the teacher's home country is particularly appropriate. Step 2: Write an interesting self-introduction for the bear. It may also be useful to include a few photos of the bear's home, a map of the country or city from which it comes, and any other interesting memorabilia to give the bear a life-like character. Following is an example of an introduction I used for a 1st-year university class.

Self-Introduction
Hello. I would like to introduce myself. My name is Sam and I come from Australia. I am a university student at Canberra University (CU). I am very interested in Japanese language and culture and have come to Japan to study for one semester. I arrived on March 16 and have been staying with the Norris family since then. Since arriving in Japan I have seen lots of interesting things and tried many new foods. I am very excited about staying with you and hope to learn many more new things about Japan and its culture. I have only been studying Japanese for a short time, so please explain things to me slowly. I will also try to help you with your English study.
I guess I should also tell you about my hobbies and interests. Coming from Australia, I love going to the beach and playing many outdoor sports. I especially like tennis and golf. I have been playing tennis since I was a primary school student, although I am not very good. I enjoy camping and like to go bushwalking when I have free time on weekends.
I look forward to meeting you and hope that I may be able to teach you some interesting things about Australian culture. Thank you!

Step 3: Prepare a journal to accompany the bear on its travels. Include the self-introduction and the other materials collected. The inside cover should also include a list of student's names and the dates the bear will change students. This will ensure that each student spends the required amount of time with the bear.

Step 4: Explain to the students that they will be responsible for looking after the bear for a specified period of time. This will depend on the number of students in the class. Ideally a 1-week period allows the students ample time to record a number of activities. Emphasize that the bear is visiting in order to learn as much as possible about Japan and that the students must try to expose the bear to a variety of experiences. Students must also read the journal entries of other students to ensure that the bear does not do the same thing a number of times, such as visit Nagoya Castle to view cherry blossoms.

Step 5: A class brainstorming session should be conducted to encourage students to think about what aspects of Japanese culture and lifestyle would be interesting to show a foreign student. These suggestions could then be written on the board for student reference.

Step 6: In order to direct the students to write at a particular level, the teacher may begin the journal by making the first entry or by selecting one of the better writers in the class.

Step 7: Students should be encouraged to include photos if they visit any places of interest with the bear.

Step 8: To allow the teacher to maintain some contact with the journal and the encounters of the bear, students should submit the same journal entry by email to the teacher. This email can then be used to provide the student with feedback. Students should also be encouraged to email the teacher photos, especially as many students have a digital camera or mobile phone with a camera facility.

Conclusion

This project provides students with an opportunity to work as a group on a class project. They are encouraged to read the work of other students in order to ensure similar experiences are not repeated. With the right approach, this writing exercise can encourage students to seek out interesting aspects of Japanese culture and think about how to explain such information in English. It can also act as a means of encouraging students to go on mini-excursions to places they would otherwise not visit.

I envisage this activity as suitable for 1st-year junior high school and above, although I have not tried the project with junior or senior high school students myself. I do, however, have three 1st-year university classes participating at present, and the project has been well received by both male and female students. They have particularly enjoyed brainstorming and thinking about those aspects of Japanese culture and lifestyle that would be interesting to show a foreign visitor. If the project were to be introduced with younger children, such as elementary school students, it would be more appropriate to conduct the journal in Japanese. For younger learners it might also be useful to find a sister school that could host a stuffed toy, with the animal returning after a set period of time with a journal full of interesting experiences for the students to learn from.