Hi, folks. So, when I'm not on this website commenting about video game sales and such, I work as an English teacher. I've been teaching a group of six students for a while now, and I've always wanted them to use their English knowledge outside the classroom, to interact with real people beyond the classroom environment.
Last semester, I attempted this by assigning them an activity in which they had to watch YouTube videos of their interest and leave a comment in the comment section, or even reply to someone else's comment. My intention was for them to get a reply and maybe engage in a real, authentic conversation with an English speaker. Unfortunately, they were unlucky, as no one answered their comments. I was very frustrated by this, but I didn’t give up on my idea.
This year, I thought I could ask them to write a letter and deliver these letters to foreign people who speak English, asking them to reply... The problem is that I don't actually know anyone who lives abroad. I could use Reddit for this, but I really wanted to ask people I know to some degree, not complete strangers, in a place I’m already familiar with. Thinking of a solution, I decided to give it a try here by opening this thread on VGChartz and asking you guys for help.
I don’t post here every day, but I do recognize some people from my interactions in articles and threads. At first, I thought it would be better to send them private messages asking for help, but in the end, I decided to open a thread so that my request could reach more people who might be interested in helping me.
I know this may not be a big deal for you, since you already interact with people from all over the world every day here on VGChartz, but what do you think about being the first foreign person my students would interact with? If you like this idea, come help me :)
My idea is for them to write a one-page letter about the following topic:
"Stereotypes about my country: which ones do you agree with and which ones do you disagree with?"
First, they would introduce themselves, providing information such as their name (they would use nicknames), age (they are all adults), and the city where they live, and then develop the topic of the letter.
Then, I would send one of the letters to you. You would read it and answer it back, sharing your impressions about what the student wrote and also talking about stereotypes about your own country that you agree or disagree with. You can use your VGChartz username to introduce yourself. Everyone using nicknames would make it more fun.
But how would I send you the letter? I would create one email account for each letter (so, six emails) and give you the login and password of one of them. When I receive all the letters, I would send one to that email so you can read and reply to it. I will ask my students to write their letters on paper, but you don’t have to do the same, you can just type your reply if you prefer.
After creating your reply, you would just send your message to the same email account you’re using. You would have seven days to do it(I give classes every Saturday, so that would be the time between two classes).
I intend to propose this activity this Saturday (May 2), and they would have seven days to write their letters. On May 9, they would give me the letters, and I would send them to you all. On May 16, I would show your replies to my students, and they would read them in class.
I'm open to answer any doubts you would have until then. I really want my students to begin interact with English speakers outside classroom. This is how we become fluent after all. Please, help me make them achieve this!
