TPR Activity:

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich Instruction

 

 

Aims:

You can use this activity for various aims.  It is good for introduction of new and colloquial vocabulary.  It is also a type of task listening activity in that students listen for a purpose.  Lastly, this particular exercise (Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich) is a good cultural lesson because every American knows PB&J well from their childhoods, while few Japanese (or people from many other countries) are familiar with them.  This activity can easily be adapted for any type of food from any country.

 

Description:

Essentially, this activity involves an instructor demonstrating how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, while using colloquial English and big gestures, while the students copy your actions.  You can change various aspects of the activity according to what your aims are for the lesson.

 

Level: Can be suited for any level, depending on the instructor’s goals.  As the students have very clear visual clues, even beginner levels can participate.  This works best with small groups (3-10 students).  (Also, it can get expensive to run more than 10 students!)

 

One format:

When I first ran this activity, my goal was to give my students an authentic reason to use English, and to gain confidence in an environment where they would not understand many new words.  My goal was to have them easily recognize the meanings of new words by context, and show them that using a Japanese-English dictionary is only ONE way to learn the meanings of new words. 

 

So:

Step I: I explained the rules of the activity: Absolutely no Japanese is to be used at any time. 

 

Step II: I exposed the students to the new vocabulary, so they would know what to listen for.  However I did not tell them what the words meant.  I merely read the words and had the students repeat:

 

              New Vocabulary:          Clear Space

                                                        Slice (slice of bread)

                                                        Lay

                                                        Spread

                                                        Wipe

                                                        Stick

                                                        Diagonal (diagonally)

                                                        Crusts (bread crust)

 

 

Step III: I demonstrated the activity, reading from the following script, and using very big gestures as I spoke.  The students copied my actions at each step.

 

LIST OF INSTRUCTIONS:

 

 

Instructions for Making a Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich

 

Step 1. Make a   clear space   for preparing food.

 

Step 2.  Take 2  slices of bread  and   lay  them on the table.

 

Step 3.  Use a knife to  spread  peanut butter onto 1 slice of bread.

 

Step 4.  Wipe  the knife clean.  (using a tissue or napkin)

 

Step 5.  Use the knife to spread jelly onto the other slice of bread.

 

Step 6.   Stick  the two slices of bread together.

 

Step 7.  Cut the sandwich in half,  diagonally.

 

Step 8.  (Optional)  You can cut the  crusts  off  (if you want to).

 

 
 

Step IV: Showing the students the list of vocabulary words again, I asked them to define each of the words using English descriptions or gestures.  Pass out a copy of the vocabulary words above, so they can see them in print.  (It is a good idea to not allow them to use Japanese, because doing so reinforces the idea that every word in one language has a direct counterpart in the other.  Without using Japanese, the students not only learn the English, but they learn it by thinking in English).  The students were generally able to define every new word quite easily.  However if they have difficulty, simply mime whatever step included that vocabulary word so they can see it in context again.

 

Step V: I distributed a copy of the instructions I was using.  At first glance, it was a large body of English, containing many new words.  But the students were amazed that they were able to easily understand all of it since they had already heard and practiced gestures relating to that text English.  This serves as a means of self-comprehension.  The students can recognize what they have just learned, and ask questions about parts they aren’t sure about.

 

Variation:

This activity is also good for practicing or introducing commands/instructions.  (Use 2nd person simple tense, omit the word “You” e.g. “Cut the bread”; “turn left at the corner”; “close the door”.  Furthermore, students can practice sequence designations such as Step I, Step II, “to begin . . .”, “Next, . . .”

 

I ran the activity first with my beginner-level adult conversation class.  At that time, I acted as the lesson’s instructor and 3 students copied my actions.  Several weeks later I ran the activity again, but I had those same 3 students act as the instructors for 8 other students who weren’t present for the first class.  At that time, I acted as a coach, and focused on showing them how to give commands effectively.  So this activity can be used as an example to teach students how to instruct using English.