International Course
Second Year
Intensive English Camp
Every year in September, the International Course second year students go to an Autumn Intensive English Camp for five days to prepare them for their Australian homestay. The camp is held in Date, Fukushima Prefecture or in Tanigawa, Gunma Prefecture. The camp facilities are owned and operated by the same Moralogy Center that runs Reitaku High School. On the way to the Autumn Camp, students visit a site of historical or cultural interest. The students usually visit Tsuruga Castle, a samurai residence, and Imori Hill in Aizu, Fukushima. All of these are very famous and significant historical sites. By seeing locations they have heard about only in their history books, the students learn about the importance of history and Japanese culture. This is very useful during their time in Australia because students are frequently asked to speak about Japanese culture. |
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| At a cultural site | Students trying on period costumes |
During the five-day camp, the students prepare for their home-stay in Australia. They improve their English speaking and listening skills by only speaking English between the hours of 8:30 am and 9:15 pm. People (including teachers) who speak Japanese are receive tickets and are fined 10 yen. The students learn Australian and Japanese geography, Australian lifestyles, and customs. About one quarter of the camp curriculum consists of logic lessons and getting-along-while-overseas lessons. The students make three speeches during the camp. The first is about the gift that they are going to give their host-family, describing the gift in detail. The second is a group presentation in which they teach the rest of the class about the geography of one state in Australia. The third is a mini-debate, in which students have a polite disagreement with their classmates. Finally, the end of camp is marked by a two-hour test followed by a small party. |
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Students making speeches about their gifts for their host-families.
| Students practicing for their Australian Geography Teaching Presentations | Morning exercise--special activity, hula dancing |
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| IC Teachers and IC graduate student helpers | A short hike |
| Geography Teaching Presentation | Geography Teaching Presentation |
| Australia Quiz | Mini-Debates |
| Mini-Debates | Mini-Debates |
| Barbeque at the end of the camp | Two days after camp--off to Down Under! |