INTRODUCE
Japan's school uniforms are well-known around the world, but few people realize how strict their dress codes can be. Many feel this is for the good of the students, but there are some who question the benefits of dress codes.
PRESENT
STEP A EXPRESSIONS
Go over the first two expressions with your tutor and answer the questions. Then, guess the meaning of the third expression based on the clues provided.
1. To promote conformity is to make someone behave or act like others do.
An office uniform? That’s such a stupid idea! They just want to promote conformity. Everyone will look the same!
Well, is that really so different from now? I mean, you guys basically all wear a white button-up shirt and black pants every day anyway!
Q: Which of these things promotes conformity? Why?
A |
B |
2. If you overstep your boundaries, you go beyond what someone in your position should do.
I don’t get why my sister’s so mad. Yeah, I bought my nephew the game she said he couldn’t have, but so what?
To be honest, I think you may have overstepped your boundaries a bit.
Q: Which of these situations shows someone overstepping their boundaries? Why?
A |
B |
3. .
I don’t get why they implemented that no tablets/phones policy at the school.
I think it’s to level the playing field between the rich and the poor students.
Q: What do you think level the playing field means?
STEP B SPEAK YOUR MIND
Sometimes you want to express that you don’t believe what someone is saying or that you think he/she is not being serious.
Josh said he can bend spoons just by staring at them.
Oh, come on! Only a fool would believe that!
UNDERSTAND
SPEAKING
Rika is talking with her Canadian friend, Justina, who is visiting Japan for the first time.
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- Justina:
Oh, gosh! Those girls look so cute in their sailor uniforms! They look like those anime characters I used to watch on TV.
- Rika:
Yeah, a lot of students here wear uniforms like that.
- Justina:
Aww… I wish I had gone to school here! I would’ve loved to wear one. My school back in Canada didn’t have uniforms.
- Rika:
I’d say you were lucky!
- Justina:
Well, not exactly. My family was kind of poor, so I was bullied by the popular girls for not having fashionable clothes like them. If we had had uniforms, I think it would have helped to level the playing field among rich and poor students.
- Rika:
I guess you’re right about that. In my experience, though, having uniforms can cause a lot of other problems.
- Justina:
Oh, really? Like what?
- Rika:
I mean, it’s one thing to make sure everyone has the same clothes, but my school made sure that we all had the same jackets, socks, bags, and even hair ties! In my opinion, the only reason to monitor students that strictly is to promote conformity.
- Justina:
They monitored your hair bands? That’s too much!
- Rika:
It was even worse for the boys sometimes. My brother’s hair was a bit long, and his teacher actually shaved his head!
- Justina:
Come on! You’re kidding, right?
- Rika:
No, it really did happen! You can ask my mom.
- Justina:
That’s crazy. I think the teacher overstepped his boundaries there. Did your teachers ever do anything like that to you?
- Rika:
Luckily, no. The worst that happened to me was the time I got yelled at because I lost one of the buttons on my jacket.
- Justina:
I can’t imagine my teachers focusing that much on my appearance.
- Rika:
I agree that teachers shouldn’t care that much, but maybe you should care a bit more. I think you’re wearing two different shoes today! (laughs)
- Justina:
Whoops, you’re right!
TRIVIA
Have you ever thought about why there are buttons on the cuffs of most school uniform jackets? According to some sources, the buttons are there to prevent people from wiping their nose or their sweat with their sleeves.
PRACTICE
Are the underlined expressions used correctly? If not, change the sentences.
1. Social media influencers promote conformity by encouraging their subscribers to follow the same trends.
2. Our teacher leveled the playing field by putting all the bright students in one group during the quiz bee.
3. Hey, you’re really overstepping your boundaries! Stop telling Ana what to do. You’re just her friend, not her mother.
4. I don’t require my staff to wear uniforms because I think uniforms just promote conformity, and I don’t want them to all be the same.
5. I think my boss oversteps his boundaries when he asks for updates on the progress of my team’s project.
CHALLENGE
Challenge 1
Your foreign friend just moved to Japan with his/her family and is concerned about the dress code policy at his/her daughter’s new school. Discuss with your friend whether or not school dress codes are necessary.
Today's Expressions
- promote conformity
- overstep one’s boundaries
- level the playing field
Speak Your Mind
- Come on!
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Challenge 2
What do you think? What does your tutor think? Discuss.
If TimeAllows
1 UNIFORMS |
2 LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD |
|---|---|
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1 UNIFORMS
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2LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD
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FEEDBACK
I can discuss the pros and cons of uniforms and dress codes.
LESSON GOAL ACHIEVEMENT
-
4
Very GoodCould complete the task with ease
-
3
GoodCould complete the task with some clarifications
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2
FairCould complete the task with additional instructions
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1
PoorCould somehow complete the task with difficulty
PERSONALIZED FEEDBACK
- RANGE
the ability to use a wide variety of vocabulary - ACCURACY
the ability to speak correctly - FLUENCY
the ability to speak smoothly without pauses or fillers - COHERENCE
the ability to speak logically and at length
