Discussion in pop groups ends in wet and kitsch

A cultural footnote, literally, comes as a footnote.

It has been a week of it. No sly metaphors here to report, but one student did manage to piss on the elevated stage at the front of the class. More about that later. I've continued to integrate more and more student-to-student interactions each lesson. The latest one is having the students answer the questions and then become the inquisitor. Have read and absorbed the SLA readings and I have found them highly applicable. Sadly, there's not much not much use in mainstream classes, where the lines of conversation is in the can. But, I do think I can use in when I converse with my students. File it away, and practise it for later use.

I've had a rather bad run with ICC lessons. No ordinary classes, they certainly don't require the output of language, but thought and reflection. It's one thing to prepare a lesson for adults, but it's another to customise it to students at a novice, mid level. More kitsch  games, and investigation on my part. In addition, I think teaching a smaller group of students would also help too. A case in point; I taught the 'Talk, talk, talk!' exercise from the book. The topic was pop groups. Teen top versus Ai you(?) Talk for two minutes, one side with a bar on facial and hand gestures, the other side with none. They were talking, and the chosen side was following instructions. Time up, I called the task to a stop. One of the 'talkers' was a 'special' student. Not gifted, but just slow in social development. Obviously the noise, and debate had gotten too much for him. Like a skunk emitting noxious gas, this student had decided to piss his pants, leaving a smallish puddle on the elevated podium at the front of the classroom. The circle of students widened, the student in question was whisked out by my KET for some sanitational treatment. I didn't give up, I continued my lesson, but the interest of the class was lost. Effort wasted. This lesson was FUBAR. I will get it right. I will get my lesson!

Footnotes for an ICC lesson
Preview a lot for elementary schoolers. Pitch like heck, sell the idea. Be the salesman. Wear the plaid suit.
Prepare games, something they are capable of doing.
Keep it simple; The ideas (of culture) they know are only that of what the textbook has touched on. Put the bar low.
Explicitness.
Make input comprehensible. relate ideas with pictures. Song, and games. Fun. Get the idea in and have them think about it. The question is, as always, how.

On a side note, I did manage to teach a vocabulary segment. It was from Harmer, example 2, vocabulary web. Rather simple, easy to have the students practice, and learn new words (from each other). I did follow this up with a blank fill task. Spelling/ form is okay, though some students do have problems with spelling. So long as the sentence is in order, it's more excusable.