What is it with Korean pop groups these days? Since I've been here, there have now been two different Korean groups (with a total of 18 singers) to have somehow taken Taiwan by storm. Even though Ja Rule is performing live and Lady Gaga is coming through the night club speakers every other song, Super Junior and Wonder Girls have conquered the hearts of mainstream music and ring tones in Taiwan.
It's for damn sure that you can't go a full day without hearing, if only by indirect reference, of either group's hit single.
So what do you get when you add the Backstreet Boys, N*Sync, and 98 Degrees together, then mix in some Asian?
If you answered "A 13-person Korean boy band called 'Super Junior'," then contact me for your prize. Actually, you'd be hard pressed to find anybody on this island who hasn't heard of Super Junior, or at least their mega-hit, "Sorry Sorry." I'm pretty sure the only English lyrics in the the song are "sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry......... shorty shorty shorty shorty," but it's so catchy that you can't hate it no matter how much its played out. At my school, every kid from age 3-13 knows the signature "Sorry Sorry" dance move of rubbing the hands together, and every apology is followed by another, and another. And yeah, it was a morning warm up song, so I know a dance routine for the whole thing. Jealous?
Check it:
The more recent pop song tidal wave to drown Taiwan is "Nobody," by the Wonder Girls. They are also Korean, but have 8 less in their entourage. The impact of "Nobody" became very evident when I saw a kindergarten student of about 2 and a half feet singing and doing the dance to this song. Adorable. Much like "Sorry Sorry," the Wonder Girls' hit is something that I'd love to hate, but mostly I can't help but get a kick out of how awesome everybody thinks it is.
Check it:
What do you think?
Showing posts with label morning warm ups. Show all posts
Showing posts with label morning warm ups. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Morning Glory
"A case of the Mondays" can be defined as this: You wake up on a Monday feeling tired and cranky, and have to drag yourself to work or school, bitterly staring down another five days before the weekend, treating each task and each person as if they personally came and handed you another set of weekdays.
Unfortunately in my line of work, coming down with a case of the Mondays will not guarantee you very much job security. I wake up extra early so that by the time I get to school, I'm not resenting every moment that my eyes are not closed. Once I've arrived at school, I can get ready for this...
Each week we follow a (somewhat) structured rotation of the foreign teachers for who will lead the entire kindergarten in Morning Warm-Ups for the week. A sell-out crowd can be around 100 students, ranging from age 3 to age 7.
Assignment #1: Exercise (led by foreign teacher)
Duration: 5 minutes
Foreign teacher leads the kindergarten in a series of stretching, short cardio activites, and general mind and body stimulation to get blood flowing through the small bodies of the kids (and teachers). Can include Star Jumps (aka jumping jacks), running in place, touching of the toes, Iroquois Twists.
Assignment #2: Dance (led by Chinese teacher)
Duration: 5-10 minutes
Each week a Chinese teacher teaches a new song, complete with dance moves and phrases to act as cues to remember each dance move, i.e. "give me money," "so happy," "show me cute." Following the new song, we also dance one song from a previous week. Classes with the most power* are invited to the stage to dance with the Chinese teacher. Can include Barbie Girl, Sorry Sorry, and the Ninja Song.
Assignment #3(Mondays only): Life Lesson (led by Foreign teacher)
Duration: 5-10 minutes
The foreign teacher needs to organize a short role-play with a clear moral/rule the students can remember, relate to, and follow. To help with the role-play, the other foreign teachers can and will be asked to do improv acting. The moral should come in the form of a short, easy sentence that can be repeated over and over again. Can include "Be patient, please," "Happy Thanksgiving," "Throw the trash into the trash can," "Don't be lazy."
Assignment #4(Tues., Wed., Thurs.): Performance (foreign teacher's class)
Duration: 5-10 minutes
The foreign teacher who is leading exercise and Life Lesson also needs to show everyone what their class has been working on. In each class' syllabus, we have 5 role-plays which need to be taught and acted out. These are typically shown during morning warm-up weeks.
[If you haven't already clicked on all of the links I've included, they will take you to my school's YouTube account. Here you can find just about every significant thing that happens at my school, from Halloween, to Christmas, the Life Lesson from EVERY week, or even the Squirrels' International Day presentation and dance!]
*power: a combination of attentiveness, volume, and enthusiasm.
Unfortunately in my line of work, coming down with a case of the Mondays will not guarantee you very much job security. I wake up extra early so that by the time I get to school, I'm not resenting every moment that my eyes are not closed. Once I've arrived at school, I can get ready for this...
Each week we follow a (somewhat) structured rotation of the foreign teachers for who will lead the entire kindergarten in Morning Warm-Ups for the week. A sell-out crowd can be around 100 students, ranging from age 3 to age 7.
Assignment #1: Exercise (led by foreign teacher)
Duration: 5 minutes
Foreign teacher leads the kindergarten in a series of stretching, short cardio activites, and general mind and body stimulation to get blood flowing through the small bodies of the kids (and teachers). Can include Star Jumps (aka jumping jacks), running in place, touching of the toes, Iroquois Twists.
Assignment #2: Dance (led by Chinese teacher)
Duration: 5-10 minutes
Each week a Chinese teacher teaches a new song, complete with dance moves and phrases to act as cues to remember each dance move, i.e. "give me money," "so happy," "show me cute." Following the new song, we also dance one song from a previous week. Classes with the most power* are invited to the stage to dance with the Chinese teacher. Can include Barbie Girl, Sorry Sorry, and the Ninja Song.
Assignment #3(Mondays only): Life Lesson (led by Foreign teacher)
Duration: 5-10 minutes
The foreign teacher needs to organize a short role-play with a clear moral/rule the students can remember, relate to, and follow. To help with the role-play, the other foreign teachers can and will be asked to do improv acting. The moral should come in the form of a short, easy sentence that can be repeated over and over again. Can include "Be patient, please," "Happy Thanksgiving," "Throw the trash into the trash can," "Don't be lazy."
Assignment #4(Tues., Wed., Thurs.): Performance (foreign teacher's class)
Duration: 5-10 minutes
The foreign teacher who is leading exercise and Life Lesson also needs to show everyone what their class has been working on. In each class' syllabus, we have 5 role-plays which need to be taught and acted out. These are typically shown during morning warm-up weeks.
[If you haven't already clicked on all of the links I've included, they will take you to my school's YouTube account. Here you can find just about every significant thing that happens at my school, from Halloween, to Christmas, the Life Lesson from EVERY week, or even the Squirrels' International Day presentation and dance!]
*power: a combination of attentiveness, volume, and enthusiasm.
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