6. Superstitions about numbers


Teaching sequence

1.      Introduce numbers in Japanese

2.      Practise counting in Japanese

3.      After several practice of counting, ask students to clap their hands instead of counting the number which has 4

4.      After that, ask students why I asked them to clap their hands

      → introduce superstitions

5.      Discussion: explain rules, how I want this discussion to go

6.      Put discussion question (OHP) one each

1)     You are staying at a hotel in Japan, and you have found that there are no rooms between “41” and “43”.  Why?

2)     You are invited to your Japanese friend’s wedding. Knowing that normally Japanese people give couples money as a present, you have decided to give them money.  How much should you give them?

A. $100

B. $200

C. $300

7.       Ask students unlucky numbers in Australia (Western country)


Students showed their interests in this discussion.  I also explain why.  Especially for question 2, students looked interested because it is very different from Australian culture.  Some students asked me whether I know more superstitions about numbers.


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