Tokyo Sightseeing with Relative Clauses

Make student copies of the worksheet　どんなところですか. As a suggested introductory activity, the teacher could enlarge the map of Tokyo and use it to ‘show and tell’ the students about places in Tokyo. Students could be encouraged to ask questions like: サンシャインシティはどんなところですか。

Worksheet

1. Students in groups use the worksheet to ask each other questions like: にぎやかでひろくてみせがたくさんあるところはどこですか and the other group members try to work out which place is being described.
2. Students use pictures found by them or supplied by the teacher to give a talk about the places on the map or other places in Tokyo, using linked descriptions.
3. Students describe their own town/suburb or other places such as their school.
4. The same sentence patterns can be used to describe people such as members of your family and friends. A version of ‘Celebrity Heads’ can be played where the audience gives descriptions to help the ‘celebrities’ guess who they are.
5. A version of ‘Mother Went Shopping’ can be played, where students in groups start with a simple description of a place or person and take turns to add to the description and make the sentence longer.

Resource created by Himiko Negishi, Cathy Jonak and Yohei Arakawa (February 1995).