Workshop 1
Prepare
Three strands, each drilled as English phrases plus in-workshop practice: meeting facilitation, critical thinking and analysis, and presentation key phrases.
At school · 90–150 minutes
What Happens in This Workshop
Before students investigate Osaka Castle, they need the English tools to run their own group: how to open and steer a meeting, how to question and challenge ideas with reasons, and how to present a conclusion clearly. Every phrase below is drilled first, then used for real in workshop tasks.
Meeting Facilitation
Open a meeting, invite ideas, clarify, keep on track, summarize, and give actions — plus follow-up questions to draw people out.
Critical Thinking & Analysis
The A.D.R.A. model: acknowledge a comment, disagree respectfully, give your reason, and suggest an alternative.
Presentation Key Phrases
The PREP structure — Point, Reason, Expansion, Point — to give a clear 90-second opinion and answer follow-up questions.
150-Minute Plan
Blocks marked “trim first” can be cut to fit a 90-minute period. Cut the integrated practice and quiz before cutting phrase drilling.
| Time | Block | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 0–10 min | Warm-up | Hook question, goals, and the three-strand overview. |
| 10–45 min | Strand 1 — Facilitation | Phrase bank + drilling, model dialogue, gap-fill, then 3-role meeting rotations. |
| 45–50 min | Break | — |
| 50–85 min | Strand 2 — A.D.R.A. | The four-step model, phrase banks, model exchange, paired opinion practice. |
| 85–120 min | Strand 3 — PREP | The PREP model, a worked example, worksheet, then 90-second talks with live follow-up questions. |
| 120–140 min | Integrated practicetrim first | Trim first: one meeting that uses all three strands to plan the castle visit. |
| 140–148 min | Quiztrim first | Trim first: auto-checked gap-fill on all three strands. |
| 148–150 min | Wrap-up | Recap and bridge to Workshop 2 at Osaka Castle. |
Warm-up
Write your ideas in the boxes (they are saved on this device), then share them with your group using full sentences.
Strand 1 · 10–45 min
Meeting Facilitation
Key Points
Facilitating means running the conversation so the group reaches a decision. It includes stating the objective, asking for input, clarifying, summarizing, keeping things on topic and moving on, and giving actions. Everyone should help to facilitate — for example by inviting other people to speak — so the group gets a good outcome.
Phrase Bank
Tap each card to reveal the phrase and an example.
1. State the objectiveTap to revealClose
Today, we are talking about …
"Today, we are talking about ideas for our Osaka Castle trip."
2. Ask for inputTap to revealClose
… any ideas? / Does anyone else have any comments, ideas or suggestions?
"Yuki, any ideas? … Does anyone else have any suggestions?"
3. ClarifyTap to revealClose
Do you mean …?
"Do you mean we should meet at the park gate at 9:00?"
4. Keep on track / move onTap to revealClose
Anything else? / Let’s move on to …
"Anything else? OK, let’s move on to the lunch plan."
5. SummarizeTap to revealClose
OK, so to summarize, … Is that OK with everyone?
"OK, so to summarize, we will meet at 9:00 at the park gate and take the loop bus. Is that OK with everyone?"
6. Give actionsTap to revealClose
…, could you …? Thanks. That’s all for today.
"Ken, could you check the train times? And Hana, could you book the tickets? Thanks. That’s all for today."
Follow-up Questions
If you want to understand the other person’s opinion better, ask questions. Follow-up questions also show interest and keep the discussion moving forward.
Ask for more details
- “Could you tell me more about that?”
- “Can you expand on that for me?”
Ask for reasons
- “Why do you think so?”
- “Can you give me a clear reason for that?”
Ask for specific details
- “Can you give me some exact examples?”
- “How often / How much / How long …?”
Ask for an overview
- “Can you summarize the main issue for me?”
- “Can you explain the big picture?”
Politeness levels
“Would you mind …?”
“Do you think you could …?”
“Could you …?”
“Would you …?”
“Can you …?”
“What do you think?”
In English, formality is mostly tone of voice. Don’t worry too much about the level unless you are speaking to a visitor or a senior person.
Model Dialogue
A facilitator runs a meeting about the Osaka Castle trip. Click the highlighted words for their meaning.
Facilitator (Yui): Good morning, everyone. Today, we are talking about our meeting place for the Osaka Castle trip. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Group member (Riku): I think we should meet at the park gate, because it is easy to find.
Facilitator (Yui): Do you mean the Otemon gate?
Group member (Riku): Yes, exactly. And we should meet at 9:00.
Facilitator (Yui): OK, so to summarize, we will meet at 9:00 at the Otemon gate. Anything else? … Let’s move on to the lunch plan.
Gap-fill Drill
Fill each gap with the correct facilitation phrase, then check your answers.
- “ ideas for our school trip.” (state the objective)
- “ ” (ask for input)
- “ we should meet at the gate?” (clarify)
- “ ” (keep on track)
- “ , we will meet at 9:00.” (summarize)
- “ ” (give actions)
Accept small variations (any group member’s name, one or two missing words). The goal is the phrase pattern, not exact spelling.
3-Role Meeting Rotations
Groups of three. Run each meeting in turn — every student takes a turn as facilitator. Use the phrase bank and ask follow-up questions.
Rotation 1 — When should we go?
The class must choose the date and meeting time for the Osaka Castle trip.
State the objective, ask both members for ideas, clarify, summarize, and give actions. Invite your group members to speak.
Argue for a weekday (Monday or Tuesday), because the castle is less crowded and tickets are cheaper.
Argue for Saturday, because working students and parents can join.
Rotation 2 — What should we investigate?
The group must choose one theme for the Workshop 2 field investigation at Osaka Castle.
State the objective, ask both members for ideas, clarify, summarize, and give actions. Invite your group members to speak.
Argue for Hideyoshi’s rise to power — how a peasant became the ruler of Japan.
Argue for castle construction — how the walls and moats were built, and why.
Rotation 3 — AI for homework?
The class is deciding whether to allow AI tools for the preparation homework.
State the objective, ask both members for ideas, clarify, summarize, and give actions. Invite your group members to speak.
Advise allowing AI to check English phrases and explain vocabulary.
Warn about copying and privacy — AI answers are not always correct.
Strand 2 · 50–85 min
Critical Thinking & Analysis — A.D.R.A.
Critical thinking means examining a claim before you accept or reject it. A.D.R.A. gives you a polite, structured way to disagree: acknowledge the comment, disagree with what was said, give your reason, and suggest an alternative.
The A.D.R.A. Model
Acknowledge the comment
- “I understand your point.”
- “I see what you’re saying.”
- “That’s a good point, …”
- “Thanks for that, …”
Disagree with what was said
- “Even so, I don’t think that will work because …”
- “However, I don’t agree with that idea because …”
- “I’m afraid that’s not an option due to …”
- “Unfortunately, there’s a problem with that idea …”
Reason for the disagreement
- “That’s because …”
- “In fact, that’s against the school rules …”
- “As you may know, Osaka Castle is very crowded in spring …”
Alternative suggestion
- “How about …?”
- “I recommend changing that slightly and …”
- “Another option is to …”
- “Maybe it would be better to …”
Three Tips
Instead of “That’s wrong”, use a phrase like “Unfortunately, …”
Avoid “We must …” / “You have to …”. Suggest instead.
Try “I see your point … on the other hand …” or “Even so, …”.
Model Exchange
Sora: I think our group should visit only the castle tower on the trip.
Mei: I see what you’re saying. Even so, I don’t think that will work, because we need evidence from the whole site for our investigation.
Sora: Evidence? What do you mean?
Mei: The walls and moats are evidence too. How about we spend one hour at the tower and one hour investigating the stone walls?
A.D.R.A. Practice
In pairs, reply to each opinion using the A.D.R.A. model. Student A reads the opinion; Student B replies with all four steps; then swap.
- “We should cancel the Osaka Castle visit and watch a video in the classroom instead, because videos are cheaper.”
- “Our group should decide everything by majority vote and never discuss, because discussion takes too long.”
- “The school should stop teaching English, because AI can translate everything perfectly.”
- “We should visit Osaka Castle on the most crowded day, because that is when the food stalls are open.”
- “Our class should not prepare for the trip at all, because the guide will explain everything on the day.”
- “Every student should carry a big suitcase on the field trip, because we need many materials.”
Strand 3 · 85–120 min
Presentation Key Phrases — PREP
PREP is a four-step structure for giving a clear opinion in about 90 seconds. It also works for the Workshop 3 presentations. In Japanese, speakers often give the background first and the point last — in English, give your point first. The message should be in the words, not in the situation.
The PREP Model
Point — What is your point?
“I think the best place for lunch is the park by the castle.”
Reason — Why do you think so?
“… because it is free, and we can sit down and rest.”
Expansion — Why should I believe you?
“In fact, last year my class went there, and it only took ten minutes from the gate.”
Point again — So what?
“That’s why I think we should have lunch in the park.”
Too indirect — the point arrives last
“Well, the park is near the station, and last year it was fine, and the weather was good, so …”
PREP — the point comes first
“I think we should have lunch in the park. … That’s why the park is the best choice.”
Build Your PREP
Choose one topic, then fill in the four steps. Your answers are saved on this device. Present for 90 seconds to your partner.
Audience: after each talk, ask one follow-up question from Strand 1 — “Why do you think so?” or “Can you give me some exact examples?”
Integrated practice · trim first
The Big Meeting
In your groups of three, run one 10-minute meeting that uses everything: the facilitator opens the meeting and asks for input (Strand 1), members challenge ideas with A.D.R.A. (Strand 2), and the group finishes with a 90-second PREP summary of the decision (Strand 3). Write the decision down — you will use it at Osaka Castle in Workshop 2.
- ☐ Facilitator states the objective and asks for input.
- ☐ Every member speaks at least once.
- ☐ At least one follow-up question is asked.
- ☐ At least one idea is challenged with A.D.R.A.
- ☐ The group summarizes the decision in 90 seconds (PREP).
- ☐ Actions are given — who does what before the trip.
Quiz · trim first
Final Check
Fill each gap with one word or phrase. Then check your answers.
- Facilitator: “ our investigation theme.”
- Facilitator: “ we should study the stone walls?”
- Group member: “ . Even so, I don’t agree, because …” (start of A.D.R.A.)
- Presenter: “ Osaka Castle is the best place to study history. …” (start of PREP)
- Presenter: “ I think we should investigate the moat.” (end of PREP)
- Audience: “Could you give me some exact ?” (ask for specific details)
What’s Next
You now have three tools: you can run a meeting, challenge an idea politely with reasons, and present a clear opinion in 90 seconds. In Workshop 2 you will use them for real — at Osaka Castle, investigating the landscape and the sources, arguing competing interpretations, and committing to a decision. Bring your phrase bank.
Teacher’s note
All interactive elements (reveal cards, the gap-fill checker, the PREP worksheet) run in the browser on this page — students can use a phone, tablet or PC. The PREP worksheet saves locally per student; nothing is uploaded. Phrase drilling (choral repetition, then pairs) is worth more time than the games — protect it even in a 90-minute period.
Bring this programme to your school
To discuss bringing this workshop to your school, use the inquiry form on the Junior High programme page.
Go to the inquiry form