Hachiko Waits exercises for the novelHachiko Waits is one of my favorite novels to use with ESL students. It’s a lovely story, based on a real story about a professor and his dog Hachiko. Hachiko was so famous that there is a statue of him in Japan that many people visit. These are my set of exercises, questions for discussion, vocabulary work, etc that go along with the 10 chapters.
I used to use it in R50 at ARC and used it once in WCC Level 3 ( vocabulary a bit difficult for some students, so maybe better at Level 4?). Appropriate for accelerated classes, perhaps adapting the exercises to match the approach in these classes. It lends itself to both group discussion and writing activities. The story is a joy to read, very sweet indeed, and appeals to all animal lovers!
There is also a movie based on the book, Hachi: A Dog”s Tale, with Richard Gere, if you like showing a movie at the end of the semester and having the students compare the movie to the book.
Link: > Hachiko Waits exercises for the novel <
I started teaching EFL in Mexico in the 1970s and stayed for 11 years! My BA is in Latin American Studies, which I did at La Universidad de las Americas in Puebla, Mexico. After moving back to the U.S., I got my Master’s at SFSU in TESOL and American Literature. I’ve taught ESL in to refugees and in community colleges in CA since 1987. I’m currently teaching at ARC, WCC and Davis Adult School.