This is a short speaking activity designed for new JHS 1年生. I usually do it as part of my own self introduction lesson. This activity works as both an icebreaker for new classes and a temperature check to gauge how much students have retained from elementary school. As such, the worksheet and activity are quite simple with lots of prompting in Japanese, but you should encourage students to add bonus sentences if they can.
PREP
- Print worksheets, one for each student
WORKSHEET
- The worksheet consists of a guide for self introductions and the Introduction Meguri card
- Students DO NOT have to fill in this worksheet, it is meant to be a prompt they can use during the activity
ACTIVITY
1) Introduce the activity by asking students what kind of things they should say in a self introduction. Let students call out or raise their hand. They should supply common sentences from their elementary school classes: I like ~, I can ~, birthdays, I'm good at ~. Write these sentences on the board.
2) Pass out the worksheet and explain the objective of the game. Students will have 3 minutes to walk around the classroom and play janken. The loser must introduce themselves and sign one box on the winner's worksheet. The winner receives points, but does not do an introduction. Demonstrate with the JTE if you like.
3) Give the students a few minutes to think about their self-introduction. They can take notes in Japanese or try writing in English if they're confident.
4) For points, I use @Aurelio_Mizukami's excellent OSCM system. Essentially, students get +1 point for speaking to the same gender and +2 points for speaking to the opposite gender. You can also choose a secret "Lucky Kid" to be revealed at the end of the activity. If students spoke to the "Lucky Kid" they get +5 points.
5) After 3 minutes, have students come back and tally their points. Reveal the "Lucky Kid" if you chose one. Stickers to the winners. Woo!
Notes
- More on the OSCM point system here: https://www.altopedia.net/activities/4436-oscm-the-opposite-sex-communication-motivator
- The worksheet is attached as a powerpoint file so you can alter it however you like! The current "required" sentences are name, birthday, likes, and good at/hobbies.