Hello, new ALT for JHS here. I have read a post here about how you guys do a self introduction lesson but, I can’t seem to find the thread now. To the author, would you be kind enough to repost it? I found it very helpful. I was asked to do a whole 45 minutes lesson and I am kind of anxious as to how I will be able to deliver it. Help, please.
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The easiest way to fill a whole lesson with a self introduction is to create a PowerPoint that mostly focuses on your home country. You can fill the first several slides with introducing your name (and letting the students know what you prefer to be called), and a bit about some of your interests or things you are into (there will always be some students who are into the same or similar things). From there, you can go into the country you are from and then go through a number of different visual slides of things about your home country which might interest the students. You can also go by category as well covering things such as wild life, nature (natural landmarks), famous buildings/structures), sports, food, cultural nuansances, and so on. Obviously avoid things which are boring (or sometimes no allowed) such as politics etc. Also make each slide mostly only pictures, only using minimal text such as headings, captions or a simple sentence or two for what is on the slide. Based on how much time you have to fill, you can estimate how much time you will spend on each slide and thus work out how many you should create (of course leaving a bit of time at the end for students/JTE to ask follow up questions as rather than allowing this as you go (is then it can be more difficult to know how long you will spend on each slide) it is better to let them ask any questions they have at the end.
So I turned this into an easy success and review lesson – I’ll DM you
Here are a few ideas for a self-introduction lesson for Japanese junior high school students in English:
Introduce yourself: Start by introducing yourself in English. Use simple sentences and talk about your name, your nationality, your job or your interests.
Teach useful phrases: Teach the students some useful phrases they can use when introducing themselves in English. Some examples include “My name is _____”, “I’m from Japan”, “I like _____”, “I’m interested in _____”.
Play a game: Create a game that involves the students introducing themselves to each other in English. For example, you could have the students play a “find someone who” game where they have to find someone in the class who likes the same food or hobby as they do.
Show a video: Show the students a video of someone introducing themselves in English. This will give them an idea of how to introduce themselves and the pronunciation of certain words.
Role-play: Divide the students into pairs and have them practice introducing themselves to each other in English. Encourage them to use the phrases you taught them earlier.
Create a poster: Have the students create a poster introducing themselves in English. They can include their name, picture, interests, and other information. They can then present their posters to the class.
Use flashcards: Create flashcards with pictures and simple English phrases on them. The students can use these to practice introducing themselves to each other in English.
Remember to keep the lesson fun and engaging, and encourage the students to practice their English speaking skills.
(Courtesy of ChatGTP – might want to learn how to use it and other online resources, they are available more readily than Reddit users)
Personally, I always do an ALT self introduction game.
Simply put, I put them into groups of 4-5, give them a paper (or send it to their tablet if they have it),I have 10 questions on the board with hints that they have to figure out (in English), give them 60-90 seconds per question and move on, go over the answers, group who has the most points wins a small prize. It takes about 20-25 minutes and gives them a chance to talk it over/think about it with their friends and makes them a bit competitive. Also, they learn something about me without me rambling on.
Afterwards, I give them a small paper asking them to write 3 things about themselves in English (or again send it to their tablet if they have it) and they answer them. That takes about 10 minutes. Then they spend the rest of class introducing themselves and saying their 3 facts about themselves in English to their classmates. Once they introduce themselves at least 3 times, they can sit down.
Works like a charm every year. My first year was a bit bumpy, but I mastered this self introduction lesson and can do it with my eyes closed. If the JTE wants you to do 45 minutes of a self intro only about yourself then my suggestion is split half the time into talking about yourself and showing pictures and half the time playing a game about what you talked about. It’s all about what you wanna talk about and what the JTE is expecting from you 🙂
My recent intro lesson was a Kahoot and a student introduction activity.
Kahoot had questions about me (What country am I from? What are my hobbies?) Followed by slides showing things like my home state, hometown and such. If your kids have internet and tablets, Kahoot is always a hit.
Second activity had students introduce themselves to another student and then to the teacher. They used phrased like “What’s your name?” “My hobbies are” and then a fun one like “What is your superpower?” (With cards on display like super strong, flying, teleport).
Oh my goodness, I can’t thank you all enough! I appreciate all your kindness
After giving a PP intro about myself and my country for like 20 minutes, a HRT clued me in to this game, “I can Bingo”. Give around 16-18 “I can” statements with a number next to them, around 8-9 should be true, then let them guess if you can do them. Find a general drawing or picture of the things and make a PowerPoint to practice the terms. Shouldn’t be things you mentioned in your self intro. Like I’m from a northern country but I don’t ski, but I emphized snow during my self intro, so lots of them believed “I can ski”. Other things can be “I can DJ” or “I can drive in Japan”. It’s a fun way to introduce some facts about yourself.
Don’t talk about yourself for 45 minutes and don’t tell the students everything about you on your first day.
Leave some mystery so they can think of things to ask to know more about you. Make it an interactive introduction lesson. Throw in quizzes to make it fun. Use your own self introduction lesson as a chance to learn about your students.