Class theme/topics discussed:
1. Warm up activity: Japanese Riddles
I picked up several riddles from the books of Japanese Lounge and wrote down them on the cards. One student read aloud them and others answered the riddles.
2. Talk about two truth and one lie
Students thought of three stories: two of them were true experience and the other was lie. After making them, students shared the stories with classmates. Classmates had to guess which story is lie. They can ask some questions to judge.
How did you pick this theme or topic?
I wanted students to know much about how they express their feeling and experiences. So I decided to do this activity. I thought if students just talk about their experience, it would be boring. I let them include the lying stories to make the class fun.
How did you present the material? (handouts, group work, general discussion, student presentations, etc.)
Cards for riddles, group discussion
How did students react?
Sometimes this activity was a little bit difficult for some of them when they tried to explain their story in detail. However, they loved to do this activity.
Did they engage with each other and you?
Sure!! All of them tried to make funny stories. Even though sometimes they have troubles in using Japanese, they tried to rephrase what they wanted to say. That was great!
What materials or media did you use? (articles, satellite tv, digital projector, etc.)
N/A
Please attach a copy.
N/A
Would you recommend this activity for a future class?
Yes, it would be fun in any levels.
Why or why not?
Talking about myself is one of significant goal when people learn foreign language. I think instructors let students talk a lot much more about themselves in many ways. Telling a truth and lie would be one of great ways to facilitate students’ conversation.