Greeting and Introductions

Overview

Grade Level: Year 7 (equivalent to 6th–7th grade in the US system, ages 11–13)
Subject: Languages – Japanese
Duration: 45 minutes
Class Size: 30 students
Curriculum Standard: Aligned to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages
Proficiency Target: Novice Low–Mid (per ACTFL guidelines)

Focus Skill Areas:

• Interpersonal Communication
• Interpretive Listening
• Presentational Speaking
• Cultural Understanding

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this 45-minute lesson, students will:

1. Understand and use basic Japanese greetings and self-introductions appropriately.
2. Practice correct pronunciation of simple Japanese phrases.
3. Recognize hiragana characters associated with introductory vocabulary.
4. Demonstrate cultural awareness of Japanese greeting customs.

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Materials Needed

• Slideshow with visuals (teacher-prepared)
• Flashcards with hiragana characters and words
• Printed mini-conversation scripts
• Classroom speaker or projector with audio
• “Intro Bingo” handouts (custom-made bingo cards based on greeting vocabulary)
• Name tag stickers with space for Japanese name writing
• Posters with key vocabulary on classroom walls

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Lesson Breakdown

⏳ 0:00–5:00 — Warm-Up and Hook

Activity: キーワードタイム (Keyword Time!)

• Display five Japanese greeting words on the board: 「こんにちは」「おはよう」「こんばんは」「さようなら」「はじめまして」
• Encourage choral repetition with dramatic teacher-led intonation. Use gestures to match meaning.
• Ask students to guess the English equivalents; reward with stickers or desk tokens.

Purpose: Activates curiosity, previews key vocabulary, integrates visual, aural, and kinesthetic learning styles.

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⏳ 5:00–15:00 — Teach & Practice

Focus Topic: Greeting phrases and self-introductions

Instructional Strategy:

• Introduce self-introduction phrase structure:

  はじめまして。わたしの なまえは [Name] です。よろしく おねがいします。

• Break down each word with call-and-repeat and gesture associations.
• Use a student-friendly slide showing symbol-to-sound connections, eg: は(ha) = "ha" in "harmony".

Mini Activity – "Say Hello" Game:

• Students walk around room with name tag stickers.
• They must say:

  こんにちは！はじめまして。わたしの なまえは [Name] です。よろしくおねがいします。

• After each interaction, they sign each other’s bingo cards.

Differentiation:

• For lower-literate learners, keep name cards color-coded by phonetic family (sa-, ka-, ta-).
• Higher achievers can try adding their age: わたしは 12さい です。

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⏳ 15:00–25:00 — Listening Activity

Cultural Immersion: Audio from a native Japanese speaker introducing themselves (short clip, ~20 seconds)

• Listen once without notes (pure listening impression)
• Listen again and match it to a printed mini-conversation transcript
• On third listen, students highlight any familiar greetings and identify speaker’s name and emotions.

Follow-up Discussion Questions:

• Did the voice sound formal or informal?
• Was this similar to how we greet people in the U.S.?

Purpose: Develops interpretive listening skills and connects to ACTFL goal of cultural comparisons.

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⏳ 25:00–35:00 — Kinesthetic Activity: Hiragana Fly-Swat

Variation of fly-swat game with hiragana posters on the wall:

• Teacher calls out a word such as 「はな」 and two players rush to swat it on the poster.
• Pairs rotate to ensure all get a turn.
• Incorporates characters learned through greetings, eg: は (ha), こ (ko), さ (sa)

Purpose: Reinforces decoding of sound-symbol correspondence while building excitement and movement.

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⏳ 35:00–42:00 — Presentational Task: Partner Practice

Scenario:

• Students perform a short dialogue with a partner:
  • Exchange greetings
  • Say their name
  • Ask “How are you?” (おげんきですか？) and respond with “げんきです”
• Each pair performs in front of another pair, then rotate!

Assessment Criteria (tracked by teacher informally with rubric):

• Pronunciation clarity
• Proper use of phrases/form
• Cultural politeness (e.g., bowing)

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⏳ 42:00–45:00 — Wrap-Up and Exit Ticket

Reflection: Students write down:

• One Japanese word they remember
• One cultural fact about greetings
• Draw their name in hiragana using a reference sheet (begin introducing character set for next lessons)

Exit Ticket Prompt:

今日は、なにを まなびましたか？ (What did you learn today?)
Students respond in English or Japanese with help.

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Extension Ideas

• Invite a Japanese exchange student or video guest to “join” class and introduce themselves.
• Incorporate calligraphy as an art extension—students paint greeting phrases with brush pens.
• Create QR code wall audio recordings of students reading their greetings for parents to hear during open house.

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Standards Alignment

ACTFL Standard	How Addressed
Communication: Engage in conversations; provide and obtain information	Partner greeting dialogue, introduction practices
Cultures: Demonstrate understanding of practices and perspectives	Cultural comparison of greetings, bowing, formality
Connections: Reinforce other subject knowledge (literacy, phonics)	Hiragana recognition, sound-symbol practice
Comparisons: Develop insight into language and culture	Venn diagram of English vs Japanese greetings
Communities: Use language inside and outside classroom	Exit ticket reflection, audio wall recordings

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Teaching Tips

• Turn your classroom into a mini Japanese world—add “Welcome” signs in hiragana, display daily greeting phrase at start of class.
• Use a consistent “Japanese-only” zone for greetings portion to build confident habit over time.
• Gamify repetition: use mystery cards with hidden “bonus” words that allow students to jump a space on the classroom gameboard.

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Final Thought

Kick off language learning with confidence, culture, and celebration. This high-energy, culturally immersive lesson isn’t just about vocabulary—it's about giving Year 7 students the tools to connect with another world.

Next Lesson Preview: Numbers and Ages in Japanese (including counting games and classroom Japanese)