Self-introduction and greetings

The first class at a new school or with new students will often be your self-introduction, which lets the kids get to know a little about you beyond the usual "my name is..." and "I'm from..." Pictures, maps, videos, and realia/props are essential, as they will really get students' attention and help them to visualize about who you are and the world that you come from.

It's also important to let the students be active participants in the lesson, so a quiz will work better than just a speech. I choose a few topics about myself, such as favorite food, sport, hobbies, and so on, and give three choices for each one. For example, I'll put three pictures on the board: a hamburger, a pizza, and a hot dog. I'll tell the students that one of these is my favorite food, and then give them 10 seconds to think about it. Then we check each picture, saying the name of the food together, practicing pronunciation, and finally taking a vote of who thinks each one is the correct answer. After that I reveal which one is my favorite food (pizza!), and then add a little cultural note, such as the many different styles of pizza in the United States (New York, Chicago deep dish, etc.). After 5 or 6 of these kinds of questions, I set aside a few minutes for the students to ask me any questions they might have.


For the final 10 or 15 minutes of class, I tell the students that now it's their turn to introduce themselves to me. For this I use a kind of "greeting relay race". After practicing "Hello, my name is..." and "nice to meet you", I give one marker pen (the baton) to each student in the back row of the classroom. I remind them that this is not a speed race, but they should try to speak clearly and slowly. Then the students in the back row introduce themselves to the person in front of them and pass the baton. When the baton reaches the front row, that student stands up and introduces themselves to me. After all the batons have reached the front, all the students in the first row move to the back and the rest of the students move up one row. We continue the relay, so that every student has a chance to speak with me. Depending on the level of the class, I add "I like..." into the dialogue.