The following article will introduce twoactivities we’ve used in the first month of a new class. The first activity is for individuals, while the second activity is for group work.

The first one is how to help students to do a self introduction from what he or she has learned. All the sentences arefrom the previous school years. The second one is how to do a Teacher’s Day Interview and how to help them to do the report in the front.

Activity One: Self Introduction
As an English subject teacher, we only have one hour and twenty minutes to get familiar with hundreds of different students each week. It’s difficult to know them well like a homeroom teacher. For this reason, we have students do the self-introduction. The steps are as the following.

First, give them an instruction. It includes four sentence patterns they have learned in grade five. They need to write the article in their homework writing book. Then they need to draw some pictures about themselves and color them.

Secondly, they need to practice how to read the article in front of their classmates. Teachers give them a criterion to follow. The standard will help students to know what they need when they do the presentation. The evaluation includes the comprehension of the text, the correctness, the voice, the manner, and appearance or the posture.

Thirdly, they have thirty seconds to stand on the platform in the front and do the presentation. Then the teachers need to do the video taking and keep them in the file. The file will be the best reference for the teachers to get familiar with the students.

It’s an easy guideline or instruction for the short self-introduction.	Self-introduction in their Homework book.
It’s the evaluation list of the speech.	Students come to the front to do the self-introduction.

Feedback from the students
Some students say that after a long summer vacation, they need more time to warm up their pronunciation. It’s good to review the sentences and then help them to wake up from the dream. Others say it’s embarrassed to speak English in the front but it’s also a fresh experience for them.

Activity Two: Teacher’s Day Interview
September is a month for teachers.In order to offer more oral speaking opportunities to students, we design a worksheet for students to use. Before they interview the teacher, we offer them an instruction. The instruction explains what they need to do, whom they need to meet. It also reminds them to make a reservation before they do the interview.

Students need to be divided into seven groups. Each group chooses the principal, one dean and one teacher who is still teaching in school. Then they need to go to make an appointment with the teachers. English teachers remind students to watch the manners when doing the interview. Students need to take down the answers quickly. Students give the teachers cards after the interview in order to present their gratitude.

When students get all the answers from the teacher, they need to change the answers into reported sentences. For example, when students ask,” Where are you from?” and the teacher answers, “I’m from Hsinchu.” They need to change the sentence into “She is from Hsinchu.” So students need to change all the sentences on their worksheet. Then the whole group will need to check the answers together.

After they finish their worksheet, they need to do the group presentation in the front. Before they stand on the platform, they can have a quick practice inside the team. When they do the real presentation, teachers can take a picture or video tape them.

It’s aChinese instruction of the activity.	It’s a worksheet of the interview.
It’s the worksheet from the student.	Students stand in front and do the oral report.

Procedure of the Interview
Before the Interview: Make an appointment with the principal.
During the Interview: Ask question and take down the teacher’s answer.
After the Interview: Students ask for the autograph of the teacher. Then students give the teacher cards to present their gratitude.

Before the Interview: Make an appointment with the principal.	During the Interview: Ask question and take down the teacher’s answer.
Students ask for the autograph of the teacher.	Students give Taiwanese subject teacher cards to present their gratitude.

Feedback from the students
Some students are surprised to find that the principal can speak English very well. Some students are proud to speak English in front of the subject teachers who dare not speak English in public. Most of them feel that they’ve obtained a lot from this activity.

Conclusion
It’s important for students to learn how to present themselves in the front. We are pleased to see students try to do their best. With more chances to stand on the stage and do more oral practice, students will have more confidence in learning English.