Elementary School Lessons

Many JETs come to Japan with little experience in teaching, and it can be overwhelming combined with, or even without, the culture shock. Lesson planning is one of the best ways to get started, organizing ideas and setting a structure that helps you keep track of what you're doing.

Usually ALTs have a stronger role in lesson planning at elementary schools, so one of the first steps is deciding between the many approaches to it. Almost all elementary schools will have the Hi, Friends textbook, but the degree to which people follow the textbook varies between cities and ALTs. Some schools insist on following it exactly, while some ALTs create their own curriculum and barely use the textbook at all. Most ALTs fall somewhere in-between: using the textbook's grammar as a general guide, but doing only the useful activities and supplementing with their own as they see fit.

Here are ideas for some different approaches, hopefully you will find activities to help you tailor your lessons to suit your own!

Lesson Planning

• Tips: Some basic issues that many ALTs face and suggestions for dealing with them
• Example Lesson Plan Outline: A suggested outline for a basic lesson plan, hopefully it will be helpful if you don't quite know where to start
  • Detailed Example Lesson Plan: Two examples of full lesson plans with detailed explanations of what to do or say

1st through 4th Grade

Suggested Topics

• 1st grade
  • Greetings (Hello, Goodbye, Good morning/afternoon/evening), How are you\Feelings, Numbers, Colors, Fruits, Animals
• 2nd grade
  • Seasons, Verbs, Sports, Vegetables, ABC song, Weather
• 3rd grade
  • Days of the week, Sounds of the Alphabet, Body parts, Clothes, Shapes, Food, Recess Games, Vehicles
• 4th grade
  • Time, Months, School Supplies, Writing the ABC's, Family, Directions, Nature, Adjectives

5th & 6th Grade

Official Textbook & Curriculum

The textbook currently used at most elementary schools is Hi, Friends, with book 1 for 5th grade and book 2 for 6th grade. In case you encounter it, Eigo Note was the textbook used previously until April 2012 and covers almost the same material.

Hi, Friends 1

• Lesson 1: Hello!
• Lesson 2: I'm Happy.
• Lesson 3: How many?
• Lesson 4: I like apples.
• Lesson 5: What do you like?
• Lesson 6: What do you want?
• Lesson 7: What's this?
• Lesson 8: I study Japanese.
• Lesson 9: What would you like?

Hi, Friends 2

• Lesson 1: Do you have "a"?
• Lesson 2: When is your birthday?
• Lesson 3: I can swim.
• Lesson 4: Turn right.
• Lesson 5: Let's go to Italy.
• Lesson 6: What time do you get up?
• Lesson 7: We are good friends.
• Lesson 8: What do you want to be?

Alternate Curricula

Sample Lessons from Meiwa

• Lesson 1: Greetings
• Lesson 2: Feelings
• Lesson 3: Animals
• Lesson 4: Colors
• Lesson 5: Instructions
• Lesson 6: Fruit
• Lesson 7: Vegetables
• Lesson 8: Family / Christmas
• Lesson 9: Numbers
• Lesson 10: Months
• Lesson 11: Self Introduction
• Other Lessons

Example 5th grade lessons

• Coming soon!

See Also

• General Elementary School Resources
• Elementary School Activities
• Elementary School Activities by Category