Commands
Minefields

Divide the class into two teams. A student from each team comes to the front where the ALT gives a simple command such as; "Stand on your left leg", or "Go outside", or if you really wish to activate the class, "Put your finger up your nose". The student who performs the command first receives a point for their team. After each command, the two students are replaced with fresh 'volunteers' from their respective teams and the activity continues.

If the activity becomes lopsided, 'massage' the outcome of a few commands, or award bonus points to the lagging team. The students never seem to mind a balancing interference, as this adds an edge to the competition.

Alternatively, you can hand out the accompanying worksheet to all the students and either get them to work through it in pairs, or have them change partners after each command, so that each student interacts with twelve different others (one of whom is the ALT). The commands; 'dance', 'sing', and 'call' leave space for various additions such as "sing 'Kimi ga yo'" (Japan's National Anthem), "dance the Lambada", or "call your boy/girlfriend".

Teaching Tip Some of your teachers, especially the younger women, are teaching 20 + hours a week. That's actual teaching time, not including Homeroom,�@contacting/visiting parents, planning lessons, making tests, marking tests, entering grades onto spread sheets, counselling students, and the myriad other things which teachers somehow get lumbered with. Not all teachers fall into this category, but if any of your JTEs don't have more than 5 minutes before the lesson to go over their lesson plan with you, it's worth your while considering just why that is. If your teachers are this busy, the only time they have for lesson planning is after school has finished, i.e., after you've gone home. In this case, try staying after school once or twice a week specifically to work on team teaching plans with your teachers. Let them know in advance that this is what you intend to do. Your lessons will benefit, your relationships with all your teachers will benefit, and most importantly of all, your students will benefit from this extra effort on your part. After all, were it not for the students, you wouldn't have a job.

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