How are you?

This is an extremely basic activity that we did at the beginning of every class at Kimachi-dori ES. I very much recommend it, as it is an easy and non-threatening activity to ease students into using English naturally.

Pre-teach some basic responses to the question "How are you?" and practice them with the students. Then at the start of every subsequent lesson ask "How are you?" and elicit the students to raise their hands. Ask as many students as you want to (preferably all but this is not always possible) and have them answer freely. If a student doesn't know how to say how they feel in English, this is a good chance to teach the class a new vocabulary item.

In time the students will hopefully volunteer to answer the question, will start to use it outside of class, and will also ask you how to say other things in English.

This activity can be broadened by:

• asking one student and having that student ask the next student, and so on
• having the whole class stand up and then sit down one by one as they answer (but make sure it doesn't become coercive or a burden)
• having students use "and" or "but" in order to give more complex answers (ie "I'm cold and sleepy", "I'm hungry but I'm happy", "I have a cold but I'm okay", etc.)

This is a great warm-up and with a receptive class can help build a supportive atmosphere. It also teaches the students to communicate their feelings in English and also to raise their hands and want to participate in English class!

It is extremely helpful to have the HRT use this activity outside of English class, for example during the morning roll-call