I don't just want to jump out and say, "Hi I am Carissa," but I was told that's basically what is expected (short and sweet). So I decided to change the introduction I usually give the first day of class which should still be under a minute!
Normally on the first day I draw a car on the board which is always fun since I am not an artist. I smile until finally someone says something, "What is that a car?"or "Why did you draw a car?" Then I smile, write car under the drawing and move on to the next word. "I am, They are, He....." someone usually shouts out is. As a last clue I usually draw a crude saw and -W. This one usually takes a bit longer, but someone will shout out, "SA." Then I underline CAR IS SA and tell them that is my name.I made a few changes to the video above. Why? Well, I won't have a white board, or PowerPoint at the orientation so I needed something that I could use without anything else. I also knew I would be working with beginners and I didn't want to stump them all with SA. Plus, using an American flag has the bonus of letting them know where I am from. I plan on having the students who guess correctly stand up and cold the letters after so that is spells out my name at the end.
Why go through all this trouble?
- First off it is fun.
- Secondly, it makes my name more memorable! Especially in Spanish speaking countries where Clarissa is a much more memorable name.
- It also acts as a great ice breaker as I can usually get a few students to volunteer to give me their names this way.
- Most importantly it gets the students used to participating and speaking in English from the first moment I start!
I'd love to know how you introduce your name the first day of class! Leave a comment!
You can read more from Carissa at http://eslcarissa.blogspot.mx/
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