1."Good afternoon!  I'd like you to tell me what you're studying.  I found some kanji cards in your class room." Show the students the card of 木(tree).  They will read it in loud voices.  Repeat what they say in Japanese and ask them "What do you mean?".

 2."I don't know anything about kanji.  Will you teach me some kanji?"  You may repeat some Japanese words that the students try to teach you.  Please do not say the phrases "wakari-masen" or "wakara-nai". The students should know the phrases "Sorry, I don't know." or "I don't know.".

3."Oh, 木 means tree."  Put the card on the board.  Draw a simple picture of a tree under it. It's better to draw in green and brown than to draw in white.

4. "I find shapes of kanji are similar to pictures.  Will you draw me some pictures?"  Put another kanji card on the board.  Call three or four students to the front and pass them some chalk.  Let them tell you the meaning of kanji by drawing pictures.  Give them the English word after they finish drawing.

5."It's interesting!  You know a lot of kanji!"  Most of basic kanji come from the shapes as : 山(mountain) 川(river) 木(tree) 竹(bamboo) 日(sun) 口(mouth).  See Note  for more information.  The 1st grade students learned these kanji in September.

6."You can change my action to kanji, now."  Give the students some gestures they learned before.  The students will put the gestures into kanji : 上(up) 下(down) 左(left) 右(right) 手(hand).  You may try more for the 2nd grade students : 赤(red) 黒(black) 黄(yellow) 男子(boy) 女子(girl).

7."Today you taught me a lot of kanji.  I hope you will study kanji more.  See you next week."

Note  : Jack Halpern, New Japanese-English Character Dictionary, KENKYUSHA, 1990