Thoughts on Foreign Language Activity Classes in Japanese Elementary Schools

This paper analyzes the current Foreign Language Activity subject in Japanese elementary schools while giving suggestions to create a smooth link with Foreign Languages education at the junior high school level.The author proposes that elementary school teachers should focus on increasing the intrinsic motivation of their students to learn a foreign language. The paper starts by giving a brief summary of the goals for foreign language related subjects as decided by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology - Japan and their implementation in EFL(English as a Foreign Language) classroom teaching. This is followed with a short introduction of two theories of motivation that elementary school teachers may find appropriate to consider in their Foreign Language Activity lessons. After a short discussion regarding the current situation surrounding assistant language teachers, this paper finishes by suggesting several practical ideas for teachers to use in their lessons to inspire their students further to want to become fluent in a foreign language in the future. The implication in this article is that by building a strong affection for English, or other foreign languages, students will be motivated to continue their studies even during difficult times they may have in the years beyond elementary school