Japan 高校1年 Special Activities
Chapters: 3
1. Homeroom activities
Participating in homeroom and school life · Adapting to life, growth, health and safety · Career formation and self-realisation
- Career Planning: From Knowing Yourself to Your First Job – Career planning has five steps. 1) Know yourself: interests, skills and values. 2) Explore career families and find out the work, study needed, pay and demand. 3) Plan a pathway with SMART goals and a plan B. 4) Search for jobs with a CV, cover letter, digital portfolio and interview practice. 5) Make the move from school to work and keep learning, because careers change over a lifetime.
2. Student council
Organising and running the council · Cooperating in school events · Volunteer and community participation
- Student Agency: Self-Governing Activities – Student agency means you take part in choices about your own learning and school life. Autonomous (self-governing) activities include inquiring into a topic, adjusting and solving problems with classmates, running a class council, planning events and volunteering. Teachers guide, and students decide and take responsibility.
- Volunteering: Giving Your Time to Make Things Better – Volunteering means freely giving your time and skills to help others or the environment, without being paid. It grows from values like altruism (caring about others), human dignity (everyone deserves respect) and solidarity. There are many types: helping people, caring for nature, animal welfare, culture and sport, emergency help and online volunteering. A good project follows a cycle: find a real need, plan with the people affected, act safely, then reflect and improve. Volunteering helps the community and also helps the volunteer: new skills, friends, confidence and a stronger sense of belonging. It is one way citizens take part in civil society and influence local decisions.
3. School events
Ceremonial events · Cultural events · Health, safety and sports events · Trips and group stays · Work, production and service events (incl. internships)
- School Ceremonies: Marking the Big Moments of the School Year – A ceremony is a planned event that marks an important moment. Schools hold four main ones: an entrance ceremony to welcome new students, a start-of-term assembly, an end-of-term ceremony and a graduation. They give a clear start and finish to each stage and make students feel they belong.
- School Cultural Events: Festival, Music and Art – Cultural events let students show and enjoy creative work together. The main kinds are the school festival (stalls, plays, displays), choir and music events (singing together) and arts appreciation (looking at art or watching a performance and thinking about it). They build confidence, teamwork and respect for different cultures.
- Sports Day, Health Checks and Evacuation Drills – School health, safety and sports events keep students fit and safe. Sports day builds fitness and teamwork. Health checks measure height, weight, eyes and teeth to spot problems early. Evacuation drills practise leaving the building calmly; more exits mean a faster, safer exit.
- Work, Production and Service Events: Learning by Doing – In work, production and service events students do real jobs. They visit a workplace to see how people work, serve the community, and take care of the school by cleaning and gardening. Sharing work in a team finishes the job faster: time = number of tasks / number of helpers.