1. After the daily vocab quiz, I give the students a topic that is related to either the current lesson or seasonal holidays in Japan,
2. They walk around the classroom to find someone they have not talked much, and the pair start conversation in Japanese.
3. I walk around the classroom and listen to their conversation, and make some comments here and there.
4. After the five minutes, students go back to their seats, and I ask some students what their partners told them.
Then, I came across this article (http://www.edutopia.org/blog/make-meaningful-connections-with-students-nick-provenzano) about one teacher spending his first five minutes to engage students in casual conversation. This teacher has found out by the time five minutes period ends, the students are ready to go, and this activity has increased the overall work they get done.
My original intention for setting the first five minutes was to increase time for students to speak Japanese to practice their interpersonal communication mode. Not only has it helped, but also it has let the students know each other better, which leads to a better class environment. It also makes the students ready for the next 50 minutes focusing on learning Japanese.