Japanese

Newborough Primary School has a long-standing Japanese program which introduces students to the language and culture of Japan whilst fostering a positive attitude towards celebrating differences and recognising commonalities. We have a dedicated Japanese room which provides a stimulating environment full of support materials and cultural items. Students remove their shoes and sit at low tables on cushions on the floor to immerse them in the cultural ‘feel’ of Japan.

Students from Years 1 to 6 participate in a 60-minute session each week. Lessons focus on communication, with students working collaboratively in pairs, small groups and whole class structures to exchange information and share ideas using scaffolded Japanese phrases.

In their first year of Japanese, students are introduced to the country and its culture and then begin foundation topics such as greetings, titles, numbers, self-introductions and colours. From Years 2 to 6 students cover a range of units in line with the Western Australian Curriculum such as family, birthdays, seasonal events, sports, food, school, daily routine and leisure activities, housing, the neighbourhood, shopping and planning events. All units are taught through a variety of interactive games, peer exchanges and creative tasks and provide students with the opportunity to practice skills such as problem-solving, cooperation and making connections with their own language/s. Students demonstrate their learning by giving presentations, performing role-plays and creating written tasks.

Students begin learning the 46 basic hiragana characters of the Japanese syllabary (Japanese writing) in Year 1 and then move on to learn how these combine to make words and sentences. At Newborough Primary School hiragana is taught in a stroke order system. Firstly, 1 stroke characters are covered in Year 1, then 2 stroke characters in Year 2 and 3 stroke characters in Year 3. Years 4 – 6 then cover all 46 characters together until all are mastered. This helps student meet achievable goals quickly, whilst building on prior knowledge.

Each year, students participate in a number of cultural activities such as traditional arts and festival-related craft. The Japanese classes are open to parents to come and join their child on a biannual basis and enjoy a fun filled learning experience together.

(References from the Western Australia Curriculum)