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Advice for teachers -
Japanese First Language

Teaching and learning activities

Unit 3

Unit 3 Area of Study 1: Interpersonal communication

Outcome 1

Present and exchange information, opinions and experiences and respond to questions.

Examples of learning activities

These learning activities are based on:
The world around us: Lifestyles: Impact of travel

  • View a video about tourists to Japan. Take notes and identify issues for further investigation.
  • Listen to tourists talking about their expectations / desires for their trip as well as their actual experience of the trip in Japan.
  • Participate in a class discussion about general features of the tourist experience.
  • Read an article about working with tourists written by a tourist operator, official or guide Japan.
  • Research statistics about tourism in Japan. Compare these to Victorian and / or Australian statistics. Consider: Where do tourists to both countries come from? How do they arrive? Why do they come?
  • Engage with the statistics to create ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ views of tourism.
  • Prepare a PowerPoint presentation summarising the tourist experience, as researched, in Japan.
  • Write a 1200-ji blog post on your reactions to information gathered about tourism.
  • View a film or documentary about tourists. Identify similarities and differences between your research and what is portrayed in the film. Discuss those aspects with a partner and create a poster for the class.
  • Read blogs or reviews written by tourists to Japan.
  • Write a blog post about a tourism experience of your own, real or imagined.
  • Engage in a role-play with another student or small group to discuss reasons why tourists might want to go to Japan.
  • Read a newspaper, magazine or online article on the subject of how residents of Japan view tourists and tourism in general.
  • Conduct research to discover whether there are certain towns or areas of Japan that receive more tourists than others. Discuss reasons for this.
  • Revise how to use genkoo yooshi correctly.
  • Use set exercises to organise writing in paragraphs and use appropriate punctuation.
  • Write a 1000-ji evaluative piece about the effect of tourism on the local environment.
  • Complete a Listening and Reading comprehension about tourism and write up your answers in another form.
  • Write an imaginative personal journal entry in which you describe your recent trip to Japan or your experience of living in a popular tourist destination.
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    Prepare an evaluative oral presentation about an aspect related to tourism and present to the class.
Example icon for advice for teachers

Detailed example

Evaluative oral presentation about an aspect related to tourism

  • Create a workbook to record information, notes and bibliographic details gathered throughout the area of study on the topic of tourism. Develop a glossary of key terms and concepts.
  • View a documentary about tourists in Japan. Take notes under a series of headings that could include: places visited, impressions made, perspectives and opinions.
  • Compare the different experiences of the tourists in the documentary. Were the experiences positive or negative? How similar or different were the tourists’ reactions?
  • Listen to a recorded discussion or radio program about tourism in Japan or one of its regions. In pairs, make a list of the way tourism is regarded by the locals and / or visitors. Categorise them as: personal, educational, cultural, economic, social, environmental, etc.
  • Conduct research on aspects of the tourism industry in Japan that includes statistics, popular regions or monuments, average length of stay, other relevant aspects. Construct a table to summarise the information found. Make comparisons to the situation in Victoria or Australia.
  • Create a poster to share your findings with the class.
  • Read an article and view a video about aspects of a typical tourist’s day in Japan. Make notes on: transport, structure of the day, costs incurred, safety, sightseeing activities and impressions.
  • Write an article for the school’s website about a recent (or imaginary) tourist experience.
  • Participate in a class debate on the topic ‘Tourism is a waste of time; living in a country for a while is best.’ Both sides must use evidence and examples from the research gathered.
  • Read examples of evaluative arguments. Highlight and discuss the structure, elements used and the main stylistic features.
  • In pairs or small groups, examine the elements of an evaluative speech. Note the techniques used to account for different perspectives on aspects of the topic while also making it interesting for the audience.
  • Prepare an oral presentation supported by PowerPoint slides on a topic related to the research conducted.
  • View a range of PowerPoint presentations and make notes on effective techniques used.
  • Find appropriate images and slides for your own PowerPoint presentation.
  • Deliver the evaluative oral presentation and PowerPoint slides to the class.
  • Use a teacher-devised matrix for questions and comments when responding to your classmates’ presentations. Headings might include: factual information, clarifications, reasons for including certain information, personal response, etc.

Unit 3 Area of Study 2: Interpretive communication

Outcome 2

Analyse and use information from spoken and viewed texts.

Examples of learning activities

These learning activities are based on:
The world around us: Current issues: The environment

  • Create a glossary of words and expressions focusing on concepts of sustainability and energy usage as it relates to the environment.
  • Read an article about sustainability and energy usage, noting the vocabulary used. Compare this with your glossary and identify any particular words or expressions not already included.
  • Research the major ways in which energy is used in Japan. Analyse charts or diagrams to compare data about costs and efficiencies.
  • Research widely on the internet for information on Japanese sustainability and energy policies.
  • Write an advertisement or advertising brochure to promote sustainable practices among your peer group.
  • In global terms, how do Japan and Australia rate in their energy use and sustainability? List the differences and similarities. Then write an evaluative report about them.
  • Watch a television program from Japan during which participants discuss the issues of energy use and sustainability.
  • Converse with a classmate about their personal responses to this topic.
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    View and listen to texts about sustainability and energy usage in Japan, and develop written responses to a series of questions.
Example icon for advice for teachers

Detailed example

Response to spoken and viewed texts about sustainability and energy usage in Japan

  • View a documentary on sustainability and energy usage in Japan.
  • Read an article on sustainability and energy usage and how it has changed over the last 20 years.
  • Listen to a conversation between young people in which they discuss their views on sustainability and energy usage in Japan.
  • Search online for a variety of media on this topic (to read, watch or listen) and share them with class members.
  • Develop this further by: listening to a conversation and then discussing; watching a video and then taking notes; reading and annotating an article.
  • View charts or diagrams to analyse data about energy usage and compare this information with the ideas already gleaned from the other texts on the topic.
  • Discuss the best ways to answer questions that require synthesis of information from a number of different sources. Identify key words that require specific answer styles.
  • Each student drafts a series of questions and answers related to the topic of sustainability and energy usage.
  • Students answer each other’s questions. These are corrected as a group.
  • Discuss optimal responses and analyse why they are effective and appropriate.

Unit 3 Area of Study 3: Presentational communication

Outcome 3

Express ideas through the production of original imaginative written texts.

Examples of learning activities

These learning activities are based on:
The world around us: Lifestyles: Changing role of women

  • Brainstorm to develop a list of women’s roles and categorise them under relevant themes.
  • Research the roles of women in Japan over a selected period of time.
  • Survey women in your family and / or community to discover the roles they take / have taken in their lives. Present research results to the class.
  • Compare the research on women in the family / community with the thematic list already created. Discuss any changes that have taken place over time.
  • Read blogs written by women describing their roles or social status and consider any changes that have occurred in Japan. Take notes and summarise.
  • View a video about jobs that used to be performed exclusively by men and are now undertaken by women as well. Create a vocabulary and expression list of the most important words for this topic.
  • Write six to eight questions that you would like to ask someone about their work. Swap questions with a classmate and answer their questions based on material gleaned from above.
  • Revise how to use genkoo yooshi correctly.
  • Use set exercises to organise writing in paragraphs and use appropriate punctuation.
  • Write a brief informative article summarising the material used to answer the questions above.
  • Hold a video call with a student in Japan and talk about their understanding of women’s roles in society. Compare their answers to the material gathered earlier.
  • Listen to a female guest speaker talk about their experience of life in Japan and in Australia.
  • Note vocabulary used in any material seen, heard or read relating to comparisons of women’s roles. Discuss any words or phrases that are culturally ‘loaded’ in relation to women.
  • Create questions that you would ask about the role of women to elicit as much information as possible from articles and videos. When pertinent information has been found, practise reworking it into another form. For example: write a letter to a friend about what you have discovered; or write a blog for your social media account in which you encourage women to change their ideas about what they want to do in life.
  • Write a 1000-ji article for an Australian audience outlining one cultural aspect of the role of women in Japan now or in the past.
  • Read a fictional story where the main protagonist is a woman. As a class, discuss the techniques used by the author to create a strong sense of character, atmosphere and effect.
  • In groups, note the specific linguistic elements and grammatical structures that the author uses to create these effects.
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    Drawing on the imaginative writing techniques discussed and the stories studied in class, develop a short imaginative story about women’s roles, for a particular audience.
Example icon for advice for teachers

Detailed example

Imaginative story about women’s roles for a particular audience

  • Create a workbook to record information, notes and bibliographic details gathered throughout the area of study. Develop a glossary of key terms and concepts.
  • List vocabulary related to this topic from all material studied so far.
  • View videos about women in Japan. Note any reasons they might have for wanting to change their roles or social status and how they express their ideas and emotions.
  • Watch a feature film that depicts women’s roles from a particular time in history. Discuss the themes that emerge. In particular, consider the way that femininity is characterised throughout the film, and any cultural implications for this.
  • Make notes under a variety of headings and maintain them in an accessible format. Headings might include: reasons for changing roles (personal, historical, social, economic, religious, etc.), family situation, age, coping strategies.
  • Listen to a podcast that features a woman who migrated to another country in order to change roles. Note the expressions used to describe her experience.
  • Read a fictional story where one of the main protagonists is a woman. As a class, discuss the themes and message that emerge about female roles.
  • Deconstruct the written or viewed story to show its developmental elements: introduction, characters, atmosphere and narrative.
  • Note the techniques used by the author to create a strong sense of character and how descriptions of context (including atmosphere and situations) are developed for effect.
  • Become familiar with features of imaginative writing by discussing the specific linguistic elements and grammatical structures that the author uses for effect.
  • Develop a matrix of grammatical elements that can be used effectively to create an imaginative atmosphere based on what has been read or viewed.
  • Drawing on the writing techniques discussed, explore several themes of women’s roles before developing a short imaginative story based on a woman studied in class.
  • Determine the particular audience for the story and consider the kind of writing required.
  • Refine the material to be used: content and information, grammar and expressions.
  • Draft stories, share drafts with classmates and provide feedback.
  • Revise how to use genkoo yooshi correctly.
  • Use set exercises to organise writing in paragraphs and use appropriate punctuation.