Saturday Japanese Class News
May 2010
1:
Class I & II
2:
Class III
3:
Lower Grade
4:
Middle Grade
5:
Upper Grade
6:
Middle School
May Theme: Children's Day
Class I & II
Study Objectives:
- Learn the origin of the Children's Day and Mother's Day and deepen understanding
- make a present for mother for Mother's Day
- Learn to hold a pencil with proper postures
- Learn to write with proper writing order
Learning Activities:
- Origami craft: Koinobori
- Make a Kabuto ( Japanese samurai helmet ) out of newspaper
- Learn how to write a card: make a Mother's Day card
- review Hiragana using Hiragana flash cards
Vocabulary and Grammar:
- Collect words starting with Ta, Chi, Tsu, Te, To and learn the correct strokes
- learn words relating to the Children's Day: Magoi, Higoi, Fukinagashi, Kabuto, Koinobori
Class III
Study Objectives:
- Enjoy activities relating to the Children's Day
- Prepare for Mother's Day and deepen appreciation toward mothers
Learning Activities:
- Origami craft: Koinobori
- Newspaper craft: Kabuto ( Japanese samurai helmet )
- make a gift for Mother's Day
- Diary with drawing
Vocabulary and Grammar:
- words relating to the Children's Day
- write diary with drawing using the sentence including …wa …de.. wo shimashita
Lower Grade
Study Objectives:
- Learn the origin of "Children's Day"
- Review Katakana
- Speak clearly and listen carefully
Learning Activities:
- Learn Koinobori song
- Origami craft: Koinobori
- Learn the difference between Hiragana and Katakana which have similar shapes to each other
- Make a presentation about one's treasure, and listen carefully other student's presentation
Vocabulary and Grammar:
- Kodomo no hi wa gogatsu itsuka desu.
- Tsuitachi - Toka - Hatsuka
- Hiragana and katakana that have similar shapes
- Watashi no takaramono wa - desu.
Middle Grade
Study Objectives:
- Read stories "Mittsu no onegai" (Three wishes) and "Shiroi boshi" (White hat) and deepen understanding of the most important things
- Reread daikon observation journals and short sentences composed during the spring break; rewrite them accurately with more details without assistance
Learning Activities:
- Read aloud sentences with proper breaks
- Identify and understand the narrative text of a story and conversation sentences; comprehend the scenes
Vocabulary and Grammar:
- Vocabulary -
Write short sentences with new kanjis in the class materials and their homophones
Please visit the following website for notes from the teacher and more information about the class (in Japanese):
http://jasakura.com/k/2009cyugakunen.htm
Upper Grade
Study Objectives:
- Carefully observe visual materials; using existing knowledge, make some type of conjectures about unknown information
- Understand the general causes and the effects of global warming and explain them using figures and simple sentencese
- Think of ways to address global warming, and orally present the ideas in a paragraph or so
- Study objectives for "Acid rain" to be announced
I haven't decided the objectives for the topic, "Acid rain' yet.
Learning Activities:
- Compare the past and present temperature graphs
- Observe and discuss photographs, posters and figures about global warming
- Discuss the causes and consequences of higher temperatures and read related materials
- Think of ways to address global warming and present the ideas
- The "cool biz" initiative to be introduced, if possible
- Learning activities for "Acid rain" to be announced
Vocabulary and Grammar:
chikyu (the Earth), ondan(ka) (global warming), kankyo (environment), mondai (issue/problem), onshitsu koka (gasu) (greenhouse gas), nisanka tanso (carbon dioxide), josho (suru) (rise); genin (cause), kekka (result, consequence); sonotame (therefore/as a result), dakara (for that reason), ~karadesu (it is because …); ~ shita ho ga ii (had better [do]…), ~surubeki (should [do]…), ~shinakute wa ikenai (must [do]…), ~to omoimasu ([I] think…); etc.
Note from the teacher: Starting May 22, the class will be taught by Mrs. Satoko Siegel. My apologies for any inconvenience this change may cause. Thank you for all the support you have given to me this academic year.
Middle School
Study Objectives:
--- Same as the April objectives ---
- Investigate how local entities (school or local communities) recycle their waste and present in class.
- Be able to explain what kind of environmental problems exist in the world and discuss what measures different countries employ and the impact of these measures (impact level)
- Think about the actions that he/she can take to protect the environment and understand that by putting these ideas into action, he/she can contribute to the protection of environment
- Be able to read a multiple-stage material on environmental problems (global warming, waste problem etc.) and understand the context and the cause of the problem.
- Be able to read and write major vocabulary used in the discussion of environmental problems in Kanji
Learning Activities:
- Issue a newspaper on global warming Stop and recycling
- Investigate and present how recycling programs are conducted
- Study a Japanese waste-sorting chart and understand how waste is sorted in Japan; contrast such sorting system with the systems in the students' local communities.
Note to parents and families: Because it has taken longer than anticipated to study global warming and we have decided to publish a newspaper, we have yet to begin the recycling topic. In May, we plan to move on to recycling after issuing the newspaper on global warming Stop.
Vocabulary and Grammar:
- Vocabulary -
Kankyou mondai (environmental issues), osen (contamination/pollution), shigen (resources), bunbetsu (sorting), kanen gomi (combustible waste), funen gomi (non-combustible waste), shuu shuu (collection), purasutikku (plastic), bin (bottle), akikan (can), koshi (used paper), risaikuru (recycle), sodai gomi (bulky waste), youki (container), denchi (battery), petto botoru (PET bottle), yuugai (harmful), kinzoku (metal), nisanka tanso (carbon dioxide), ozon sou (ozone layer), hakai (destruction), sanso (oxygen) etc.
- Expressions -
~shi yasui (easy to [do]) / ~shi nikui (difficult to [do])
~ to kotonari (differ from)
~ reru/ ra reru (passive voice)