Saturday Japanese Class News
May 2013
1:
Class 1 - Ms. Ozeki
2:
Class 2 - Ms. Takakura
3:
Class 3 - Ms. Umehata
4:
Class 4 - Ms. Yamada
5:
Class 5 - Ms. Oota
6:
Class 6 - Ms. Sakamoto
May Theme : Tango no Sekku ( The Japanese Children's Day)
Class 1 - Ms. Ozeki
Specific Lesson Goals:
- Learn how to write one's full name properly
- Participate in the Children's Day's event and deepen one's understanding of Japanese traditional culture
- Mother's Day crafts
- Practice the Sports Day games
Class Activities:
- The Children's Day's craft; make an origami carp streamer and a kabuto ( samurai helmet ) using newspapers
- Make a card for Mother's Day
- Game with hiragana cards
Grammar & Vocabulary:
Learn how to write わ、を、ん neatly with proper stroke orders
Class 2 - Ms. Takakura
Specific Lesson Goals:
- Learn the origins of the Japanese Children's Day and enjoy related activities
- Participate in the events; Mothers' Day and Sports Day
- Learn antonyms, words describing conditions, words relating to Mother's Day and Chidren's Day
Class Activities:
- Origami craft; koinobori ( carp streamer ) and kabuto ( samurai helmet )
- Make a wearable kabuto with newspapers
- Make a Mother's Day card
Grammar & Vocabulary:
こいのぼり ( carp streamer ), かぶと ( samurai helmet ), ふきながし ( streamer ), まごい ( black carp ), ひごい ( red carp )
おかあさんへ ( Dear mom ), おおきい ( big ), ちいさい( small ), たかい ( tall ), ひくい ( short ), おもい ( heavy ), かるい ( light ), ながい ( long ), みじかい ( short ), はやい ( fast ), おそい ( slow )
Class 3 - Ms. Umehata
Specific Lesson Goals:
- Develop interest in stories related to Children’s Day.
- Develop a sense of gratitude for one's mother by making a Mother’s Day gift.
- Learn composition basics.
Class Activities:
- Koi (Carp) and Kabuto (warrior’s crown) making from origami or newspaper.
- Book making as a Mother’s Day gift.
- Working with “Who, what, when and where” questions.
Grammar & Vocabulary:
Children’s Day related vocabulary (Koinobori, hukinagashi, magoi, higoi, Kawhiwa-mochi)
Words about mothers.
Class 4 - Ms. Yamada
Specific Lesson Goals:
- To be able to comprehend descriptive sentences.
- Learn about Children’s Day.
- To be able to write down answers to one's question(s) from his/her friends or family members.
Class Activities:
- Read a descriptive text titled "One Tree."
- Read stories related to Children’s Day; Fold Koinobori with origami.
- Interview one’s friends or mother.
Grammar & Vocabulary:
- The use of punctuation (period, comma, and Japanese quotation marks).
- Children’s Day vocabulary (see class 3).
Class 5 - Ms. Oota
Specific Lesson Goals:
- Listen and understand the origins of the carp streamers, and learn to communicate what was learned to others in Japanese.
- Learn to express gratitude in writing.
- Learn both on-reading and kun-reading for kanji, which Japanese first through third graders learn.
Class Activities:
- Tango No Sekku (children’s day) related arts and crafts
- Mother’s Day related arts and crafts
- Searching and grouping games using various kanji radicals
Grammar & Vocabulary:
- Tangon No Sekku; carp streamers, father carp, child carp, streamers
- Thanks to you, appreciation, etc.
- Often seen kanji radicals, such as sanzui-hen and ame-kanmuri
Class 6 - Ms. Sakamoto
Specific Lesson Goals:
- Learn to figure out the lives of the people in various geographic areas, based on the common climate and other geo-cultural experiences shared in the areas near 35 degrees north latitude where the four greatest ancient civilizations started.
- Learn to express in Japanese what the students learned in their local English schools.
Class Activities:
- Summary of what the students have learned so far from the study program, “Hungry Planet, World’s Dinner Table” and Japanese food culture.
- Mothers’ Day Card
- Practice how to look at unfamiliar kanji as ideographs and figure out their meaning by paying attention to various kanji radicals.
Grammar & Vocabulary:
- Civilization, culture
- Words to express sympathy
- Words to express gratitude