Source: The Japan Forum (TJF)
Konnichiwa!
We are high school students from Japan and
are excited to meet you throughout this course.
We are happy to guide you to study Japanese language and culture.
Doozo yoroshiku!!
You must keep in mind that fluency in Japanese (or any foreign language) does not happen over night. It may seem to be a very slow process to you but it is one that is achieved the more you practice and seek ways to use your new skills.
In Greetings you will:
- introduce yourself to someone and ask their name
- ask how someone is
- ask where someone lives
- ask some basic information from others in real conversations
- recognize and recite hiragana, one of the Japanese phonetic characters
- spell words using hiragana
- use appropriate basic vocabulary for greeting people at different times of day
- choose a farewell appropriate in various situations
- begin to learn about the complex nature of language
- investigate the Japanese culture and how it differs from ours with regard to talking to an individual
- begin to realize the contributions that Japanese have made to our culture
As you work, keep in mind the symbols that will help you to remember what it is you are going to be doing throughout the course. If you have forgotten those, you can look back at them to keep them in mind.
Topics and Study Time
You should keep in mind that during the course of this unit you should spend time doing the following daily:
- At least 15 minutes daily vocabulary activities, drilling vocabulary (flashcards).
- Practicing hiragana.
- Going back to review any vocabulary from Greetings as a warm-up activity.
Japanese Fonts
There are some fonts used throughout the Japanese course. Textbook style font will be mainly used because it provides a good model for you to practice recognizing and reading each character. Other fonts, such as Mincho and Gothic, are commonly used in Japanese publications, so it is important that you get used to them, as well. Please be aware that the shape of some characters differs considerably, depending on the font used.
Although handwriting is not tested in this course, you should practice writing by hand in order to remember the characters well. When you practice handwriting, please use the textbook style font as a model. Click here to see hiragana in the textbook style font. The course units with the textbook style font can be downloaded at "Print PDF" under the unit title button. You are strongly recommended to print out each course unit because you might have some problems reading the fonts on your computer screen.
Typing in Japanese
In order to type in Japanese, you need to set up the Japanese language on your computer. If you haven't set it up, please go to the Course Resources folder in your classroom for instructions. Look at this Character Chart for Typing and learn how to type in Japanese.
Graded Assignments will have the checkmark icon next to the title.
To locate the most current assignment instructions and to submit your completed work, please go to your Section Assignments folders in Schoology. You will complete the following types of graded assignments in this unit:
- Grammar Notes
- Oral Assignments
- Writing Assignments
- Discussion Assignments
- Speaking Assignments
- Section Quizzes
- TPR Quizzes
- Unit Exam