Albany Senior High School/Coursebook/2JAP

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What is this course about?
Japanese is one of the essential foreign languages for New Zealand’s business, trade and cultural links. It is the eighth most widely spoken language in the world today. Learning Japanese enables students to learn about and understand a very different culture from New Zealand, to travel around Japan in the future without difficulty, and it provides them the opportunity to communicate with Japanese people in their own language – both in New Zealand and in Japan. Skills in Japanese are highly sought after by the many businesses in New Zealand which have relationships with Japanese companies. Knowledge of Japanese language and culture is an advantage for careers in diplomatic and government service, education, travel and tourism, diplomacy, international law, trade and business, translation and interpreting, transport and distribution.

This course focuses to continue to building confidence to achieve NCEA Level 2 Japaese.

Students will study a wide range of topics including: family life, eating and drinking, education, and leisure.
 * Students continue to increase their competency in the four language skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking covering general communication functions with specific study in grammar and Kanji

What will I learn?
Students will learn to


 * express opinions about daily life and current trends in Japan
 * differentiate levels of politeness
 * interpret selected and adapted media (newspapers, magazines, television, movies, and popular music)
 * discuss socio-economic concerns in Japan (unemployment, social welfare, education, immigration)
 * understand global issues from a Japanese perspective and express opinions about them
 * read Japanese literature and express points of view
 * research modern history in Japan
 * comprehend detail and summarize meaning in spoken and written Japanese.
 * demonstrate understanding of contemporary Japanese life and show an awareness of current attitudes and values.
 * Course design principles:
 * intentional planning - you will be invited to select topics that you find interesting
 * high expectations - your teacher will have high expectations for you and her door will always be open for you to discuss where your learning is going
 * assessment which enables learning - assessment will not be an isolated occurence. Rather, your teacher will gather evidence that you yourself provide of your learning experience as you progress.

What sorts of things will I do?

 * focus on the languge, culture, history, geography and customs of Japan through keeping an e-portfolio, connecting with other Japanese speaking students in the community ,and guest visitors
 * watch Japanese TV and movies and discuss them by comparing trends
 * create and act role plays with your fellow students


 * discuss and present on various issues
 * read monthly magazines from Japan

Frequently asked questions:
Assessment: You will be in charge of your learning and assessments. You will keep a logbook which will record evidence of your learning. It is your responsibilty to keep and add evidence to your porfolio and also to show it to your teacher on a regular basis.

No further assessment opportunities will be offered for this course, as evidence of your learning will be collected throughout the year. What will be expected of you:

By now you should be fully aware that language learning demands systematic study. You will need to plan your year of study carefully, allowing for DAILY practice of the language, through a variety of activities and allowing for extra study time. Keeping a well-organised book and your e-portfolio up to date is important in language learning. Contributing to classroom discussion, being an active part of a different groups, practising your oral skills and effectively managing yourself will improve your Japanese and make your learning enjoyable.