St Paul's Wins 2 Awards for Japan Foundation Video Festival
Out of our 4 entries, we won 2 awards from the Japan Foundation.
There were 8 awards in total handed out to Primary School Entrants from all over Australia and New Zealand and we won 2 of them. Our Year 3s won an award for 'Best Japanese' and some of our Year 6s won an award for 'Best Use of Humour'. While we didn't win the overall prize, that is our goal for next year. CONGRATULATIONS ST PAUL'S STUDENTS !!!!!
YOU CAN SEE THE WINNING VIDEOS BY CLICKING THE LINK TO THE LEFT THAT SAYS, 'JAPAN FOUNDATION AWARD WINNING VIDEOS'
CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON TO HEAR A WELCOME MESSAGE
KIDS' WEB JAPAN-
KIDS' WEB JAPAN-Have some fun- CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO GO TO A GREAT, FUN SITE !!!!
BASIC HIRAGANA CHART
BASIC HIRAGANA (JAPANESE SCRIPT) CHART
GET BETTER AT HIRAGANA
GET BETTER AT HIRAGANA:Click on the picture above and start today
JUNIOR SCHOOL VIDEOS AND SONGS
JUNIOR SCHOOL VIDEOS AND SONGS- CLICK THIS PICTURE
WORDCHAMP LINK- CLICK ON IT TO GO STRAIGHT TO WORDCHAMP FOR YEARS 4-6 HOMEWORK
EXTENSION- START PRACTISING FOR YOUR JLPT N5
GREAT JAPANESE SITE- CLICK ON PICTURE TO GO THERE YRS 3-6
PREP PAGE
CLICK ON IMAGE TO GO TO PREPS' PAGE
HIRAGANA PAGE
MR MACKENZIE-SMITH'S HIRAGANA PAGE- CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO GO STRAIGHT THERE-IT LOOKS THE SAME AS THIS PAGE, BUT.. IT'S FULL OF HIRAGANA LESSONS
MANGA
MAKE YOUR OWN CARTOON STRIP IN JAPANESE- IT'S EASY!
SEE IF YOU CAN GET THE 'CHEESY' HUMOUR IN MY SIMPLE ONE
TRAVELLING TO JAPAN WITH KIDS? CLICK ON THIS PICTURE FOR GREAT ADVICE
JAPAN FOR TRAVELLERS- CHEAT SHEET- DOWNLOAD SOME USEFUL EXPRESSIONS-CLICK ON PICTURE
Monday, November 15, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Confused??? I'll try and help
Dear Parents, if you are concerned about your child's progress in Japanese, I want to allay some of your concerns. If you are reading this, you have been probably been spending time with your child learning some Japanese. That's great. That's what this site is designed for.
May I tell you a few little facts about Japanese (particularly when your child is in Year 1)?
-In Year 1 , the children move to more structured, formal learning i.e.introduction of the Japanese alphabet (which has 46 characters). These children do not have any other exposure to the Japanese alphabet except in my classroom for 1/2 hour per week. If they are lucky, Mum or Dad knows a little Japanese and can help them.If we just stop to think about how our children learn our English alphabet, they have exposure to it all around in the environment in Australia. I am very happy if students understand a couple of the lines of the Japanese alphabet by the end of Year 1.
-This assessment is not the definitive assessment for the semester. It does not determine a student's marks overall. I use formal and anecdotal assessment throughout the semester and what your child may or may not produce at home is markedly different to what they produce in a scaffolded,language- rich classroom environment.
-I am not surprised when people tell me their child is struggling with the characters (particularly in Year 1). These characters are so different to anything that we have in our language. Also, we are moving from single word utterances to full sentences which is much more complex.
-Let me suggest the following for those of you who are quickly going grey or losing hair (I understand). Have a look at my video (below). It teaches the students the 'stories' that go with each Hiragana so that it makes it easier to learn. This is how we do it in class. So a child may look at the Hiragana and say 'antenna' (the story) instead of 'A' (the actual pronunciation). That's fine. That shows to me that they are progressing and learning.
-With speaking, the students may not be able to get their mouths around what they are saying sometimes but I also look for meaning, for comprehension of the task not just the spoken word.Go through with your child and discuss the meaning of the sentences. When you are dealing with them at home you have to remember that all of the speaking and Japanese is out of its usual context.
-Above all, these tests are designed to be challenging and to lift your children to higher levels in Japanese. They are not designed to be the be all and end all of assessment, they are just a piece in the overall pie of your child in Japanese in the Junior School.
Hope that helps a little. Don't forget...if your child is in the Early Years' Grades, they have oodles of time to consolidate and advance their language studies. Let's do this together :) Charles/ Mr Mackenzie-Smith :)
May I tell you a few little facts about Japanese (particularly when your child is in Year 1)?
-In Year 1 , the children move to more structured, formal learning i.e.introduction of the Japanese alphabet (which has 46 characters). These children do not have any other exposure to the Japanese alphabet except in my classroom for 1/2 hour per week. If they are lucky, Mum or Dad knows a little Japanese and can help them.If we just stop to think about how our children learn our English alphabet, they have exposure to it all around in the environment in Australia. I am very happy if students understand a couple of the lines of the Japanese alphabet by the end of Year 1.
-This assessment is not the definitive assessment for the semester. It does not determine a student's marks overall. I use formal and anecdotal assessment throughout the semester and what your child may or may not produce at home is markedly different to what they produce in a scaffolded,language- rich classroom environment.
-I am not surprised when people tell me their child is struggling with the characters (particularly in Year 1). These characters are so different to anything that we have in our language. Also, we are moving from single word utterances to full sentences which is much more complex.
-Let me suggest the following for those of you who are quickly going grey or losing hair (I understand). Have a look at my video (below). It teaches the students the 'stories' that go with each Hiragana so that it makes it easier to learn. This is how we do it in class. So a child may look at the Hiragana and say 'antenna' (the story) instead of 'A' (the actual pronunciation). That's fine. That shows to me that they are progressing and learning.
-With speaking, the students may not be able to get their mouths around what they are saying sometimes but I also look for meaning, for comprehension of the task not just the spoken word.Go through with your child and discuss the meaning of the sentences. When you are dealing with them at home you have to remember that all of the speaking and Japanese is out of its usual context.
-Above all, these tests are designed to be challenging and to lift your children to higher levels in Japanese. They are not designed to be the be all and end all of assessment, they are just a piece in the overall pie of your child in Japanese in the Junior School.
Hope that helps a little. Don't forget...if your child is in the Early Years' Grades, they have oodles of time to consolidate and advance their language studies. Let's do this together :) Charles/ Mr Mackenzie-Smith :)
Thursday, November 4, 2010
HIRAGANA STORIES TO HELP YOU LEARN THEM
WATCH THIS VIDEO TO LEARN THE STORIES THAT HELP US LEARN HIRAGANA- THANKS TO 'HIRAGANA IN 48 MINUTES' QUACKENBASH
ORDER IS:
A I U E O
KA KI KU KE KO
SA SHI SU SE SO
TA CHI TSU TE TO
NA NI NU NE NO
HA HI FU HE HO
MA MI MU ME MO
YA YU YO
RA RI RU RE RO
WA WO N
ORDER IS:
A I U E O
KA KI KU KE KO
SA SHI SU SE SO
TA CHI TSU TE TO
NA NI NU NE NO
HA HI FU HE HO
MA MI MU ME MO
YA YU YO
RA RI RU RE RO
WA WO N
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Dear Parent/s/Caregiver
Attention Parent/s, unfortunately after a cold I have developed a case of Pneumonia and my Doctor has ordered me to bed for one week until November 5th. This will mean that some assessments will affected for this/next week. They will be Years 4G/R/ and B (speaking) and 6 G (speaking). I will reschedule the speaking tasks for the following week. Year 6 will do their speaking on Tuesday 9/11/10 and Year 4 at a date to be advised. I apologise for any inconvenience caused and will be back at school as soon as I am allowed (8/11/10). In my place, their will be a Japanese-speaking relief teacher who is familiar with the assessment and work programme. Kind regards, Charles /Mr Mackenzie-Smith
Thursday, October 28, 2010
YEAR 6, SEMESTER 2 SPEECH
Get a Voki now!
こんにちは
わたしのペットは犬です。
なまえは きき です。
きき は かわいい です。
いろ は ちゃいろ です。
きき は に さい です。
とうきょう に すんで います。
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
YEAR 3, SEMESTER 2 SPEAKING ASSESSMENT PRACTICE
LISTEN TO GINGER BREAD MAN TO PRACTISE YOUR PRONUNCIATION. PRESS PLAY
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
YEAR 2 SPEECH - PATIENT PART
CHECK THIS OUT!!!
KONNICHI WA (HELLO)
KIBUN GA WARUI DESU (I FEEL SICK)
ATAMA TO ONAKA GA ITAI DESU (MY HEAD AND STOMACH HURT)
ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU (THANK YOU)
SAYOUNARA (GOODBYE)
DOCTOR PART (Teacher)
KONNICHI WA (HELLO)
KIBUN GA WARUI DESU (I FEEL SICK)
ATAMA TO ONAKA GA ITAI DESU (MY HEAD AND STOMACH HURT)
ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU (THANK YOU)
SAYOUNARA (GOODBYE)
DOCTOR PART (Teacher)
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
「FOREVER」 MONKEY MAJIK ONE OF MY FAVOURITE SONGS OF 2010
MONKEY MAJIK IS A 'HYBRID' BAND MADE UP OF CANADIAN AND JAPANESE BAND MEMBERS- THEY SING IN ENGLISH AND JAPANESE
CHECK THIS OUT!!!
CHECK THIS OUT!!!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
JOIN LIVE MOCHA IN JAPANESE TO IMPROVE YOUR JAPANESE
A GREAT SITE TO IMPROVE YOUR JAPANESE
WATCH THE VIDEO AND THEN JOIN WITH MUM OR DAD'S PERMISSION. YOU WILL NEED AN EMAIL ADDRESS
CHECK THIS OUT!!!
WATCH THE VIDEO AND THEN JOIN WITH MUM OR DAD'S PERMISSION. YOU WILL NEED AN EMAIL ADDRESS
CHECK THIS OUT!!!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
WE'RE MAKING VIDEOS IN JAPANESE!
Your children may have mentioned to you that they are making videos in class. Then again, they may have not. Most classes are making videos but some are working on other projects.
We are making videos using 'real' Japanese language creatively driven by the students themselves.The tasks are designed not only to be fun but to also be educational and relevant to students. They are designed to tap into students' creativity, particularly the creativity of students who may not be engaged with day to day tasks of Japanese learning but are motivated by technology and 'concrete', 'hands-on' tasks. Language learning can be rigorous but can also be fun when the teacher acts as more of a facilitator and less of a 'chalk and talk' type of person. Students can drive the direction of their video production to input as much or as little as they want. The end result of the videos will reflect their perseverance and dedication to the task at hand.
The top 5 videos will be entered into the Japan Foundation's 'VIDEO MATSURI' (Video Festival). I look forward to viewing these videos and seeing the direction they take. While these videos are not being assessed, they go a long way towards the effort and attitude component of your child's Japanese studies,
Ja ne (See you)
Mr Mackenzie-Smith
We are making videos using 'real' Japanese language creatively driven by the students themselves.The tasks are designed not only to be fun but to also be educational and relevant to students. They are designed to tap into students' creativity, particularly the creativity of students who may not be engaged with day to day tasks of Japanese learning but are motivated by technology and 'concrete', 'hands-on' tasks. Language learning can be rigorous but can also be fun when the teacher acts as more of a facilitator and less of a 'chalk and talk' type of person. Students can drive the direction of their video production to input as much or as little as they want. The end result of the videos will reflect their perseverance and dedication to the task at hand.
The top 5 videos will be entered into the Japan Foundation's 'VIDEO MATSURI' (Video Festival). I look forward to viewing these videos and seeing the direction they take. While these videos are not being assessed, they go a long way towards the effort and attitude component of your child's Japanese studies,
Ja ne (See you)
Mr Mackenzie-Smith
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)