ST PAUL'S SCHOOL JAPAN FOUNDATION AWARD WINNERS!!!!!!

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'

GREAT JAPANESE/CANADIAN SONG- MONKEY MAJIK 'FOREVER'

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 :)

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

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

YEAR 6, SEMESTER 2 SPEECH

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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。

YEAR 4 SPEAKING TASK, SEMESTER 2: PRESS 'PLAY'

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YEAR 3, SEMESTER 2 SPEAKING ASSESSMENT PRACTICE

LISTEN TO GINGER BREAD MAN TO PRACTISE YOUR PRONUNCIATION. PRESS PLAY

YEAR 1 SEMESTER 2 SPEECH- MY SHOP

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YEAR 2 SPEECH - PATIENT PART

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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)

OUR NEW MONKEY MAJIK SONG WE ARE LEARNING : FOREVER

「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




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BULLET TRAIN EXPERIENCE

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Tokyo at Night. 東京の夜景

TOKYO BY NIGHT

Japanese Techno Toilet!

Japanese Fireworks at Imabari, Japan! 花火 in HD!

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Learn Japanese: Days of the Week in Japanese

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Learn Japanese: Weather in Japanese (sunny, cloudy, snowy..)

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Learn Japanese for Hot, Cold, Fun, Cool & Interesting

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!!!

Aya Matsuura singing the songs from Totoro

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Japanese Funny Toilet Commercial 2

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Very Funny Japanese Little Kids

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japanese fear factor

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Traditional Japanese Sports

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YEAR 4 SPEECH TIPS -YOU'RE WELCOME

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TIPS FOR YEAR 4 VIDEOS- WHAT'S YOUR NAME?

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TOKYO by +joanjimenez

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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

Japanese Robot Fight

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COOL JAPAN- Japanese Students ※ Crazy Popping Performance

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Japanese School Tests Robot Teacher

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New Robots of the Future

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The Future of Robots Japan-fun.com

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HIRAGANA AND THEIR STORIES- GREAT WAY TO LEARN HIRAGANA

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Aladdin - A Whole New World [Japanese Version]

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The Lion King - Hakuna Matata (Japanese Musical Version)

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The Lion King - Hakuna Matata (Japanese Musical Version)

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AMAZING JAPANESE MATHEMATICS-Japanese children learn super-fast mathematics with abacus

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jFOR YEAR 4

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FOR YEAR 3- DIRECTIONSt

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FOR PREPS

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ANIMAL VOCAB FOR PREPS AND 6S

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LEVEL 1 READING TRY AND SAY THE HIRAGANA READING BEFORE THE ANSWER IS GIVEN

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Learn Japanese - Japanese Body Language and Gestures Lesson 4

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MONKEY MAGIC- AN OLD SHOW BY JAPANESE PEOPLE ABOUT A CHINESE STORY DUBBED IN ENGLISH- IT'S GREAT

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YEAR 2 GOING TO THE DOCTOR -- Having a Cold

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YEAR 2 -Japanese Body Parts 2: Body Words

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YEAR 2- BODY - ANPANMAN HEADS,SHOULDERS, KNEES , POP あたま・かた・ひざ・ぽん アンパンマン

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YEAR 1 SHOPS- Japanese Cake Shops

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YEAR 3 DIRECTIONS-Learn Japanese: Directions in Japanese

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YEAR 3- DIRCTIONS VIDEO-Learn Japanese: Left, Right, Forward, Back GenkiJapan.net

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WELCOME BACK TO TERM 3

Just a quick Term 3 overview for everyone
Preps- Animals (Likes and Dislikes)
Year 1- Designing our own Japanese shops
Year 2- Making our own comic strip and going to the doctor's
Year 3 - Asking and understanding directions in the street
Year 4- What's your age?
Years 5 AND 6- Describing our pets and commenting on other peoples' pets

So....if your children come home and they talk about these things, please try and encourage them as much as possible and keep visiting this site for useful and interesting info,
Charles (Mr Mackenzie-Smith)

Japanese Kanji: People

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Numbers FOR ALL GRADES

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NIHONGO QUICK LESSON #3

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NIHONGO QUICK LESSON #2

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NIHONGO QUICK LESSON #1

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Japanese 101 - Common Words & Phrases - Level One

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YEAR 3 DIRECTIONS

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LANIMALS FROM A YOUTUBE CONTRIBUTOR- FOR PREPS AND YEAR 6

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PREPS ANIMALS

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FOR PREPS - Animal Sound

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Find more videos like this on Japanese Teachers

Don't stop believing in Sumo champ Akebono

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Japanese Maglev, 581km/h

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THE new bullet train coming out!!!! Shinkansen Fastek. Part 1 of 7

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The Bullet Train ' Shinkansen'

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Manga University presents... Japanese 101 Episode 1: Introductions

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Japanese 101 - Common Words & Phrases - Level One

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Japanese Hip-Hop Dancing at a BBoy Park Festival in Japan (Yoyogi Park)

Sports Day in Japan

Learn Japanese with Pictures: World Cup 2010

Delicious Nippon #１ (Japanese cuisine)

How to Make Katsu Curry (Japanese Curry with Tonkatsu)

Celebrating the Cherry Blossoms

Mario Kart DS japanese ad

JAPANESE VOCABULARY FOR YOU TO LEARN BY MR MACKENZIE-SMITH

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Vocabulary 1

View more presentations from Charles.

Learn Japanese writing the fun way - Chinese characters in the Japanese ...

Learn Japanese - Could Kanji really be this easy??

MORE EXTENSION - KANJI-Japanese Lesson - KANJI (2) Verbs

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WANT EXTENSION- Japanese Lesson - KANJI (1)

JAPAN - THE ORIGINAL HOME OF DRIFT RACING- WHERE IT SHOULD BE- ON THE RACE TRACK!!!

BEAUTIFUL PICTURES OF MT FUJI- JAPAN'S TALLEST MOUNTAIN AT 3700 METRES- A DORMANT VOLCANO

LEARN FAMILY MEMBERS IN JAPANESE かぞく

HOW TO USE THIS WEBSITE EFFECTIVELY

USE THE LINKS EFFECTIVELY-USING QUIZLET TO DO PRACTICE TESTS

KENNY KOALA - OHAYOU (GOOD MORNING) SONG PARTICULARLY FOR PREPS- GREETINGS

HOW TO MAKE OKONOMIYAKI- JAPANESE PIZZA/PANCAKE- YUM! (OISHII)

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS FOR ALL

ANIMAL VOCABULARY FOR YEARS 5 AND 6

LOOK AT THE NUMBERS AND SAY THEM OR WRITE THEM DOWN

NUMBERS TO 1 BILLION- USEFUL FOR ALL (ESPECIALLY YEAR 3)

YEARS 4 , 5 OR 6 TRANSLATION- WIN A PRIZE

YEAR 6 - EXTENSION SHEET FOR TRANSLATION- Have a go at translating- FIRST PERSON TO BRING CORRECT TRANSLATION TO ME WINS A PRIZE (JUNIOR SCHOOL STUDENTS ONLY!!!)
１．はじめまして
２．こんにち　は
３．わたし　は　まき　です。
４．なな　さい　です。
５．おおさか　に　すんで　います。
６．すし　が　すき　です。
７．さしみ　すき　じゃ　ない　です。
８．でんわ　ばんごう　は　３２６２　１３３４　です。
９．いぬ　の　なまえ　は　けんじ　です。
１０．ねこ　の　なまえ　は　spot　です。
１１．よろしく　おねがいします。

THIS IS MY FAVOURITE DISH EVER- KATSUDON. PLEASE TELL ME IF YOU EVER MAKE IT!!!!!

TAKOYAKI RECIPE (JAPANESE OCTOPUS DUMPLINGS)

http://wwitv.com/tv_channels/6810.htm

http://wwitv.com/tv_channels/6810.htm

MAKING OF JAPANESE OCTOPUS DUMPLINGS たこ焼き たこ吉 [ Making of The TAKOYAKI ]

THERE IS ALSO A GAME YOU CAN TRY ABOVE

JAPAN IN PICTURES- RUSH HOUR ON THE TRAIN

JAPANESE GESTURES

YOKOSO- MEANS 'WELCOME'- Cool Japan

GREAT VIDEO- WATCH HOW AN O BENTO (JAPANESE LUNCH) IS MADE- TURN VOLUME UP

NEW RELEASE VIDEO AND SONG- PARTICULARLY FOR PREPS BY KENNY KOALA

Kendo - The Way Of The Sword For Older Students- Years 4-6. Video about Japanese Martial Art

親子で英語 / Mummy and Me Japanese - よくできました/Good job!

TALK TO ME ABOUT CREATING A VIDEO FOR THIS COMPETITION

Only five (5) entries allowed per school. Film your speech you did for assessment or make up a new one!!! Use a song or a script as inspiration. Make a cartoon or video. Best 5 ENTRIES GIVEN TO ME BY SEPTEMBER 1, 2010 WILL BE ENTERED. PRIZES TO BE WON!!! SEE SOME OF LAST YEAR'S WINNERS FOR INSPIRATION IN THE LINKS ON RIGHT-HAND SIDE UNDER 'VIDEO MATSURI (Festival). ASK ME FOR MORE DETAILS, Mr Mackenzie-Smith

 

2010 JAPANESE VIDEO FESTIVAL

2010
Japanese Video
Festival Contest
Create your own short film, animation,
claymation or digital story using Japanese.
Get your works in by 30th September, for your chance to win!
http://video-matsuri.jpf-sydney.net/
ビデオまつり

SUMO IN JAPAN

GREETINGS SONG- Japanese lesson song-Aisatsu no uta

LISTEN TO THE SONG AND TRY TO PICK THE WORDS YOU KNOW

HIRAGANA IN 48 Minutes. Design for Educational purposes. Do not share or embed please.

MY CHILD DOESN'T KNOW HIS/HER HIRAGANA: Start from the beginning

Some parents say to me that their child is struggling with the script (particularly in Year1). Reading Hiragana is just like learning to read all over again in another language, it takes time and not everyone is going to pick it up straight away. Children are still learning their letters and sounds in English. Don't worry, this will not confuse them with their English reading!!! So many studies have shown that children are very adept at categorising and distinguishing between languages in their heads.In Prep and Year 1 we are merely exposing children to these letters.

WHAT DO I DO???
What I suggest to do is the following:
I teach the students about Hiragana using the 'Hiragana in 48 Minutes'(Quackenbush, Curriculum Corporation) methodology. Students are taught that there is a picture and a story for each character e.g. the Hiragana 'U' ぅ(ooh) is an old lady who gets hit in the back from something falling from the sky and says ' Ooh'.
Watch my video(on the Hiragana pages of this blog- right-hand side) to hear all of the stories and go through them with your child. Then there are step by step lessons on the Hiragana page for the reading and writing of the Hiragana. Watch the Hiragana Alphabet video as well and then follow the lessons through say, one video every week. They are very comprehensive videos.

The alphabet is based on the 5 vowel sounds of A I U E and O

A as in 'AH', I as in 'EE', U as in 'OOH', E as in 'EH' and O as in O for 'Orange'
Each subsequent line of the alphabet loosely follow this rule. Fore example the nexy line is the 'K' line or 'Kagyo' in Japanese goes 'KA KI KU KE KO'

Confusing, hey? Imagine what it must be like for Year 1s...However, in Japan, children from about 3 years old start learning this script.
Have a go yourself and work with your child when you can and maybe you too can learn to read and write a bit of Japanese, Mr Mackenzie-Smith :)

ASSESSMENT IN JAPANESE

Assessing students takes time and is not done in one single assessment for one single mark. While it is true that student speeches and formal Hiragana (script) tests are significant, they are not the most accurate indication of a child's ability. I have found that in formal testing conditions children freeze or cannot produce language that they can ordinarily produce in more relaxed circumstances. I always refer to a brilliant writer named Stephen Krashen who coined the term 'affective filter'. He argued that we we are relaxed and free from extra-sensory stimuli that we produce better language and our brains don't become cloudy. As adults. we might be able to relate to that feeling when we become 'tongue-tied' when speaking in public or in tense situations.
When I do administer formal testing ,especially speaking tests, they take time as they are individual or paired assessments.That is why I give a window of assessment time say, "between May 17-21" ,not just on a single day.I cannot feasibly test 30 children in a thirty minute session and so testing sessions are spread out. I always try to give students the same assessment questions and use the same criteria sheets for each student. The location of the test doesn't matter for the speaking assessment as long as it is relatively quiet and relaxed. So..if I test a student on the 17th in one classroom and another on the 18th in another classroom, the difference in conditions is negligible as long as I make sure that students are not impeded by interruptions or other students.I do, however, take into consideration the length of time that students have to prepare for tasks for example, a child who does his assessment on the 21st should be arguably more prepared for an assessment than a child who was first 'cab off the rank' on the 17th. This, however is only a small influence. I prefer to look at the preparation that a child has made, whether they have been conscientious in class and have above all, done the very best they possibly could have. Not everyone is going to get an 'A' and no child is perfectly fluent in Japanese (even the native speakers). Getting a 'C' in a subject that is in a second language is completely normal. There is alway room for improvement. I am still studying I have been doing this for longer than I care to mention.
Please be assured that assessment is ongoing and a great deal of it is observational/ anecdotal in conjunction with more quantifiable assessment. At the day, I would love to see the love of language instilled in the students not the dread of impending assessment.

*****NEW******LEARN TO SPEAK JAPANESE RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING

WANT TO LEARN TO SPEAK JAPANESE???? MUM?? DAD??? KIDS????? GRANDMA???

HERE IS THE FIRST LESSON!!!!!! THANKS TO JapanesePod101.com






Go to pages on right and look for "Japanese Speaking".

For more details and worksheets, you can go to JapanesePod101.com

SPEAKING TESTS- HOW DO I DETERMINE WHO IS AN 'A' AND WHO IS A 'D'???

A lot of parents wonder how they can help their children in speaking tasks for assessment. I say just be a good listener. Listen to your children's speaking tasks and get them to listen to native speakers to imitate pronunciation and intonation. We have native speaker voices on this website as well as mine. It is this exposure that will help them become more proficient and intonation, pitch and fluency.
Reciting a speech by rote (by heart) is not worthy of an 'A' mark (even if it is said perfectly). There is deeper learning involved in the speaking tasks and that's what I'm looking for - those who can actually comprehend what they've said and what their speaking partner or teacher has said. Comprehension is a key component in the art of conversation because if we can't comprehend then we are not effectively participating in a dialogue or conversation.
At the other end of the spectrum, students who don't study their material, speak in their native language (generally English) and 'um' and 'ahh' their way through speeches without making a concerted effort are not going to receive favourable results. Particularly when they begin the task with 'I didn't study for this' or 'I've had too much on at home and with sport to even think about this'. This is said to me from time to time and is not favourably received. I don't care what academic ability a child has as long as they make a concerted effort and this should apply to everything they do.
Negatives aside, I have been very impressed with the majority of students I with whom I have interacted over the course of this assessment period and 'thank you' to all the parents who tirelessly encourage their children with their studies. The results will pay off, Mr Mackenzie-Smith

LESSON 1 : KUMA CHAN AND YOGI'S FIRST MEETING- DIALOGUE

YOGI and Kumachan meet for the first time:

Vocabulary:

YOGI - こんにち　は。　おなまえ　は。(Konnichi wa. Onamae wa?)　
　　　　　　(Hello. What's your name?)　


KUMACHAN- わたし　は　くま　ちゃん　です。おなまえ　は？
(Watashi wa Kumachan desu. Onamae wa?)
(I am Kuma chan. What's your name?)

YOGI- よぎい　です。はじめまして。 (Yogi desu. Hajimemashite)
(I am Yogi. Nice to meet you)

KUMACHAN - はじめまして。いっしょに　あそびましょう　か？
(Hajimemashite.Isshoni asobimashoo ka.)
　　　　　　 (Nice to meet you. Shall we play together?)

YOGI - はい。あそびましょう。(Hai. Asobimashoo)
　 (Yes. Let's play!)
　　　　　　　

USEFUL INFO FOR PRACTICE TESTS- HOW TO USE QUIZLET

LEARN FAMILY MEMBERS IN JAPANESE かぞく

YEAR 1 SPEECH "CUSTOMER" Press play button to start

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What the Year Ones have to do for their assessment is learn the part of the Customer and I (the teacher) play the part of the shopkeeper. Students should also know what the words mean. Some may look at you and say "I don't know" but in context in the Japanese classroom with prompting and gestures, they get on just fine. It is all about playing with the language, learning some vocabulary and having some fun. I try to make the process as relaxed as humanly possible.

Konnichi wa. Banana kudasai.
Chiisai banana kudasai.
Doozo.
Arigatoo.
Sayounara.

'HOW TO USE THIS WEBSITE EFFECTIVELY' Short Instructional Video

song of the month. music from okinawa, shima uta (island song) by the boom (click 4 arrows for full screen)

Year 3 Test Dates

Year 3 will be having their speaking test on Wednesday the 12 th of May and their Hiragana test on Tuesday the 18th of May. Students should already have all of their preparation materials and support materials can be accessed on this website under Year 3 materials.

YEAR 2 TEST DATES

Year 2s will have their speaking tests and Hiragana tests soon. Students will be doing their speaking with me as their partner and will do a multiple choice Hiragana Test to try and recognise the different Hiragana. Preparation materials can be found in the links under 'Year 2' and in my blog posting under 'Year 2 Speaking'.

WHERE DO I START????? VITAL INFORMATION FOR PARENTS ABOUT JAPANESE STUDY

Generally, where we have most trouble with students, is with learning the script. Learning Japanese script is like learning the alphabet all over again for our children but 10 times harder!!! There are 3 basic scripts in Japanese- Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji. I teach Hiragana first because it is the first script that Japanese children learn and virtually anything Japanese can be written in it. Katakana is used for loan words or foreign words such as most of our names or introduced words such as the German word ' Arbeit' which is pronounced 'Arubaito' in Japanese and means part-time job. My name, Charles, is written in Katakana because it is a foreign word and is pronounced 'Cha-ruzu'. Kanji is the script introduced from China and is more of a pictogram type of writing and while each character can contain many strokes ( try 18 for some) it has been incorporated into Japanese quite seamlessly but still stumps the Japanese themselves. You need to know a ridiculous amount to even read the newspaper!!! So....Hiragana is our primary alphabet and I would love the children to be as familiar with it as possible so that they can progress at a more rapid rate. Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of teaching them more than about 50 minutes per week at the most so there has to be a home study elelment.
Students need that exposure to the characters that they take for granted with the English alphabet. Words and letters are all around us in English but obviously this is not the case with Japanese. So... I have spent endless hours looking for free programmes to help with the learning of Hiragana and I have a few very, very good ones to alert you to :


My favourite at the moment is at the 'iKnow' site and it takes you through the Hiragana step by step and assesses your progress. I really advise adults to sign up for this site to enjoy members benefits but it can be used without membership. It is the link entitled 'PARENTS. THIS IS THE ONE' on the right-hand side of the page in the Useful Links section.
There is of course, the WORD CHAMP (see links) homework programme which is in a TRIAL stage for this term and some Years 4-6 are already plodding away.


Then there is the HIRAGANA MASTER DRILL (See links) for more revision and consolidation.
For those of you who are new to the site, welcome and for those of you who are regulars, thanks for your support. Please leave me your feedback (down the bottom) because I need to know a parent's perspective about things. Positive feedback is always welcome.




Kind regards, Charles

YEAR 4 ANSWERS FOR SPEAKING TEST. LISTEN AS THE ROBOT SAYS THE ANSWER NUMBER THEN THE ANSWER.

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Year 6 Speech Due 17-21 May. Listen to the student asking the teacher questions. Press the play button

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Learn Japanese Counters for People: 10 Little Samurai!

10 SAMURAI SONG FOR YEAR 3

NEW SONG FOR YEAR THREE. COUNTING PEOPLE- 10 SAMURAI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqxyFULA5iM

YEAR 6 EXTENSION- KATAKANA

FOR THOSE OF YOU IN YEAR 6 WHO WANT TO TRY EXTENSION, WE ARE LEARNING THE SCRIPT KATAKANA AT THE MOMENT. THERE IS A LINK TO A PRINTABLE KATAKANA CHART FOR THOSE DARING ENOUGH TO TRY AND LEARN!!!!!! CLICK ON  ' YEAR 6 EXTENSION KATAKANA '  ON THE LINKS ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE OF THE PAGE

YEAR 2 TERM2 SPEAKING PRACTICE : PERSON 1 (BOY) AND PERSON 2 (GIRL)

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Get a Voki now!




LISTEN TO THE PERSON SPEAKING TO HELP YOUR PRONUCIATION FOR YOUR TEST.

YEAR 3 SPEAKING ASSESSMENT

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LISTEN TO THE CHARACTER ASKING THE QUESTIONS AND THEN PRACTISE THEM YOURSELF.
"Konnichi wa. Ogenki desu ka. Nan nin Kazoku desu ka. Oniisan ga imasu ka. Oneesan ga imasu ka. Inu ga imasu ka. Arigatou gozaimasu."
"Hello. How are you? How many do you have in your family? Do you have a big brother? Do you have a big sister? Do you have a dog? Thank you ."

YEAR 3 TERM 2 OVERVIEW

In Year 3 we are continuing to study the Japanese alphabet, Hiragana. Hiragana will be tested from 'A' up to 'NO' (see hiragana chart). Children will be tested on their recognition of the alphabet. I show them the pictograms of the alphabet and then they tell me what they are. Links to the Hiragana for Year 3 are on the right-hand side in the 'Useful Links' section. In Year 3, we are also learning about family members and saying family members' ages and talking about their favourite colours.

YEAR 2 TERM 2 OVERVIEW

We are working hard on the Japanese alphabet (Hiragana) and the kids have to know how to read A I U E O , KA KI KU KE KO, SA SHI SU SE SO, TA CHI TSU TE TO. You can find these under useful links in the Year 2 Hiragana link. We are also learning to tell the time and there is a great game under the links called Year 2 Telling the Time Game. We have also been talking about things we eat with the verb 'tabemasu' and how we say 'itadakimasu' before we eat something.

YEAR 1 TERM 2 OVERVIEW

Year 1 is continuing on with Japanese money and shopping. We are learning to order things at a shop and ask for big or little items. There are some links on the right hand side to help with learning. Please try them. The kids are also studying 'Hiragana' the Japanese script so please let them practice the hiragana in the links.

PREP TERM 2 OVERVIEW

In Prep this term they are learning colours, how to ask someone their name and how to say their name. They will be tested on their use of Greetings and Counting.
There are links on the right specific to Prep learning under 'Prep' heading

IF YOU ARE IN YEARS 4-6 AND YOU ARE HAVING TROUBLE LOGGING INTO 'WORD CHAMP' FOR THE FIRST TIME, MAKE SURE YOU GO TO THE 'JOIN NOW' PART FIRST. THEN IT WILL ASK YOU 'ARE YOU 13 YEARS OR OLDER?' TICK 'NO' - PUT IN YOUR USER NAME AS YOUR 'NICKNAME' AND YOUR 'PASSWORD' FOR PASSWORD. AFTER THAT, PUT IN YOUR CLASS ID NUMBER THAT I HAVE GIVEN TO YOU ALL. AGREE TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND THEN 'SIGN UP'.

THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE, MR Mackenzie-Smith :)

Learn Japanese: Stand Up, Sit Down Genki Japan Disco Warm Up

Sora mo Toberu Hazu: Song of the Month by Spitz

TESTS - YEAR 2,TERM 2, 2010

Hiragana tests are coming up in Week 3 of term 2. Your kids should have their test preparation sheets with them (well, they have been handed out). If they don't have them, do not fear. You can just click on the link on the left-hand side of the WEBPAGE entitled "TEST PREPARATION-YEAR 2 TERM 2 HIRAGANA" and practise the flashcards A I U E O , KA KI KU KE KO, SA SHI SU SE SO and TA CHI TSU TE TO.

For variety, you can either click on 'FLASHCARDS', 'MATCHING' or 'CONCENTRATION'

Second Language Learning

Why Learn a Second Language?

Learning a foreign language increases cognitive development.


“Cognitive” refers to the mental ability necessary to carry out any given task. If it’s not used, cognitive ability can decrease, but when it is used, cognitive ability increases. Learning a foreign language increases a student’s skills in creativity, memory, reading development, attention control and problem solving.