Ready Steady NihonGO! is a 10 lesson course in basic Japanese for KS2 children. It should ideally be studied as part of the child’s weekly curriculum schedule, but could also be adapted to suit club activities.
The course is designed to be team - taught by the classroom teacher who may, or may not, have knowledge of Japanese and a native Japanese speaker who may or may not have teaching experience. By pooling the skills of the respective teachers, children will be exposed to a quality learning environment.
The aims of Ready Steady NihonGO! are as follows:- To provide children with a valuable cultural insight into Japan which will allow them to develop a sensitivity towards a less familiar culture whilst encouraging them to stand back and view their own way of life from a slightly different perspective.
- To introduce children to the Japanese language through a series of well structured lessons comprising interactive spoken activities and games which will form a sound basis for any future study of the language.
- To link Japan and the Japanese language to the National Curriculum to form a complete and substantial unit of work which will complement other subjects studied within the classroom.
The course is broken down into the following elements:
- 10 x step by step lesson plans
- linked soundfiles of all conversations
- worksheets
- culture notes
- flashcards
- interactive presentations
- self assessment forms
As well as being suitable for teaching using a digital whiteboard, the supplementary materials may be printed off for use where this technology is not available.
By fully utilising the above materials, children will experience a range of different teaching styles to help them master the basics of spoken Japanese.
Each lesson is designed to be approximately 45 minutes long and comes complete with a starter, main and plenary. Alternative ideas provide differentiation within the lesson, allowing teachers to tailor the course for their class. Links to Culture Notes, presentations, dialogues, worksheets and other supplementary resources are also clearly highlighted within the plans. Extension activities will not fit into 45 minutes, but can be used to integrate Ready Steady NihonGO! into a larger scheme of work.
Children are able to check their progress throughout the course by completing the child-friendly assessment forms. By doing so, children will be able to take note of their achievements as well as identifying areas which need more practice. Teachers will also be able to adapt future lessons as a result of the on going assessment.
The course is primarily language based, but the lesson plans make clear cross- curricular links, so schools could build the language project into a wider study about Japan.