PPLI Spotlight on Schools Japanese - Flipbook - Page 4
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Spotlight on Schools, Welcome to a Japanese World! 〜ようこそ日本語の世界へ!〜
Suggestions for activities
1. Books, Magazines and Newspapers
Students looked at authentic, Japanese books and newspaper texts, searching for grammar and vocabulary they
already knew, and experienced the joy of finding and understanding words they had learned in class.
These books are also helpful to explore what they would like to do, or where they would like to go should they visit
Japan.
Some students observed that the way to write and read sentences in Japanese books seemed strange because
usually, it’s written from top-down and read from right to left. When I heard such surprising observations, I realised
the value of being aware of the cultural differences between Japanese and Irish styles of writing presentation.
2. Japanese Game Box
The ‘karuta’ activity allowed the students to learn about Japanese cultural elements and at the same time to become
aware of certain sounds that they have difficulty pronouncing and that are difficult to hear. These observations are
important for students who will be learning Japanese in the future.
3. Calligraphy Items
Students enjoyed the calligraphy workshop. We prepared samples of kanji, but more than simply copying them,
students wanted to use kanji that they had learned or describe their names in kanji. Trying to use what they learned
and then write is an important process in language learning. At the time, the workshop was not only for cultural
experience, but also an extension of our regular lessons.
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