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Japanese 2P

Course Description

Students who successfully complete this course will develop their Japanese proficiencies to the Novice High to Intermediate Low range according to the ACTFL* Proficiency Guidelines. Students will also show proficiency in the "five C's" denoted in ACTFLs Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities. By the end of Japanese 2, students will show complete proficiency in the katakana syllabary. Students will also show proficiency in reading/writing/pronouncing approximately 200 kanji characters (100 new + 100 from Japanese 1). They will be able to speak, read, and write somewhat sophisticated sentences about a variety of familiar and general topics.

*American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages

Mode of Communication

Interpersonal Communication, Novice High:
I can talk about basic personal information, basic objects, and a limited number of activities, preferences, and immediate needs. I can respond to simple, direct questions or requests for information. I can also ask a few formulaic questions.

Interpersonal Communication, Intermediate Low:
I can participate in conversations on a number of familiar topics using simple sentences. I can handle short social interactions in everyday situations by asking and answering simple questions.

Presentational Speaking, Novice High:
I can present information by relying heavily on learned phrases or recombinations of these. I rely on short and sometimes incomplete sentences in the present.

Presentational Speaking, Intermediate Low:
I can present information on most familiar topics using a series of simple sentences.

Presentational Writing, Intermediate Low:
I can write lists, short messages, postcards, and simple notes. I rely mainly on practiced material. My writing is focused on common elements of daily life. I can recombine learned vocabulary and structures to create simple sentences on very familiar topics.

Presentational Writing, Intermediate Low:
I can write briefly about most familiar topics and present information using a series of simple sentences.

Interpretive Listening, Novice High:
I can often, but not always, understand information from sentence-length speech, one utterance at a time. I can understand speech dealing with areas of practical need such as highly standardized messages, phrases, or instructions, with familiar vocabulary.

Interpretive Listening, Intermediate Low:
I can understand the main idea in short, simple messages and presentations on familiar topics. I can understand the main idea of simple conversations that I overhear.

Interpretive Reading, Novice High:
I can understand key words and cognates, as well as formulaic phrases when the topic is familiar. I can understand predictable language and messages such as those found on train schedules, roadmaps, and street signs.

Interpretive Reading, Intermediate Low:
I can understand the main idea of short and simple texts when the topic is familiar.

Major Units

Each unit includes cultural elements relevant to the unit.

Semester 1:
1. "Friendship” (types of friends, qualities of a good friend, activities with friends)
2. "Childhood Days” (past experiences, children’s literature, writing stories)
3. "Dining Out” (typical Japanese dishes, menus, ordering, making requests)
4. "New Year's Traditions" (cultural research; New Year's foods)

Semester 2:
5. "Let’s Travel” (travel, time tables, travel brochures, reservations, hotels)
6. "Fashion Show” (clothing, colors, “to wear” verb, linked adjectives, description)
7. "History Speaks” (watch and analyze movie “Kaze Tachinu”; historic periods)
8. "Crazy Weather” (weather, climate, and natural disasters)

Major Grammar Concepts for the Year

  • Master Katakana syllabary and 100+ new kanji
  • Master linked adjetives and verbs (te-forms), past and non-past
  • More verb conjugations: progressive, plain past forms (aff./neg.), etc.
  • Positionals + Verbs of existence
  • Comparatives (______) and Superlatives
  • Expressing past experiences

Kanji: Master approximately 100 new kanji from the AP Kanji list.

Grading

Grading categories and percentage breakdowns for the course are as follows: Interpersonal 2-way Communication such as conversations and text chats (15%), Presentational 1-way Output such as speeches and writing (15%), Interpretive 1-way Input such as listening and reading (15%), Tests and Quizzes (25%), Final Exam (20%), Homework / Classwork (10%).