Japanese

Learning a new language provides a means of communicating with people from another culture and exploring one’s own personal world.

Languages link people locally and globally. As they learn a language, students develop their understanding of the power of language. They discover new ways of learning, new ways of knowing, and more about their own capabilities. Learning a language provides students with the cognitive tools and strategies to learn further languages and to increase their understanding of their own language(s) and culture(s). 

Japanese in Year 7 and 8

In Years 7 and 8, students will have the opportunity to learn about aspects of Japanese culture such as festivals, school life and popular activities. The programme, which also introduces basic language skills, will be integrated into the Social Studies programme and is intended to provide students with a taste of the language and culture.

Japanese Year 9

The Year 9 Japanese programme is a once-a-week option that students can choose in addition to their regular timetable. As well as introducing cultural aspects of Japan, students will learn how to converse in Japanese about familiar topics including themselves, their family and where they live, their interests and things they like. Communicative learning tasks are designed to create authentic real-life contexts for speaking in Japanese to support students in developing their language ability. Individual learning tasks help students learn the vocabulary and the writing system, hiragana [ひら がな]. The programme is well supported by online learning applications.

Japanese Year 10

In Year 10 Japanese can be selected as one of the three option subjects. Students will learn how to converse in Japanese about familiar topics including themselves, their family and where they live, their daily activities and interests, as well as transport, shopping and school life. Beginning with the basics, learning tasks are designed to create authentic real-life contexts for communication in Japanese to support students in developing their communicative ability. In addition, individual learning tasks help students learn the vocabulary and the writing system, hiragana [ひらがな], katakana [カタカナ] and a few kanji [漢字].

Japanese Year 11

In year 11, students will extend their Japanese reading, writing, listening and speaking skills and explore new language to communicate about themselves and their community. With a focus on both written and spoken communication in Japanese, learners will cover aspects of daily life such as family relationships, hobbies and sports, and travelling in Japan. The course will cover up to 5 Achievement Standards (3 internal, a total of 14 credits, and 2 external, a total of 10 credits). Students can gain up to 24 credits at Level 1 NCEA.