We have just published new resources for Stage 5 Japanese, through which students develop the language skills and understanding for travelling in Japan – places of interest, travel etiquette, accommodation, travelling around and making comparisons to recommend best options.

You will find a sample unit of work (with embedded resources - both online and to print/share electronically), a sample assessment task (with marking guidelines) and an updated scope and sequence.

The resource set can be accessed from the Japanese Stages 4 and 5 section of our website, under the heading 'Stage 5 - Japanese'.

Our talented Tanken Centre team has just released their third activity pack to support teachers of Japanese – Japan!

This activity package introduces students to the culture of Japan through a series of stunning images, as a short video with interactive worksheet. It may be used as a stand-alone activity at the start of a course or embedded into existing units of work.

You can download the resource, with all relevant links, from the Stages 4 and 5 Japanese section of our website – scroll to the bottom of the page. You'll also find the Tanken Centre's other activity packs there too – 'Japanese house' and 'Making onigiri'.

The Tanken Centre has created a video with highlights of Japan, including:
- what Japan is known for
- famous sites
- food in Japan.

The Tanken Centre team is also working on an accompanying activity package in the near future, however we wanted to release the video quickly for subject selection or just as a beautiful classroom resource.

You can view the resource below, or download it from https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BfMTUEwoUqeBbjeXTbJ1BAPkC83dNsfc/view?usp=sharing

In response to teacher feedback, we have updated our sample speaking questions for Japanese Continuers. The questions we originally published were adapted from the old HSC Online site, and feedback indicated that the types of questions asked during the oral examination have changed since HSC Online was first published.

​You can access the updated questions from our Stage 6 Japanese Continuers page.

Mieko and Taka from the Tanken Centre have created videos of HSC speaking sample questions for Year 12 Japanese Beginners and Continuers courses. They have also created lists of sample questions. Please share these resources with your students to assist them with practising their speaking skills.

Continuers – personal world, education
Continuers – daily life, health
Continuers – leisure
Continuers – future plans, miscellaneous
Beginners – family, neighbourhood, education
Beginners – friends, holidays
 
Continuers sample questions
Beginners sample questions

Mieko and Taka from the Tanken Centre have created this video to support practice for the HSC oral examinations in Japanese for Year 12 Continuers. It includes a range of sample questions and answers in random order. Please note, this video is not the mock HSC oral exam. Please share it with your students.

Hiragana Times is a monthly magazine written especially for Japanese language learners. The articles focus on current affairs or trends in Japanese contemporary culture. Learners are supported with the inclusion of furigana text and an in-line English translation, both of which can be covered with a red acrylic sheet to show the article in its original format.

As well as a source of cultural information, Hiragana Times can be used to improve reading skills through a range of articles.

All subscriptions for 2018 need to be submitted by 10 December 2017.

Details can be accessed from the subscription form.

For further information, contact Jillian Symons by email customerservice@intextbook.com.au

Manten resources (producer of Jblog textbooks) have a new website at http://www.mantenresources.com.au/

There are some useful free downloads on the site including PDFs on “How can I help my child learn a language?”, “Why is my child learning Japanese?” and “Is it too hard to learn a scripted language?”. These are all available on the parent tab. The teachers tab has other information including the free version of the bilingual Amazing Race for use with Japanese visitors.

A reminder to all Japanese language teachers to subscribe to Click Nippon to get updates on new articles and to receive the email newsletter. 

By accessing the site and clicking on the options in the menu on the right-hand side of the screen, you can find ideas posted by other Japanese teachers on how they use the content of Click Nippon in their classroom, and access archived articles.

To subscribe, scroll down the home page and click on the RSS feed icon in the right-hand menu.