Languages
Eatons Hill State School provides a Japanese program. Japanese is a compulsory subject for the students starting from Prep. We aim to provide students with an authentic language and cultural learning experience.
The Japanese program provides students with the opportunity to develop an understanding and appreciation of another culture, and the ability to communicate with members of that culture in both the written and spoken forms. We have the wonderful opportunity to practice this when we have students visit us from Midori City, Japan each year.
Our school is committed to providing students with a diverse language learning experience. Students are engaged in learning through the incorporation of digital technologies in their daily learning. They also enjoy participating in cultural arts and crafts activities such as: orgami, calligraphy, cultural songs and dances, dress-up in traditional dress, traditional food sampling and festival celebrations.
Units of work align with the Australian curriculum and are delivered by qualified Japanese teachers. A variety of assessments, including both formative and summative, are implemented in the process of students learning.
Japanese classroom
Student work is on display and the room is decorated vibrantly to create a culturally relevant learning environment. There are various artefacts and cultural items on display, providing students with an authentic experience of the Japanese culture.
Origami club
Students have the exciting opportunity to be part of the origami club which operates weekly at lunch time in the Japanese classroom. We have a number of students who regularly attend and love the opportunity to fold.
Japanese culture festival
During the Study Tour our school annually plays host to a large number of students and teachers from Midori City, Japan. Year 5 students participate in a Japanese cultural festival. This festival provides students with the opportunity to: celebrate culture, experience craft, Japanese art, tasting maccha (green tea) and other authentic foods, dressing up and much more. They enjoy practicing their Japanese skills and forming friendships with the wonderful students from Midori City. Many families also take the opportunity to provide homestays for our visitors.
Guest traditional performers
Every year we invite traditional Japanese performers to our school. We have had a variety of performers over the years such as the Taiko Drums, Flutes of Japan and native traditional artists. They are wonderful opportunities for students to participate in activities that cross curriculum boundaries and are highly energetic, visually exciting and engaging Japanese performances.
Obento time!
Year 6 classes study a Japanese food unit at the end of each year. Students have the exciting opportunity to taste an obento meal from a local Japanese restaurant. They also make and taste a variety of Japanese food in class.
What are we learning?
From Prep to Year 6 students are engaged in rich learning experiences that align with the Australian curriculum.
In the early years, emphasis is placed heavily on verbal communication. Students will learn: a few simple songs to reinforce counting, greetings, how to introduce and share information about themselves with the teacher and peers using simple language and gestures. As students progress through school they continue to consolidate what they have previously learned. Students explore topics including families, foods, Japanese celebration, a traditional tale and animals.
As the students move into middle primary they continue to consolidate their acquired vocabulary by learning to place keywords in a sentence. This includes the basic grammar structures of the Japanese Language. The students explore: subjects, games and sports, shopping, describing a place and cerebration, differences between Japanese and Australian table manners and food.
In the upper primary students continue to consolidate their Japanese language proficiency. At this level, students use digital resources to further practice their speaking and listening skills. They also learn adjectives to describe themselves, family members, pets and their daily routines and food.
Japanese is taught and practiced through a variety of activities in the classroom. These include:
• Singing songs
• Japanese traditional and modern dance
• Stories
• Language games
• Role-plays
• Research projects
• Class discussions
• Real-life language texts analysis
• Language competitions
• Making videos and digital books on their iPads
• Japanese Apps
• Corresponding with Midori City students