Describing with Adjectives

Unit Context

• Unit: Exploring My Japanese World
• Lesson: 8 of 16
• Duration: 50 minutes
• Class size: 20 students
• Focus: Introduce and practise Japanese adjectives to describe physical appearance and personality.

NSW Curriculum Reference

• Stage 5 Languages (Years 9-10) - Japanese (continues in Year 11 language learning)
• Content focus on: Describing people, daily interactions, and personal identity using appropriate vocabulary and grammatical structures.
• Relevant Learning Outcome:
  • Communicate personal and social information, ideas and opinions through participation in structured interaction
  • Select and use vocabulary, sentence structures and expressions related to self and others
  • Understand and use simple grammatical structures, including adjectives to describe physical and personality traits
  • Reflect on language use in different contexts and cultural experiences

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

1. Identify and understand common Japanese adjectives describing physical appearance and personality.
2. Use adjectives in simple sentences to describe themselves and others (e.g., 姉はせが高くてやせています。).
3. Apply adjective conjugations and connectives (て-form) in descriptive contexts.
4. Listen and respond to descriptive sentences showing understanding of meaning.
5. Reflect on how descriptive language reveals cultural values in Japanese communication.

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Lesson Breakdown

1. Warm-up & Introduction (5 minutes)

• Teacher greets students in Japanese: こんにちは！(Konnichiwa!)
• Briefly revise prior vocabulary from the unit related to introductions and family.
• Introduce today’s goal: Learning adjectives to describe people’s physical appearance and personality.
• Display learning objectives on the board.

2. Presentation: Adjectives Overview (10 minutes)

• Explain the difference between い-adjectives (e.g., 高い, やせている) and な-adjectives (if applicable, e.g., しずか, きれい).
• Show example sentence:
  姉はせが高かくてやせています。
• Break down the sentence structure:
  • 姉 (older sister)
  • せが高い = tall stature (せが = height, 高い = tall)
  • やせています = is thin (やせている form of "to be thin")
  • Connective て form (高かくて) connects two adjectives.
• Use visuals/images representing different physical appearances (tall, short, thin, heavy, etc.) and personality traits (kind, funny, quiet).

3. Guided Practice (15 minutes)

• Distribute worksheet with adjectives and pictures.
• Students match adjectives with images (oral and written).
• Whole class repeats pronunciation chorally.
• Use pair work: Students ask and answer "Describe your older sibling or someone you know" using the adjectives and example sentence structure.
• Monitor and provide feedback on pronunciation and sentence formation.

4. Interactive Activity: "Adjective Bingo" (10 minutes)

• Each student receives a bingo card with adjectives written in Japanese and pictures.
• Teacher calls out adjectives in Japanese (speaking out meaning and example sentence).
• Students mark the cards; first to get a line says a sentence using an adjective to describe a person they know.
• Encourages spontaneous sentence creation incorporating て-form for multiple adjectives.

5. Listening and Responding (5 minutes)

• Teacher reads simple descriptions aloud:
  • たろうさんはせが高くて、やさしいです。
  • さくらさんはあたまがよくて、しずかです。
• Students raise hands or hold up cards to show they understand the meaning (e.g., tall and kind / smart and quiet).

6. Conclusion and Homework (5 minutes)

• Recap main points: using adjectives to describe physical appearance and personality, connecting adjectives with て form.
• Ask a few students to volunteer a descriptive sentence about a family member or friend.
• Homework task: Write five sentences describing people in their family or friends using new adjectives and the sentence structure learned.
• Invite students to find a Japanese anime or manga character description online or in media as an extension.

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Materials Required

• Whiteboard and markers
• Projector or printed images illustrating adjectives
• Adjective bingo cards (pre-made)
• Worksheets matching adjectives and pictures
• Handouts with example sentences and connective て-form grammar notes

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Assessment

• Formative: Monitor pair conversations, bingo participation, and listening responses.
• Summative: Homework sentences evaluated for correct adjective usage, conjugation and sentence formation.
• Success criteria:
  • Correct pronunciation of adjectives
  • Use of て-form to link adjectives
  • Accurate descriptions matching the NSW stage 5 standards for personal descriptions in Japanese

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Teacher Reflection & Tips

• Scaffold learning by revising adjective types before this lesson if students struggle.
• Incorporate multimedia like video clips of character descriptions to motivate learners.
• Emphasise cultural notes on polite descriptions in Japan (avoiding negative adjectives).
• Encourage students to personalise descriptions for engagement.

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This lesson plan integrates the NSW Curriculum standards for Japanese language learning at the secondary level, focuses precisely on adjectives for physical and personality descriptions, aligns with unit progression, and accommodates age-appropriate interaction for Year 11 learners. It balances input, practice, interaction and reflection within 50 minutes, enabling comprehensive understanding and application.