Hiragana Revision Challenge

Overview

Lesson 6 of 25 in Itadakimasu: Japanese Food Culture. Students revisit previously learned hiragana through recognition, reading, writing and collaborative games, then apply 10 characters in a short creative task. The lesson builds accuracy and confidence before students use hiragana in food-related texts.

Learning intentions

• WALT revise and practise reading and writing hiragana.
• WALT recognise hiragana characters when they are presented in different orders and contexts.
• WALT use appropriate language-learning strategies, including careful copying, recall and peer checking.
• WALT create a short text using familiar modelled hiragana.

Success criteria

• I can correctly write 10 hiragana characters.
• I can read aloud 10 hiragana characters and give their sounds.
• I can check my work and explain one strategy that helped me remember a character.
• I can use hiragana in a short comic strip or written message.

Curriculum links

• Understanding and responding to spoken, written and multimodal target-language texts.
• Applying knowledge of the Japanese writing system to interpret and respond to texts.
• Interacting with others in familiar contexts using culturally appropriate language, gesture and actions.
• Creating written and multimodal texts for familiar communicative purposes using culturally appropriate modelled language.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook and retrieval. Teacher opens with the hiragana mystery hook and displays 10 previously learned characters mixed with familiar food images or words. Students silently identify any characters they recognise, then compare answers with a partner using “I know…” or “I’m unsure about…”.

2. 5–13 min · Explicit revision. Teacher models the sound, stroke order and a useful visual memory cue for each of the 10 target characters, using the same character sequence on the character revision slides. Students air-write, trace with a finger on the desk, then write each character once while saying its sound quietly. Emphasise that hiragana is read from left to right in this activity and that neat, correctly ordered strokes matter.

3. 13–25 min · Flashcard recall game. Teacher places students in groups of three and provides teacher-made hiragana flashcards, including the 10 target characters; one student shows a card, one reads it, and one checks the answer against the displayed slide. Students rotate roles after every card and keep a personal record of characters they need to practise. Students who finish early shuffle the cards and challenge a partner to read them in a new order.

4. 25–40 min · Write, read and check. Teacher distributes the hiragana practice and checking worksheet and models the first item on the guided practice slides. Students complete three sections independently: match characters to sounds, write the 10 characters from memory, and read a short sequence aloud to a partner. Partners use the worksheet checklist to check character shape, stroke direction and sound, without taking over the writing. Teacher circulates, listens to individuals read, and gives immediate corrective feedback.

5. 40–53 min · Hiragana challenge stations. Teacher explains the three rotating tasks shown on the challenge station instructions: character-to-sound matching, “look-cover-write-check”, and a partner dictation in which one student says a sound and the other writes the matching hiragana. Groups spend four minutes at each task, recording their strongest five characters and one character requiring further practice. Students use gesture, repetition and peer discussion to negotiate meaning and support one another.

6. 53–60 min · Creative application and exit check. Teacher offers the extension challenge on the comic and exit slides and asks all students to complete a final individual check: write five dictated characters and read five displayed characters to the teacher or a partner. Students who are ready create a three-panel hiragana comic strip using at least 10 characters, adding simple drawings and modelled Japanese labels. Students finish by circling one character they can now recognise confidently and one they will practise next.

Resources

• One slide deck covering the hook, character modelling, activity instructions, prompts and plenary
• One dyslexia-friendly hiragana practice and checking worksheet
• Teacher-made hiragana flashcards for the 10 target characters
• Whiteboard and markers
• Student exercise books or lined paper
• Pencils, erasers and coloured pencils
• Timer
• Visual hiragana chart for teacher reference

Assessment

• During retrieval and flashcard work, listen for accurate character–sound recognition and note students who confuse similar shapes.
• Check the worksheet for correctly formed characters, accurate sound matching and evidence of self-correction; listen to partner reading.
• Use the final dictated and reading checks as an exit assessment. Record whether each student can correctly write and read 10 characters, and identify students requiring targeted revision in the next lesson.

Differentiation

• Support EAL learners with individual or paired flashcards, a visible hiragana chart, stroke-order arrows, tracing opportunities and repeated oral modelling. Permit students to rehearse sounds before reading aloud.
• Provide dyslexia-friendly options: clear sans-serif font, large uncluttered characters, generous spacing, one task at a time, reduced visual distractions and the option to use tinted paper or an overlay. Avoid requiring students to copy from crowded displays.
• Pair students strategically and assign rotating roles so learners can participate as reader, writer and checker. Provide a reduced set of five characters before progressing to all 10 where needed.
• Extension: students create a three-panel hiragana comic strip using at least 10 characters, with a beginning, middle and end. They may include familiar food vocabulary from the unit and read their comic to a partner.