Hiragana Writing Focus

Overview

Lesson 2 of the unit “Exploring Japanese Food Culture” focuses on learning and practising a small set of hiragana. Students use culturally appropriate language to write simple food-related words, building the foundation for later reading and speaking tasks in Japanese.

Learning intentions

WALT: Learn and practise basic hiragana characters so I can write simple words in Japanese using hiragana.

Success criteria

• I can identify and write 8–10 assigned hiragana characters accurately from memory and from a model.
• I can write simple Japanese words (e.g., food items) using correct hiragana order.
• I can apply consistent stroke order and spacing while writing.
• I can self-check using the hiragana model chart and correct mistakes.

Curriculum links

• ML4-CRT-01: create texts for familiar communicative purposes using culturally appropriate language (writing simple words for food culture contexts).
• MLLS-CRT-01: create texts using culturally appropriate modelled language (copy and then produce short word forms).
• MLLS-INT-01 / MLLS-UND-01: use and respond to short familiar language through class games, checks, and model-based understanding.
• Stage 4 (Year 7–8) focus: creating spoken, written and multimodal texts appropriate to purpose and audience.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Warm-up and goal setting. Teacher displays the day’s hiragana set on the board and says the goal in student-friendly terms; students repeat “WALT” and one success criterion.

2. 5–15 min · Model and guided practice (stroke focus). Teacher demonstrates stroke order for each character (slow then normal), pointing to a displayed model; students trace in the air, then in their books using pencil.

3. 15–25 min · Writing station 1 (character accuracy). Teacher circulates with a quick checklist (shape, direction, spacing); students complete a short grid: “write the character 3 times each”, using a printed hiragana chart at their desk.

4. 25–35 min · Writing station 2 (words for food culture). Teacher gives 2–3 simple Japanese word targets related to food culture (teacher-chosen from this unit’s word bank) and shows a model written in hiragana; students copy the models once, then write each word independently.

5. 35–45 min · Game: Hiragana Match and Race. Teacher forms pairs and provides cards (character-to-character and word-to-illustration); students race to match correctly, then read the matched word silently and check with the key.

6. 45–55 min · Quick formative check: Personal “Best Attempt”. Teacher selects 4 characters from the day and 1 word; students write their “best attempt” version in a mini whiteboard/notebook section, then self-check against the model chart.

7. 55–60 min · Exit ticket and closure. Students complete a 1-minute exit task: write any 3 target hiragana characters and one short word from the word bank; teacher collects or photos for review.

Resources

• Printed hiragana chart for each desk (with today’s characters highlighted)
• Character tracing worksheets (grid style, pencil-friendly)
• Word models in hiragana (teacher-prepared)
• Pairs game card set (character cards, word cards, optional food-picture cards)
• Mini whiteboards (optional) and markers or pencils
• Self-check model sheet (same characters, same word)
• Teacher checklist for quick formative assessment
• Dyslexia-friendly worksheets (larger spacing, minimal text, fewer items per page)

Assessment

• During writing stations: teacher checks character formation and spacing using a brief checklist.
• Game observation: teacher listens for correct matching and monitors common confusions (e.g., similar shapes).
• Exit ticket: students demonstrate immediate recall by writing 3 characters and 1 word using hiragana.

Differentiation

• Support for struggling students: provide the hiragana chart with a clear highlight of today’s characters; allow “copy then close support” (students copy once, then complete the rest from memory with the chart visible).
• Support for reading/dyslexia: offer a dyslexia-friendly option with larger character size, high-contrast print, and one character/word per line; allow students to use a visual model card rather than reading long instructions.
• Scaffold for organisation: provide sentence/word frames as boxes (each hiragana placed in its own box) to reduce spacing errors.
• Extension for advanced learners: add one additional character or require students to write two words (instead of one) and include a short “because I like…” phrase using modelled language from the unit word bank (teacher supplies the model for accuracy).
• Additional challenge option: students attempt writing one word from the game cards without copying the model first, then confirm using the key.