Let's Speak Together

Overview

This 30-minute lesson is designed for Year 1 students in Australian schools, focusing on the "Languages" subject area. The content aligns with the Australian Curriculum: Languages – Foundation to Year 2 level and supports the development of Communicating and Understanding as key strands.

Specifically, this lesson introduces basic greetings, expressions of feelings, and simple conversational phrases in Japanese, an increasingly popular second language in Australian primary schools. The goal is to build interest, cultural awareness, and foundational skills for interpersonal communication.

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Lesson Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will:

1. Use and understand basic greetings in Japanese (e.g., "こんにちは" – Konnichiwa, "さようなら" – Sayōnara).
2. Express their feelings using simple phrases (e.g., "げんきです" – Genki desu, meaning "I’m well").
3. Practise introducing themselves using "わたしの なまえは [Name] です" (Watashi no namae wa [Name] desu – "My name is [Name].").
4. Foster curiosity about Japanese culture through verbal and non-verbal communication.

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Australian Curriculum Links

Curriculum Area: Languages
Language: Japanese
Year Level: Foundation to Year 2
Strands:

• Communicating: Interacting using learnt language forms.
• Understanding: Recognising and experimenting with behaviours and sounds of Japanese.

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

Hook: A Special Hello!

• Greet the students by bowing and saying "こんにちは, みなさん (Konnichiwa, minasan)!" (Hello, everyone!). Encourage them to mimic your bow and greeting.
• Briefly explain to students that they will be learning how to say hello, goodbye, and talk about how they feel in Japanese.
• Show a small Japanese flag or a picture of Japanese children bowing to set the cultural context.

Key Question: "How do you greet people in English? Let’s learn how children greet each other in Japan!"

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2. Main Activity (20 minutes)

Step 1: Greetings (5 minutes)

1. Teach a few key greetings using repetition and actions (e.g., bowing, waving goodbye):
   • "こんにちは (Konnichiwa)" – Hello
   • "さようなら (Sayōnara)" – Goodbye
2. Model these greetings with a student volunteer.
3. Encourage all students to practise saying and acting out these greetings in pairs, switching roles after each turn.

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Step 2: Expressing Feelings (5 minutes)

1. Hold up emoji cards (happy, tired, sad, etc.) and say:
   • "げんきです (Genki desu)" – I’m well/happy! (Happy face)
   • "つかれています (Tsukareteimasu)" – I’m tired. (Sleepy face)
2. Students repeat as a group, mimicking facial expressions for each feeling.
3. Play a quick game: Hold up an emoji, and students have to shout back the correct Japanese phrase.

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Step 3: Self-Introductions (10 minutes)

1. Explain the sentence structure:
   • "わたしの なまえは [Name] です (Watashi no namae wa [Name] desu)" – My name is [Name].
2. Break this into chunks, modelling pronunciation and asking students to repeat.
3. Create a “Friendship Circle”:
   • Sit the class in a circle. One student says “こんにちは, わたしの なまえは [Name] です” to the person next to them.
   • That person responds and then repeats the introduction to the next student.
   • Continue around the circle until all students have practised introducing themselves.

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3. Conclusion (5 minutes)

Reflection and Fun Review Game

• Stand students up and play "Guess the Greeting":
  • Teacher says a word in Japanese (e.g., "さようなら"), and students act it out (e.g., waving goodbye). Include greetings and emotions.
• End with everyone saying "さようなら!" (Goodbye) as they mimic the bow one last time.

Optional Challenge: Ask students to practise introducing themselves to family members at home using the phrase "わたしの なまえは [Name] です."

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Assessment

• Formative: Observe students' pronunciation and confidence during pair work and the Friendship Circle.
• Informal: Note students’ engagement with the quick games and facial expression match-up.

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Resources

• Picture cards with emoji faces for emotions.
• Cue cards or whiteboard with key vocabulary and pronunciation guides.
• Japanese flag or visual aids to provide cultural context.

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Differentiation

• For advanced students: Encourage them to combine greetings, feelings, and introductions in a single sentence (e.g., "こんにちは, わたしの なまえは [Name] です, げんきです!" – Hello, my name is [Name], I’m well!).
• For students needing support: Provide visual aids, repeated modelling, and 1:1 assistance during pair work to ensure confidence with new words and phrases.

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Extension Opportunity

In future lessons, expand vocabulary to include numbers or colours in Japanese. Introduce cultural elements such as learning to count in Japanese while making origami or singing a traditional song.