Traditional Japanese Dishes

Overview

In this lesson, students explore popular traditional Japanese dishes and practise interacting by sharing simple descriptions. This continues the unit “Exploring Japanese Food Culture” by building a wider range of familiar food topics they can discuss confidently.

Learning intentions

• WALT explore popular traditional Japanese dishes using culturally appropriate language.
• WALT discuss and describe dishes using key phrases for name, what it is, and simple features (e.g. ingredients/what it looks like).
• WALT respond to classmates’ ideas using gestures/actions and short spoken responses.

Success criteria

Students can:

• I can name at least three traditional Japanese dishes.
• I can describe each dish using at least one or two simple details (e.g. “It is served…”, “It has…”, “It looks…”).
• I can ask or respond to a question or comment about a dish (e.g. “Do you like it?” / “Yes, I do.”).

Curriculum links

• MLLS-INT-01 — communicating with others in familiar contexts using gesture, actions, and/or culturally appropriate language.
• ML4-UND-01 and MLLS-UND-01 — interpreting and responding to spoken, written and multimodal texts to show understanding.
• ML4-INT-01 — exchanging information and opinions in familiar contexts using culturally appropriate language.
• ML4-CRT-01 — creating short spoken or multimodal descriptions for a communicative purpose.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Starter: Dish Guessing. Teacher shows 3–4 picture cards (no text) and models a neutral prompt (“What do you think it is?”). Students point to a picture, then tell a partner one guess using one sentence stem (e.g. “I think it is …”).

2. 5–15 min · Warm-up mini-model. Teacher briefly introduces 4 dishes using pictorial aids and gestures, modelling key description frames in Japanese (or target-class language level-appropriate forms), e.g. “X is … / It has … / People eat it …” using short, rehearsed phrases. Students complete a quick “echo and point” drill: teacher says dish name + one detail; students repeat and hold up the matching card.

3. 15–30 min · Food group presentations. Teacher forms 5–6 groups and gives each group a “dish pack” (pictorial aid + cue sheet with 2–3 target description prompts and an “interaction line” such as “Do you like it?”). Students prepare a 1-minute presentation per group: each student shares one role—dish name, one description detail, or a question/response. Teacher circulates to support pronunciation and accuracy.

4. 30–45 min · Pictorial aid gallery: Talk + tick. Teacher places posters/picture cards around the room with a small response task. Students rotate in pairs, for each dish: speak the dish name and one detail, then tick a response on a simple class sheet (e.g. “I heard: name / detail”). They must also add one short opinion sentence (e.g. “I like it.” / “I don’t like it.”) or a gesture-supported response.

5. 45–55 min · Whole-class recap: “Three dishes.” Teacher draws a 3-column board (“Dish / Detail / Opinion”) and prompts volunteers to complete it from memory. Students write or say: three dishes + one detail for each, then share with a partner.

6. 55–60 min · Exit ticket: Describe quickly. Teacher shows a final picture and asks for a rapid response. Students complete: “It is ___. It has/It is served ___.” with a choice of sentence starters.

Resources

• Picture cards for 4–6 traditional Japanese dishes
• Group “dish packs” (pictorial cue + 2–3 description prompts + interaction line)
• Cue sheets with sentence starters and word banks (dishes + verbs like “is/has/served” as level-appropriate)
• Gallery response sheets with simple tick boxes
• Board markers/whiteboard
• Timer for group presentations
• Optional: coloured sticky notes for opinions (“like / don’t like”)

Assessment

• Teacher observation during group presentations (dish name + at least one detail; participation in a brief exchange).
• Formative check during gallery rotation using tick sheets (“heard dish name” and “heard detail”).
• Exit ticket to confirm each student can describe at least one dish using a frame (and to track who needs more support to reach three dishes by lesson end).

Differentiation

• Sentence starters and cue sheets for all students; provide “choose-a-line” options to reduce writing load.
• Dyslexia-friendly reading supports: print cue cards with large fonts (minimum 14–16 pt), high contrast colours, short lines only, and a teacher-read option (students listen first, then speak).
• Scaffold for emerging learners: allow gesture-supported responses (point, act “warm/hot/served”, mime eating) and limit required language to dish name + one detail.
• Extension for advanced learners: add a comparison line (e.g. “X is different from Y because …”) or add an extra detail (ingredient/texture/when people eat it) using an additional cue.

Extension (for advanced learners)

• Challenge: create a 3-sentence “mini description” for one dish and include one intercultural remark (e.g. how it is commonly served or enjoyed), then present it to the class using only the cue cards.