Sushi Conversations

Overview

This 60-minute lesson engages Year 7-9 students at Ōtaki College in simple conversational Japanese centred on talking about Superman. It uses clear, concrete language and lots of visuals to support students with significant learning difficulties. The lesson focuses on basic sentence patterns, repetition, and movement activities to help understanding. It also includes values of manaakitanga and whanaungatanga, supporting empathy and resilience, aligned with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh for Languages and literacy support.

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Learning Objectives

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

Language and Communication

• Use simple, polite Japanese sentences to talk about Superman, including greetings and short descriptions.
• Practice speaking and listening through repeated, clear phrases and role-play with support.

Cultural Understanding

• Recognise Superman as a character and talk about his qualities using simple Japanese.
• Understand and show respect and kindness (manaakitanga) in conversations and group work.

Literacy and Thinking

• Use simple sentence frames to speak and write about Superman.
• Work together kindly (whanaungatanga) and show empathy in group activities.

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Curriculum Alignment

Languages Learning Area:

• Level 4: Students express simple ideas using clear, repeated language and show understanding of cultural values.
• Achievement Objectives:
  • Use polite, simple language in familiar topics.
  • Participate in conversations with kindness and confidence.
• Key Competencies: Thinking; Using language, symbols and texts; Relating to others.
• Values: Manaakitanga, Whanaungatanga, Empathy, Resilience.

Literacy:

• Supports vocabulary and sentence structure development with clear, simple language and visual aids for Years 7-9.

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Resources

• Visual aids: Pictures of Superman, simple Japanese words with images
• Sentence frame worksheets with emoticons for feelings
• Role-play cards with simple conversation prompts
• Whiteboard and markers
• Name tags for grouping
• Movement cards for interactive activities

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Lesson Sequence (60 minutes)

1. Kaitiaki Whakawhanaungatanga Warm-up (10 mins)

Goal: Build connection and kindness (whanaungatanga and manaakitanga).

• Greet students with a simple Japanese phrase: こんにちは (Konnichiwa) – Hello.
• Show a big picture of Superman. Ask students to say their favourite thing about Superman using a simple sentence frame:
  "スーパーマンは ____ です。" ("Superman is ____.") 😊
• Teacher models listening carefully and smiling to show respect.
• Students use emoticons on worksheets to show how they feel about Superman.

2. Introduction to Simple Japanese Sentences (15 mins)

Goal: Learn easy polite phrases about Superman.

• Teach simple sentences:
  • こんにちは、スーパーマン。 (Konnichiwa, Suupaa-man.) – Hello, Superman.
  • スーパーマンはつよいです。 (Suupaa-man wa tsuyoi desu.) – Superman is strong.
• Show sentences with colour-coded words (subject, adjective, polite ending).
• Read sentences aloud together several times.
• Practice writing short sentences on worksheets with emoticons to show feelings.

3. Cultural Connection: Superman & Manaakitanga (10 mins)

Goal: Talk about kindness and respect using Superman as an example.

• Discuss simply how Superman helps people and is kind.
• Explain manaakitanga as caring for others, like Superman does.
• Compare with how we show kindness in our families (whanaungatanga).
• In pairs, students say or write one kind thing they can do for friends or family using sentence frames.

4. Role-Play with Movement (15 mins)

Goal: Practice simple conversations about Superman with actions.

• Students form small groups (3-4). Assign roles: Superman, friend, helper.
• Use role-play cards with simple phrases to say hello, say something nice about Superman, and ask a question.
• Include movement: stand up to greet, point to pictures, smile.
• Use emoticons on notes to show feelings during role-play.
• Teacher and peers give kind, clear feedback focusing on effort and respect.

5. Reflection and Shared Whakataukī (10 mins)

Goal: Review learning and values.

• Whole class shares one thing they liked about Superman and being kind.
• Introduce a simple Japanese whakataukī about kindness, e.g., "思いやりは力です" (Omoiyari wa chikara desu) – Kindness is strength.
• Students write or draw one sentence or picture about what they learnt, using emoticons on exit slips.
• End with a group bow and say ありがとう (Arigatou) – Thank you.

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Differentiation and Support

• Use lots of pictures and clear, simple words to support understanding.
• Sentence frames and emoticons help students express ideas and feelings.
• Pair and group work encourages friendship and support (whanaungatanga).
• Clear, step-by-step instructions with visual cues and movement breaks.
• Repetition and modelling support confidence and comprehension.

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This lesson builds simple formal communication skills, encourages kindness and respect, and supports literacy in a clear, engaging way for neurodiverse students, fully aligned with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh【NZ Curriculum Languages】【NZ Curriculum Values】.