Curriculum:
Essential Questions for Japanese

Japanese I: How do we name things in a different language? Who are the Japanese? Who are my neighbors? How would my life be different if I lived in Japan?

See a sample curricular unit for this level

Getting to know ourselves and others
- Everyday greetings. Meeting others and introducing yourself. Addressing others appropriately - Classroom items and expressions
- Personal information
- Introducing friends
- Making a phone call

The Japanese writing system
- Introduction and how it differs from English
- The relationship between the sounds of Japanese and Hiragana
- Katakana, similarities and differences from Hiragana
- The kanji, where the characters come from, usage, stroke order
- Kanji lesson for Chapter One

Numbers and time
- Numbers up to 20, Numbers from 21 to 10,000
- Asking and giving telephone numbers
- Asking and telling time
- Counters

Location
- Asking where something is around campus, Japanese universities and colleges
- Cities and neighborhoods
- What buildings and places can I find around town?
- How do I show a location on a map?
- How do I ask where things are?

Talking about daily activities
- Everyday life. Weekly schedules. Weekends and holidays
- Talking about future activities and events
- Talking about events in the past

Weather

How do I express my likes and dislikes?

Introduction to Japanese Foods

Curricular Units

Japan's Writing System
Getting to Know Each Other
Location
Time and Numbers
Weather
Likes and Dislikes
Daily Activities
Japan's Excursions into China