JAPANESE
Over the past few weeks, Lucas Primary School students have settled back into the routine of our Japanese lessons.
Foundation students have been learning about Japanese culture. This has seen them learn about the Japanese flag, cherry blossoms and basic origami. Students have also learnt to say basic greetings, such as konnichiwa which means hello or good afternoon.
The Year 1 students have been learning the vocabulary for fruits and vegetables. So far students have learnt ichigo (strawberry), ringo (apple), orenji (orange) and makin (mandarin) . Students have practised their new learnings of fruits by playing a variety of games, including memory and guess my fruit. Throughout their Japanese lessons students have also been reinforcing their knowledge of basic instructions in Japanese.
The focus for the Year 2 students in Japanese has been animals. Students have been learning how to say the names of common animals including inu (dog) and neko (cat). Students have been practising their vocabulary by participating in a range of activities including games and oral language experiences. To extend their knowledge students have also been describing what animals they like and do not like in Japanese.
Year 4 students have been learning about sports and hobbies. Students have been learning the vocabulary for common sports including, basukettobōru (basketball) and Gorufu (golf). Students have been reinforcing the vocabulary of like and dislikes in Japanese by discussing what sports they like and don’t like.
Hiragana Club Update
This year, we are excited to see an increasing number of students attending Hiragana Club during Monday lunch times. The Hiragana Karate Belt program is designed for students who wish to strengthen their hiragana recognition and reading skills in a structured and motivating way.
The program supports students in making a smooth transition into Year 7 Japanese. Our highest level, Black Belt, reflects reading skills equivalent to the end of Year 7 standard.
Students who achieve Black Belt are recognised as “Masters.”
Our Masters play an important leadership role within the club — they support other students in working towards their next belt and assist Mrs. Mori with quiz assessments. Current Masters are James and Keziah (5/6C), Angad (5/6D), Skye and Emily (5/6F), James (5/6G), Niya, Leon and Elias (4A), Ishaan, Archie, Tate and Nihal(4B), Dominic and Yuven (4C), Joseph, Clara (4D). Many of our Masters have now begun learning Katakana as their next challenge.
A special congratulations to Leon in Year 4, who has already achieved Katakana Black Belt, an outstanding achievement! His reading ability is currently at an end-of-Year 8 level, and he continues to enthusiastically develop his Japanese language skills both in class and during lunch time club.
We are very proud of the dedication and enthusiasm shown by all students involved in Hiragana Club.
Leon is helping Yuven who is the Master of Hiragana as he tries to get his Orange Katakana Belt
Mrs. Mori is assessing a student who is trying for her Blue Belt.
Master Dominic is helping Mrs. Mori by assessing a student to get their Black Belt