Languages - Japanese

To learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world.

LANGUAGE - JAPANESE (日本語)

Konnichi wa!

For those who missed the Term 1 edition, I will re-introduce the 2026 FGHS Japanese Language teachers. Mrs Sharon Waller, Mr Alan Tull and our Japanese Assistant, Mrs Yumi Pullman. If assistance is ever needed or a question needs to be asked, you can find Mrs Waller and Mr Tull in the Maths Staffroom (we both teach Maths too). Yumi sensei visits Year 7, Year 11, Year 12 and Support classes every Wednesday at FGHS. Yumi supports cultural studies in classes as well as facilitating small group speaking and listening activities for students to practise their acquired language.

Year 12 Japanese Beginners

Sydney Japan Foundation Excursion

In Week 2, students travelled by train to Sydney to participate in an immersive Japanese language workshop to plan their “Dream Trip to Japan”. All embraced the opportunity to put their acquired language skills into practice. After the workshop we visited the Japanese stores Daiso, Kinokuniya and Muji where they had the opportunity to peruse the shelves for manga (Japanese comics) to purchase and other Japanese products. The excursion complemented their unit of study on Travel and Tourism and provided an authentic stimulus for an HSC style writing task.

Year 12 students will sit their HSC Speaking examination on Saturday 29th August. Students recently participated in an online session with Japanese teaching staff from the Tanken Centre in Sydney to practise their speaking skills. The session simulated the HSC Speaking Examination in which students participate in a 5 minute conversation about their personal world (family, leisure, future aspirations etc).

This term, speaking practice sessions are held in D6:

Week A Wednesday 8:00am to 8:25am with Yumi sensei & Waller sensei
Week B Tuesday 8:00am to 8:25am with Waller sensei

All are encouraged to attend to build skills and confidence.

Stage 6 Cooking lesson

Year 11 and Year 12 Japanese Beginners students enjoyed making and eating onigiri, a popular rice snack in Japan. They opted to make tsunamayo (tuna and mayonnaise) onigiri and were lucky to have the expertise of Yumi sensei to demonstrate the method. Onigiri are now readily available in Australian supermarkets and if travelling in Japan, there are many varieties available at konbini (convenience stores). An economical way to keep up the energy levels while travelling.

Kodomo no hi (Children’s Day)

Children’s Day is celebrated each year on 5th May in Japan. This term, Year 7 students developed their intercultural understanding by engaging in literacy tasks about the festival and made origami kabuto (samurai helmets) and koinobori (carp kites).

Interacting in Japanese

A focus of the Year 7 Japanese programme at FGHS is developing skills to communicate effectively in familiar situations. Students are encouraged to use Japanese expressions in every lesson for making greetings and farewells, making polite requests and expressing gratitude. Now that the weather has cooled, classes have been visiting the Japanese Cultural Garden to engage in interactive activities where space is required and we don’t have to worry about making too much noise. In the photos, students are trying their skill in using the kendama, a Japanese toy, to practise their counting and expression of likes and dislikes.

Technology GO!!

Congratulations to the students who are consistently arriving to lessons with charged devices, ready for learning. It is important that devices are charged each evening so students have access to their Google Classroom and other language learning sites. If students are absent from a lesson, they are able to access the work on their class’ digital platform (Google classroom or One Note)