Learning in LOTE

LOTE is sharing the learning taking place in class...

It has been a fun beginning to the new year in the LOTE room. Students are learning more about Japan and its culture, including the national flag, geography and cultural sights.  They are also exploring greetings and making use of new language in classroom situations.

Prep students have started to learn the Japanese numbers to 10. Singing along with Jingle Jeff has been an enjoyable learning activity for them.  They also had an exciting time in Week 7, singing “Happy Birthday” to Panda and recording their own age in Kanji writing.  I was very impressed by how hard they all tried when tackling this tricky skill.

Some proud Preps sharing how old they are.

Year 1 and 2 students celebrated Cultural Diversity Week by exploring the theme “belonging”.  They discussed and shared ideas about what it means to belong and how it feels when you do.  Students also spoke about how we can make everyone feel like they belong at our school and how our differences make us special.  To show their individuality they designed and decorated a handprint.  These were showcased in a wall display intended to symbolise togetherness and to show that, although we may be different, we all belong.

Students decorated handprints to show their unique talents.

It has also been fantastic for our LOTE program to extend beyond the Junior School this year.  Year 5 and 6 students now have the option to select a Japanese elective each term.  This term, several students have enjoyed celebrating Japanese culture through festivals, such as Sakura Matsuri (Cherry Blossom Festival) and Tanabata (Star Festival), as well as traditions like hanging Teru Teru Bozu (rain dolls) to encourage sunny weather.

Students folded Sakura origami to mark the Cherry Blossom Festival.

Students made rain dolls to inspire good weather.

Students wrote Tanzaku paper wishes & created beautiful ornaments to celebrate the Star Festival.

Next term promises to be exciting, with an incursion planned for Year 1 and 2 students which will see them dancing up a storm, trying some martial arts and banging on the Taiko drums.  Later in the year, our Preps will be treated to an amazing theatre incursion where they will watch the story of Momotaro the Peach Boy unfold through puppetry and special effects.

Breadon Sensei