Ofsted Outstanding

Japanese

Key Documents

  1. Japanese Curriculum Overview

What will students be learning in Japanese this year?

We will be following the syllabus of the Pearson examination board. There are 6 broad topic areas and divided into two: Media, Travel, Culture and Sports, Leisure, Work. We will be consolidating and building on all the language students covered in Year 8 and Y9.  Assessment takes the form of listening and reading comprehension, speaking and writing at intervals.   Students will learn more about the language, both grammar and vocabulary and about Japanese and Japanese culture. Video clips, film, music, and computer resources help to bring the language to life.

Expectations of students in Japanese

There are 2 one hour lessons a week and one homework per week. Homework may be reading comprehension, vocabulary or grammar learning, grammar practice, writing, or preparing for an assessment. It is important for students to see learning homework as important as steadily building up their vocabulary and grammatical knowledge is critical to their success as language learners.  To get the most from the course, students are expected to take an active part in lessons, especially in speaking Japanese at every opportunity.  Written work is marked using the department's marking codes adopted for Japanese, which enable students to work out for themselves how to improve their work, thus helping them to learn more effectively. They are expected to redraft marked work and will usually have the opportunity to do this and ask questions in lesson time.  There are sample written works for C and A/A* grades  by topic found in the GCSE Japanese Moodle.

What are the major assessments this year?

There will be formal assessments roughly termly. It could be an oral  presentation, written presentation, or writing piece.  Ongoing vocabulary and grammar tests assess the extent to which students have assimilated the new language. The students take a mock exam in November which will help to get used to the exam styles and know where they stand.  The end of year exam ahead of GCSE exam will be again based on old exam papers and should be really good practice prior to the GCSE exam.  The speaking part of exam takes place at the beginning of May and the rest of the papers take place normally in early June.  The students are notified the dates well in advance.

What will the current performance grade be based on and what does it mean?

The current performance grade will be in the range A-E, reflecting the current GCSE grading.  A target minimum grade for each student will be determined at the start of the Autumn Term. They will have the opportunity to review their progress at termly intervals in consultation with their teacher and to set personal targets.

What should my daughter do if she feels she is struggling in the subject?

It is important for students to let their teacher know of any concerns promptly, so that support and advice can be offered, before she starts to fall behind. Finding something challenging at first does not mean that one cannot do it: indeed it is often in overcoming problems that we learn most!

How can I support my daughter in Y 10?

It is by no means essential to know any Japanese in order to support your daughter effectively. Simply by taking an interest, asking her to show you her work and explain it, and motivating her, you can make an enormous difference to how she feels about the subject. You can also encourage her to do her best in her GCSE. Please support your daughter’s efforts to use her own language in her written and oral work rather than relying on Google translate. Electronic translation tools often give strange translations and lead to errors which effective use of a good dictionary (on-line or paper) can avoid. 

What kind of independent work should my daughter be completing?

It is a good idea for her to review her lesson notes and the relevant resources as soon as possible after the lesson, to help it sink in. There are a range of recommended websites including

www.japanese4schools.co.uk

http://www.japanesegrammar.com.au/

which she can use for extra tutorials.  We also encourage students to take part in the Japanese trip which takes place bi-annually, which is both educational and enjoyable.

Whom can I contact for further advice and information?

You can contact the Office Team and they will be pleased to follow up any queries: office@newsteadwood.co.uk

 

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