Unit 1

QUESTIONING

Questioning who I am as a language user and beyond

Unit 1 Questioning

Unit 1 explores who students are currently as individuals and language users, as well as what they want to be in the future

Choose a cultural artifact related to dreaming.

Students will compare and contrast the use of dreamcatchers with the cultural artifact

Student will design their own dreamcatcher or one modeled after the cultural artifact or one from their family culture that is meaningful to them.

Check out the KCAI Unit & Resources below!

Downloadable Template

Unit 1 Questioning Template

KCAI Sample & Adaption Suggestions

KCAI Unit 1

Possible selves Lesson 1 Updated

EXPLORE:

Cultural Artifact: Baku the Nightmare Eater
Kanji Micro-skills: Four characters from the song ピンクの獏: 目eye 見 to see 獏 baku 夢 dream
Linguistic Awareness: Two kinds of adjectives in Japanese
Linguistic Skill: Students develop online dictionary (Jisho.org) skills to look up new words from the song in Japanese and L1 adjectives they want to express in Japanese.

Language Substitution: Activate your students to think about their own dreams and goals. Is there a similar talisman or folklore remedy for bad dreams in the cultures of the language you teach? Is there a song or simple story connected to this cultural artifact you can use for language connection? What can you pull from these authentic materials to begin introducing your students?

CREATE:

Discovery: Students compare the use of Baku to Dreamcatchers in English
Apply: Students design a dreamcatcher and label it with new Japanese vocabulary, information and images about Baku, and other words and phrases they choose in their L1, Japanese or other L2 they know.

Language Substitution: Have your students compare dreamcatchers to the cultural artifact for dreams. Then create a dreamcatcher or something similar to the cultural artifact introduced using words from the lesson to label the parts of the talisman.

REFLECT:

Message: Personal message from the instructor

Language Substitution: Write a message that suits your student demographics and language.

Reflection: Students reflect in English on who they currently are as users of the language and individuals preparing for a career

Student Demographic Substitution: depending upon the age (middle school and younger) or their intended major (high school and up) you can adjust the focus as necessary. Substitute "Professional Artist" for "worker" or "entrepreneur" or "Student." The more diverse your student population the more general your description will need to be.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

These links are for more Baku resources. Most are in Japanese, some in English

Add links to more information about the cultural artifact you selected. Share those sites in the L2 that are image and video rich. Include at least one in the L1 for diversification.