Rationale:

Learning languages provides the opportunity for students to engage with the linguistic and cultural diversity of the world and its peoples. Students broaden their horizons in relation to personal, social, cultural and employment opportunities in an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world. Proficiency in languages provides a national resource that serves communities within Australia and enables the nation to engage more effectively with the global community.

Contemporary research and practice have established a clear link between the learning of languages and improved literacy skills for both background speakers and second or additional language learners. Through the development of communicative skills in a language and understanding of how language works as a system, students further develop literacy in English, through close attention to detail, accuracy, logic and critical reasoning. Learning languages exercises students’ intellectual curiosity, increases metalinguistic awareness, strengthens intellectual, analytical and reflective capabilities, and enhances creative and critical thinking.

Japanese is the official language of Japan, one of Australia’s northern neighbours in the Asia region. There are also large Japanese-speaking communities in Hawaii, Peru and Brazil. Australia has a significant number of Japanese national residents, particularly in the major cities on the eastern seaboard. Japan has been a close strategic and economic partner of Australia for more than 50 years, and there is ongoing exchange between the two countries in the areas of education, trade, diplomacy and tourism.

The study of Japanese provides access to the language and culture of one of the global community’s most technologically advanced societies and economies. Students engage with elements of modern Japan, including popular culture such as anime, manga, music and fashion, as well as with the rich cultural tradition of this part of Asia. Students develop an appreciation for the place of Australia within the Asia region, including the interconnections of languages and cultures, peoples and communities, histories and economies.

The ability to communicate in Japanese provides incentives for travel and for more meaningful interactions with speakers of Japanese, encouraging sociocultural understanding between Australia and Japan, and cohesion within the Australian community. It also provides opportunities for students to gain insights into the contributions that have been made by Japanese-speaking communities to Australian society and to the global community. For background speakers, this valuable learning experience is further enhanced by the opportunity to maintain and develop their Japanese language skills and understanding of their cultural heritage.

The rich linguistic and cultural diversity of New South Wales, to which Japanese-speaking communities contribute significantly, provides an educational environment where the study of languages and cultures is valued as a unique and integral part of the K–10 curriculum.

Through learning languages, students develop an intercultural capability and an understanding of the role of language and culture in communication, and become more accepting of difference and diversity. They develop understanding of global citizenship, and reflect on their own heritage, values, culture and identity.

The study of Japanese in Kindergarten to Year 10 may be the basis for further study of one of the differentiated Japanese syllabuses available for study in Stage 6, and for future employment, within Australia and internationally, in areas such as commerce, tourism, entertainment, hospitality, education, sport, visual arts, performing arts and international relations.

Aim:

The study of Japanese in K–10 enables students to communicate with others in Japanese, and to reflect on and understand the nature and role of language and culture in their own lives and the lives of others.

Objectives:

Knowledge, Understanding and skills

Communicating strand

Students use language for communicative purposes by:

• interacting – exchanging information, ideas and opinions, and socialising, planning and negotiating

• accessing and responding – obtaining, processing and responding to information through a range of spoken, written, digital and/or multimodal texts

• composing – creating spoken, written, bilingual, digital and/or multimodal texts.

Understanding strand

Students analyse and understand language and culture by:

• systems of language – understanding the language system including sound, writing, grammar and text structure; and how language changes over time and place

• the role of language and culture – understanding and reflecting on the role of language and culture in the exchange of meaning, and considering how interaction shapes communication and identity.

Values and Attitudes

Students:

• develop an interest in and enjoyment of language learning

• appreciate and value their own heritage, culture and identity

• appreciate and respect the culture, beliefs and values of others through language learning.

Content:

By the end of Stage 5, students manipulate Japanese in sustained interactions with others to exchange information, ideas and opinions. They participate in a range of collaborative tasks, activities and experiences that involve making plans, negotiating and solving problems. They identify and interpret information from a range of written, spoken, visual or multimodal texts, and evaluate and respond in English or Japanese to information, opinions and ideas, using a range of formats for specific contexts, purposes and audiences. They compose informative and imaginative texts to express ideas, attitudes and values, experimenting with linguistic patterns and structures, and using different formats for a variety of contexts, purposes and audiences. They create a range of bilingual texts and resources for the school and wider community.

Students apply pronunciation, intonation and phrasing patterns of spoken Japanese, recognising that most kanji have more than one reading and that pronunciation changes according to kanji compounds. They write texts comprising hiragana, katakana and familiar kanji, using knowledge of familiar kanji to predict the meaning of new vocabulary. They understand the systematic nature of Japanese grammatical forms, and use elements of grammar to express complex ideas. They analyse the effects of linguistic and structural features in texts, explaining their interrelationship with context, purpose and audience. They examine the impact of factors such as media, technology, globalisation and popular culture on Japanese.

Students explain how and why language use varies according to social and cultural contexts, relationships between participants and textual purpose. They understand that language, culture and communication are interrelated and shaped by each other. They reflect on their intercultural experiences, recognising how cultural identity influences ways of communicating, thinking and behaving.