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Description of the Levels

In all levels, classes are conducted partially in Japanese to expand students’ receptive and productive skills as well as the cultural knowledge necessary to communicate with and understand native speakers and writers of Japanese. Students practice three communicative modes; Interpretive and Interpersonal, and Presentational, to reflect the masteries of the California World Language Standards.  

Japanese 1: Students will read and write hiragana, katakana and some kanji, as well as speak and understand Japanese at a beginning level,  using sentences, learned words and phrases, in addition to simple questions and answers in speaking and writing.  Students will not only understand simple ideas and familiar details in clear, paced, uncomplicated speech, but also read and understand simple texts, enhanced by visual clues and to write complete sentences, using correct spelling and grammar. 

Japanese 2:  Students continue to learn the basic Japanese culture, conversations, short articles, as well as kanji, with new grammar  in order to complete tasks. Students will be working in class, independently, in pairs and groups, using applications such as Google Suite, and Padlet, among other things.  Students will be able to use the formulaic language to negotiate in communication.

Japanese 3:  Students continue the learning of culture, conversation, short articles as well as more complex kanji and the combinations of the characters, with new grammar.  Students should be at ease using new and previously introduced formulaic language at ease.  More projects where you can showcase your learning in the past years.

Japanese 4:  Students start to culminate high school level of the grammar, coupled with extended conversations and reading articles.  Students use authentic articles to deepen their learning. Students can also switch codes depending on the context and environment.  Speaking with friends in a friendly manner is one of the crucial things to know, after all.

Japanese 5: Students complete high school level grammar while touching some college level grammar, as they focus on using to express their thoughts and feelings as new situations appear.  By early May, students are ready to take the AP Japanese exam, although it is not a requirement.   By the end of Japanese 5, you'll be able to make yourself understood in Japanese, while negotiating the meanings in oral and written communication with others.