Japanese 1A

About This Course

This is the first course in a two-course sequence and focuses on the most widely used Japanese syllabic writing system (Hiragana) and greetings and phrases used in everyday communication and contemporary Japanese culture. Lessons are built upon familiar topics such as self, family, school, and friends to provide meaningful contexts to develop everyday conversation skills. Each lesson is designed to help students learn Hiragana gradually through decoding words and reading. The course includes audio and video objects to demonstrate native Japanese pronunciation, which supports students in building their interpersonal and interpretive fluency in Japanese. This course targets the Novice Level of MI World Language Standards and Benchmarks. Prerequisites:  None

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to...

• Describe and exchange basic information about family, friends, and acquaintances
• Explain basic information about their hobbies, habits, and activities
• Identify activities related to their daily life at home and school
• Compare products, practices, and perspectives of Japanese-speaking cultures with those of their own
• Read and write simple Japanese sentences written in Hiragana syllables
• Describe basic information about their family, friends, immediate environments, and activities
• Use culturally appropriate greetings, phrases, and gestures in various contexts
• Identify basic differences and similarities in vocabulary, phonological and grammatical structures between Japanese and English
• Introduce and give basic information about themselves
• Recognize words and intended meaning from spoken Japanese

Course Outline:

Unit 1: Introduction to Japanese Language and Culture

Unit 2: Where I Live

Unit 3: My Family

Unit 4: About My School

Resources Included: Online lesson instruction and activities, opportunities to engage with a certified, online instructor and classmates, when appropriate, and online assessments to measure student performance of course objectives and readiness for subsequent academic pursuits.

Additional Costs: None

Scoring System: Michigan Virtual does not assign letter grades, grant credit for courses, nor issue diplomas. A final score out of total points earned will be submitted to your school mentor for conversion to their own letter grading system.

Time Commitment: Semester sessions are 18-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1 or more hours per day in the course to be successful. Summer sessions are 10 weeks long: Students must be able to spend a minimum of 2 or more hours per day, or about 90 hours during the summer, for the student to be successful in any course. Trimester sessions are 12-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1.5 or more hours per day in the course to be successful.

Technology Requirements: Students will require a computer device with headphones, a microphone, webcam, up-to-date Chrome Web Browser, and access to YouTube.
Students must install Japanese input keyboard software to submit assessments written in Japanese language characters. Devices managed by school district device administrators will require the assistance of local staff to support the software download for enrolled students. Students must be shown how to switch between the Japanese and English (USA) keyboards on their devices. Setting Up Japanese Keyboard Input

Ensure that your school or district network and device administrator whitelists online resources relevant to the course in which you are choosing to enroll. Ref., Michigan Virtual Course Whitelist

Please review the Michigan Virtual Technology Requirements: https://michiganvirtual.org/about/support/knowledge-base/technical-requirements/

Instructor Support System: For technical issues within your course, contact the Customer Care Center by email at CustomerCare@michiganvirtual.org or by phone at (888) 889-2840.

Instructor Contact Expectations: Students can use email or the private message system within the Student Learning Portal to access highly qualified teachers when they need instructor assistance. Students will also receive feedback on their work inside the learning management system. The Instructor Info area of their course may describe additional communication options.

Academic Support Available: In addition to access to a highly qualified, Michigan certified teacher, students have access to academic videos and outside resources verified by Michigan Virtual. For technical issues within the course, students can contact the Michigan Virtual Customer Care by email at customercare@michiganvirtual.org or by phone at (888) 889-2840.

Required Assessment: Online assessments consist of formative and summative assessments represented by computer-graded multiple choice, instructor-graded writing assignments including hands-on projects, model building, discussion-based assessments (one-on-one conversations with your teacher), and other forms of authentic assessments.

Technical Skills Needed: Basic technology skills necessary to locate and share information and files as well as interact with others in a Learning Management System (LMS), include the ability to:

• Download, edit, save, convert, and upload files
• Download and install software
• Use a messaging service similar to email
• Communicate with others in online discussion or message boards, following basic rules of netiquette
• Open attachments shared in messages
• Create, save, and submit files in commonly used word processing program formats and as a PDF
• Edit file share settings in cloud-based applications, such as Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides
• Save a file as a .pdf
• Copy and paste and format text using your mouse, keyboard, or an html editor’s toolbar menu
• Insert images or links into a file or html editor
• Search for information within a document using Ctrl+F or Command+F keyboard shortcuts
• Work in multiple browser windows and tabs simultaneously
• Activate a microphone or webcam on your device, and record and upload or link audio and/or video files
• Use presentation and graphics programs
• Follow an online pacing guide or calendar of due dates
• Use spell-check, citation editors, and tools commonly provided in word processing tool menus
• Create and maintain usernames and passwords

Additional Information: Students will require a computer device with a webcam, speakers, a microphone, and a software program installed for Japanese keyboard input.