Japanese 2B

About This Course

This is the second course in a two-course sequence of second-year Japanese. Lessons provide meaningful contexts in which to practice and apply already acquired language skills and to expand their uses in daily interpersonal communications, such as in asking for permissions and talking about past experiences. This course is also designed to support students in focusing on useful Japanese "action" words and "descriptive" words for better language retention. The cultural lessons pertain to historical and political aspects of Japanese culture. The introduction to the semantic writing system, Kanji, continues in this course, and students are challenged to use Kanji in sentences. All course materials use the Hiragana and Katakana writing systems along with some use of Kanji with phonetic guides. Therefore, students must be able to read and write Hiranga and Katakana characters without reliance on Romaji (English script). All lessons are equipped with audio and video learning objects to demonstrate a native Japanese speaker's pronunciation, which supports students in building their interpersonal and interpretive fluency in Japanese. Students will be asked to use various media tools including online resources, a microphone or a web cam capable of recording audio, and the web-based Video Notes tool in Brightspace in order to record their performance in assignment submissions throughout the course. This course targets the Novice Level of MI World Language Standards and Benchmarks. Prerequisites:Michigan Virtual Japanese 1A, 1B, and 2A, or three semesters of introductory Japanese, including the ability to read and write Hiranga and Katakana characters

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

• Recognize the beginner level of Kanji characters and frequently used Kanji words
• Type familiar words in sentences
• Use the language to convey basic needs, such as to get information, purchase, order, and invite
• Interpret written and spoken communications to get information, purchase, order, and respond appropriately
• Share their opinions, interests, emotions, past experiences, and ideas including brief directions
• Use the language in culturally appropriate gestures and manners
• Interpret different cultural situations and practices appropriately by applying cultural perspectives that are not their own

Course Outline:

Unit 1: Invitation, Permission, & Needs

Unit 2: Talking About Past Experiences

Unit 3: Getting Around in Town

Unit 4: Reasons & Emotions

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 transcripts or diplomas. A final score reported as a percentage of total points earned will be sent to students upon completion of a course. Your school mentor is also able to access this score within the Student Learning Portal. Schools may use this score 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 need a computer device with headphones, a microphone, webcam, up-to-date Chrome Web Browser, and access to YouTube. NOTE: Students must possess a working microphone and webcam on their device in order to record and submit audio and video files using either the embedded recording tools within the Brightspace learning management system or another means of recording and submitting audio and video files for world language performance assessments.

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

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 and other forms of authentic assessments, including audio recordings as a component of select world language performance 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 and a microphone.