The goal of this course is to help learners to improve their comprehension and production by exposure to the level-appropriate comprehensible input (e.g., stories and articles written in simple languages), also by varieties of speaking and writing activities. As the course progresses, learners will challenge themselves to discuss more complex and abstract matters such as someone’s abilities, hypothetical situations and conditions. They will also explore and discuss the people’s lives around the traditions, customs, and seasonal events and holidays observed in Japan. 

Can Do Statements: Upon successful completion of this course, learners will be able to: 

· Talk about what you usually do during the New Year’s holidays and what you think about it 

· Talk about a seasonal event saying what you do and why 

· Talk about electronic appliances they are going to buy and why 

· Make comments about what they think about online shopping 

· Talk with a friend about what they think of an electrical appliance 

· Compare two products and state their opinions 

· Read and recognize the meanings of the kanji vocabulary including jukugo 熟語 (compound words) that appear in the textbook 

· Write an additional 24 kanji characters that appear in Kanji Mater N4, Chapter 5: Towns 1-3: Stations, Intersections, Hospitals 

Use of the Language: This course has been designed in such a way that most of the class time will be devoted to communication and will be taught in the target language (i.e., the language that you are studying). As you already have some experience with the language, you are encouraged to use the target language as much as possible from Day 1. You are not expected to understand everything, and you can expect to be pushed beyond your comfort zone. However, your instructor is there to make sure you can succeed in meeting the goals of the activities and of the class in general. Our goal is for you to be able to communicate in the target language, and we cannot learn to speak a language without speaking it. Please remember that we learn best by making mistakes, and we encourage you to try to do your best. Don’t forget that your instructor is there to support you in class and is also available via the Matrix messaging system for assistance. Expectations/Time Commitment: It is strongly recommended that you schedule about 4 hours per week outside of the weekly 2-hour class to engage with this course material. Please plan accordingly by scheduling your time on your calendar now. Active engagement in all course activities (e.g., class participation, module completion, homework, written assignments, studying vocabulary, etc.) will contribute to your learning and success in this course. 

Required Materials: (Note: the coursebooks may be purchased from the vendor of your choice; possible sources are linked below)  

1. MARUGOTO KATSUDO: Japanese language and culture Elementary 2 A2 Coursebook for communicative activities (ISBN-10: 3875487524 ISBN-13 : 978-3875487527) 

2. MARUGOTO RIKAI: Japanese language and culture Elementary 2 A2 Coursebook for communicative language competences (ISBN 10 : 4384057571 ISBN-13 : 978-4384057577) 

3. Kanji Master N4 Revised Edition – Kanji for Beginners (ISBN-13: 978-4384059649) 

4. MARUGOTO+ (free, supplemental digital resource site where users can learn about Japanese language and culture alongside the Marugoto coursebook) 

5. MARUGOTO online course A2-2, A2-3 

Strongly recommended (free) apps:  

1. Kanji alive: A free study tool for reading and writing kanji - A web application designed to help Japanese language learners of all levels learn to read and write kanji 

2. Kanji Memory Hint 3 [English]  

Android  

iPhone 

3. Matrix LMS 

Android https://play.google.com/store/search?q=matrix%20LMS&c=apps&hl=en_US  

iPhone https://apps.apple.com/us/app/matrix-lms/id955407963 

This course will cover Marugoto Elementary 2 (A2) Katsudoo textbook Lesson 9-12, Marugoto Elementary 2 (A2) Rikai textbook Lesson 9-12.