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

·       Introduce yourself and talk about personal experiences.

·       Describe people, places, and events.

·       Order food, make requests, and ask for information.

·       Listen to and understand conversations about daily life, travel, and culture.

·       Read menus, guides, and event information.

·       Write simple messages, event notes, and greeting cards.

·       Learn about Japanese traditions, festivals, and seasonal events.

·       Explore eco-friendly practices and daily customs.

·       Read and recognize the meanings of kanji vocabulary, including jukugo (compound words), found in the textbook.

·       Read, write, and type kanji characters from Kanji Master N4 and N5.

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

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

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

4. Kanji practice notebook (150 letter or lower)

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

https://a2-2.marugotoweb.jp/en/

4. MARUGOTO online course

https://minato-jf.jp/

Strongly recommended (free) apps:

5. 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 1-18, Marugoto Elementary 2 (A2) Rikai textbook Lesson 1-18.