Japanese Program
Japanese is the language taught to all children at Ingle Farm East Primary School. They engage in lessons on language learning, culture, lifestyle and traditions. A large focus is placed on children being able to communicate and comprehend words and simple to complex sentences in Japanese. Children are encouraged to speak Japanese during the lesson as much as possible. Vocabulary and grammar are selected based on the topic being learned with the opportunity to extend based on individuals knowledge and understanding. There are 3 alphabets which make up the Japanese language system, hiragana, katakana and kanji. All students are exposed to each of these alphabets. The hiragana and katakana alphabets are set up in karate belt style with there being 5 letters in each colour (white to black belt). Children are involved in setting individual goals for which belt colour they would like to achieve by the end of each year. Understanding culture, lifestyle and tradition make up a large part of learning a second language. Discussions on the similarities and differences between Australia and Japan are a vital part of the Japanese program. We compare festivals, celebrations, stories and general way of life between the two countries. Every second year Ingle Farm East Primary School organise a Matsuri festival day involving the whole school. Children make hachimaki (headbands) to wear on the day and each class participates in different Japanese cultural activities run by classroom teachers. They are able to learn about aspects of Japanese culture and festivals as well as make some artwork to put in their show bags to take home at the end of the day. Platters of sushi are provided for the children to try and the day ends with an assembly to share their experiences. We have established a Japanese garden at our school which is maintained by the students. The garden was officially opened in 2014 by a member of the Consulate of Japan. Children enjoy spending time in the garden reading, drawing and relaxing.
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