Teaching Resources

Most of the resources listed below have been created by JFLLC Japanese language advisors. For the resources where this is not the case the resource creator’s name is given. You can download them and use them instantly with your class, or adjust them to your needs.

The JFLLC welcomes your feedback on the resources featured on the website. Please email your comments to info.language@jpf.org.uk. Please note we cannot guarantee the quality of resources made by other creators. If you would like to share your own teaching ideas with members of the Japanese teaching community in the UK please click here.

The London Language Centre Advisory Teachers

The London Language Centre team of advisory teachers are working to support you with their extensive experience of teaching Japanese. They will be happy to advise you on any issues from selecting appropriate resources for your course to examination related queries.

You can make an appointment to visit them at the Centre by emailing info.language@jpf.org.uk.

Script

1. Japanese handwriting fonts - Install them here!

• Guidance Notes
• Tasakai Font
• Tasakai Font(Bold)

Copyright

The copyright for these fonts belongs to Techno Advance Ltd, Japan. The company has agreed to share these fonts with teachers of Japanese on the proviso that they are for educational use and no profit is made by the use of the fonts. The company has not agreed for these fonts to be used commercially so these fonts cannot be used in any publication that is to be sold. Techno Advance Ltd and Tadashi Sakai cannot take any responsibility for any damage caused by the use of these fonts.

2. Download the hiragana and katakana chart.

3. Hiragana and Katakana practice mat.

4. Games for reviewing Hiragana and Katakana.

• Basic Hiragana Sugoroku
• Advanced Hiragana Sugoroku

Click here to learn the rules of play!

5. Genkou Youshi Wizard

Click here to download a template for creating Word documents with Japanese written in vertical columns.

6. Hiragana and Katakana laminated practice boards

• Click here to download the Hiragana board
• Click here to download the Katakana board

Recommended by Anne Rajakumar of South Wolds Community School, as a great way to get students to revise hiragana and katakana every night. To cover costs, Anne suggests asking students to bring in 50p to cover the pen and 20p for the laminating.

Instructions

• For each board, download and print out both pages, so you have two matching sides.
• Put the two sides back to back, then laminate them. Each student should get their own boards (one for hiragana, one for katakana).
• Order a fine non-permanent OHP (overhead projector) pen for each student, so they can write on their laminated boards.
• They can practice the kana every night.
• The next day, simply wash the pen off and start again!

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Basic

Click here for a selection of worksheets which can be used for WJEC and GCSE (including numbers, colours and verbs).

Click here to download resources and a scheme of work made by Tom Lockley of Meadowhead School for his classes with Year 9 students. This downloads as a zip file (12MB). You will need ActiveSoftware to open the ActivStudio files. If you do not already have this, you can download this free Flipchart Viewer.

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Primary

Extensive research into the Primary languages field in general and Japanese provision in particular provided the foundation for the Ready Steady NihonGO! Primary Japanese Course, a unique scheme of work for teaching Japanese at KS2, produced by the Japan Foundation London Language Centre (JFLLC) and Japan21. The scheme comprises 10 45 minute lessons designed to be delivered by a Japanese native speaker teacher working with the class teacher. Each lesson is clearly structured, with comprehensive teachers' notes, National Curriculum Links and a set of accompanying Culture Notes. The course has been hugely popular during two successful trial periods with teachers and pupils alike who enjoyed the experience of working with an unusual language.
Ready Steady NihonGO! is available to use online from the Japan21 website.

The CD version will be available on 1 March 2007. See the Japan21 website for more information and to order your copy.

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GCSE

• 力CHIKARA GCSE Japanese Teaching Resources
• New Resources for GCSE
  A Japan Foundation compiled list of useful publications for teaching GCSE, which are all available from our library.
• Sudoku Puzzles
  Click here for an introduction to Sudoku
• GCSE Japanese speaking resources (including sound files) (Based on the 2003 Specification)
  Developed by Tile Hill Wood school
• GCSE Picture Kanji cards (Based on the 2003 Specification)
  You can click on any of the 200 Kanji to download and print them out.
• GCSE Kanji cards worksheet (Based on the 2003 Specification)
• Resource for teaching weather kanji (includes sound files)
• Sports wordsearch
• Easter maths puzzle
  Made by Hisaka Bunting

Tanabata Kamishibai and Resources

• Introduction to Tanabata for Teachers
• Tanabata Script KS2 & KS3
• Vocabulary List KS2 & KS3
• Occupation List
• KS2 Tanabata Worksheet
• KS3 Tanabata Worksheet
• Tanzaku Strips
• Tanabata Melody and Lyrics

Click here for information about the Japanese GCSE Exam

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AS

New Resources for A Levels
A Japan Foundation compiled list of useful publications for teaching AS and A2, which are all available from our library.

• AS kanji list (based on the old specification) (PDF)
• AS kanji list (based on the old specification) (Excel)
  Created by Tadashi Sakai, Wolverhampton Girls' High School

Tanabata Kamishibai and Resources

• Introduction to Tanabata for Teachers
• Tanabata Script GCE (based on the old specification)
• Vocabulary List GCE (based on the old specification)
• Occupation List
• GCE Tanabata Worksheet (based on the old specification)
• Tanzaku Strips
• Tanabata Melody and Lyrics

Click here for information about the Exam

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A2

New Resources for A Levels
A Japan Foundation compiled list of useful publications for teaching AS and A2, which are all available from our library.

A2 kanji list (based on the old specification)
Created by Tadashi Sakai, Wolverhampton Girls' High School

Click here for information about the Exam

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Higher Education

Comparative analysis between the main textbooks used in the early stages of Japanese courses at UK Universities and GCSE/AS/A2 level syllabi.

The main purpose of these information sheets are for university techers to get to know what their students with secondary Japanese actually studied prior to entry to university. The following three textbooks are currently the most frequently used at the initial stages of university level Japanese courses in the UK:

• Japanese for Busy People (15 institutions, many of them are elective courses)
• Minna no Nihongo (14 institutions, many of them are degree courses)
• Genki (6 institutions)

Basic Kanji Book is also popular as supplementary material for kanji study.

Apart from 'Basic Kanji Book', the information sheets consist of 2 parts; Kanji and Grammar. JLPT stands for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test.

In contrast to the Kanji sections, it is impossible to to make judgements of some of the grammar structures, since the styles of classification vary according to the textbooks.

• Basic Kanji Book
• Genki (1) Kanji
• Genki (2) Grammar
• Japanese for Busy People (1) Kanji
• Japanese for Busy People (2) Grammar
• Minna no Nihongo (1) Kanji
• Minna no Nihongo (2) Grammar
• Kanji Numbers

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Teachers Pages in Mado newsletters

Click here to download Mado newsletters, including teachers’ pages.

 

 

 

Mado Issue Number Topic (Teacher’s Page) Level Skill KS2 KS3 KS4 AS A2 HE Adult Reading Writing Listening Speaking 1 Teaching in the Target Language/ Tamagotchi lesson plan     X         X X X X 2 Travel and Holidays X X 3 Personal and Social life X X X X 4 Food Health and Fitness X X X 5 Talking Timetables X X X X 6 Omikuji X X X X 7 Let’s Recycle X X X X X X 8 Talking about Careers X X X X X 9 Kanji families X X X X X 10 Motivating through Manga X X X X 11 Making a speech in Japanese X X X 12 Writing a Diary X X X 13 Teaching Japanese through Mathematics X X X X X X X X X 14 A place near me X X X X X X X X 15 Haiku for the New Year X X X X 16 Using ICT to keep up with current issues X X X X X 17 Plan your dream trip to Japan with Dragons, snakes and ladders X X X X X X X X X 18 Laughter brings good luck: fukuwarai X X X X X X X X X 19 Reading for A level X X X X 20 Kanji Mix & Match X X X X X X 21 CV for the future X X X X X X X 22 Haruko takes the train X X X X X 23 Dealing with Dilemmas X X X X X X 24 Japanese Pronunciation X X X X X X X X X X 25 Waste not want not- Mottainai! X X X X

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Supplementary information for Mado newsletters

Mado Vol.25 Teacher’s Page

Mado Vol.23 Teacher’s Page
Answers to questions

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Class Acts

This excellent video created for Japan 2001 documents success stories from the UK Japanese classroom and demonstrates best practice in teaching Japanese in the UK secondary sector.

Feedback on Class Acts

• Very useful to improve teaching and learning and to lobby for more support for the language."
• One of the best tools for professional development I have ever seen."
• We needed Class Acts - wonderful in content and timing.

Eligibility

If you are teaching at a school and are thinking of offering Japanese you may be eligible to receive a free copy of Class Acts. For more information please email info.language@jpf.org.uk

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Other Resources

• Erin's Challenge! I Can Speak Japanese

DVD teaching material for young people.

Available in the Japan Foundation library, or to buy from JP-Books UK Ltd (click here for more information on Japanese book shops).

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