Hiroki Kurihara, Elwood College, Victoria
  Activity ideas using Language Discovery Online
 

"But what do my Japanese friends say?"
This is a fact and opinion exploration activity which is part of a Karaoke unit for year 9 students. In this activity, students further investigate what they have learnt in class by asking questions in Japanese to students in Japan.

It can be used for any topic and different year levels in secondary school. For the year 9 Karaoke unit, students would have learnt such items as:
 
  • general information about Karaoke and the Karaoke box in Japan
  • how Japanese people enjoy Karaoke
  • activities available in a Karaoke box
  • how to invite friends to go to Karaoke together
  • how to express different opinions about Karaoke
  • popular Japanese songs
  • Karaoke box in their city
　

These items preferably are introduced and researched in Japanese. Resources used at this stage include the teacher, books, websites and so forth.

The next task relates to the following question either proposed by the teacher or elicited from students. "We know a lot about Karaoke now and can use Japanese to talk about it in different ways. But what would real Japanese kids say about Karaoke?"

The task is to find the answer to the question by contacting Japanese students in Japan, online via email using Language Discovery Online, then reporting to the class to share their findings.
 
   
  Outcomes
  Students will be able to:
 
  • communicate appropriately in the email text type in Japanese
  • ask questions on particular topics and obtain authentic and personalised information
  • understand written Japanese with assistance from a teacher, Language Discovery Online system or use of English and online dictionary
  • report their findings to the class in written and spoken forms in Japanese and English
  Assessments
  Written report
  Students are required to include:
 
  • an introduction in Japanese
  • a list of questions that students asked in Japanese
  • their Japanese e-pals’ responses to the questions
  • brief summary and analysis of findings in English
  • all messages exchanged (sent and received) as an attachment by cut and paste
  Oral report
  Students are required to orally report what their Japanese e-pal said about Karaoke in Japanese.
For example, わたしのともだちのなまえはかなさんです。かなさんはカラオケがすきです。よくカラオケボックスに行きます。…
   
  Preparation
 
  • Teachers register at Language Discovery Online and teachers register their students.
  • Students become familiar with using Japanese fonts on a computer.
  • Students become familiar with using Language Discovery Online.
  Procedure
  Step1
Students learn language used in the email format. For example, おへんじをください。

Step2
Students discuss questions they want to ask their e-pals. If the topic is Karaoke, for example, possible questions might be:
 
  • カラオケがすきですか。たのしいですか。
  • カラオケをしますか。どこで？いつ？
  • カラオケボックスに行きますか。だれと？
  • カラオケボックスで何をしますか。
  • ちかくにカラオケボックスがありますか。なまえは？いくら？何時から何時まで？
  • カラオケで何をうたいますか。
  • すきな日本ご・えいごのうたは何ですか。
  • うちにカラオケがありますか。
  Students would have learnt the vocabulary and structures for these questions in the unit. Students can use the Language Discovery Online palette system or type up these questions and save them in digital format to use in emails and reports later.
   
  Step3
Students send an email using Language Discovery Online, which allows their messages to reach Language Discovery Online users in Japan quickly. In this way, student messages are read promptly.
  Step4
In the next class or two, students receive a message and read it with assistance from a teacher or the Language Discovery Online system if required. They thank their friend in Japan for their response and ask follow up questions or make some comments. For example,
 
  • If they say カラオケはあまりすきじゃないです。, students may want to ask どうしてカラオケがすきじゃないですか。

  • If they say うちにEカラがあります。, students may want to ask Eカラは何ですか。
  • If they say カラオケがすきです。…をよくうたいます。, students may want to say わたしもカラオケがすきです。たのしいですね！and ask... はどんなうたですか。
  Step5
After exchanging a few messages, students start preparing their report. Students discuss language required for reporting. For example, このレポートは日本のカラオケのレポートです。Eメールで日本のともだちにききました。ともだちのなまえは…
   
  Step6
Students complete their written and oral report. They evaluate their learning process.
   
  Assessment criteria are based on:
 
  • Effectiveness, accuracy and variety of the Japanese language used in the report and email messages
  • Understanding of the received message
  • Ability to maintain exchange using the email system
  This activity can easily be adapted to any topic in different year levels.
   
  Why email?
 
  • Interactive
  • Authentic
  • Popular communication method
  • Overcome time, distance, etc.
   
  Why Language Discovery Online? www.languagediscovery.asia/information
 
  • Security
  • Shared purpose
  • Educational
  • Innovative
  • Teacher control
  • Waiting list system
  • Language assistance
  • Variety of activities
  • Staff support
   
　  
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