The Japanese program at Gardenvale Primary School introduces students to Japanese language and culture through a range of topics and activities from Prep to Year 6. In the early years, the focus is on oral communication and recognising high-frequency Japanese characters. As students progress through the school, they learn to read and write Japanese hiragana and kanji characters in both traditional and modern multimodal texts.

 

The goals of our Japanese language program include:

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• To communicate with others in oral, aural and written Japanese;

• To enhance critical thinking and problem-solving skills;

• To develop an understanding of different cultures and practices, with a strong focus on respecting and valuing differences;

• To further develop self-awareness and a sense of personal and cultural identity;

• To acquire cognitive, affective and sociocultural skills that may be transferable to other areas of learning;

• To instil within students a love of language learning.

 

Within the language program, we cater for a variety of individual learning styles through a range of authentic, traditional and modern resources such as crafts, toys, books, and digital technologies. Students enjoy singing, dancing, creating, and communicating in both planned and spontaneous language.

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Students have the opportunity to experience a range of extension activities through participation in the Victorian Japanese Junior Speech Competition, Calligraphy Competition, and Poster Competitions, as well as whole school activities such as Japanese Day, Haiku competitions and lunchtime club activities. They also have the chance to experience leadership by becoming Junior Japanese Ambassadors in Year 2 and whole school Japanese Captains in Year 6.