Topics covered in Jblog 4 Express
Chapter 1: Meet the Family
In this chapter the main characters of the series are introduced, an Australian family who have relocated to Tokyo for the father’s role at Austrade. Students are introduced to the exciting possibilities afforded by language study and are inspired by the characters as they experience life in Japan beyond the stereotypes.
Content includes:
- Introduction to the 3 scripts
- Greetings
- Setsubun and hinamatsuri
- Exchanging details – name, birthday, where you are from and where you live
- titles in Japanese eg さん、くん、せんせい
- Introducing others
- Numbers and months
Chapter 2: Shintoism
In this chapter students are introduced to Japanese-specific concepts such as Shintoism and onyomi/kunyomi readings of kanji. They will learn to discuss with others their family and to create more sophisticated self-introduction speeches using a variety of language or links such as で.
Content includes:
- Family members in the humble form
- 十二し zodiac system
- Discussing ability – できます
- Exchanging details – age, number of family members and who they are, telephone numbers, nationality
- Self-introduction speeches
- Telling the time
- Aisatsu for different times of the day
Chapter 3: Home Life
In this chapter students explore key features of Japanese home life. Students will learn to identify key items and locations in a traditional home and develop an understanding of the etiquette expectations related to these items and locations. The concept of intercultural competency is introduced and students will develop an understanding of why this competency is an asset for life in the globalised future they face.
Content includes:
- Discussing location using いますand あります
- Items and locations in the home
- Counters つ、本
- Exchanging details – describing where you live and with whom
- Basic descriptions using adjectives in the present tense
- Polite terms for family members
- Features of the interview as a text type
Chapter 4: School Life
In this chapter students explore key features of Japanese education such as じゅく and ぶんかさい. Students will learn to discuss their timetable and their likes and dislikes with others. They will experiment with language to describe their school grade and to justify their preferred school subjects.
Content includes:
- Kanji for days of the week and school related vocabulary
- Introduction to simple relative clauses and justifying opinions
- Japanese currency
- Exchanging details – about subjects, likes and dislikes, school grade
- Numbers above 100 in Kanji
- Purchasing items using simple language
- Features of the informative speech as a text type
Chapter 5: My Time
In this chapter students will consider how people spend their time each day. They will learn about the use of Japanese robots in child and aged care facilities and reflect upon the concept of “average” in Japanese and Australian families. Students will develop language to discuss with others their hobbies and free time activities and sequence ideas in texts describing daily routines.
Content includes:
- Hobbies and free time activities
- Daily routine
- Kanji compounds to describe time eg 今日、今週
- Exchanging details – about hobbies and interests, and daily routine events
- Counting minutes and stating specific times
- Describing the frequency and duration of activities
- Features of the interview as a text type
Chapter 6: Itadakimasu
In this chapter students will learn about Japanese foods and dining etiquette. They will learn to discuss plans and suitable transport options, as well as recount shopping and dining experiences. Students will explore the different types of sushi eaten in Japan and master how to use adjectives to describe these experiences in the future and past tenses.
Content includes:
- Discussing where items are purchased
- Modes of transport
- Making plans with others
- Adjectives in all 4 tenses
- Conjugating the てform of verbs
- Discussing preferences amongst two or more options
- Key phrases to negotiate a visit to a restaurant or café
Chapter 7: School Trip
In this chapter students will learn about Kansai dialect and the tradition of しゅうがくりょこう. They will examine different types of accommodation available in Japan and explore the travel topic through schedules, emails and interviews. Students will look at verb conjugation in the plain form and experiment with various uses of the てform to express ideas.
Content includes:
- Classroom language
- Discussing relative location
- Describing features of a school
- Trip itineraries and diaries
- School club activities and school rules
- Conjugating verbs and adjectives in the plain form
- Features of an email as a text type
Chapter 8: Golden Week
In this chapter students will learn about Golden Week and the public holidays it encompasses. The various cultures that have influenced Okinawa will be discussed and students will learn to describe vacation activities and plans. Students will learn the Kanji used to describe periods of time counting days, weeks, months and years. They will also study examples of various text types such as postcards, letters and blog posts.
Content includes:
- Discussing the purpose of a visit
- Describing sightseeing attractions and specialities
- Weather and seasons
- Periods of time
- Natural phenomenon such as earthquakes and tsunami
- Describing activities using たり、ながら、こと
- Features of the letter as a text type
Chapter 9: Animal Influence
In this chapter students will learn to discuss the animals in their lives including pets, and animals native to Japan and Australia. Students will consider the influence of animals on their lives, and on the lives of indigenous cultures such as the Ainu people of Japan, and Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
Content includes:
- Pet ownership
- Making comparisons より、のほう
- Counters – ひき、わ
- Using colour to describe appearance
- New year cards and traditions
- Ainu history and culture
- Features of the interview as a text type
Chapter 10: Body Talk
In this chapter students will consider how culture influences our clothing choices and sense of modesty. Students will learn how to describe people physically and explore phrases used to express one’s health status. They will also unpack rites of passage in Japanese culture such as seijin no hi and the shichi-go-san festival.
Content includes:
- Vocabulary for body parts
- Verbs to describe wearing clothing and accessories
- Describing when and how often to take medicine
- Sumo wrestling
- Language to describe healthy lifestyle choices
- Contemporary health issues eg COVID-19, ageing in Okinawa
- Features of the diary as a text type
Chapter 11: Retail Therapy
In this chapter students examine the retail experience in Japanese society. They will learn to negotiate the purchase of items and will gain a deeper understanding of seasonal gift giving customs such as おちゅうげんand おせいぼ. Students will explore nuances in language such as the difference between wanting to do an activity and wanting an object. They will also learn to recognize key features of a Japanese neighbourhood such as the こうばん and じんじゃ.
Content includes:
- Negotiating purchases
- Types of envelopes in Japan
- Counters – まい、さつ
- Persuasive language structures
- Positive and negative reviews of an event
- Special events such as birthdays and festivals
- Features of the article as a text type
Chapter 12: House Swap
In this chapter students will examine the experience of house swapping through various text types such as letter, email, list and description. They will learn to discuss past experiences and to give directions to a location. Students will also consider the cultural differences between Japanese and Australian home life and discuss historical events on Australian soil during World War 2.
Content includes:
- Describing your home and neighbourhood
- Giving directions to locations
- Reviews of restaurants and cafes
- Advertising events
- Writing diaries in the plain form
- Polite letters and casual emails
- Features of the review as a text type
Chapter 13: Future Directions
In this chapter students will learn to discuss future plans for work, and reflect upon whether that work has the potential to become their いきがい. They will consider future directions in Japanese society such as support for working mothers and robotic childcare options. Students will develop knowledge of vocabulary to support discussions of post-year 12 plans for study, work or travel.
Content includes:
- Part-time work opportunities
- Grammar to express rules and regulations
- Blood types on employment applications
- Exchanging meishi
- Different types of ikigai
- Imaginative texts
- Features of speech as a text type
