Japanese Language Courses

Japanese 1
Introduction to elementary Japanese writing (Hiragana and Katakana, and about 100 Kanji) and sentence structures. Emphasis will be on the development of conversational skills. Upon completion of this level, the students will be able to make introductions, exchange greetings, give information about self, express apologies, make some requests, ask and tell time, use numbers, describe their typical day schedule and areas they live, etc. This course is for beginning, non-native speakers only. Textbook: Nakama 1a

Japanese 2
Prerequisite: Japanese 1 with a grade of C or better, or teacher recommendation
In this course, students will develop basic communicative ability and basic knowledge of the Japanese language including grammar, future and past expressions, more descriptive expressions, teaching others how to do and make objects, etc. More Kanji will be introduced. Short essays and oral activities will be assigned throughout the course. Textbook: Nakama 1 b

Japanese 3
Prerequisite: Japanese 2 with a grade of C or better, or teacher recommendation
In this course, students will further develop their communicative ability in the use of the Japanese language. Emphasis will be placed on reading and listening comprehension, conversation, writing short essays, and appreciation of Japanese culture. Students will be expected to express and exchange opinions to the teacher and other classmates in Japanese as much as possible. More Kanji will be taught. Textbook: Nakama 2

Japanese 4 Honors
Grades 10 - 12
Prerequisite: Japanese 3 with a grade of B or better, or teacher recommendation
In this course, students will further develop their communication ability in Japanese language. Emphasis will be placed on reading and listening comprehension, conversation, writing short essays, and appreciation of Japanese culture. Students will be expected to express/exchange their opinions to/with the teacher and other students. More Kanji will be taught. This course is also designed as a pre-AP course to prepare students who are planning to take the AP Japanese exam the following year. The instruction will be conducted mostly in Japanese.

AP Japanese Language and Culture
Grades 11 - 12
Prerequisite: Japanese 4H with a grade of B or better, or teacher recommendation
This course is designed for advanced communicative ability in Japanese. Emphasis will be placed on reading and oral comprehension, conversation in a variety of situations, and appreciation of Japanese culture. Students will be engaged in communicative activities, which will prepare them for the listening and speaking sections of the AP test. Students will be expected to read simple stories, write short essays and stories with the use of a dictionary, and type some of their papers in Japanese. More Kanji will be taught. The instruction will be conducted mostly in Japanese.