Japanese Beginners Step 3

Pre-requisites for enrolment

Japanese Beginners is a 90-hour course subdivided into three progressive steps: Beginners Step 1, Beginners Step 2, Beginners Step 3, Beginners Step 4, Beginners Step 5, and Beginners Step 6.

Beginners Step 1 is suitable for students new to the language.

Students who have completed Beginners Step 1 will be able to progress to the next step.

Students who have any prior knowledge of the language are encouraged to self-assess their proficiency by using our on-line assessment or by contacting the Course Organiser.

Students who have registered for a course that is not at the right level can request a transfer after session 1 and 2 of the course. (see our Languages FAQ)

Special Information

We are currently introducing a new course book for our Japanese Beginners courses.

Students registering for Beginners Step 1, Step 2 or Step 3, will use the following course book(s):

• Marugoto: Japanese language and culture. Starter A1 Rikai, 2014. ISBN 978-3875487084
• Marugoto: Japanese language and culture. Starter A1 Katsudoo, 2013. ISBN978-3875487077

We recommend that you do not buy your textbook before the first session of your course so we can be certain that your chosen course is at the right level for you. The course book will not be used in the first session of the course.

For more information on course books, visit our Languages FAQ

Content of Course

As they progress from Beginners Step 1 to Beginners Step 6, students will learn how to:

• Give personal information
• Talk about daily routine
• Express likes and dislikes
• Ask for and give directions
• Describe their home, their town
• Go shopping
• Order food and drinks
• Make reservations

Students will also learn the syllabic writing system of Kana (Hiragana and Katakana) and will learn more about the cultures associated with the language and its speakers.

Teaching method(s)

Students will explore the use of the language in a safe, supportive and inclusive learning environment.

Students will experience the target language in a productive way, carefully designed to grow familiarity and confidence.

We follow an action-oriented communicative approach. The lessons include whole-class activities and pair or small-group work, role-play, responding to short texts, listening to dialogues, and watching video clips. Grammar is introduced in context. Pronunciation is practised regularly. The Japanese writing system is introduced and practised in appropriate steps. In addition, and as part of the autonomous learning activities on the course page on-line (the Virtual Learning Environment of the University of Edinburgh), students will engage with character writing exercises, more extensive written and reading texts.

Learning is assessed informally throughout the course with the teacher providing regular feedback to help students progress and plan their learning.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the three steps of the Beginners course, students who have fully engaged with all the learning activities will achieve the equivalent of A1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), and will be able to:

1. introduce themselves, ask and answer simple questions about family, hobbies and housing;

2. carry out basic everyday tasks like ordering a meal or asking for directions;

3. understand very simple oral and written texts;

4. write simple short text;

5. show limited control of a few simple grammatical structures and sentence patterns in a basic  repertoire.

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email COL@ed.ac.uk or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.