Languages Other Than English 
(LOTE - Japanese)

All students at Ruskin Park study Japanese, starting in Year Prep and continuing through to Year 6.

Students are introduced to both written and spoken Japanese.  They are given instructions in Japanese in class and take part in simple role-plays, games and discussions to develop their speaking and listening skills.  They are introduced to the three different ways of writing:  hiragana, katakana and kanji.  They take part in many cultural activities, which help them gain a greater understanding of Japanese culture and Japanese people.

Students use a system of coloured name cards (similar to martial arts belts) starting at white and progressing through to black.  Students progress through the levels, gaining "stars" on their cards through demonstrated performance and participating in class.

Below are some interesting links:

http://www.thelearningfederation.edu.au/node78
http://athome.nime.ac.jp/part_1/1_1.html
http://www.japan.org.au/
http://www.teach-nology.com/themes/country/japan/
http://www.tjf.or.jp/shogakusei/index_e.htm
http://www.digital-lib.nttdocomo.co.jp/kikakuten/mukashi/mukashi1/index.html
http://www.nihongomemo.com/

Greg Brown, Japanese LOTE Teacher.