Japanese - Foundation

Course Description

Learners will use Japanese to communicate with others by:

listening and responding to basic spoken Japanese
communicating in basic spoken Japanese
reading and responding to basic written Japanese
expressing ideas and information in basic written Japanese.

This is done within a contextual framework of two prescribed themes:

1. The individual
2. Japanese-speaking communities.

These themes, and their topics and sub-topics, have been selected to enable learners to develop their understanding of how language and culture are inter-related.

The themes have a number of topics and sub-topics. The placement of the topics under themes is intended to provide a particular perspective for each of the topics. The sub-topics expand on the topics and guide the learner and teacher as to how the topics will or may be treated.

In this Level 2 Foundation course, there is a special, compulsory focus on the ‘Contemporary Society and Culture’ Topic of the ‘Japanese-speaking communities’ Theme. This Topic’s sub-topics will include:

contemporary Japanese social customs
significant aspects of daily life in Japanese-speaking communities
significant aspects of contemporary Japanese culture.

It is not expected that all themes and topics will require the same amount of study time. The length of time and depth devoted to each topic will vary according to the linguistic needs and interests of the learner, and the compulsory focus noted above.

Rationale

The study of Japanese contributes to the overall education of learners, particularly in the areas of communication, cross-cultural understanding and general knowledge. It provides access to the culture of Japan and Japanese-speaking communities. The study promotes understanding of different attitudes and values within the wider Australian community and beyond.

The ability to communicate in Japanese may, in conjunction with other skills acquired in the study of this course, provide learners with enhanced vocational opportunities, and the ability to apply Japanese to work, further study, training or leisure situations.

This Foundation course is suitable for beginners with no experience of learning Japanese as well as learners who have had some prior exposure to Japanese and who wish to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding of Japanese language and culture.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course, learners will be able to:

use Japanese to communicate with others by listening and responding to basic spoken Japanese
use Japanese to communicate with others by communicating in basic spoken Japanese
use Japanese to communicate with others by reading and responding to basic written Japanese
use Japanese to communicate with others by expressing ideas and information in basic written Japanese
interpret Japanese customs and daily life, and the cultural context in which Japanese is used
reflect on their own culture through the study of Japanese culture
use Japanese as a language system
make connections between English and another language
apply planning and organisational skills.

Access

There are no access restrictions or prerequisite requirements for entry into this course.

Pathways

This course provides a pathway to the study of Japanese Level 3 and various vocational education and training (VET) packages that include language components/ units of competency.

Course Size And Complexity

This course has a complexity level of 2.

At Level 2, the learner is expected to carry out tasks and activities that involve a range of knowledge and skills, including some basic theoretical and/or technical knowledge and skills. Limited judgement is required, such as making an appropriate selection from a range of given rules, guidelines or procedures. VET competencies at this level are often those characteristic of an AQF Certificate II.

This course has a size value of 15.

Course Content

THEMES

1. The Individual
This theme enables the learner to explore aspects of his or her own life, for example, sense of self, personal values, opinions, ideas and relationships with others. At the same time, this theme also enables the learner to study topics from the perspective of others.

TOPICS

Personal World

Education

Daily Life

Sub-topics studied may include, but are not limited to:

personal information
home and neighbourhood
family/friends.

Sub-topics studied may include, but are not limited to:

school life
future plans and aspirations.

Sub-topics studied may include, but are not limited to:

routine
food and drink
interests, leisure and hobbies
work.

2. The Japanese-Speaking Communities
This theme explores topics from the perspective of contemporary Japanese communities and encourages the learner to reflect on his or her own and other cultures.

TOPICS

Compulsory Focus Topic
Contemporary Society and Culture

People and Places

Arts and Entertainment

Sub-topics studied will include, but are not limited to:

contemporary Japanese social customs (note: the historical origins of such customs/traditions are not the focus of this study)
significant aspects of daily life in Japanese-speaking communities (e.g. family relationships and structures, school/work and home life, holidays and festivals, food and drink, leisure and hobbies)
significant aspects of contemporary Japanese culture.

Sub-topics studied may include, but are not limited to:

getting around (transport and directions)
tourist attractions in Japan
significant geographical and climatic features of Japan
shopping and eating/dining out
meeting people.

Sub-topics studied may include, but are not limited to:

media
cinema
music and songs
literature
sport
theatre and performing arts
computer games
art
architecture.

USE OF ENGLISH
Learners will study a range of oral and written texts in Japanese. It may be appropriate in some circumstances to select texts using English. Equally, it may be appropriate for a learner to respond to a text in English on some occasions.

TEXT TYPES
The learner will become familiar with a variety of text types. Providers may introduce the learner to a wider range of text types in the course of their teaching and learning program:

advertisement	instruction	postcard
announcement	invitation	report/account
article	letter	review
brochure	map	song
cartoon/comic	menu	speech
chart	narrative	story
commentary	news item	survey
conversation/interview	note/message	table
diary/journal entry	profile	talk (script)
discussion	play
email	poem

VOCABULARY
While there is no nationally prescribed vocabulary list, it is expected that learners will be familiar with a range of vocabulary and idioms relevant to the themes described in the course.

DICTIONARIES
Learners will be encouraged to use dictionaries. It is expected that teachers will assist learners to develop the necessary skills and confidence to use dictionaries effectively.

GRAMMAR AND STRUCTURES
Grammar can be referred to as the organisation of, and relationship between, all the elements that constitute a language as it functions.

There are many different theories of grammar, and a number of different approaches towards its teaching and learning. The categories used below are not intended to promote any particular theory of grammar, or to favour one methodology over another.

Developing the learner’s ability to convey meaning effectively in a range of contexts will, however, necessarily involve extending awareness of the system of structures underlying the language, as well as the ability both to apply and adapt this knowledge.

The following grammatical structures are those that the learner is expected to recognise and use.

Grammatical Item	Sub-Elements	Example(s)
Adjectives	この、その、あの
	True adjectives:
	affirmative and negative (present tense)
	affirmative and negative (past tense)
	な adjectives: affirmative and negative (present tense)
	な adjectives: affirmative and negative (past tense)
	この、その、あの cf
	これ、それ、あれ
	日本 cf 日本語 cf 日本人
Adverbs	もう (already, yet)
	まだ (not yet)
	とても、たいへん
	もうすこし
	たくさん
	すこし、ちょっと
	よく (well) (recognition only)	よくできました
	はやく、おそく(recognition only)
	あまり + negative
	みんな
	ぜんぶで
	いくら、ぐらい
	ここ、そこ、あそこ
	ひとつ (each)
	ときどき、いつも、よく

Grammatical Item	Sub-Elements	Example(s)
Counters	円 yen
	ドル dollars
	セント cents
	人 (people)
	年 years
	時 clock time
	分 minutes
	才 age
	日 dates
	ひき animals
	つ general counter
Interrogatives	なん
	なに
	だれ
	いつ
	どこ
	なんさい
	なんにん
	なんびき
	なんじ
	いくら
	なんねんせい
	どんな (recognition only)
	なんがつ
	なんにち
	なんようび
	いくつ

Grammatical Item	Sub-Elements	Example(s)
Nouns	As themes dictate
Numbers	Numbers 1–100	Telephone numbers
Particles	の possession
	に／へ direction
	は topic marker
	も also
	を object marker
	か question marker
	と and/with
	が with すき and きらいに with すんでいます
	ね、よ exclamations
	で place of action/means of/language
	に with clock time
	や and
	の
	joining 2 nouns	男の人
	joining 2 time expressions	先週の土曜日
	joining noun and prepositional noun	つくえの上
	が
	with います and あります
	のど、おなか、いたい
	ほしい、じょうず、へた
	with できます、
	は in sentences with が	わたしはめがあおいです
	に
	with time expressions
	with います／あります
	から from
	まで as far as, until

Grammatical Item	Sub-Elements	Example(s)
Prepositional nouns	うえ
	した
	なか
	そば
	うしろ
	まえ
	むこう (recognition only)
	となり
	そと
Pronouns	わたし／ぼく／あなた
	これ、それ、あれ
	〜たち
Sentence Connectors	でも
	そして
	だから
	て form of verb
Time words	〜がつ
	〜じ
	〜はん
	まいにち

Grammatical Item	Sub-Elements	Example(s)
Verbs	〜ます、〜ません
	〜ました、〜ませんでした
	です
	〜てください
	〜ています
	〜ていません
	〜ていました
	〜ていませんでした
	〜たいです
	〜ましょう（か）
	〜てもいいです（か）
	〜たくないです、〜たかったです、〜たくなかったです (for recognition only)
	じゃ／ではないです、じゃ／ではありません
	あります cf います
	はきます cf きます and かぶります
Writing	Hiragana Katakana
Writing	Kanji: PRESCRIBED KANJI CHARACTERS Set A: For recognition and reproduction: 一、二、三、四、五、六、七、八、九、十、百、日、本、語、名、前、何、私、好、月、行、来、大、小、先、生、犬、山、川、海、父、母、円、見、買、食、飲、学、校、車、入、出、千、万、火、水、木、金、土、女、男、人、子、目、耳、口、手、足、上、下、中、話、友、聞、読、才 Set B: For recognition: 春、夏、秋、冬、雨、気、年、帰、天, 書、曜

Assessment

Criterion-based assessment is a form of outcomes assessment that identifies the extent of learner achievement at an appropriate end-point of study. Although assessment – as part of the learning program – is continuous, much of it is formative, and is done to help learners identify what they need to do to attain the maximum benefit from their study of the course. Therefore, assessment for summative reporting to TASC will focus on what both teacher and learner understand to reflect end-point achievement.

The standard of achievement each learner attains on each criterion is recorded as a rating ‘A’, ‘B’, or ‘C’, according to the outcomes specified in the standards section of the course.

A ‘t’ notation must be used where a learner demonstrates any achievement against a criterion less than the standard specified for the ‘C’ rating.

A ‘z’ notation is to be used where a learner provides no evidence of achievement at all.

Providers offering this course must participate in quality assurance processes specified by TASC to ensure provider validity and comparability of standards across all awards. To learn more, see TASC's quality assurance processes and assessment information.

Internal assessment of all criteria will be made by the provider. Providers will report the learner’s rating for each criterion to TASC.

Quality Assurance Process

The following process will be facilitated by TASC to ensure there is:

a match between the standards of achievement specified in the course and the skills and knowledge demonstrated by learners
community confidence in the integrity and meaning of the qualification.

Process – TASC will verify that the provider’s course delivery and assessment standards meet the course requirements and community expectations for fairness, integrity and validity of qualifications TASC issues. This will involve checking:

learner attendance records; and
course delivery plans (the sequence of course delivery/tasks and when assessments take place):
- assessment instruments and rubrics (the ‘rules’ or marking guide used to judge achievement)
- class records of assessment
- examples of learner work that demonstrate the use of the marking guide
- samples of current learner’s work, including that related to any work requirements articulated in the course document.

This process may also include interviews with past and present learners. It will be scheduled by TASC using a risk-based approach.

Criteria

The assessment for Japanese – Foundation Level 2 will be based on the degree to which the learner can:

1. listen and respond to spoken Japanese
2. communicate in spoken Japanese
3. read and respond to written Japanese texts
4. express ideas and information in written Japanese
5. write Japanese characters
6. understand contemporary Japanese daily life, customs and culture
7. apply planning and organisational skills

Standards

Criterion 1: listen and respond to spoken Japanese

Based on the grammar and structures in this Level 2 Foundation course content, the learner listens to spoken Japanese and responds.*

Rating A	Rating B	Rating C
In spoken conversations the learner is able to understand spoken texts that more closely resemble the pace/tempo used in authentic conversation. Some repetition and/or rephrasing may be requested from the speaker for clarification.	In spoken conversations the learner requires moderated delivery and some repetition and/or rephrasing.	In spoken conversations the learner requires moderated delivery and frequent repetition and/or rephrasing.
The learner’s response is appropriate to all aspects of the spoken text.	The learner’s response is appropriate to most aspects of the spoken text.	The learner’s response is appropriate to some aspects** of the spoken text.

* ‘Responses’ may include, but are not limited to: carrying out an action or task; forming a spoken response; or forming a written response.

** For example, a learner might: complete two of four actions given as a spoken instruction; confuse a required sequence,; or fail to respond to spoken details.

Criterion 2: communicate in spoken Japanese

Rating 'A':
Based on the grammar and structures in this Level 2 Foundation course content, the learner engages in conversation in familiar contexts.
The learner’s oral communication in Japanese is characterised by:

Rating 'B':
Based on the grammar and structures in this Level 2 Foundation course content, the learner engages in simple conversation in familiar contexts. The learner’s oral communication in Japanese is characterised by:

Rating 'C':
Based on the grammar and structures in this Level 2 Foundation course content, the learner engages in simple conversation in familiar contexts. The learner’s oral communication in Japanese is characterised by:

Rating A	Rating B	Rating C
speech that closely resembles the pace/tempo used in authentic conversation. There may be occasional hesitation	speech that is sometimes slow or uneven in pace. There may be some hesitation	fragmentary speech with frequent hesitation
occasional errors in pronunciation, stress and/or intonation	some errors in pronunciation, stress and/or intonation	frequent errors in pronunciation, stress and/or intonation
use of both simple and complex sentences	use of simple sentences	use of short, simple sentences and/or phrases
command of a wide range of structures and vocabulary*	command of a range of structures and vocabulary*	command of a very narrow range of structures and vocabulary*
a high degree of fluency and accuracy. While there may be occasional errors and imperfect control of some patterns, listeners clearly understand what is said.	a degree of fluency and accuracy. While there are errors, listeners generally understand what is said.	listeners gaining a partial understanding of what is said, but their understanding is impeded by a lack of fluency and accuracy.

* As defined by the grammar and structures of this course’s content.

Criterion 3: read and respond to written Japanese texts

Based on the grammar and structures in this Level 2 Foundation course content, the learner reads Japanese texts and responds.* The learner:

Rating A	Rating B	Rating C
makes some use of external references** during the reading process	is dependent on use of external references** during the reading process	is heavily dependent on use of external references** during the reading process
reads all hiragana characters	reads all hiragana characters	reads most*** hiragana characters
reads all katakana characters	reads most*** katakana characters	reads some**** katakana characters
reads most*** prescribed kanji characters.	reads some**** prescribed kanji characters.	reads a limited range of common kanji characters (e.g. numbers 1 – 10 and days of the week).
The learner’s response is appropriate to most aspects of the written text.	The learner’s response is appropriate to the general aspects of the written text.	The learner’s response is appropriate to some***** aspects of the written text.

* ‘Responses’ may include, but are not limited to: carrying out an action or task; forming a spoken response; or forming a written response.

** ‘External references’ may include, but are not limited to: the use of dictionaries; and the prompts of others.

*** ‘Most’ means approximately 80% of the 46 hiragana or 46 katakana characters, or of the prescribed sets of kanji characters (Set A and Set B).

****‘Some’ means approximately 50% of the 46 hiragana or 46 katakana characters, or of the prescribed sets of kanji characters (Set A and Set B).

*****For example, a learner might: complete two of four actions given as a written instruction; confuse a required sequence; or fail to respond to written details.

Criterion 4: express ideas and information in written Japanese

Based on the grammar and structures in this Level 2 Foundation course content, the learner writes Japanese text. The learner’s text is characterised by:

Rating A	Rating B	Rating C
correct use of punctuation	correct use of punctuation	correct use of basic punctuation
use of both simple and complex sentences	use of simple sentences	use of short, simple sentences and/or phrases
command of a wide range of structures and vocabulary*	command of a range of structures and vocabulary*	command of a very narrow range of structures and vocabulary*
a high degree of fluency and accuracy. While there may be some errors and imperfect control of some patterns, readers understand what is written.	a degree of fluency and accuracy. While there are errors, readers generally understand what is written.	content which allows readers to gain a partial understanding of what is written, but their understanding is impeded by a lack of fluency and accuracy.

* As defined by the grammar and structures of this course’s content

Criterion 5: write Japanese characters

The learner writes Japanese characters. The written text is characterised by:

Rating A	Rating B	Rating C
all hiragana characters are accurately written	all hiragana characters are accurately written	most* hiragana characters are accurately written
use of all katakana characters. There may be some minor errors in the formation of the script	use of most* katakana characters. There may be some minor errors in the formation of the script	use of some** katakana characters. There may be errors in the formation of the script
use of most* prescribed kanji characters. There may be some minor errors in the formation of the script.	use of some** prescribed kanji characters. There may be errors in the formation of the script.	use of a limited range of common kanji characters (e.g. numbers 1 – 10 and days of the week). There may be some errors in the formation of the script.

* ‘most’ means approximately 80% of the 46 hiragana or 46 katakana characters, or of the prescribed set of kanji characters for recognition and reproduction (Set A).

** ‘some’ means approximately 50% of the 46 hiragana or 46 katakana characters, or of the prescribed set of kanji characters for recognition and reproduction (Set A).

Criterion 6: understand contemporary Japanese daily life, customs and culture

The learner:

Rating A	Rating B	Rating C
identifies and accurately describes a wide range of contemporary customs and aspects of daily life in Japanese-speaking communities	identifies and describes a variety of contemporary customs and aspects of daily life in Japanese-speaking communities	describes some given* contemporary customs and aspects of daily life in Japanese-speaking communities
identifies and describes distinctive characteristics** of Japanese culture	identifies distinctive characteristics** of Japanese culture
identifies, describes and plausibly explains differences between contemporary culture of Japanese-speaking communities and Australian culture	identifies and describes significant differences between contemporary culture of Japanese-speaking communities and Australian culture	describes some differences between contemporary culture of Japanese-speaking communities and Australian culture
uses appropriate referencing/citation methods.	uses some appropriate referencing/citation methods.	uses referencing/citation methods as directed.

* ‘Given’ – for example, as selected or directed by teacher.

** ‘Distinctive characteristics’ are those that might be considered unique or characteristic of Japanese culture, as opposed to those shared with – or common to – other cultures in a region.

Criterion 7: apply planning and organisational skills

The learner:

Rating A	Rating B	Rating C
maintains task focus	maintains task focus for agreed periods of time	maintains task focus for limited periods of time
sets short-, medium- and long-term goals* which are measurable, achievable and realistic, and plans effective actions	sets short- and medium-term goals* which are measurable, achievable and realistic, and plans accordingly	sets short-term goals* which are generally measurable, achievable and realistic, and follows given plans/directions
reflects – orally and/or in writing – on progress towards meeting goals, evaluates progress and plans future actions	reflects – orally and/or in writing – on progress towards meeting goals and articulates ways in which goals can be met in the future	reflects – orally and/or in writing – on progress towards meeting goals in a constructive manner
considers, selects and uses strategies to manage and complete activities within established timelines.	selects and uses strategies to perform tasks within established timelines.	uses strategies as directed to perform tasks within established timelines.

* Within the context of a Level 2 language course ‘goals’ may include, but are not limited to: the completion of set tasks/assignments; and language skill acquisition. A short-term goal might be, for example, learning a vocabulary list. A medium-term goal might be improvement of personal fluency and pronunciation in a set of words or phrases. A long-term goal might be reading and writing all prescribed kanji characters.

Qualifications Available

Japanese – Foundation Level 2 (with the award of):

EXCEPTIONAL ACHIEVEMENT

HIGH ACHIEVEMENT

COMMENDABLE ACHIEVEMENT

SATISFACTORY ACHIEVEMENT

PRELIMINARY ACHIEVEMENT

Award Requirements

The final award will be determined by the Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification from the 7 ratings.

The minimum requirements for an award in this course are as follows:

EXCEPTIONAL ACHIEVEMENT (EA)
5 ‘A’ ratings, 2 ‘B’ ratings

HIGH ACHIEVEMENT (HA)
3 ‘A’ ratings, 3 ‘B’ ratings, 1 ‘C’ rating

COMMENDABLE ACHIEVEMENT (CA)
4 ‘B’ ratings, 2 ‘C’ ratings

SATISFACTORY ACHIEVEMENT (SA)
6 ‘C’ ratings

PRELIMINARY ACHIEVEMENT (PA)
4 ‘C’ ratings

A learner who otherwise achieves the ratings for a CA (Commendable Achievement) or SA (Satisfactory Achievement) award but who fails to show any evidence of achievement in one or more criteria (‘z’ notation) will be issued with a PA (Preliminary Achievement) award.

Course Evaluation

The Department of Education’s Curriculum Services will develop and regularly revise the curriculum. This evaluation will be informed by the experience of the course’s implementation, delivery and assessment.

In addition, stakeholders may request Curriculum Services to review a particular aspect of an accredited course.

Requests for amendments to an accredited course will be forwarded by Curriculum Services to the Office of TASC for formal consideration.

Such requests for amendment will be considered in terms of the likely improvements to the outcomes for learners, possible consequences for delivery and assessment of the course, and alignment with Australian Curriculum materials.

A course is formally analysed prior to the expiry of its accreditation as part of the process to develop specifications to guide the development of any replacement course.

Expectations Defined By National Standards

This course document includes materials consistent with the Collaborative Curriculum and Assessment Framework for Languages (CCAFL).

Accreditation

The accreditation period for this course has been renewed from 1 January 2022 until 31 December 2022.

During the accreditation period required amendments can be considered via established processes.

Should outcomes of the Years 9-12 Review process find this course unsuitable for inclusion in the Tasmanian senior secondary curriculum, its accreditation may be cancelled. Any such cancellation would not occur during an academic year.

Version History

Version 1 – Accredited on 3 October 2013 for use from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2018. This course replaces Japanese (JPN215109).

Version 1.a - Minor amendments to 'Grammar and Structures'. Accreditation renewed on 22 November 2018 for the period 1 January 2019 until 31 December 2020.

Version 1.b - 16 June 2020 - addition of Learning Outcomes #2 & 3 (previously omitted in error).

Version 1.c - Accreditation renewed on 22 July 2020 for the period 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021, with the following amendments: refinement of Rationale statement; and Learning Outcomes.

Version 1.d - Renewal of Accreditation on 14 July 2021 for the period 31 December 2021 until 31 December 2022, without amendments.