I want to take you down the path of thinking – thinking about your hopes, expectations and fears – not only in the Japanese language, but in other areas of your life where Japanese may come into play.
Note to reader: This lesson is usually taught in mid February. Currently I am posting writings from my graduate program in preparation for a speech in November.
This is UNIT 3 in the Possible Selves program: Thinking of our hopes, expectations & fears as a Japanese language user. This is the Create section. Here’s part of the teaser to get students invested in thinking.
You can find links to the other units here: Possible Selves as a Japanese Language User
Possible Selves – Thinking about themselvs in the future
In the Possible Selves program for developing motivation, the third step is THINKING about what you hope to do, what you can reasonably expect to be able to do, and what fears are keeping you from accomplishing those. You can find a simple overview of Possible Selves here: https://www.slideserve.com/denton/possible-selves
How to use the CREATE worksheets
Observations
I like to approach Japanese as an ethnographer. How is the language being used? What are people doing with the language? What can I discover about the language and culture I’m studying by observing?
This set of worksheets begins with 2 videos about how artists are creating and decorating Mankeki Neko. Neither have conversations for students to listen to. It is purely an observation. You may want to speed the first video up, but some students like the slower speed. Have the students record their observations on the worksheet.
Discovering oneself
This next section begins the Possible Selves work.
Students define what hopes, expectations and fears actually are. This can be as a group or on their own. Have students look at their Shichifukujin Collage about their strengths and interests as they complete the survey about their own hopes, expectations and fears: “私の Hopes ・Expectations ・Fears のアンケート”
Research with Authentic Materials
Next students will research MANEKI NEKO using authentic resources in order to create their own. On the worksheet I have provided images and a link to my pinterest board about Maneki Neko. Begin with the basic guidelines about the meaning of the paws, colors, and accessories. https://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/maneki-neko.shtml
Next students should explore authentic resources found on my pinterest board about Maneki Neko There students can find many websites in Japanese and other languages about this fukumono (luck charm). As many students may not yet have the confidence to explore a resource written only in Japanese, images are a universal way to start exploring a language and culture.
With ideas and images fresh from their research, student use the answer from the previous survey in Japanese about what kind of maneki neko they need, and the answers from the survey on this worksheet to determine what designs, paw positions, colors, and accessories they want for their Maneki Neko. Creative students may sketch their own. Coloring pages can be found on the pinterest board. I have had some students create their own with paper maché…. but I teach at an art school. Their Maneki Neko should include images or symbols of what they hope for in their lives as Japanese users, their jobs, and as good humans…. as well as things they are warding off. Maneki neko are both for beckoning in and keeping certain things away.
This creation is a physical representation of things they want to achieve. This will become more important to them as they work through the Possible Selves currirulum.
Tomorrow I will post the final part of Unit 3 Thinking about Japanese language hopes, expectations and fears.
Please like and subscribe to my blog – there are still 4 more amazing multi-literacy units that will help motivate you and your students towards proficiency in Japanese.
If you would like to discuss how this multi-literacy method could be adapted to your classroom or to your self-study or homeschool program, please contact me below.
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