The Japan Forum > Click Nippon > Class Ideas

The students will watch a video of Mr Komoto who launched a new wave of kendama, answer questions and talk about what they saw. Making kendama and doing kendama dance/exercise are opportunities to connect with other key learning areas. Students will also research the history of kendama and learn about the changes to games and lifestyles over time.

Read the interview article of the LINE stamp creator, and explore the meanings of stamps used in SNS and their roles in communication. Then create your own stamps to express your feelings.

Students will read the interview article of Mr Nomura, who blogs about vending machines in Japan. They will also make a comparison with those in their own country, and discuss the reasons why there are so many in Japan, then reflect on what that says about Japanese society.

Students will study the words of the poet who experienced the great Tohoku disaster in 2011, and will reflect on the power of words.

By reading a poem, Dear Fukushima, students will become aware of various global issues and comprehend the issues of Fukushima as close to home, not just someone else’s problem. Students will be lead to take the ‘far away Genpatsu issue’ to the personal level. Students will also connect people, people’s emotions and the issues which we are all responsible for. In the process of studying this unit, students will notice and cultivate ‘Power of words’.

Reading the text, What we have lost", students explore the relationship young Japanese people have with their mobile phones. Activities include: research etiquette in Japan, compare how people use mobile phones, conduct class survey and so on. Make a connection with the topic by brainstorming before reading the interview. Students study the interviewees' opinions about usage, handy functions, and drawbacks of mobile phones. Then give their own opinions. Through studying this interview, students are encouraged to think and discuss about etiquette, and safety issues of using mobile phones as their prime concern.

Reading the text, students explore the relationship young Japanese people have with their mobile phones. Activities include: research etiquette in Japan, compare how people use mobile phones, conduct class survey and so on. Students study the interviewees' opinions about usage, handy functions, and drawbacks of mobile phones. Then give their own opinions. Through studying this interview, students are encouraged to think and discuss about etiquette, and safety issues of using mobile phones as their prime concern.

The activity highlights the pros and cons of cell phone use and introduces students to the use of emoticons with Japanese text messages.