Japanese 1 - Mid Term Exam Week
Week of 3/16 - 3/20
Mid-term Exam This Week!
This week you will take your mid term exam. The mid term will cover all of the material we've learned in class so far.
Before making an attempt, please carefully review all hiragana, vocabulary and grammar notes from lessons 1 - 7. There is a link to hiragana flashcards below. Please review these before attempting your mid term.
Missing Assignments? Submit Them This Week!!
All assignments to be counted toward your current 9 week grade must be submited by THURSDAY, MARCH 19th!!! Any assignments that are not submitted or marked with a 0 will be counted against your grade.
Some of you have received e-mails with your list of outstanding assignments. If you have received one of these lists, use it to see which assignments still need to be submitted and make your submissions today!!
0s really hurt your grade and it is better to do your best on an assignment and ask questions if needed on an assignment instead of not making any submission at all. Making a best effort attempt and submitting an assignment for a grade vs. not doing it at all can often make all the difference between receiving a full letter grade higher or lower. Invest an hour or two in yourself and make a submission for those late assignments. You have nothing to lose and so much to potentially gain!
Call, text, email or IM me with any questions on your assignments. My contact info is listed below.
You can ask your coach questions too or use the FREE NCVPS Peer Tutoring Center for help.
I cannot stress enough the importance of checking your grades regularly. You can check your grade any time by clicking the My Grades menu option in blackboard on your left hand navigational toolbar.
I cannot guarantee that late work submitted after March 19th will be graded in time for the 9 week grades. Please plan to have all late submissions made no later than March 19th to guarantee sufficient time to grade and include in your 9 week grades.
What's Due This Week?
Do not start lesson 8 yet.
As this week is the mid- term, the objective this week is to study/prepare for the exam and submit all missing assignments from lessons 1-7.
Remember to attend BOTH of your scheduled language coaching sessions this week. Your coaches will review lesson 1 - 7 material to help you prepare.
If you need to make up any missed coaching sessions please do so this week. You can make up missed coaching sessions any time Japanese 1 coaching is offered.
Particle Review
は (written/typed as "ha" but pronounced as "wa") is a topic marker. It marks the topic of a sentence:
わたし は にほん から です。
(I am from Japan.)
In this sentence, I (the topic) is immediately followed by は as it is marking the topic (myself)
が is the subject marker. The sentence is about the subject, but the subject cannot be omitted in order for the sentence to make sense (unlike the topic)
わたし は かばん が あります。
(I have a backpack/bag/briefcase.)
かばん is the topic, so it's immediately followed by が. If I omitted わたし は, the sentence would still make sense.
の is used to show ownership/possession. It's like the 's in English:
これ は わたし の うち です。
(This is my house)
The particle の goes between the person who owns the object and the object itself.
を marks the direct object. It has no English equivalent.
わたし は えいご を はなします。
(I speak English.)
The particle を goes between the direct object and the verb.
に has many different uses. So far we have learned it is used to express something is "in" a location.
だいどころ に いぬ が いあす。
(In the kitchen, there is a dog.)
Here, に goes after the location.
か is used to indicate that a sentence is a question.
でんわばんご は なん です か。
(What is your phone number?)
か is like a question mark in English, but it must be said and written at the end of a sentence to indicate a question.
Language Coaching Ninjas!
すごい! Kudos all around to my language coaching ninjas who attended at least 2 language coaching sessions last week!
William K., Katheryne S., Samuel K. India K., Nelson C., Celeste B., Michael B., Christine W., Lily S., Nathan P., Andrew A., Miranda G., Stephen P.
すばらしいです。ありがとうございます!
Let's try to get everyone's name on the list next week! Rock on ninjas! がんばってください!
Boutin Sensei's Tips for Success
Looking to improve your grade in Japanese 1, or keep your grade high? Here are some tips for success in Japanese 1:
- Log in and read your announcements daily. Announcements are posted daily with important information on which assignments are due each day and supplemental instructional material to help you with your assignments. Log in every day during the school week and read your announcements
- Attend at least 2 language coaching sessions each week. Language coaching attendance and active participation accounts for 20% of your grade. You are required to attend at least 2 language coaching sessions each week. If you miss a session, you are expected to make it up. You can make up missed sessions any time Japanese 1 coaching is offered with any coach. The schedule is posted under the My Coach tab in Blackboard.
- Submit assignments on their due date. Assignments should be submitted on the day they are due. I recommend printing out a copy of the Due Date Calendar and posting it somewhere you see it each day.
- Spend at least 90 minutes each day during the school week on Japanese. NCVPS expects that students will spend an average of 90 minutes each day doing something related to the class. Invest the time you need to invest into the course by attending coaching, studying grammar, vocabulary and hiragana and completing your assigned work.
- Submit any missing assignments. If you have not submitted any assignments from the Introductory course module or lessons 1 - 7, please go back and submit them this week for a grade. 0s really hurt your grade!
- Ask questions if you do not understand something or need help. I am available to answer your questions! See the contact info below for ways to reach out to me if you need help. Your coach can also help explain your lesson material or clarify things related to assignments. The Peer Tutoring Center is also a great FREE resource for any student seeking extra help or extra practice with Japanese.
Contact Boutin Sensei
Office Hours: 6:30 - 8:30PM Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Contact me this week if you need help with anything!
Email: sarah.boutin@ncpublicschools.gov
Website: sarahboutin.tumblr.com
Location: Blackboard IM: Sarah Boutin
Phone: 919-964-5227
Twitter: @boutinsensei