Starting Off Right in Japanese - Tips

Yookoso!

ようこそ。

Welcome to the Japanese course! As you begin, please look over the following:

Important steps to study Japanese

Pre-step: Understanding Modules and Naming Conventions

The course is made up of a series of modules (think chapters in a text book). Each module has a name and an abbreviation. The full name of the module will be used for assignment names, while the abbreviation will be used for the lessons (content). So, for example, you will see:

  • Introductions and Greetings (INT) = Module Title with abbreviation in parenthesis
    • Lesson naming:
      • INT: Overview
    • Assignment naming:
      • Introductions and Greetings Test

Step 1: Study the Text Lesson

Each module has multiple lessons, which are introduced with a text lesson. Each text lesson explains the objectives of the lesson, vocabulary, grammar points, and culture notes. It also contains the interactive activities. The Text Lesson is like a textbook and is the most important part of the each lesson. You can download and print the lesson out so that you can keep a hard-copy. All the assignments questions and test questions come from the Text Lesson.  Please study the lessons using the Text Lessons.

Step 2: Watch the Video Lessons

Please watch the video lessons to check your understanding of the lessons. When you watch the video lessons, please utilize video check sheets to check your leaning. Click “Video Check Sheet” and “Video check sheet answer key” to use while you view the video lessons. 

Step 3: Contact Your Instructor With Questions

Your instructor is available to provide assistance, so please be sure to contact them whenever you have a question. The instructor in this course is a "first line of defense" - a person who can answer questions about the language, but also provide assistance with certain technological issues. This may sound a bit like a broken record: but contact your instructor!

Step 4: Check all pages and Submit Assignments

Please utilize the practice activities in the course. Please check the following tips and submit the assignments after you practice the lesson content.

  • Take hand-written notes. Studies show that students who take hand-written notes learn more thoroughly.
  • Complete all of the embedded activities. The embedded activities found throughout this module are important for checking your comprehension of the content.
  • Listen to the audio files embedded throughout the course content. Listen carefully to the audio files embedded in the course content to train your ear.
  • Repeat what you hear. Repeating what you hear is how you learn a language.
  • Review the extra learning resources. Throughout the course your instructor may provide extra resources. The expectation is that you review these resources, too.