Japanese 1 - 8
The approach of the Washington Academy of Languages program is to emphasize the use of authentic Japanese as it is naturally spoken and written. Speaking and listening are practiced at normal speeds in the classroom. As a result, students are able to communicate easily with native speakers. Research in the area of second language acquisition suggests that the most effective ...
The approach of the Washington Academy of Languages program is to emphasize the use of authentic Japanese as it is naturally spoken and written. Speaking and listening are practiced at normal speeds in the classroom. As a result, students are able to communicate easily with native speakers. Research in the area of second language acquisition suggests that the most effective process for acquiring a language begins with listening followed by speaking, reading and, finally, writing. At Washington Academy of Languages we follow this process.
Japanese texts are used for learning reading and writing. Hiragana is introduced in level 1. Students are encouraged to read and write in hiragana from the start. Katakana, for foreign loan words, is taught in level II. Finally, kanji is taught as part of this unified system so that students are able to understand the various readings and pronunciation of each character in different contexts.
Japanese is a non-European language and is quite different from English; therefore, the time needed to master the language is longer than that for European languages. At Washington Academy of Languages, stress is placed on the quality rather than the quantity of language skills. Because of the small class size, however, students have ample opportunities to speak and ask questions in the class and are thus able to proceed quickly toward acquisition of the language.
Textbook for levels 1-4: Makino, Hatasa, and Hatasa. Nakama 1. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998.
Textbook for levels 5-8: Makino, Hatasa, and Hatasa. Nakama 2. Boston: Houghton Miflin Company, 2000.
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5 Week Session (30 hrs): $405.00
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- yosnacks
- Seattle, WA
Review of WAL, November 21, 2008
I took a Spanish class with WAL and loved my instructor! The class was taught primarily in Spanish even though it was an introductory-level course. This was fantastic for providing the opportunity to learn the language by UNDERSTANDING the language. When the instructor would speak to the class in Spanish, we were forced not to just listen but to understand. When we practiced speaking, we were not just reciting lines from a textbook but rather communicating what we wanted to say using what we learned in class.
The class format worked well for me, too. Evening classes are great for me as I work during the day, but they offer morning classes as well for those who have the time.
Finally, I think it's great that they offer university credit for their language classes. I didn't need it, but it's a good idea for those who want to receive a transcript of their courses for their career or studies.
I took a Spanish class with WAL and loved my instructor! The class was taught primarily in Spanish even though it was an introductory-level course. This was fantastic for providing the opportunity to learn the language by UNDERSTANDING the language. When the instructor would speak to the class in Spanish, we were forced not to just listen but to understand. When we practiced speaking, we were n...
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