Studying Japanese Language/Literature/History

if anyone is interested in checking out that class this week it was moved to Wednesday (tonight) because of schedule conflicts, but it is normally always on Thursdays. 9PM EST. here's the write-up from the facebook group with more specific details for anyone that's interested. the link for the event changes each week so if you're a facebook user you can join the group so you will get an invitation each week....
https://www.facebook.com/groups/japanesethroughanime/

Join us in learning to sing a popular Japanese song on Thursday, May8th in a free online class. Together we can learn lots of Japanese vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure and even idioms as we study the lyrics to the song. If you are daring enough, you can sing Karaoke towards the end of the class. Webcam and microphone are not necessary!

** Here is the link to join the classroom when it starts: http://bit.ly/japaneseclass515 **

** The class time is listed in New York Time Zone (Eastern Standard Time); please check what the time the class starts for your time zone here: http://bit.ly/classtime508 *

Sign in as a guest with your name. You can log in as early as 10 minutes before it starts. Class usually runs for about two hours. Please come for as long as you can, although you do not need to be present the entire time to learn some Japanese.

You can learn lots of Japanese no matter what your level of Japanese is. The class is aimed towards students who are at the novice-high level or above. Beginning students, however, can still benefit from the class. You can get a feel for the general structure of the language, start learning some vocabulary words and grammar, and enjoy the company of a room-full of students already learning the language. Japanese native speakers learning English can also benefit from the class since primary instruction is conducted in English, and English is used as the means of defining the Japanese used in the song.

* You will have input on which songs we will study through the power of voting! Twelve song suggestions are put up for vote during the class the week before. Members can vote on their favorite songs, and the top winner will be the one that we study in class the week that follows. You may suggest a song to vote on for a future class as long as it is in Japanese.

Class Lesson Plan / Syllabus:

1) The song of the week is played for the first time. As students listen to the song, they may type into the chat box the words they already know in Japanese, along with their meanings in English. Typing in Kanji is preferred, but Kana or Romaji may also be used.

2) Students are given a list of untranslated vocabulary words from the lyrics in the first verse of the song. Students may define the words in the chat box themselves before their translations are given. Each phrase is then defined by its Kanji (with readings in both Kana and Romaji), by its definition in English, and by its part of speech. Idioms, expressions and other language curiosities are discussed. The verse is then played at least three times while students learn to sing it. This process is repeated for each verse in the song.

3) If time permits, a specific grammar point from the song may be presented. A detailed explanation is given, with examples from the song. Students are given a chance to practice the grammar point with other vocabulary from the song.

4) The entire song is played a few times. Students are encouraged to sing along to it out loud. Students may volunteer to sing Karaoke-style on the microphone for all to hear how well they’ve learned the song. Many students remain after class to play and sing other Japanese songs and to chat about Japanese language and culture.

Please keep in mind that I am only a Japanese learner, not a certified Japanese teacher. The purpose of the class is to bring together a community of Japanese learners to have fun while studying the language in context through authentic material.

Please unsubscribe from the Japanese Through Music Group on Facebook if you do not wish to receive these invitations any longer. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_102297663171415

よろしくお願いします！

Lauren Alba

ladyfaile wrote: if anyone is interested in checking out that class this week it was moved to Wednesday (tonight) because of schedule conflicts, but it is normally always on Thursdays. 9PM EST. here's the write-up from the facebook group with more specific details for anyone that's interested. the link for the event changes each week so if you're a facebook user you can join the group so you will get an invitation each week....
https://www.facebook.com/groups/japanesethroughanime/

Join us in learning to sing a popular Japanese song on Thursday, May8th in a free online class. Together we can learn lots of Japanese vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure and even idioms as we study the lyrics to the song. If you are daring enough, you can sing Karaoke towards the end of the class. Webcam and microphone are not necessary!

** Here is the link to join the classroom when it starts: http://bit.ly/japaneseclass515 **

** The class time is listed in New York Time Zone (Eastern Standard Time); please check what the time the class starts for your time zone here: http://bit.ly/classtime508 *

Sign in as a guest with your name. You can log in as early as 10 minutes before it starts. Class usually runs for about two hours. Please come for as long as you can, although you do not need to be present the entire time to learn some Japanese.

You can learn lots of Japanese no matter what your level of Japanese is. The class is aimed towards students who are at the novice-high level or above. Beginning students, however, can still benefit from the class. You can get a feel for the general structure of the language, start learning some vocabulary words and grammar, and enjoy the company of a room-full of students already learning the language. Japanese native speakers learning English can also benefit from the class since primary instruction is conducted in English, and English is used as the means of defining the Japanese used in the song.

* You will have input on which songs we will study through the power of voting! Twelve song suggestions are put up for vote during the class the week before. Members can vote on their favorite songs, and the top winner will be the one that we study in class the week that follows. You may suggest a song to vote on for a future class as long as it is in Japanese.

Class Lesson Plan / Syllabus:

1) The song of the week is played for the first time. As students listen to the song, they may type into the chat box the words they already know in Japanese, along with their meanings in English. Typing in Kanji is preferred, but Kana or Romaji may also be used.

2) Students are given a list of untranslated vocabulary words from the lyrics in the first verse of the song. Students may define the words in the chat box themselves before their translations are given. Each phrase is then defined by its Kanji (with readings in both Kana and Romaji), by its definition in English, and by its part of speech. Idioms, expressions and other language curiosities are discussed. The verse is then played at least three times while students learn to sing it. This process is repeated for each verse in the song.

3) If time permits, a specific grammar point from the song may be presented. A detailed explanation is given, with examples from the song. Students are given a chance to practice the grammar point with other vocabulary from the song.

4) The entire song is played a few times. Students are encouraged to sing along to it out loud. Students may volunteer to sing Karaoke-style on the microphone for all to hear how well they’ve learned the song. Many students remain after class to play and sing other Japanese songs and to chat about Japanese language and culture.

Please keep in mind that I am only a Japanese learner, not a certified Japanese teacher. The purpose of the class is to bring together a community of Japanese learners to have fun while studying the language in context through authentic material.

Please unsubscribe from the Japanese Through Music Group on Facebook if you do not wish to receive these invitations any longer. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_102297663171415

よろしくお願いします！

Lauren Alba

i wish i could do this class with you. it sounds like a lot of fun. time difference makes it impossible though :'-(