Practical Course of the Osaka YMCA Japanese Language School

Application for Admission

This course cultivates high-level Japanese skills for daily life and business. It is also for students who live in Japan, wish to take a short-term language study course for both business and private purposes or to enter a Japanese vacational school (technical college).

If you wish to apply for a student visa in order to enroll in this program, please contact the school. You can apply and get it at the school. If you are a holder of one of the following visas, or have another type, you are eligible to enroll in this program: spouse, dependent, long-term resident, work or religious activities.

*If you have a short-term stay visa, you can enroll for the 3-month (11-week) program.
*Other visas (except student visa) should be applied for independently by each individual.

Basic Classes : Learn basic Japanese from main textbooks and foster basic skills for practice use

This class is the first step for learning the four basic technical skills of Japanese (listening, speaking, reading and writing.) This class provides a good foundation for comprehensive Japanese language study. Everyday, students will take four classes. For beginner and intermediate level students, three of those classes are basic classes and for advanced level students, two of them are basic classes.

Listening-Speaking and Reading-Writing Classes (Beginner and Intermediate)

In these classes, the four technical skills are divided into two related groupings, listening-speaking and reading-writing, so that students can enhance specific skills. This clarifies the skills students are focusing on and makes studying more efficient. These classes are beneficial for students whose language ability is lop-sided (For example, high ability in listening and speaking, however low ability in reading and writing.)

Classes which suit your purpose and needs. More than 50% of your classes are electives! (Advanced or Upper Advanced)

One main feature of the Practical Japanese Course is the abundance of electives offered. The focus in these classes is the content. Students “study in Japanese” rather than “study Japanese.”
We have a Business Course, Academic Course and Culture Course. Here is a list of some of the electives offered: Business Manners, Product Planning and Development, Writing, Debating, Traditional Japanese Culture, Information on Japanese Life, Manga and Anime, Novels, Current Topics, Kansai Dialect and Preparation for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. Students will learn and understand many things about Japan and everyday Japanese.

Level: Beginner to Intermediate (Level 1 to 5)

LEVEL	OBJECTIVE	MASTERED ITEMS
Beginner 1 =Level 1	To explain basic information about oneself	・Give basic information about oneself ・Simply explain feelings ・Explain conditions of daily life and work environment ・Simply describe daily events, people, objects and situations
Beginner 2 =Level 2	To explain situations, describe people and objects, and formulate opinions	・In some detail, explain situations and describe people and objects including context, relationships, conditions and reasoning for a judgement. ・Make a request, a suggestion, give advice or a warning appropriately ・Judge by location and partner which style of language is appropriate
Lower-Intermediate =Level 3	To interact appropriately in every day situations	・Obtain information useful for choosing a desired house, part-time job, or merchandise ・Understand the rules and customs of life in Japan and use the language accordingly
Intermediate 1 =Level 4	To interact freely and present one’s own thoughts regarding everyday matters	・Catch the main points and follow the flow of conversations regarding familiar topics ・Collect / select necessary information when researching ・Put thoughts together and present them ・Identify similar and contrasting points and explain them
Intermediate 2 =Level 5	To explain one’s viewpoint and reasoning regarding topics of social or cultural nature and other topics of some technicality	・Understand the expansion of topics and the configuration of conversation ・Explain things from one’s own standpoint ・Identify similar and contrasting points, consider them and come to a conclusion

We use Hirake Nihongo (Part 1 and Part 2, Bonjinsha) for the Beginner Course. This text is more practical than conventional ones.
For our Lower-Intermediate Course witch is often categorized as ‘Beginner,’ we use the most effective text for its level, Itsuka Dokokade (written by Hagiwara Kazuhiko, 3A-Network).

We use 'Te-ma Betsu Chukyu kara Manabu Nihongo' for the Intermediate Course. This textbook series was developed by the teachers of the Osaka YMCA Japanese Language School. This is one of the best selling and most reliable textbooks and has been adopted by many other Japanese language schools.

The contents of the " Listening & Speaking" class

レベル	到達目標	養成するスキル
聞く・話す1	日常遭遇することの多い場面において、決まったフレーズでやりとりができる	・音の聞き分けができ、正しい発音で話せる ・イントネーションの違いが分かり、叙述と質問が区別できる ・場面に応じて適切なフレーズを使い分けることができる
聞く・話す2	場面に依拠しながらも、必要な情報のやりとりができる	・日常的なことに関して、質疑応答ができる ・相手の言っていることに対し、質問すべき点が分かる ・日常的な場面や状況の中で描写したり、説明したりすることができる ・発話機能を理解し、適切に使い分けることができる
聞く・話す3	日常的な場面におけるやり取りや親しい相手との身近な話題について受け答えができる	・自らの希望や意志について場面に応じて適切に伝えることができる ・自らの行為の目的･義務･可能なことについて話すことができる ・身近な話題について自らの評価や賛否を述べることができる
聞く・話す4	身の回りの出来事や身近な話題について、まとまった内容の受け答えができる	・話のテーマや大筋がわかる ・必要な情報をまとめて伝えることができる ・事実と意見を分けて伝えることができる
聞く・話す5	一般的な話題に関する説明や解説などのまとまった情報について受け答えができる	・場面に応じた適切な表現でやりとりができる ・話の構成が分かり、論理的に話題を展開することができる ・日常的なテーマでディスカッションができる

The contents of the " Reading & Writing" class

レベル	到達目標	課題/内容/テキストなど
読む・書く1	日本語の表記に慣れる。身近なものにどのようなことが書いてあるか理解する。初級前半で学んだ文型を使って、正しい文章を書くことができる。	・自分が持っている名刺に書いてあることを書く。 ・自宅、学校の住所を書く。 ・外で見つけた看板を書く。 ・メニュー、チラシに書いてあることを書く。 ・ポスター、お知らせのタイトルを書く。
読む・書く2	文章を読むことに慣れる。正しい文を書けるようにする。語彙を増やす。	・ ・『ひらけ日本語（下）』の漢字を習得する。 ・『初級で読めるトピック25』スリーエーネットワーク ・『やさしい作文』スリーエーネットワーク
読む・書く3	まとまった量の文章が読めるようになる。普段の生活に必要な情報を読みとる力を伸ばす。正しい文が書けるようになる。	『すぐに使える「レアリア・生教材」コレクション』スリーエーネットワーク 『初級で読めるトピック25』スリーエーネットワーク
読む・書く4	ことばによって、事実や状況を正確に伝えたり、自分の意見を論理的にきちんと説明したりする力を身につける。	『小論文への12のステップ』スリーエーネットワーク
読む・書く5	ことばによって、事実や状況を正確に伝えたり、自分の意見を論理的にきちんと説明したりする力を身につける。書きことばに慣れる。	『小論文への12のステップ』スリーエーネットワーク 『ストラテジーを使って学ぶ文章の読み方』一橋大学留学生センター

Beginner〜Intermediate(Level 1 to 5)

• Monday ~ Friday, 4 classes, 50- minutes per class
• Morning Class: 9:00 am ~ 12:50 pm.
• Afternoon Class: 13:30 am ~ 17:20 pm.
• Instructors change depending on time and course. Maximum 15 students per class.

Time	１	２	３	４
	9:00- 9:50 13:30-14:20	10:00-10:50 14:30-15:20	11:00-11:50 15:30-16:20	12:00-12:50 16:30-17:20
Mon	Basic class	Basic class	Basic class	Listening & Speaking
Tue	Basic class	Basic class	Basic class	Reading & Writing
Wed	Basic class	Basic class	Basic class	Listening & Speaking
Thu	Basic class	Basic class	Basic class	Reading & Writing
Fri	Basic class	Basic class	Basic class	Listening & Speaking

Level: Advanced to Upper Advanced (Level 6 to 8)

LEVEL	OBJECTIVE	MASTERED ITEMS
Advanced 1 =Level 6	To have general knowledge of Japanese society and culture, and exchange opinions on these topics compared to one’s own country	･Become interested in Japanese society and culture, and gain a general understanding ･Express opinions on the difference of society and culture between Japan and one’s own country
Advanced 2 =Level 7	To explain one’s viewpoint on current topics and the relationship between Japan and their country, and discuss it	･Make good use of tools to get the latest information ･Exchange opinions clearly and meaningfully
Upper Advanced =Level 8	To exchange opinions on various, extensive topics To explain and exchange opinions of one’s specialized field adequately	・Understand general literary works and broadcasts ・Adapt language to suit the location

We use Te-ma Betsu Chukyu kara Manabu Nihongo and Te-ma Betsu Jyokyu de Manabu Nihongo (Matsuda Hiroshi, Nagata Ryosuke, Kameda Miho, et al., Kenkyusha) for the Intermediate and Upper Advanced Course. This textbook series was developed by the teachers of the Osaka YMCA Japanese Language School. This is one of the best selling and most reliable textbooks and has been adopted by many other Japanese language schools.

It is assumed that you can understand Japanese. These electives’ purpose is to study in Japanese.

Study useful knowledge for Japanese society in Japanese in the Advanced and Upper Advanced Courses.
We have three themed courses, Business, Culture and Academic.

In the Business Course, students study basic business manners unique to Japan, gain knowledge of business information and Japanese circumstances, develop products and make presentations, cultivate knowledge for business and improve basic skills.

The Culture Course includes Japanese traditional culture, dramas, movies, and pop culture, such as manga and anime. Students think about culture in Japan by creating original dramas, reading and comprehending novels written by famous Japanese authors and discussing them.

The Academic Course cultivates Japanese language skills useful not only to improve your social life in Japan, but also to learn and study in Japanese universities, graduate schools and technical colleges. This course’s objective is to develop high-level Japanese language skills to get a high score on the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, think logically, write research reports or essays, and debate.

Examples of Elective Subjects (content varies by semester)

Business Course Elective Subjects

• Business Manners, Business Writing, Product Planning and Development, Debate, IT Skills, etc.

Culture Course Elective Subjects

• Living Information Variety Show、Traditional Japanese culture、Current affairs、Manga and Anime、Kansai Dialect, etc.

Academic Course Elective Subjects

• Preparation for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (N1), Research and Report, Listen to Lectures, Voices From Japan...etc.

Electives July to September 2011

• Monday ~ Friday, 4 classes, 50- minutes per class
• Morning Class: 9:00 am ~ 12:50 pm.
• Afternoon Class: 13:30 am ~ 17:20 pm.
• Instructors change depending on time and course. Maximum 15 students per class.

Time	１	２	３	４
	13:30-14:20	14:30-15:20	15:30-16:20	16:30-17:20
Mon	Basic class	Basic class	Elective class	Elective class
Tue	Basic class	Basic class	Elective class	Elective class
Wed	Basic class	Basic class	Elective class	Elective class
Thu	Basic class	Basic class	Elective class	Elective class
Fri	Basic class	Basic class	Elective class	Elective class