Term (Contact hours) .............. WINTER, SPRING, SUMMER, & FALL (33 hours each)
Class & Section .............................. JLPTn5&k ME
Instructor .......................................... TBA
Meeting day & Time ........................... Mondays, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

(Prerequisite: 150 contact hours of Japanese or its eqivalent)

COURSE DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVES
Read high interest selections such as short stories, essays, and articles, plus exercise Nihongo Noryoku Shiken Level 5  by Bonjinsha.  Students develop Japanese language proficiency (NIHONGO NORYOKU Level 5).    Practice and learn key test-taking strategies for the Nihongo Noryoku Shiken N 5.
   Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:  
1. Read and write (reproduce) 200 essential KANJI characters for educational purposes (of the 1,000 KYOIKU KANJI), and use them appropriately.
2. Guess the meaning when confronted with new KANJI characters by studying the radicals that all Kanji are composed of.
3. Fulfill urgent needs to read and write modern Japanese (signs, memos, personal letters, and simple writing).
4. Get to know the real NIHONGO NORYOKU SHIKEN's format, question types, and scoring. 

TEXTBOOKS AND MATERIALS
1. Required:
a)  Instructional materials prepared by instructor.
b)  Kano, C. , Shimizu, Y., & Ishi, E. (1989). Basic KANJI Book (Lessons 1-18, Vol.1). Tokyo, Japan: Bonjinsha.
c)  Nihongo Noryoku Shiken Level 5.  Tokyo, Japan: Bonjinsha.

2. Recommended:
a) Murata, M. (1991). KANJI: Practical guide for beginners. Tokyo: Babel Press.
b)  Heisig, J. W. (1977). Remembering the KANJI I. Tokyo, Japan: Japan Publications Trading.
c) Spahm, M., & Hadmitzky, W. (19??). Japanese Character Dictionary.
d) ジャポニカ かんじのれんしゅう 小学１年上、２年上.下 . (n.d.). Tokyo, Japan: Shouwa.
e) Practice Kanji on the Internet.
 http://jisho.org
 http://webjapanese.com/kanji/test01/suntack.cgi
http://webjapanese.com
http://www.nuthatch.com/kanjicards
f) Online dictionaries: http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/wwwjdic.html
g) A KANJI dictionary (whichever you feel most comfortable with--GAKKEN, KENKYUSHA, OBUNSHA, etc.)

EVALUATION
1. One final exam (2.5 hours).
2. Upon successful completion (80% or higher attendance rate and 80% or higher final exam score) of the course, a STUDENT PROGRESS REPORT will be written if requested at the time you take the final exam.
3. Your final exam score (%) and attendance (%) will be kept in a digitized form @STUDENT GRADES AND INFORMATION REPOSITORY.

TEACHING STYLE
The instructor will create a relaxed, low-anxiety atmosphere through which you can acquire the previously mentioned course objectives with less effort and with ease. The instructor will use an eclectic teaching method.

PROCEDURES
1. The student is expected to study Unit 1 before the class, and Unit 2-2 and Unit 2-3 after the class. Please use a separate notebook instead of writing in the textbook.
2. To improve writing, students are expected to write short essays and sentences using Kanji as much as possible. The instructor will collect and correct them.
3. There will be a short quiz every week.
4. The instructor will follow the CALENDAR /Weekly Schedule (below).

CALENDAR / Weekly Schedule   (The following schedule may change.)

Week 1. Introduction and Lessons 1, 2, 3

Week 2. Lessons 4, 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kanji Quiz #1

Week 3. Lessons 6, 7, 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kanji Quiz #2

Week 4. Lessons 9, 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . Kanji Quiz #3

Week 5. Lessons 11, 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kanji Quiz #4

Week 6. Lessons 13, 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kanji Quiz #5

Week 7. Lesson 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . Kanji Quiz #6

Week 8. Lessons 16, 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . Kanji Quiz #7

Week 9. Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kanji Quiz #8

Week 10. FINAL EXAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kanji Quiz #9

Week 11. Lesson 18 & Review まとめ

*Weekly assignments on specific dates will be available from your instructor in class.
 

PLEASE NOTE
1. You are expected to complete all assignments before coming to class.
2. Kanji quizzes (Kanji from the textbooks) will be given as shown in the calendar.
3. Please be on time for class; otherwise, you interrupt the lesson for others. Regular class attendance and participation are essential for language learning.
4. Excessive absences (more than 3 class meetings) may be cause for repetition of the course.
5. The results of your final exam (%) and attendance (%) will be kept in a digitized form @STUDENT GRADES AND INFORMATION REPOSITORY.  Your PROGRESS REPORT will be kept in the Soko Gakuen Records Office, and the Office will release it only upon your request.
6. When you obtain a score of 80% or higher on the final exam, you move up to a higher level class. Soko Gakuen's exit criteria for each class/level are based on the 1987 ACTFL Japanese Language Proficiency Guidelines.

POLICY ON FINAL EXAM:
There will be NO MAKE-UP FINAL for this course.