１０月２４日（にじゅうよっか）のアクティビティ

This is today’s activity. If you cannot finish within class time, finish at home.

For 1-3, work on your own.

Write in Japanese as much as you can.

1. Read your last entry and the comments on your own blog. (5 min.)

• Read the comments of the people who commented on your blog.
• If you feel that it is necessary, respond back to the people who commented on your blog.
• If you find any mistake on your last entry, correct and publish the corrected version.

2. Confirm if comments you have made on others’ blogs have been responded to, or not. (5 min.)

• Check the status of the comments you have posted on others’ blogs.
• If you think it is necessary, respond to any comments.
• To ensure that you remember where you commented, make sure to record on yourcomment sheet.
  

3. Comment on the blogs of students in other sections, and other universities (at least 2). (10 min.)

• To go to blogs in other sections, look at the link list on the right-hand side of the page.
• To go to the blogs of students in other universities and countries, click on the link on the right-hand side of the page that says, "せかい(WORLD)" under “ともだちをつくろう(Let's make friends)!” At this site you will see Beginning Japanese (2011-2012) as a link on the right, and underneath it there are various university’s names. If you click on these links, it will take you to university homepages which have student blogs either on the right side or on the left side.
• When you read the blogs and think they are interesting, comment on their blogs.
• To ensure that you remember where you commented, make sure to record on yourcomment sheet.

4. Read Blog Evaluation Categories. (5 min.)

• Please read the Blog Evaluation Categories. (If there is something you would like to add, post it in the comment of this blog entry.)

From here, work as a group of 3~4.

5. Work on categorizing katakana words/expressions. (20 min.)

• Discuss with your group members in which category each of the katakanas you found should fit. (If you don’t know the answer, please seek opinions from the instructor.)

(Category) Onomatopoeia - Emphasis - Loanwords

• If a katakana word/expression doesn’t fit into any of the categories written above, create a new category for it.
• Write (1) the category, (2) the katakana words, (3) the English translation/transcription, and (4) the place where you found the katakana in the comment section of the blog. See the example below.

(Example) Loanword, スタイル, style, Newspaper

From here, work on your own.

6. Think about katakana use and write your analysis on your blog. (15 min.)

Other people will read your analysis and make comments on your analysis.

1. Choose at least 2 katakana words/expressions that you found and think about what kinds of effects / purposes there may be in these words/expressions writing in katakana instead of hiragana or kanji.
2. Also, think why there are such effects/purposes.
3. Think about why each textbook is different in explaining katakana, and why the textbooks explained katakana in the manners that they did.

* On your blog, post what you have written in the question above. For the title, write "Katakana Analysis Draft." (deadline: November 3rd, Thursday)

Katakana Analysis Checklist

1. Did you clearly state the source(s) for your data (e.g., newspaper "Asayomi shinbun," women's magazine "Kitty")?
2. Did you gather enough information from varied sources to support your conclusion?
3. Were you able to exchange your opinion with people who knows Japanese (i.e., advanced level Japanese learners, a Japanese person)?
4. If you want to read about the Katakana project objectives and procedure, click here.

*After exchanging comments, revise your analysis and post it on your blog.(deadline: December 1) The final analysis will be graded by the instructor.

Blog Evaluation Categories

1. Language

- transition into using more Japanese, use Japanese as much as possible

- use the grammar structure and vocabulary we learned

- try not to rely on Google translator because it is often very inaccurate

- grammatically correct

- clear language and proper spelling

2. Content

- a good topic or theme, some sort of continuity in the theme/ topic of the blog, include current events

- topics that somehow relate to Japanese, topic should be related to Japanese culture to raise people’s common interests

- various subjects and topics that lead to good discussions

- clarity, simple and easy to understand, should be coherent

- be honest, show sincerity and originality

- interesting to reader and writer, appropriate/ polite content, include topics that touch on life lessons or address universal values

3. Layout

- easy on the eye

- utilizes external resources, including pictures, videos, links, and recordings

- user- friendly, easy to navigate

- visually attractive (eg: stylish layout, effective usage of colors)

- clear font, clear to follow

- liberal use of space, don’t squeeze sentences into one paragraph

- attract both new and returning users

- family- friendly

4. Communication

- respond to comment, interacting with other blogs (eg. commenting on classmates’ blogs and other blogs outside of class)

- comments should be answered if they include questions, comments should be meaningful

- English translation when relevant

- communicate and articulate in a conductive way

- keep the flow of the dialogue natural so it is easy for the readers to read, consistent tone/ subject

- attempt to connect with readers

5. Consideration

- be sincere, no offensive words or posts but have an opinion, keep in mind what others could be offended by, know your audience

- aware of the language level of one’s readers, try to post at the class’ level so we can all read the posts

- should respect others’ blogs, consideration of other’s opinions, try not to be politically incorrect

- don’t include too many details about your private life that would offend the readers

6. Frequency

- update regularly, frequently updated (at least once a week), avoid posting too much entries at once that has no content, no Spam

7. Others

- Paragraphs should not be so long that the blog becomes difficult to read

- humor and wit

- make an effort on your blog

Katakana Project

Objectives of the Project

1. Explore various uses of katakana.
2. Practice using various katakana expressions.
3. Observe how Japanese textbooks explain katakana and think about why those textbooks explain katakana in such manners.

Outline of the Project

1. Understand the manners in which Japanese textbooks explain katakana.
2. Gather various katakana expressions from sources such as books and magazines.
3. Think of the ways in which the various katakana expressions could be categorized. Consider what kinds of effects and purposes there are in writing in katakana.
4. Think about why the textbooks explain katakana in such manners.
5. Prior to producing literary works (such as senryu, manga, or stories) using katakana, discuss how you can make your literary works interesting. Based on this discussion, the class will create the criteria by which the literary works should be evaluated.
   
6. Produce literary works using katakana.
7. Based on the evaluation criteria decided in step 5, write comments on the literary works of the classmates.
8. According to the comments from the classmates, revise and/or re-produce the literary works.
9. Appreciate the classmates’ literary works once again, and based on the evaluation criteria decided in step 5, choose the top 3 literary works in class.
10. Write comments on the project itself.

１０月（じゅうがつ）１０日（とおか）のアクティビティ(activity)

There are 4 activities today. If you cannot finish all of them, do the rest at home.
Use your time effectively.


1. Discuss what makes a good blog in groups of 3-4 people.(15 min.)

At the end of the semester we will have not only teachers but also you and your classmates evaluate each other’s blogs. We will use the results of your discussions today as a basis for deciding the criteria that we will use to evaluate the blogs at the end of the semester.

• Discuss what makes a good blog in groups of 3-4 people.(3-4min.)
• Look at the blog evaluation category that the last year students made and discuss.(3-4min.)
• Post the result of your discussion in the comment column of the blog. (Only one blog entry per one group, but make sure to include each of your group members' names with the posting so we know that you have commented.

2. Re-read your own blog entries that you wrote in the past and make corrections on any mistakes you find. (15 min.)

• To Edit your blog, click the edit button which will direct you to the editing screen.

3. Read the comments made about your own blog. (10 min.)

• Please read the comments made by others about your blog. (People who have already read these comments can skip ahead to step 4 below.)
• If you feel that it is necessary, please respond back to those who have commented on your blog.
  

4. Post your blog entry in Japanese. (20 min.)

• Write a blog entry in Japanese.
• If you have no idea what to write, you can write about what you did on the weekend or your daily schedule.

Blog Evaluation Categories

1. Language

2. Content

3. Layout

4. Communication

5. Consideration

6. Frequency

7. Others