Japanese Speech
Contests
By Mariel Howard
Kalamunda Christian
School
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Primary LOTE programs under criticism: After
7+ years of learning a LOTE students know a
“bunch of nouns and three songs”
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Lack of lesson time (once a week for as short as
20min per lesson)
Lack of LOTE teachers, teachers change
frequently
LOTE not taken seriously, LOTE teachers
“DOTT time providers”
Limited access to computers
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To provide a focus and increase motivation in students
To “bring together” everything learnt during the year, ensuring
that what was studied at the start of the year remains relevant and
is revised frequently
To provide “communicative purpose” in order to improve
accuracy and fluency in the LOTE (“Learning is about personal
meaning-making…Interaction needs to be purposeful…about
something…have value in its own right”Teaching and Learning Languages, A
Guide by Scarino and Liddicoat)
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To provide an “open-ended” activity to recognize not
only each students “abilities” but also their “capabilities”
thus focusing on each student’s potential
Increases the profile of LOTE in the school and in the school
community
To provide an opportunity for students parents to learn about the
culture (shared Japanese supper, kimonos worn, Japanese
background music)
Provides a Context and
a Goal for Learning
Ensures
Revision of
Learnt
Language
Increased
Motivation
Builds LOTE Culture by
Involving School
Community
Better Fluency
and Retention
of Language
Steps to a successful Speech
Contest
(example only, based on my
experience)
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Effective activities essential in PS due to lack of class time (time allowing,
effective activities discussed and ideas collected at the end of this session)
Activities also have to be fun, interesting, age appropriate and above all
based on real communication (exercises with focus on form vs. real-life
tasks and activities with focus on integrated use of language)
Do teach nouns but tie them to a sentence with real communicative
purpose (eg. Teach colours and then “My favourite colour is….”)
Use a variety of methods and resources eg. balls, blankets, sets of cards,
music, songs, flashcards, “realia” eg real menus, computers, Smartboard,
puppets, pictures from magazines and the internet…(“The key is to have
resources which open up multiple possible uses and allow for flexibility
and creativity in teaching and learning” Teaching and Learning Languages, A
Guide by Scarino and Liddicoat)
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Use Japanese in class as much as possible (kids learn best from context,
provides natural and constant revision)
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Music is the most effective memory strategy as emotional
experiences are readily recalled (Innovative Teachers’ Companion by ITC
Publications)- don’t just have “song time” but play the same songs
whenever students are doing “brain-dead” work like tracing
characters to revise vocabulary, improve intonation and
pronunciation and to provide a calm multi-sensory learning
environment
Take advantage of the power of Motor Memory by using plenty of
sports, role-plays, games and gestures
Get students to think of mnemonics (ways to remember new
words) eg. “Usagi” can be “Oh, saggy ears”
Use emotions to engage learners (Brain Compatible Learning) by
modeling an optimistic state (smile, eye-contact, excitement and
personal exuberance), change of location (“Teaching a concept in a
different location assists students to recall it through episodic
association i.e.utilising the associative emotions they
develop”Innovative Teachers’ Companion by ITC Publications) , drama and roleplay
and MUSIC!!!!
Revision, revision, revision!!!! Use a variety of methods and
activities to revise the same thing keeping in mind that students
have their preferred way of learning (eg. visual or kinetic) and
some students need more opportunities to practise than others
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Start “marketing” event from start of year and put it in
the school calendar to get students excited and focused
and to create “hype”
Highlight benefits like improved skills and confidence
and a chance to “blow their parents away”
Mention prizes!
Get heads of school to attend and other teachers if
possible
Aim as high as practically possible (after school event
with parents attending, shared Japanese supper, use a
microphone, native speakers and other Japanese
teachers as guests or judges etc)
Remind students, staff and parents of the even at
regular intervals eg. during assemblies
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Make participation a privilege and something to be
desired by making it “invitation only”, possibly
based on speaking mark or earned by attending
lunchtime practice (this tests their commitment at
the beginning and lessens your stress of getting
them to an acceptable standard before the contest)
Get students to commit to the contest well in
advance with a permission from parents
Do not let students drop out without a permission
from parents (teaches commitment and resiliance,
avoids instances where parents are still expecting
students to participate, and stops students from
wasting everyone’s time, especially yours)
Disclaimer: There are several ways of teaching script so the methods
outlined is what seems to work for ME and my students
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I have a “no romaji” policy from the beginning in order to ensure
correct pronunciation form the beginning and to remove the “crutch”
that often prevents students from advancing in their hiragana
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I create mystery and intrigue around hiragana and kanji (“ a secret
code your family can’t read!”), use “Hiragana in 46 minutes” and take
it as slowly as needed with lots of revision using various hiragana
games and activities
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I use spoken language to support the learning of written language and
vice versa by teaching the spoken and written form of the new words
simultaneously
-students revise the characters used to write the new words as it ensures
constant revision of characters and ensures that visual learners are
able to “see” the new words (written language supports spoken
language)
- memorization of new words help students become familiar with the
characters used to write it (spoken language supports written
language)
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Select speech contest topics according to the Curriculum
Framework and introduce them to the students at the start
of the year (eg. “Self-introduction” for Yr 1-4 as the focus is
“Self and Family”, and “Shopping Roleplay” for Yr 5-7” for
“School and Local Community” focus )
Provide plenty of examples in class including recordings of
previous contests (I use a subliminal method or “Sleeping
activity”)
Students plan their own speech based on the phrases
learned during the year and the example speeches
Encourage students to learn a couple of new words or
expressions to make their speeches more individual, but
warn them of the dangers of trying to learn too many new
words (easy to forget under pressure which affects fluency
in the contest)
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Write students speeches in note form IN ENGLISH and
use these both as “parent translations” on Powerpoint
during the contest and as palm cards for students if
needed (no Japanese palm cards allowed unless in
hiragana)
Practise as a group using prompt cards in hiragana
(also excellent reading practise!)
Listen to students speeches individually and correct
main errors (In most speaking exercises
communication and fluency are more important that
accuracy so correcting minor errors is not beneficial,
but in this instance I want student to memorize the
language structures correctly so that they can later be
recalled and modified to provide unlimited amount of
new senteces )
Students practise in small groups and pairs (Confident
students can become “teachers” for others. “You learn
best when you teach”)
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Divide students into categories eg. Yr 1-2, Yr3-4, Yr5-7
Around 30 speeches is a good number as it any more is hard to
listen to and judge (You may have to run heats or have junior and
senior contests if you have more entries)
Start evening with shared Japanese food tasting (can be made by
students, but we just ordered ours from local sushi and noodle
shop), play Japanese music in the background and have children
try on kimonos if enough help available
Judges found it easy to have a printout of Powerpoint translations
so that they could take notes as they listened
Give prizes to winners as well as encouragement prizes for things
like “best smile”, “best presentation” etc. (I have given origami
and manga books as major prizes)
Give a participation prize for everyone like a Japanese pencil or
Japanese lollies
Try to get native speakers or other Japanese teachers to do the
judging
Lessons
•Learn all nouns,
verbs etc. for
topic using lots
of oral exercises,
IT, and games
•Learn main
sentence
structures used
with topic
•Revise all
hiragana
required for
these words and
sentences,
• Lots of hiragana
writing and
reading exercises
Writing
Assessment
•Write individual
speech/ role
play using
words and
structures learnt
（Hiragana
only)
•Corrected by
teacher to
achieve 100%
accuracy
Oral
Assessment
•Corrected
speech/role play
memorized
•Presented in
class
•Best students
selected for
Evening Speech
Contest
Speech
Contest
•Present speech/
role play in front
of 200+ family
and friends
•Translations
projected to
audience
(students
allowed to use it
to jog memory)
•Native speakers
or other teachers
as judges
•Japanese supper
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“Evaluation is an integral part of the process of
curriculum renewal. Evaluation involves making
considered judgment about a program to ensure that
what is being done in teaching , learning and
assessment is worthwhile, effective and sufficient”
Teaching and Learning Languages, A Guide by Scarino and Liddicoat)
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Get feedback orally or in writing, formally or
informally from students who got involved and those
who didn’t (why not?) before and after the event
Talk to parents, other teachers and the principal about
their impressions
Collate feedback and think of ways to improve the
event for following years
Make the changes!
“The Japanese contest was a new idea for the Junior School. Mariel was really
keen and saw it as a great way to grow the profile of LOTE in the school
and also challenge the children.
The planning and prep that went into the evening was great and the kids
loved to have the extra sessions of coaching. There was a great up take of
kids for the evening.
A large group of parents and friends arrived at the event and were treated to
a sample supper of Japanese food. The atmosphere was exciting.
The delight was that we saw our children perform who were very competent
but also those who managed to really persevere and push through the
fear of performance. The standard of presentation by all children was
really impressive.
Parents were delighted, and all the apprehension I felt leading into a public
competition for the younger students quickly disappeared as I saw the
pride and excitement as they competed and were encouraged and
rewarded. It was a wonderful event we would really like to build into our
regular program for the year”
“A wonderful opportunity for the students to speak
Japanese in front of an audience, to ‘force’ them to
converse yet with a thrill of competition.
The subject was ‘real life communication’ about
themselves, which will be useful later in life to speak to
any Japanese speaker. The competition gave my
daughter confidence, not only in her Japanese speaking
but in speaking to a group of adults (parents) in a safe
small atmosphere.
It was set up beautifully and carefully introduced to be a
safe place. The Powerpoint behind each student
enabled us non-speakers to understand what the child
was saying.
Overall a carefully thought out, carefully managed,
delightful evening for parents and students alike”
Yr 1
This Is Me
（_です、Numbers,
Pets, Animals, Colours,
Body)
Yr 2
My Family
（＿は＿です。Family,
Adjectives to describe people、
Hobbies, Phone number,
Place of residence)
Yr 3
Our House
（_に_があります。Rooms,
Things in garden, Furniture、
Adjectives to describe things,
Locations)
• ｱﾅです。六さいです。一ねんせいです。ペットはいぬとねこです。ぞう
がすきです。トラがすきじゃないです。めはあおです。かみのけはきん
ぱつです。どうぞよろしく。
• わたしのかぞくは五人です。おとうさんとおかあさんとおにいさんとい
もうととわたしです。おにいさんはあたまがいいです。六ねんせいです。
十二さいです。しゅみはからてです。おとうさんはたのしいです。おか
あさんはきびしいです。でんわばんほうは一二三です。パースにすんで
います。
• ぼくのいえはおおきいです。だいどころといまとしんしつとよくしつが
あります。だいどころはおおきいです。にわにきとはなといけがありま
す。にわとりがいます。にわとりはかわいいです。ぼくのへやはごちょ
ごちゃです。つくえとベッドととけいがあります。つくえのまえにいす
があります。いすはあかです。ぼくのへやはかっこいいです。
Yr 4
Shopping
（Shopping phrases, Money,
Numbers 100-10 000, Stationary,
Clothes, Comparisons）
Yr 5 Let’s Go to the
Movies
（－ましょう、Transport,
Weekdays, Foods and drinks,
Public places, Verbs)
Yr 6 Come to My
Birthday Party!
（－ください、Birthdays,
Dates, Time, Things to do)
•いらっしゃいませ。くつがありますか。いいえ、ありません。ぼうしがあります
か。はい、あります。ちいさいです。もっとおおきいぼうしがありますか。はい、
あります。どうぞ。いくらですか。五千円です。たかいです。もっとやすいぼう
しがありますか。はい、あります。三千円です。おねがいします。どうぞ。あり
がとうございます。さようなら。
•もしもし。えいがにいきましょう。いいえ、こうえんにいきましょう。日よう日
にいきましょう。はい、いきましょう。くるまでいきましょう。いいえ、でん
しゃでいきましょう。サンドイッチをたべましょう。はい、そうしましょう。こ
うちゃをのみましょう。はい、そうしましょう。おにいさんといきましょう。は
い、いきましょう。えきのまえであいましょう。はい、あいまほう。じゃまた
ね！
•こんにちは。たんじょうびのパーチーにきてください。おたんじょうびは何月何
日ですか。二月二十三日です。月よう日です。パーチーは何じから何じまでです
か。一じから三じまでです。何をたべますか。ケーキをたべます。何をのみます
か。コーラをのみます。何をしますか。ゲームをします。たのしいそうです。月
よう日にあいましょう。
ありがとうございました!