Etiquette: Japanese schools
Background information for the teacher
Japanese students have very little choice about the subjects that they study. Elementary school is six years, Junior High School and Senior High School
are three years each. Students have a home room class which may have as many as 50 students in it. Students stay in the one home room classroom
and different teachers come to them during the day. Lunch is usually eaten in the home room. Some schools provide lunch, which is served by the
students. A Japanese school day has six 50 minute lessons with a ten minute break between each one. Some schools have classes and club activities
on Saturdays. After school, most students participate in club activities which might be social, sporting or cultural. Uniform is very strict and girls are
not allowed to wear jewellery or make up. Students clean the school at the end of the day.
Sample activities
Activity 1 (prepares, observes, compares, reflects, inquires)
Using the websites below, investigate what happens in Japanese schools and answer the following:
1. Do students have a wide choice of subjects, and do these vary from school to school?
2. Are the students in the same room for all their subjects, even in high school?
3. Where do Japanese students eat their lunch?
4. What do Japanese students wear to school?
5. What do they do with their shoes when they enter the school?
6. Are they allowed to wear jewellery and make-up?
7. Who cleans the school?
8. Would you like to attend a Japanese school? Why/why not?
Recommended websites:
 http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/explore/schools/index.html
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elementary_schools_in_Japan
Activity 2 (reflects, inquires, empathises)
Find out from class members what they know about schools in other countries and cultures, including different areas of Australia. Make a list of the
things you would like to incorporate in your school, and design a brochure for your ideal school.
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© NSW Department of Education and Communities, 2012
Funded by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment
and Workplace Relations through the National Asian Languages and Studies in Schools Program.
Scenario (prepares, empathises)
You are hosting a group of Japanese students at your school in Australia and they seem a little surprised at some of the things that are happening at
school. Divide students into groups of 3-4 and assign roles (two Australian family members, two Japanese students). What does each person say or
do?
Give each group five minutes to prepare their scenario, and then perform it in front of the class.
After all of the performances, hold a class discussion, comparing the performances and asking students to explain the choices they made.
Syllabus links
Creative Arts K-6:
DRAES1.3
Dramatises personal experiences using movement, space and objects.
DRAS1.3
Interacts collaboratively to communicate the action of the drama with others.
DRAS2.3
Sequences the action of the drama to create meaning for an audience.
DRAS3.3
Devises, acts and rehearses drama for performance to an audience.
English K-6:
TES1.1
Communicates with peers and known adults in informal situations and structured activities dealing briefly with familiar topics.
TS1.1
Communicates with an increasing range of people for a variety of purposes on both familiar and introduced topics in
spontaneous and structured classroom activities.
RS1.5
Reads a wider range of texts on less familiar topics with increasing independence and understanding, making connections between
own knowledge and experience and information in texts.
RS1.6
Draws on an increasing range of skills and strategies when reading and comprehending texts.
WS1.9
Plans, reviews and produces a small range of simple literary and factual texts for a variety of purposes on familiar topics for known
readers.
TS2.1
Communicates in informal and formal classroom activities in school and social situations for an increasing range of purposes on
a variety of topics across the curriculum.
RS2.5
Reads independently a wide range of texts on increasingly challenging topics and justifies own interpretation of ideas, information and
events.
RS2.6
Uses efficiently an integrated range of skills and strategies when reading and interpreting written texts.
WS2.9
Drafts, revises, proofreads and publishes well-structured texts that are more demanding in terms of topic, audience and written
language features.
WS2.12
[…] Demonstrates basic desktop publishing skills on the computer.
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© NSW Department of Education and Communities, 2012
Funded by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment
and Workplace Relations through the National Asian Languages and Studies in Schools Program.
TS3.1
RS3.5
RS3.6
WS3.9
WS3.12
HSIE K-6:
CUES1
CUS1.3
CUS1.4
CUS2.3
Communicates effectively for a range of purposes and with a variety of audiences to express well-developed, well-organised
ideas dealing with more challenging topics.
Reads independently an extensive range of texts with increasing content demands and responds to themes and issues.
Uses a comprehensive range of skills and strategies appropriate to the type of text being read.
Produces a wide range of well-structured and well-presented literary and factual texts for a wide variety of purposes and audiences
using increasingly challenging topics, ideas, issues and written language features.
[…] Uses computer technology to present texts effectively in a variety of ways.
Communicates some common characteristics that all people share, as well as some of the differences.
Identifies customs, practices, symbols, languages and traditions of their families and other families.
Describes the cultural, linguistic and religious practices of their family, their community and other communities.
Explains how shared customs, practices, symbols, languages and traditions in communities contribute to Australian and community
identities.
CUS2.4
Describes different viewpoints, ways of living, languages and belief systems in a variety of communities.
CUS3.4
Describes how cultures change through interactions with other cultures and the environment.
Japanese K-10:
1.MBC.1
Demonstrates awareness of cultural diversity.
1.MBC.2
Identifies cultural practices in Japanese-speaking communities.
2.MBC.1
Recognises the link between culture and a sense of identity.
3.MBC.2
Demonstrates understanding of significant cultural values and practices in Japanese-speaking communities.
4.MBC.2
Demonstrates knowledge of key features of the culture of Japanese-speaking communities.
Disclaimer:
The NSW Department of Education and Communities cannot guarantee the availability or content of external links. Please check websites yourself for
suitability before showing to students. Show YouTube videos in full-screen mode, so that posted comments cannot be viewed by students.
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© NSW Department of Education and Communities, 2012
Funded by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment
and Workplace Relations through the National Asian Languages and Studies in Schools Program.