Submitted by Hiroko Nagai

Objectives:

Content:
Students will...

• describe similarities and differences in profile expectations between U.S. and Japanese audiences
• construct appropriate questions in Japanese to determine necessary information for their classmate's profiles (Use who, what, when where how and why)

Cultural:

Language: Content Obligatory
Student will...

• use comparison-expressing structure to present their findings
  日本のサイトは、星座、血液型がありますが、こちらでは、ありません。 (The Japanese site has blood types, but we do not use it)
• demonstrate the information desired to compile profiles
  クラスメートの性格について書きたいです。（書きたいと思います。） (I want to write about classmate’s hobbies in Japanese)
• use question phrases to compose appropriate questions in Japanese to determine necessary information for their classmate’s profiles.
• ask about their personal experiences
  小さい時よく、何をしましたか？　What did you do when you were young?
• ask their desire for the future
  将来、何になりたいですか？　What do you want to do in the future?

Language: Content Compatible
Students will…

• ask for repetition or rephrasing when the class shares the findings
  もういちどいってください。(Please say it again)
• Ask how to say something in Japanese and write something mentioned
  日本語でどう言いますか？ (How do you say it in Japanese)
• Ask someone to explain what they said
  どういう意味ですか？(What does it mean?)

Learning Strategies / Social and Skills Development:
Students will...

• use planning and advance organization
• use selective attention toward specific items (questions for the interview)
• use self-management and monitoring
• practice and manipulate Japanese
• ask for additional explanation or corrections or suggestions from peers or teachers

Time Frame:

One or two 50-55 minute class sessions

Materials Needed:

1) Overhead projector
2) Large poster paper and marker(s)

Description of Assessment (Performance Project):

Pre-task:
Each group will share two things they observed or recorded about perusing Japanese websites during the previous lesson. The teacher will record these findings in Japanese, regardless of the language used when sharing, on a large piece of paper that will later be posted prominently in the learning space.

During-task:
The teacher will facilitate a discussion about information that was similar and different than what the students expected before beginning on the website investigation. After this has been completed on a class-sized Venn diagram the teacher will do more recording on another piece of paper. The teacher will ask, "What information do you still want to know about individuals?" and "What are questions that you could/could not ask classmates for publication on the web?"

Post-task:
 These questions should be answered in small-group conversations. The questions should be recorded on a master sheet with copies made for the individuals to use in their own interview sessions with each other.

Assessment:

1) Informal assessment occurs throughout the activities

2) Self checklist for interview questions

3) Interview Question Sheet (In Japanese)- modified according to the students' input

References and Resources:

http://hangulsarang.hoops.ne.jp/page/seito/tai/index.html (For constructing questions)

Attachments:

NOTE: some attachments are in PDF form (get Acrobat Reader)

Interview Questions

A Lesson from the CoBaLTT Project
/cobaltt
Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition
University of Minnesota