Textbook Tasks and ActivitiesThe exercises provided in Elementary Japanese are designed primarily for use in classroom activities,

emphasizing interaction among students. They can also be used for self-testing at the end of each lesson.

In the latter case, the user is advised to play two (or more) roles as necessary.

The exercises are grouped in the following eight types:

1. Substitution: By substituting part of an example sentence or conversation with a given pictorial or

linguistic cue, students will complete a sentence. These exercises are designed to enable students

to learn how the grammatical construction can be used in realistic situations. For example, in

Lesson 3 Exercise II, students tell where animals or things are located by substituting the appropri-

ate part(s) of the example sentence, �� !"#$%&'(')*'+,-./ “There are

a newspaper and a book on the table”.

1. �� !" #$%&'()* There is a cat on the desk.

�� !"#$%&'()*+,- There is a bag under the desk.

2. �� !"#$%&'(&)*+ There is a dog under the table.

�� !"#$%&'()*+,-. There is a bag beside the table.

In some exercises, cues are provided for both questions and answers, e.g. Lesson 2 Exercise I.

1. A: �� !"#$%&

B: �� !"#$%&%'()

Example 2.1.

Example 1 1.

�� !"#$%B A

B

A

���� !"#

���� !"#$\

2 Textbook Tasks and Activities

Additionally, students in some exercises will circle correct answers intended to check their com-

prehension, e.g. Lesson 5 Exercise IX:

Look at the pictures and practice a conversation as in the example.

��

A: �� !"#$%&'()&*+

B: �� �� !"# $=(or) ��� �� !"

1. A: �� !"#$% & '()

B: �� �� ! "#

In other exercises, cues are provided only for questions, e.g. Lesson 4 Exercise II:

Look at the pictures and interview your partner as shown in the example.

��

Q: B �� �� !"#$%&'��

A: �� �� !"#$%"&'(�� !�

(or) ��� �� !"#$%"&"'�� !"�

�� �����

1. �����

�� 1. 2. 3.

Textbook Tasks and Activities 3

When complete questions are provided, students will answer using the pattern given in the ex-

ample, e.g. Lesson 5 Exercise II:

Ask your classmate about his ⁄ her plans. Answer the questions using �� .

��

Q: �� �� !"#�$

A: �� �� !"#$%

Q: �� !"#$%

A: �� �!"#$%&'()

1. �� !"#$%&'(!)%* 3. �� �!"#$%"&

2. ��� !"#$%&'()*"+

2. Information Gap: a common technique to encourage authentic communication. Students are paired

where each knows something that the other person needs to know in order to complete the task. For

example, Lesson 3 Exercise III provides two pictures (A and B below) of Kimura-san’s room.

Combining them will yield what is located there. One student looks at picture A while covering

picture B, and the other student looks at picture B while covering picture A. Using the sentence

patterns provided in the example, each student asks whether or not certain items are in the room,

and if they are, where these items are located.

This is Kimura-san’s room. Tell your partner where the given entities are.

Example

A: �� !"#$%&'()*+,-./012

B: �� �� !"

A: �� !"#$%&'()*

B: �� !"#$%&$'()*+,

A. Ask about �� �!�� !"�� !�� !�� !"

B. Ask about �� �� !�� !"�� ��

4 Textbook Tasks and Activities

3. Matching: This type of exercise provides two groups of sentences. Paying attention to appropriate

verbal conjugations required by a particular connective, students match two clauses to create most

appropriate sentences. For example, in Lesson 5 Exercise VI, Box A provides reasons, and Box B

provides actions or states. Students will connect these clauses using ��.

Select one sentence from each box and connect them with ��.

1. �� !"�#$%&'�� !"#$%&'

2. �� !"#"$%&'�� !"#$

3. �� �� !"#$%&'(�� !"#$%&'

4. �� �� !"#$%&'()*+,�� !" #$% &'(

5. �� !"#$%&'()*+�� !"#$%&'()

4. Bingo: A type of communication game, suitable for a group of ten or more students. For example,

Lesson 5 Exercise IV has a 3x3 grid, each box providing a different cue for forming a question by

substituting a part of the example. Students circulate around the classroom and ask questions of

other students. If a student answers YES, his ⁄ her name must be written in the box. The first

student who obtains three YESs in a row (across, down, or diagonally as in a bingo game) is the

winner.

Box A

1. �� !"�#$%

2. �� !"#"$%

3. �� �� !"#$%&

4. �� �� !"#$%&'()*

5. �� !"#$%&'()

Box B

a. �� !"#$%&'()

b. �� !" #$% &'(

c. �� !"#$

d. �� !"#$%&'

e. �� !"#$%&'

Textbook Tasks and Activities 5

Let’s play Bingo. Find out who intends to do each activity.

��

Q: ��� !"#$%#&'()*+*,-./012

A: �� ��� !"#$%#&'()*+*,-./012&34

(or) ��� ��� !"#$%#&'()*+*,-./012

1. Q: ��� !"#$%&'()*+,-*.

A: �� ��� !"#$%&'()*+,-.%/0

(or) ��� ��� !"#$%&'()*+,-./

2. Q: �� �� !"#�� !"#$%&

A: �� �� �� !"#�� !"#$%&'(

(or) ��� �� �� !"#�� !"#$%&

3. Q: �� !"#$%#$&'()*+,-./

A: �� �� !"#$%#$&'()*+,-./&01

(or) ��� �� !"#$%#$&'()*+,-./

1. ���

�� !

3. �� �� !�

2. ��

��

______________________ �� ______________________ �� ______________________ ��

4.��

�

�� !"6. ���

�� !"#$

5. ��

�� !"#

______________________ �� ______________________ �� ______________________ ��

7. ��

�� !"

9. �� �� !"

8. ��

��

______________________ �� ______________________ �� ______________________ ��

6 Textbook Tasks and Activities

5. Sentence Completion: Using pictorial or linguistic cues, students complete sentences, e.g. Lesson

11 Exercise I:

�� !"#$��� !"#

�: �� !"#$%$&'!()*+(,-

1. �� !"____________________________________________________________�� !

2. �� !"____________________________________________________________�� !

3. �� !"____________________________________________________________�� !

4. �� !"____________________________________________________________�� !

5. �� !"____________________________________________________________�� !

6. �� !"____________________________________________________________�� !

7. ���� !__________________________________________________________�� !

6. Multiple Choice: Students select the most appropriate one in a given group of items, e.g. Lesson 7

Exercise V:

Circle the most appropriate word. If more than one word can be used, discuss the differences.

1. �� !�"#$%&'�� !"#$%"&'&'(�� !"

2. �� !"#$�� !"#$%"&'&'(�� !"#$

3. �� !"#$%&'�� !"#$%"&'&'(�� !"#$%

4. �� !"#$%�� !"#"$%#&'&'(�� !"#$%&'(

5. �� !� "�� !"#$%"&'&'(�� !"#$

��

����

����

��

��

���

Textbook Tasks and Activities 7

7. Reading Comprehension: Most lessons provide a reading comprehension exercise that uses in

natural contexts the grammar and vocabulary studied up to and including that lesson. After read-

ing each passage, students answer questions, some of which are true-false questions and others

open-ended questions. The exercises in Part I accompany a comic strip that illustrates the story,

e.g. Lesson 5 Exercise X (�: true, �: false):

�� !"#$

�=�� !�� !"1. �=====��� !"#$%�� !"�#$%&' ()*#&+,2. �=====��� !"#$%&'()*+,-./03. �=====��� !"#$%&'()*)+,-./0124. �=====��� !" !#$%&'()*+,-*.5. �=====��� !"#$%&�'()*+

�� !"�#$%& �� !"#$%&

�� !"#$

�� !"#$!%

�� !"#�$%

�� !"#$%&

�� !

�� !�� !"

�� !"#$%$

��

�� !"�� !"#$%

�� !"#$

�� !"#$%&'()*

���� �� !"#$%

��

�� !"#$%&'()*

�� !�� !"# $%

�� !"#$%&'("&

�� !"

8 Textbook Tasks and Activities

Lesson 15 Exercise XII exemplifies open-ended questions. Students are encouraged to utilize

their accumulated knowledge of grammar and usage.

�� �� !����

�� !"#$%&'()*+'%#,-./01'23�� !"�� !"#$%�� �

�� �!"#�� !"#$%!&'()*+ ,-�� !�� !"#$%&'(

�� !"#$%&�� !"�� !"#$%&'()*+,-./+01�� !"

�� !"#$%&'()

�� !"#$%&'()*�� !"#$%&'()*+,-./0-%1(2���� �

�� !�� !�� !"#$%&'()*+,-)./012345�� � �� � ��

�� !"�� !"#$%&'()*+,-./!01�� !"#$%&'()*

�� !"�� !"#$%&'()*+ ,-�� !"#$%&'()*)*&+#

��� !�� !"#$%&'(

�� !"#$%&'()*�� !"#$%&'()*�� !"#"$%&'(#� �

�� !"�� !"#$%$&'()*&+,-$(.�� !"#$%&$'()*

�� !"#$%&'�� !"#$%&�� !"#$%&'()*+#$%,-��

�� !"#$% &'(

�� !"#$%&'()*��

�� !"#$%&'()*

1. �� !"#$%&'()*+,-

2. �� !"#$%&'()*+,-.

3. �� !"#$%&'()*+,-�� !"#$%

4. �� !"#$%&'(')*+

5. �� !"#$%&'(')*+

6.� �

�� !"#$%&'()*+,-./

Textbook Tasks and Activities 9

8. Other: e.g. conjugation drills, exemplified by Lesson 26 Exercise I.

Causative�� !"#$%&'()

1. �� 6. �� 11. �� 16. ��

2. �� 7. �� 12. �� 17. ��

3. �� 8. �� !" 13. �� 18. ��

4. �� 9. �� ! 14. �� 19. ��

5. �� 10. �� 15. �� 20. ��

Students’ acquisition of kanji is of pivotal importance to any effective Japanese language program.

Therefore, Elementary Japanese provides a significant number of exercises designed for both learning

and retaining kanji. Moreover, it utilizes kanji while an increasing number of people today use hiragana,

e.g. �� , �� , �� !", �� !"#. There are two reasons for this choice. First, repeti-

tive exposure to and frequent utilization of kanji help learners to retain them. Second, while the use of

hiragana for such words has become conventionalized, many people still prefer to use kanji. If students

do not learn, for example, �� ! is written as�� , they will have difficulty deciphering it. For

these reasons, Elementary Japanese employs kanji whenever plausible.