DOCUMENT RESUME ED 287 316 FL 016 973 TITLE Handbook for Teaching Japanese-Speaking Students. INSTITUTION California State Dept. of Education, Sacramento. Bilingual Education Office. SPONS AGENCY Department of Education, Washington, DC. REPORT NO ISBN-0-8011-0680-X PUB DATE 87 NOTE 135p. PUB TYPE Guides - Classroom Use - Guides (For Teachers) (052) -- Guides Non-Classroom Use (055) EDRS PRICE MF01 Plus Postage. PC Not Available from EDRS. DESCRIPTORS Bilingual Education; Classroom Techniques; Comparative Analysis; Cultural Traits; Curriculum Design; *Educational Resources; Educational Strategies; English (Second Language); Enrollment Rate; Foreign Countries; Grammar; Immigrants; *Japanese; *Limited English Speaking; Native Language Instruction; *Program Development; *Sociocultural Patterns; Student Needs; Uncommonly Taught Languages; Written Language IDENTIFIERS *California; Japan; Orthography ABSTRACT A handbook for teachers, administrators, and bilingual education specialists who deal with limited-English-proficient, Japanese-speaking students is designed to assist this language minority to get the best educational opportunities. Chapters discuss the background of Japanese-speaking people in California, historical and sociocultural factors related to the Japanese language, Japanese linguistic characteristics, and recommended instructional and curricular strategies for Japanese and English language development. A bibliography is included. Appended materials include a list of districts ranked by enrollment of limited-English-speaking Japanese-speaking students; a list of educational resources; an outline of the course of Japanese language study used in Japan; and a guide to Japanese holidays, ceremonies, and festivals. (MSE) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * *********************************************************************** - - 1 . ,,,--'*-----)' - -- --rrft k--, -...,,,,-k.:- ,,,,-7,,,,N... ,..,..... _-:-.- ..,,,... ),,, r I ..,'..1"---,'-`....--,) ..--,.-:,' . .. SC:,;. / e ----- , 5't;'\ - , 4.-`.7--tc:, )" ' ....;...,/-";' ----:: `,',,=e-1 \, N,), ) , .-. "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS U S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION MATERIALIN MICROFICHE ONLY Offtce of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION HAS BEEN GRANTED BY CENTER (ERIC) r,This document has been reproduced as retsived from the person or organuation originating it 1. rti/) 0 Minor changes have been made to Improve reproduction quality TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES Points°, view or opinions stated 'nth's docu- ment do not necessarily represent official INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)" OERI position or policy CI) ';,California Stat pt of Eclucatioii,- "; t Bill Honig Superm endent,pf*Acjisi(uctib ...Sacramento, 4987-----;: ,T7 2 Handbook forTeacino Japanese-Speaking Students Developed by the Bilingual Education Office California State Department of Education j )Publishing Information This handbook was funded in part with funds from the Office of Bilin- gual Education and Minority Language Affairs and the Office of Equal Educational Opportunity Programs, U.S. Department of Edu- cation. The opinions expressed herein do not, however, necessarily reflect the position or policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and no official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education should be inferred. The document was developed by the Bilingual Edu- cation Office, California State Department of Education. The final draft of the manuscript was edited by Mirko Strazicich of the Bureau of Publications, working in cooperation with Daniel D. Holt of the Bilingual Education Office. The handbook was prepared for photo- offset production by the staff of the Bureau of Publications, with art- work by Cheryl Shawver McDonald and Paul Lee. The document was published by the Department; printed by the Office of State Printing; and distributed under tht. "rovisions of the Library Distribution Act and Government Code Section 11096. 0 Copyright, 1987 California State Department of Education Copies of this handbook are available for $4.50 each, plus sales tax for California residents, from Publications Sales, P.O. Box 271, Sacra- mento, CA 95802-0271. A list of other publications available from the Department of Educa- tion is shown on page 123. ISBN 0-8011-0680-X Contents Page Foreword v Preface vii Acknowledgments ix Note to Readers xi Chapter I. Background of Japanese-Speaking People in California 1 Overview of the Japanese Language Group 1 History of Japanese Immigration 2 Reasons for kpanese Immigration 7 Location of Japanese Residents in the U.S. 8 Japanese Residing in Other Countries 9 Quality of Education in Japan 9 Role of the Immigrant as Teacher or Tutor 12 Attitudes of Japanese Parents 13 Chapter II. Historical and Sociocultural Factors Concerning the Japanese Language 15 Language Education in Japan 15 Attitudes Toward Oral Skills 18 Learning English in Japan 21 Using English in Japan 22 Language Education in California 23 Chapter III. Linguistic Characteristics of the Japanese Language 29 Origin of the Japanese Language 29 Characteristics of Japanese Written Language 39 Introduction of the Language Systems 44 Interrelationship Between Language and Culture 45 Nonverbal Behaviors That Affect Learning 49 Chapter IV. Recommended Instructional and Curricular Strategies for Japanese Language Development 53 Readiness Skills 54 Oral Language Skills 58 Literacy Development in English 58 Planning a Japanese Reading Program 60 Methods for Teaching Reading in Japanese 62 Methods for Teaching Writing in Japanese 69 5 Introduction of Oral English Instruction 71 Submersion Environments 72 Reading in Two Languages 74 Summarizing the Discussion on Strategies 77 Glossary 78 Bibliography 84 Selected References 84 Suggested Readings 87 Appendix A.Districts Ranked by Enrollment of Limited-English- Proficient Students Who Speak Japanese 90 Appendix B.Educational Resources 92 Appendix C.Course of Study for Japanese Language in Elementary Schools in Japan 101 Appendix D.Japanese Holidays, Ceremonies, and Festivals 119 List of Tables and Figures Table Page I Immigration into the United States from Japan, 1861-1968 6 Figure 1 A page from a student's textbook, illustrating the use of different Japanese writing systems 43 2Workbook exercises in writing hiragana and kanji 70 3 A typical entry in a children's kanji dictionary 71 iv 6 Foreword During the 1986-87 school year, 10,599 students in California were reported to be using Japanese as their primary home language. Approximately 3,950 of these students were identified as limited- English proficient (LEP). This publication, A Handbook for Teaching Japanese-Speaking Students.' was developed to help educators provide the best educational opportunities for Japanese-speaking students. What is especially important is that teachers and administrators have adequate knowledge of Japanese students' language and cultural background. This knowledge, research has shown, has a significant influence on the scholastic performance of language minority students. With the information provided in this handbook, school district personnel should be able to design and implement effective instructional programs that address the specific needs of Japanese- speaking students. Included in the handbook is information on the unique historical, sociocultural, and linguistic characteristics of Japanese-speaking students. The handbook also provides information about educational resources, such as community organizations, public agencies, ana classroom instructional materials. We in the Department are pleased to be involved in the development of this handbook. We believe that it and handbooks for other language groups will make an important contribution to the improvement of educational services for language minority students. Superintendent of Public Instruction v 7 Preface This handbook was developed as part of the Asian and Minority Language Group Project in the Bilingual Education Office, California State Department of Education. The project was designed to assist school districts in providing effective bilingual education services to language minority students, and the Project Team identified as its first major activity the development of handbooks for a number of Asian and minority language groups. The purpose of the handbooks is to assist school personnel in understanding selected Asian and minority language groups. The handbooks have been designed for use by bilingual education specialists as well as administrators and teachers who have more general responsibilities for the education of language minority students. Chapters I and II of this handbook address general background factors regarding the Japanese-speaking language groups: immigration history, educational background, and sociocultural factors. Chapters III and IV contain specific information regarding the Japanese language and appropriate program offeriags that will promote the academic achievement of Japanese-speaking students. This handbook is complemented by other publications developed by the Bilingual Education Office, including Schooling and Language Minority Students: A Theoretical Framework,' which provides exten- sive information regarding bilingual education theory and practice. It also outlines the basic principles underlying successful bilingual edu- cation programs and suggests a variety of implementation strategies. The analyses and illustrations