On 7/24/2021, members of the Syosset AYLUS (Aika Suizi, John Thach, and Simon Koide) taught a sixty-minute Japanese class to multiple high school students, each with differing degrees of proficiency and familiarity with the language and culture. The establishment of this class seeks to permeate the interest and knowledge in Japanese culture and language throughout society.
This first class primarily served as an introduction to the program. As such, much of the lesson time was spent on gauging the general skill level of the students. The students were led through various concepts regarding the Japanese language, such as basic greetings/phrases and the hiragana writing system. The students were encouraged to repeat each phrase, as well as recount their familiarity with the words or concepts involved. With this knowledge, breakout rooms were formed.
The first breakout room was staffed by John Thach and Simon Koide, who taught the fundamental basics of the Japanese language. Within that lesson, the fundamentals were established. These fundamentals included the history, writing systems, and concepts such as pitch accent, in the Japanese language. Following the short breakdown of Japanese systems, principal vocabulary was presented, which included phrases like hajimemashite (how do you do?) and important words such as watashi (I). The students were encouraged to speak in as much Japanese as they could. This vocabulary will be used in the next class so students can formally produce their first self introduction.
The second breakout room was was led by Aika Suizu, where she went on to teach higher level material. This material included kanji, which are Chinese characters used in Japanese. Basic grammar was also reinforced.
The following students volunteered in today’s tutoring program: Aika Suizu (1 hour), John Thach (1 hour), and Simon Koide (1 hour).
