This multi-day course is Part 1 in a series of classes that teach all the Japanese Hiragana characters.  Students will learn あ、い、う、え、お (ah, ee, oo, eh, oh), which are the only 5 vowels in Japanese and form the basis for the pronunciation of every word!  This class is also a pre-requisite for Part 2 and 3.
In the first lesson, we will cover the pronunciation of a 3 characters, learn a minimum of 4 words that begin with each one, practice the “stroke order” and discuss tips for remembering how to read it.  We will also spend time listening to a page in a Japanese book related to the letter of the day, singing the Hiragana song (like the ABC song of Japanese), answering student’s questions and completing the daily printout together.  In the second lesson, we will repeat the process above for an additional 2 characters and spend some time reviewing and practicing reading.  If time allows, we will play games like digital BINGO or virtual Karuta to review the vocabulary and stroke order.  We may sing with accompaniment from a YouTube video, which would be embedded in the teachers lesson slides. 

Week 1:  あ、い、う
Week 2:  え、お + Review

Students will be encouraged to share and participate actively, especially during pronunciation practice.  However, the main focus of this class will be learning reading and writing skills.  The three printouts for the first week and e two printouts for the second week will be posted in the classroom on the previous Sunday. 

Part 2 and Part 3 are semester long courses and they may be taken after this course to complete your study of Hiragana.