Japanese Level 5, Activity #8: “Decision” / “タイトル決め” (Face-to-Face)
Description:
Students will be shown pictures of humorous captions written by native Japanese speakers. The students will then be given a random picture that they will caption themselves in Japanese, with one judge giving points to the most creative or humorous captions they read. At the end of the activity, the students will reflect on the differences between their humor and the humor in the Japanese captions.
Semantic Topics:
Pictures, social media, creativity, humor, handwriting, intercultural competency, comparing and contrasting, 写真,ソーシャルメディア, 創造性, ユーモア, 手書き, 異文化能力, 比較・対照
NCSSFL-ACTFL World-Readiness Standards:
- Standard 1.1: Students engage in conversation, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.
- Standard 3.2: Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through Japanese language and culture.
- Standard 4.2: Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of Japanese culture and their own.
Idaho Content Standards for World Languages:
- COMM 1.1 – Interact and negotiate meaning (spoken, signed, written conversation) to share information, reactions, feelings, and opinions.
- CONN 2.3 – Compare and contrast cultural similarities and differences in authentic materials.
- COMP 2.3 – Compare and contrast authentic materials from the target culture with the learner’s culture.
NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:
- I can write and understand humorous or creative Japanese.
- I can analyze how the use of sarcasm, irony, and humor reflects societal attitudes in my culture and Japanese culture.
- I can tailor my Japanese to appeal to another speaker.
Materials Needed:
- Dixit board game
- Caption examples
- Google slides
- Whiteboards
- Dry erase markeers and erasers
Warm-Up
Show examples of captioned pictures
Ask the students the following:
- Do you find the Japanese captions humorous?
- これらのタイトルは面白いと思いますか？
- Do you feel like you readily understand the caption (and its intended message)?
- タイトルの意味が分かりますか？どういうメッセージが込められてると思いますか？
- What was your favorite caption?
- どれが1番好きですか？
Main Activity
- Give every student a whiteboard, dry erase marker, and an eraser.Ask for a volunteer.
- ボランティアはいますか？ボランティアには審判になってもらいます。
- Give the volunteer five cards from the Dixit board game. Have the volunteer pick one.
- 一つカードを選んでください。
- Have the volunteer show the card to the rest of the students.
- 全員にカードを見せて下さい。
- The rest of the students will then create a story or a caption based on the picture on the card and write it on their whiteboard. Students will have 2 minutes to write their answers.
- カードに描いてある絵にタイトルをつけてください。時間は2分あります。こたえをホワイトボードに書いてください。
- Once their caption is ready, have them give their captions to the volunteer. The volunteer will choose their favorite caption.
- 終わったら審判の人にホワイトボードを渡してください。審判は1番おもしろいと思うタイトルを選んでください。
- Pick a new judge and continue until everyone has been a judge.1人1回審判になるまでゲームを続けます。
Wrap-up
- What made a caption a winning caption, in your opinion?
- あなたが選んだタイトルのどこが面白いと思いましたか？
- Is your sense of humor different from the Japanese “winning captions?”
- 日本人のユーモアとあなたのユーモアは違うと思いますか？
End of Activity:
- Read Can-Do statements once more and have students evaluate
their confidence.
(Use thumbs up/thumbs down or download our student cards.) - Encourage students to be honest in their self-evaluation.
- Pay attention, and try to use feedback for future activities!
NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:
- I can write and understand humorous or creative Japanese.
- I can analyze how the use of sarcasm, irony, and humor reflects societal attitudes in my culture and Japanese culture.
- I can tailor my Japanese to appeal to another speaker.
