Japanese Gestures

Today in Japanese 1 we learned a gesture for use when saying "excuse me" 「しつれいですが。。。」or 「しつれいします。」It looks like this:

Source: tofugu.com/guides/japanese-body-language

To form this gesture, simply raise your open hand straight up, keeping your elbow at your side or in front of you. You may choose to bow or do a mini-bow (head-nod) at the same time as you raise your hand.

We have also learned the "polite pointing" gesture, to indicate the person with whom you are talking. Keep your hand open and extend your arm out in front of you. Remember there is no need to over-extend your arm:

Source: tofugu.com/guides/japanese-body-language

Here are a few more to try:

1) To gesture for "Sorry" 「ごめん！」or "Please do me a favor"　「おねがい！」, use this two-handed gesture as demonstrated in the video below by Hiroko from Japanesepod101.com. NOTE: This gesture is for use with friends only as it uses casual forms of "Sorry" and "Please". Also, it is mainly a gesture used by women.

2) "Come here for a second" 「ちょっと！」, and "Come here" 「おいで！」use the palm-down beckoning gesture shown in this illustration and by Hiroko in video below:

「おいで、おいで！はやく！」

3) "Who, me?" 「わたし？」can be expressed without words by pointing to your nose with your pointer finger:

Source: Flickr ninhonbunka yasuko (CC non-commercial license)

Superlatives and Comparatives

We've been using Superlatives and Comparatives in Spanish 2 in our unit on our school, but can you use them correctly? We'll be quizzing on this on Tuesday, February 24th, so best review:

FIRST: Check out Relative Superlatives Constructions -- See the guide at http://www.studyspanish.com/lessons/super.htm.

An example is:

John is the tallest boy in class.

John es el chico más alto en la clase.

 Next, view this review video from Spanishdict.com. Start at 4:53 to see JUST the Superlative grammar.

You should be able to construct sentences such as: 

• Art Club is the most enjoyable club in our school.
• Soccer is the most competitive sport.
• The burritos are the best food in the cafeteria.
• The white rice is the worst food in the cafeteria.
• AP Chemistry is the most difficult subject in our school.

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SECOND: Check out Comparisons of Equality -- See the guide at http://www.studyspanish.com/lessons/equal.htm.

An example is:

The book is as good as the movie.
El libro es tan bueno como la película.

Next, view this review video from Señor Jordan -- jump to the 3:48 mark to see ONLY Comparisons of Equality, which is our focus for our upcoming quiz.

You should be able to construct sentences such as: 

• My house is as big as your house.
• Your car is as old as my car.
• DECA is as fun as FFA.

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MIXED REVIEW: Can you translate these comparative and superlative sentences into Spanish?

1. DECA is as interesting as FFA. 
2. Art Club is the most enjoyable club in our school. 
3. The weather today is as good as yesterday's. 
4. The burritos are the best food in the cafeteria. 
5. Soccer is the most competitive sport. 
6. Your car is as old as my car. 
7. AP Chemistry is the most difficult subject in our school. 
8. The gym is as far away as the main office. 
9. My house is as big as your house. 
10. The white rice is the worst food in the cafeteria.

Spanish 2: College in the High School

Earn 5 college credits simply for completing Spanish 2 with Sr. Anderson!

Everett Community College and Arlington High School collaborate to offer college credit opportunities at a huge discount. Apply for admission, register for &SPAN122 under my name, and pay $198 to EvCC. (Normally, a course such as this would cost over $500 at EvCC!).

Registration Deadline is November 14, 2014.

FOLLOW THESE STEPS TO SIGN UP:

1) Apply for Admissions (WA-State Colleges Application, specify EvCC).
2) Register and Pay for the Course

*** There is no COMPASS TEST required for Spanish 2 and up. ***

CONTACT FOR QUESTIONS:

EMAIL: CollegeinHS@everettcc.edu
PHONE: 425-267-0150

Bonus Opportunities for September

Go to a pre-approved community event and report back on it in your target language (either Spanish or Japanese) in order to earn bonus points. These points go towards your participation grade (40% of overall grade).

Eligible Events and Activities:

• Home Football Game at AHS (Fri., 9/19)
• Puyallup Fair
• Home Soccer Game at AHS (Thurs., 9/25)
• Home Volleyball Game at AHS (Mon., 9/22)

(You may bring in up to two tissue boxes for bonus points as well!)

Got other ideas? Bring 'em to the discussion in class (let us know what's happening)!

Website: Kana Stroke Order, Counters, and More!

Resources for practicing Hiragana and Katakana Stroke Order, Kanji, Numbers and Counters, and more! Check it out!

--> http://www.umich.edu/~umichjlp/

Materiales ／ 資料（しりよう）

FOR FRIDAY, SEPT. 5, PLEASE HAVE THE FOLLOWING MATERIALS WITH YOU:

- Binder (1.5 to 2 inches)
- 10 pencils
- 3 red pens
- 3 black pens
- 2 erasers
- 100 sheets of paper (in binder)

Binder is graded and is intended to be used solely for your Foreign Language materials.

Japanese Starter Kit

My students in Japanese 1 are welcome to download the following starter kit. Its contents are listed below, along with some notes for use. NOTE: You will be given hard copies of most documents in class on the 3rd of September.

{{{ GET THE KIT }}}

STARTER KIT CONTENTS:

• Blank Kanji & Kana Writing Practice Sheet
• Combo Hiragana and Katakana Chart
• Complete Hiragana Chart with Pictures
• 4 Japanese Radio Stations: Use VLC Media Player to open these.
• Hiragana and Their Respective Kanji of Origin
• Hiragana Writing Practice Sheets with Stroke Order
• Important and Common Student Questions in Japanese
• Japanese Alphabet Song - Hiragana/Katakana (use VLC Media Player)
• Plain Hiragana (Large Characters)
• Textfugu Hiragana Chart with Dakuten and Combinations