Introduction

This tour planning task was set to enable students to understand Japanese culture and country broadly. Students are given real resources to work with and also different kinds of text types.  World Wide Web provides us a variety of raw materials which stimulates students’ intellectual curiosity. Usually the traditional Japanese culture tends to feature in the image of Japan; however, using this Web Quest, students will be able to know what is going on in Japan today. Thus learners can look at the Japan from a different point of view without being bound by the stereo-type.

Learners

This Web Quest caters for wide range of students from Year 9 to even tertiary students. It requires students to search the world wide web efficiently.

Process

The task is set to be completed in 2 weeks (about 6 lessons). As for students,

it may be the most difficult to choose which cities to visit. In this case a teacher

can give them some clues such as Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka　for urban cities and　

Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Nara for rural city. Students can easily find a place

to see easily in these cities. There are some links to other web sites which are

written in English and Japanese. According to students’ level, the teacher can

decide which resource to use. This task requires students to read a railway

timetables so that it might be necessary to have a pre-session to be familiar

with Japanese railway time tables. As this is a cooperative learning, the teacher

has to think carefully if he or she decides members of the group. It also might

be useful to decide a leader of the group in order to complete the task

successfully.

Outcomes

5.UL.2      A student selects, summarises and analyses information and ideas in written texts and responds approximately.

5. MBC.1   A student explores the interdependence of language and culture in a range of texts and contexts.

5.MBC.2  A student identifies and explains aspects of the culture of Japanese-speaking communities in texts.

Evaluation

All of the group members are supposed to cooperate with each other to accomplish this task and teamwork is one of the judging criteria. Therefore please check your students’ engagement while they are making a plan.

As the main purpose of this task is to deepen students’ socio-cultural understanding by moving between cultures, so the presentation can be given in the students’ mother tongue. However in the advanced class, presentation in Japanese is preferable. Students are to be assessed by peers and Mr. or Mrs. Pocconcini (and it’s you!) If the teacher plays the role of a customer, the presentation will be much more interesting.

Conclusion

The work sheet was not created intentionally as it ruins students’ creativity.　The task is so flexible that students can create as they like. In other words, students need to work voluntary otherwise they can not finish making a tour plan. Hope you will see another aspect of your students through the Web Quest.