Japanese IA

Full-year course. This introductory course is designed to excite students about the language and culture of Japan and give them a foundation for continued study in high school or at the college level.  Students will use skills in the following areas and build global competency skills for future careers and experience based on the World-readiness Standards for Learning Languages from the ACTFL: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities.

A note on our middle school offerings: students in the logic stage (grades 6-9) benefit from different instructional strategies, and will thrive when spending additional time with grammar instruction. This course moves through the same core textbook as the high school course, but at half pace. Students who complete Foundational Japanese 1A and 1B will have covered all the topics necessary for moving into Japanese II (high school level) at the Well-Trained Mind Academy.

Students will use skills in the following areas and build global competency skills for future careers and experience based on the World-readiness Standards for Learning Languages from the ACTFL: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities. 

Click here to read about the Well-Trained Mind Academy’s approach to world language learning. Note: We do not offer a delayed section for this course due to the live interaction that is key to learning language.

We recommend that students enrolling in Japanese IA be comfortable with the topics covered in Grammar I. Grammar instruction is not a pre- or co-requisite; however, we have found that students are more successful learning a new language when they have a strong understanding of grammar rules. Use the placement tests found in our grammar course descriptions to find the appropriate grammar course for your student.

Note: We do not offer a delayed section for this course because live interaction is key to learning a language.

Why Study Japanese at WTMA?

At WTMA, learning Japanese is about more than memorizing vocabulary. In our live online classes, instructors introduce Japanese in context and guide students through practice in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. As students gain confidence, they apply what they’ve learned through conversation and cultural exploration.

Learn more about our approach to language learning, our instructors, and our middle school and high school language courses. WTMA’s Approach to Language Learning >>

See What Students Can Accomplish in Japanese at WTMA

Japanese 4 student Blake Fowler and WTMA instructor Kappenman Sensei reflect on Blake’s experience studying Japanese. They start the conversation in English and then the second half of the conversation is in Japanese. This discussion gives families a peek into the level of Japanese students can develop through continued language study at WTMA.