Kids Tairiku Yokohama Nakagawa
Primary Years Program Language Policy■ Mission Statement- We are dedicated to developing internationally minded citizens who value politeness,and show understanding and respect to both others and themselves.
- Through sports-based education, we are committed to developing children who canthink, understand, and inquire, by themselves.
- We aim to foster an environment that will encourage children to grow into adults thatwill contribute to the development of the international community, as well as the happiness of mankind.
1. Policy Regarding Language
In order to fulfill the mission statement and for the holistic growth development of
the students, everyday language use and language instruction is regarded as one of themost important pedagogical factors. Language is acquired gradually through expressing
one’s own thoughts, opinions and feelings in relating to others, and through others listening in response to those expressions.
Language is also necessary in the process of students absorbing the knowledge
and opinions of others gained through inquiry, and reconstructing their own meanings
and thoughts.
At our school, in an environment where students feel safe because of our trust relationship with their teachers, we provide opportunities through our programs and dailyinquiry activities for students to acquire expressions and vocabulary that are developmentally appropriate.
This language policy is created by all staff with the pedagogical leadership taking acentral role. It is reviewed each year at the end of the school year by all staff in order tocreate a better policy
2. The Goals of Language Learning2-1. The thinking behind language learning
To understand the history and culture of a country, it is necessary understand andacquire the native language of the country and use it daily. Furthermore, by understanding
the language as well as culture and history of one’s own country, one can have a greater
understanding of the culture and language of others.
At our school, the first language is Japanese. We aim for students to learn the Japanese language correctly, and we provide a learning environment based in Japanese forstudents to deepen their understanding of inquiry activities and other learning programs.
All teachers are language teachers. Rather than allocating specific times for learninglanguage (Japanese), all teachers provide language instruction appropriate to the students’development through encouraging language use, providing opportunities for vocabularyincrease, correcting pronunciation, and modelling correct use of the language. Further, byreading books and picture-card shows to students, we value students’ imagination and thedevelopment of the language skills inside their minds, which may often not be verbalized. All
staff have a shared understanding that they are responsible for students’ language learningin all areas of life at the school.
2-2. Children's mother tongue
We reflect language development, an element in the Five Areas of Education includedin Japan's Childcare Guidelines at Nursery Schools, in our daily activities to facilitate improvement in Japanese among children. Japanese is used in our daily activities even for
those whose mother tongue is not Japanese. However, we encourage family of such children to use their mother tongue at home. In addition, we aim to foster an environment thatwill provide children with opportunities to appreciate their mother tongue and culture atschool.
Whether the student’s mother tongue is Japanese or not, we communicate with parents to support student’s language development in the home, such as giving advice on picture books and multimedia resources that are age-appropriate and sharing the student’s
language development at school.

2-3. Foreign Language
As a school that includes raising students of true international citizens as part of its
philosophy, we value the attitude of proactively seeking to communicate people from different countries, races, and cultures.
At school, we provide an environment where all students get one 45 minute lesson aweek to communicate in English with a foreign teacher, which whom they have opportunities
interact daily. As students interact with the foreign teachers, they develop awareness ofsimilarities and differences between one’s own culture and other culture.
2-4. Areas of Common Understanding
All students-

Try to understand the meanings that words carry, and use polite and correct language while being mindful of the other person’s feelings-

Enjoy conversations as they express their feelings through daily interactions-

Value both “speaking” and “listening, as they convey their own thoughts, ask questions and try to understand the opinions of others, and have discussions among
friends-

Appreciate picture books and fiction books, and try and understand stories-

Will be honest in letting others know how they feel, what they want to tell, what theywant done to them, and what they have experienced-

Will be confident in their own opinions and attempt to present in front of others-

Show interest in writing and communicate by writing simply sentences-

Grow in their imagination through an abundance of experience, and will use language to express that-

Understanding the meaning of greetings, and take the initiative in greeting eachother daily

3. Areas of Language Learning
Language stands at the center of the many interdependent cognitive, affective,
and social factors that shape learning.
David Corson, Language Policy in Schools: A Resource for Teachers andAdministrators (1999)

(Primary Years Programme Making the PYP happen: A curriculum framework forinternational primary education)
3-1. Language strands in the PYP
The PYP has identified three strands—oral language, visual language, written language.
- Oral language (listening and speaking)- Visual language (viewing and presenting)- Written language (reading and writing)
Each strand has been considered from both the receptive aspect, which is receiving
and constructing meaning, and expressive aspect, which is creating and sharing meaning.
Following item shows examples of language learning of children through inquiry learning. It is classified according to age, but all teachers understand that language ability of each
student does not always accord it.
3-2. Scope and Sequence of Language Learning

StrandApprox. 3 years oldApprox. 4 years oldApprox. 5 years old
Can hear others’

Orallan-guage(lis-

greetings, and begin toings in daily activities

opinions, understandteningandgreet themselves

according to the situa-

them and respond

Can remember theirtion

with own opinionspeaking)--Can respond to daily

own names, names ofCan mix words and--Can make sentences

gestures to communi-that include purpose

names of thingscate their thoughts

and opinion-

Understand the con--

Can listen to stories

those in interactions

tent of stories and canand connect them to

Can listen to short

give simple explana-personal experienc-

stories, understand thetions

es and make further

Can remember

connections

content, and share--

Can exchange greet-other people, andaround them and use---

their feelings in simple

phrases from poems

languageand stories and enjoy

content of stories

Can remember

reciting themand conversations

Can enjoy conversa-

and can explain

phrases from poems--

Can understand the-and stories and repeat

tions as they sharethem

their experiences andCan share their own

feelings among eachand show empathy

experiences and feel-other.

through conversation

Understand theand build relation-others and empathize.

meaning of instruc-

ships

Understand simple

tions and can act whilequestions can give an

predicting what will

ple sequence to tellanswer or respond inhappen next

their own experi-

Can have a simple

ences or imagination

ings, listen to those of-action---them to others--

Understand others

Can construct a sim-

Can listen to staff’s

conversation in a small

instruction and act

group around a certain

sions in a small

accordingly

topic

group around a topic-

Can have discus-

to find an answer

Visual lan--

Know basic colors,-

Can identify similarities-

Can understand fre-guage (view-

shapes and symbols

between different pic-quently seen signs

ing and pre-and can use them intures, photos andand symbols and cansenting)daily life

symbols and can use

act accordingly

Can communicate

them-using body language---

Can present their

Can use body lan-feelings and experi-

Can look at pictures/guage for smootherences through pic-

photos and makecommunication suchtures, photos andconnections between

as pointing a finger ordiagrams

people and things they

showing largenessknowwith the handmessages of post-

Can explain their feel-ers, inserts and adsof picture books byings and experiences

and can compare

looking at the pictures

while looking at pic-

them with their own

and photos

tures and photos

feelings and experi-

Can grasp the content---

Can decipher visualences-

Can match appropriate words to pictures, photos andsymbols

Written lan--

guage (readingand writing)-

Enjoy listening to sto-

Understand how pic-

and try to read the let-combine, and readture books work as

ters they recognizewith understanding-

Understand that writ--

Express feelings andbeing read to theming letters is a form ofexperiences in sim-

repeatedly

communication andple sentences

Show interest in letters

gradually learn how to

and know the shapewrite.

planations to pictures

Memorize letters byand diagrams--

Can add simple ex-

Begin to notice own

connecting its shapenames and names ofand how it is readplays around the fa-

Show interest in letters

cility and understandand match them to theand texts, askingthe meaning

letters

questions about themShow interest in theand incorporating themsentences, under-

shape of letters andinto playstand the meaning

Recognize the differ-and explain it to oth-differences

ences between let-ers

Attempt to write theirters/prose and pic-own names by copyingtures, photos, symbols

follow writing con-the shape of the lettersand diagrams

ventions as they

Understand the correct

construct sentences

notice similarities and-

Notice that meaning
is created as letters

things around them--letters in picture books

and how to read them-Show interest in theries

they listen to stories-----

shape and form of let------Can read wall dis-Can read simple

Can understand andRealize that writingsters and learn how tothat contain feelings

write themand meaning can

Write their own names

convey a message toanother person

3-3. Assessment of Language
Assessment of language is done by all teachers with the classroom teacher taking
responsibility. The teachers daily assess students during inquiry activities, assessment activities (formative, summative, self, and peer assessment), school events, conferences, andpresentations. They record student voices in notes, photos and videos and collect student
sample work and learning records. These are shared with parents and the student throughportfolios, school repots, and during conferences.
4 . Bibliography
The language policies of the following schools were used, referred to and adapted to create
this document.
-

Sunnyside International School-Machida Kobato Kindergarten

The following documents were consulted to create this document.
-Making the PYP happen: A curriculum framework for international primary education, 2016

-Making the PYP Happen: A Curriculum Framework for International Primary Education. Cardiff: International Baccalaureate, Dec. 2009. PDF.