About Elementary School Lessons

1st and 2nd grade overview:

These lower-level grades are not nationally supervised and will vary according to schools, but most follow very simple vocabulary patterns. Many schools will have around six lessons per year.

Some example targets are: animals, body parts, colors, feelings, food and fruit, numbers, weather and seasons

3rd and 4th grade overview:

These middle-level grades are not mandatory, but many local boards of education will provide some sort of English, usually from ten to twenty lessons a year. Common paths are as English conversation or as part of 総合学習 (sougou gakushuu – integrated or interdisciplinary studies).

Some example targets are: actions, adjectives, clothes, family, places, things, weather and seasons

5th and 6th grade overview:

These upper-level grades have nationally-mandated English lessons (35 hours per year). They use national textbooks (Hi Friends, replacing Eigo Note), which aim to provide a standard and some preparation for difficult junior high school English lessons.

Hi Friends is broken into two books and seventeen lessons. The targets and materials that can be found on this site are listed below. Official and edited worksheets are attached at the bottom of the page. Official manuals can be found at the MEXT website.

Hi Friends 1:
Lesson 1: Greetings: Hello.
Lesson 2: Feelings: I’m happy.
Lesson 3: Numbers: How many?
Lesson 4: Foods, Fruit, Sports, Animals: I like apples.
Lesson 5: Colors and Shapes: What do you like?
Lesson 6: Alphabet: What do you want?
Lesson 7: (Classroom) Things: What’s this?
Lesson 8: Days and Subjects: I study Japanese.
Lesson 9: Foods: What would you like?

Hi Friends 2:
Lesson 1: Alphabet: Do you have “a”?
Lesson 2: Months: When is your birthday?
Lesson 3: Actions: Can you swim?
Lesson 4: Places: Turn right.
Lesson 5: Countries: Let’s go to Italy.
Lesson 6: Time and Daily Activities: What time do you get up?
Lesson 7: Stories (Momotaro): We are good friends.
Lesson 8: Jobs: What do you want to be?