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ようこそ  This Wikispace is a place for Japanese educators to share ideas for thematic units that will enhance student understanding of Japanese language and culture. The site is primarily maintained by Japanese teachers in the Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD). However, we would also encourage teachers to share their ideas of how they teach using thematic units. This exchange of ideas and materials is aimed at enhancing instruction and reducing the amount of redundant work. The less time we spend hunting down and/or creating materials that another educator in our community has already completed, the more we can focus on enhancing the level of instruction in our respective programs.三人よれば文殊の知恵！

This Wiki is largely inspired by work done at the 2010 Urawa Summer Institute. There, twenty K-16 teachers of Japanese from the US worked together to create thematic units that incorporate innovative teaching strategies. The goal here is to expand on what that community accomplished and increase the pool of resources we can all share.

Only members may post to this site. If you are a Japanese teacher or studying to be one, we welcome your membership. If you have questions about the use of this site or would like to become a member, please email Dan Carolin
 * When posting to this site be careful! Save often! **

If you are new to using Wikispaces there is a [|useful instructional video] that can help you get started. If you are still intimidated, you can email files to Dan Carolin and he will post materials for you.

How to use this Wikispace.
I t is really pretty simple. The units are divided by level at which they are taught.

Once you have found a subtopic that matches your unit you can upload it simply by using the file upload tool in the editing toolbar. If you have multiple files, they may be placed in the most appropriate box. Feel free to add text to explain the contents if you wish. Links can be added in a similar manner. Again, if all of this is new to you, the [|video] will be a great help.

In addition to adding your unit to an appropriate subtopic, it would also help all involved if you could do the following

1. Label it with which level you teach it at. Although there are schools with multi-level classes, etc. to simplify matters, we would like people to use J1, J2,J3,J4 to correspond to level 1-4 in high school. So for example: J2 Jobs and Careers.

2. When entering the title of the unit below the subtopic, enter it in 'Heading 3' style. This will help keep the Table of Contents up to date.

3. We would like you to include your name with each unit you upload. It would also be helpful if you would include a link to your email so another we can contact you easily if questions arise.

4. If you are unsure of how to do this, don't worry. Post the material and then send an email to  Dan Carolin.