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Japanese Numbers 1–5

Third graders count in Japanese from いち (ichi, one) to ご (go, five). They put the numbers in order and learn that four has two readings — し (shi) and よん (yon) — a first taste of Japanese’s playful precision.

Grade 3Numbers 1–540 minutes1 class periodACTFL / World LanguagesExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Count 1 to 5.
  • ✓Say each number.
  • ✓Order the numbers.
  • ✓Count objects.
Essential Question

Let’s count in Japanese! Can you put the numbers ichi to go in the right order?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Put in Order · Interactive

Order the Numbers 1–5

Project this and have students put the Japanese numbers in order from 1 to 5.

🔢 Put the numbers in order — ichi to go!Try it
Tap いち (ichi) first!
The Lesson · Language Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

40 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Let’s Count!

5 min

Let’s count in Japanese — can you order ichi to go?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Count on fingers: ichi, ni...
  • Ask what comes next.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Guess.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Numbers 1–5

11 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Model ichi to go.
  • Note shi/yon for four.
  • Have students repeat.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Watch.
  • Note it.
  • Repeat.
3

Practice — Practice

11 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Order the Numbers.
  • Put it in order.
  • Count aloud.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Order.
  • Count.
  • Say.
4

Speak — Speak

9 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Count 5 objects in Japanese.
  • Say your age (if 1–5).
  • Count with a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Count.
  • Say it.
  • Count.
5

Reflect — Reflect

4 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Count to five.
  • Say your favorite number.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Count.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Novice-Low).

ACTFL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: understand numbers.

ACTFL
Connections 3.1

Connect to math.

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.1

Compare number words.

ACTFL
Communication 1.1

Interpersonal: count together.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Number cards 1–5 with romaji.
  • Count on fingers.
  • Repeat aloud.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with ichi, ni, san.
  • Order two at a time.
  • Count together.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Count to 10 (roku–jū).
  • Count backward.
  • Count classroom objects.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🔢Number cards
  • 💻Order the Numbers 1–5
  • 🧮Counting objects
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

すうじ (sūji)numbersいち (ichi)oneに (ni)twoさん (san)threeし／よん (shi/yon)fourご (go)fiveかぞえる (kazoeru)to countろく (roku)six
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
How do you say “one” in Japanese?
いち (ichi).
QUESTION 2
How do you say “five”?
ご (go).
QUESTION 3
What are the two ways to say “four”?
し (shi) and よん (yon).

Reflect: numbers 1–5.

Have students count five objects aloud in Japanese (ichi to go). A printable Japanese numbers sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Japanese Numbers 1-5Flip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Japanese Numbers 1-5Quiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Japanese Numbers 1-5Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: いち (ichi), かぞえる (kazoeru), ご (go), さん (san), し／よん (shi/yon), すうじ (sūji), に (ni), ろく (roku)
  1. four
  2. three
  3. two
  4. six
  5. to count
  6. one
  7. five
  8. numbers

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. How do you say “one” in Japanese?
  2. How do you say “five”?
  3. What are the two ways to say “four”?
Answer key — Part A: 1) し／よん (shi/yon) · 2) さん (san) · 3) に (ni) · 4) ろく (roku) · 5) かぞえる (kazoeru) · 6) いち (ichi) · 7) ご (go) · 8) すうじ (sūji)
Part B: 1) いち (ichi). 2) ご (go). 3) し (shi) and よん (yon).