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Japanese Seasons

Seventh graders explore the four seasons (きせつ, kisetsu) in Japanese — はる (haru, spring), なつ (natsu, summer), あき (aki, autumn), ふゆ (fuyu, winter) — and the beloved traditions of each, from cherry-blossom viewing to summer festivals and winter hot springs.

Grade 7Seasons50 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…

  • ✓Name the seasons.
  • ✓Learn seasonal traditions.
  • ✓Explore kisetsu.
  • ✓Say your favorite.
Essential Question

Japan celebrates all four seasons! What are they called, and what special traditions belong to each?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

The Japanese Seasons Explorer

Project this and tap each. Have students explore the four Japanese seasons and their traditions.

🌸 Explore the four seasons — tap eachTry it

The Lesson · Language Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

50 minutes, five moves

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

1

Warm-Up — Four Seasons

6 min

Japan celebrates all four seasons — what are they and their traditions?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show cherry blossoms.
  • Ask which season.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Guess.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Seasons

12 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to the Seasons Explorer.
  • Present each season.
  • Note the traditions.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Tap each.
  • Note it.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Practice

13 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a season.
  • Say its tradition.
  • Say your favorite.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name it.
  • Say it.
  • Say it.
4

Speak — Speak

13 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say “Haru ga suki desu” (I like spring).
  • Describe a season.
  • Ask a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Describe.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a season.
  • Say a tradition.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • 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-Mid).

ACTFL
Cultures 2.1

Explore seasonal traditions.

ACTFL
Cultures 2.2

Explore cultural practices (hanami).

ACTFL
Connections 3.1

Connect to seasons & nature.

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.1

Compare seasons & customs.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Season cards with romaji.
  • Show seasonal pictures.
  • Repeat aloud.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with haru & fuyu.
  • Use pictures.
  • Repeat aloud.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Research hanami.
  • Match foods to seasons.
  • Make a season poster.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🌸Season cards
  • 💻The Japanese Seasons Explorer
  • 🖼️Seasonal images
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

きせつ (kisetsu)seasonはる (haru)springなつ (natsu)summerあき (aki)autumnふゆ (fuyu)winterさくら (sakura)cherry blossomまつり (matsuri)festivalゆき (yuki)snow
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 “spring” in Japanese?
はる (haru).
QUESTION 2
What tradition happens in spring?
Cherry-blossom viewing (hanami).
QUESTION 3
What does きせつ (kisetsu) mean?
Season.

Reflect: seasons.

Have students name their favorite season in Japanese and one tradition from it. A printable Japanese seasons 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 SeasonsFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

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

📝 Japanese SeasonsQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Nice work!

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 SeasonsPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: あき (aki), きせつ (kisetsu), さくら (sakura), なつ (natsu), はる (haru), ふゆ (fuyu), まつり (matsuri), ゆき (yuki)
  1. cherry blossom
  2. summer
  3. snow
  4. season
  5. spring
  6. winter
  7. autumn
  8. festival

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. How do you say “spring” in Japanese?
  2. What tradition happens in spring?
  3. What does きせつ (kisetsu) mean?
Answer key — Part A: 1) さくら (sakura) · 2) なつ (natsu) · 3) ゆき (yuki) · 4) きせつ (kisetsu) · 5) はる (haru) · 6) ふゆ (fuyu) · 7) あき (aki) · 8) まつり (matsuri)
Part B: 1) はる (haru). 2) Cherry-blossom viewing (hanami). 3) Season.