Activating students' learning of WAKA Japanese poetry : A practice of learning to broaden recognition in stages

Abstract

I tried an approach to learning WAKA Japanese poetry that applied a WAKA interpretation theory in a clear framework for interpretation on the basis of the following Japanese basic recognition vocabulary categories : "KATA, KATACHI" and "MONO, KOTO". For rational and simple learning, I planned a learning unit of 10 hours with a material of 42 poems from the first half of the spring part of "Kokin Wakashu", and practiced it with 26 high school freshmen. This is intended as a suggestion on the present conditions to learn excellent poems of "Manyoshu", "Kokin Wakashu", and "Shinkokin Wakashu" in the introduction period to learn WAKA Japanese poetry at high school. As a result, a certain level of analysis and interpretation of the poems were attained, based on the framework and the concept described above. This approach is also significant as a way of systematization of poetry learning of elementary, junior high, and high schools.