This is a teacher resource you may use for explaining Japanese particles and Japanese sentence structure.
It can be a mission to explain to students that the Japanese language uses a system of particles to show meaning. Other languages use different systems.
The next step is to explain to students how many particles there are and what each particle means within a sentence.
Link to list of particles.
A particle in a Japanese sentence has the function of showing “the purpose” of that part of the sentence. Therefore if you swap parts within a sentence, the particle moves with the noun.
We use the following way to demonstrate what the pattern of a Japanese sentence is by comparing each sentence with an extended train. Each noun or each part of speech is like a train carriage. Each carriage has a main purpose and each carriage has a sign on the outside to mark that purpose to the boarding passengers. You move the carriage, you move the sign on the outside.
On one carriage it would have the sign dining car, on another first class seating, on another baggage, on another sleeping compartments.
Next, we explain that there is a natural order in a train setup. For instance, luggage is not between the seating and the dining cars, because passengers would be clambering over luggage etc.
In order to demonstrate this sentence pattern idea, we made the following props for our classroom; here are the display parts you need to make:
Cut about seven plastic display folders up, so you end up with seven rectangular sheets. At the end you need to glue enough magnets to the back of each sheet to hold it onto a metallic whiteboard for display.
Cut a rectangular square in each sheet as shown below, so that you have the idea of an empty picture frame.
Glue a magnet on the right-hand side of the frame. Use double-sided tape for that purpose.
(One could also use Velcro dots, if magnets are not available). We chose the black dot magnet on the right-hand side, because the particle follows the noun. Our train travels to the left and the engine is a PUSH engine (=verb is at the end).
Next, print off the particle buttons below, which would give a good colour and usage spread for your resource.
A good idea is to laminate each page before cutting out and gluing on the magnets, or the Velcro dots. As the large frames are already plastic, you don’t need to laminate those ones.
Here are the basic frame patterns:
If you would like to be more sophisticated, you could add two more buttons to the frames: one could be a grammatical label, or you could also add rōmaji buttons, if your students need these.
Next, you need to cut out the buttons after you laminated them, then you stick on another magnet, or perhaps a piece of metal. No idea where you would find that, but have a deep think.
We have found in the past that advertising fridge magnets were quite suitable. Of course you don’t have to make it all so sturdy, but if it is sturdy you can use the resource many times. These plastic covers are very sturdy and colourful, so easy to see for students.
If you don’t want to use these materials, please feel free to change according to your own requirements.
Here is an example:
The clearer the label on the outside of the carriage, the quicker the passengers can get on, the less hassle there is.
がんばって！Enjoy!
We are still on the look-out for plastic that is less transparent. We find the advertisement magnets annoying (though they are cheap). We just need a better plastic frame.
Now we look at the photos it suddenly has begun to annoy us. The transparent red frame is distracting. So we set out to change it. Here is the updated version.
One could call it a cottage industry…
If you use rōmaji, probably a good idea to use the same colours for the same meaning.
We already have a box full of pictures with Japanese words underneath. Lining them up on the whiteboard means, that students can participate in sentence construction. They focus on the picture and the pattern and not on the actual writing.
When your students are ready, you can take the pictures out and write in the rectangular space. Like so. Now you can make as many sentences as you like, but more importantly, your students can make almost any sentence they want. It is interactive and creative.
Lami Japan 
