Instruction for Mathematics and Science in Primary and Lower Secondary Grades
The school year begins April 1 and ends March 31. School holidays include national holidays, Saturdays and Sundays, and three long vacations. Most primary and secondary schools are in session for 35 weeks of the year.
Exhibit 5 shows the number of class periods per year and the number and percentage of yearly class periods that are spent on mathematics and science in primary and lower secondary schools. A class period comprises 45 minutes in primary school and 50 minutes in lower secondary school. (In Grades 1 and 2, Life and Environmental Studies is taught instead of science or social studies.)
Exhibit 5: Yearly Instructional Time in Mathematics and Science in Japan by Grade
| Grade Level | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| Total Class Periods | 850 | 910 | 945 | 980 | 980 | 980 | 1,015 | 1,015 | 1,015 |
| Mathematics Class Periods | 136 | 175 | 175 | 175 | 175 | 175 | 140 | 105 | 140 |
| Percent of Total Class Periods | 16% | 19.2% | 18.5% | 17.9% | 17.9% | 17.9% | 13.8% | 10.3% | 13.8% |
| Science Class Periods | 90 | 105 | 105 | 105 | 105 | 140 | 140 | ||
| Percent of Total Class Periods | 9.5% | 10.7% | 10.7% | 10.7% | 10.3% | 13.8% | 13.8% | ||
Grade at Which Specialist Teachers for Mathematics and Science are Introduced
In general, specialist teachers for mathematics and science are introduced at seventh grade in lower secondary school.
Instructional Materials, Equipment, and Laboratories
Textbooks must be authorized by MEXT, if MEXT does not already own the copyright. All mathematics and science textbooks are written and edited by private publishers and approved by MEXT. Textbook publishers submit a draft of their proposed textbook to MEXT. The Ministry’s Textbook Authorization Research Council, composed of university professors and teachers, checks drafts against the Courses of Study and proposes revisions if necessary. Once a textbook has been revised and approved by MEXT, it is placed on a list of authorized textbooks.
Local boards of education choose textbooks from the authorized list for use by schools under their jurisdiction. Groups of cities or towns typically join together to form adoption areas that select textbooks for compulsory education, making selections on the basis of teacher recommendations. At the upper secondary level, individual schools choose textbooks from among those authorized by MEXT. The science curriculum contains statements about the use of experiments. Specifically, in primary school, teachers are expected to give consideration to consolidating scientific knowledge and concepts, as well as developing scientific perspectives and ideas by providing opportunities for experimentation, observation, hands-on scientific experiences, and experiences in nature. Primary schools also are expected to give consideration to facilitating student-run enrichment activities that challenge students to conduct observations and experiments, and to use scientific terms and concepts to explain natural events and phenomena. In addition, primary schools are expected to give consideration to seeking actively to partner and collaborate with museums and science centers.
The science curriculum states that in lower secondary school, teachers should emphasize experimentation and observation. Students may utilize both their school and their local environment for scientific research on observable phenomena. The emphasis on experimentation and observation exposes students to fundamental concepts and methods that they may build on throughout their scientific education, and encourages students to develop a positive attitude toward science.