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World War II
Sixth graders read Under the Blood Red Sun (UBRS), V is for Victory (V), and Number the Stars(NS). They examine WWII through the eyes of Japanese, Danish, and American students and complete at least two projects: a radio broadcast and a...
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Foods and Languages of the World
Students explore Japan. In this Japanese culture activity, students listen to stories regarding Japan, view Japanese art, learn Japanese words, and make Origami.
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Put on a Happy Face!
Students explore using recycled materials. In this ecology/art lesson, students use recycled materials to create a Halloween mask. Students view folk art made of natural and available resources, and discuss possible cultural uses for...
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How Do You Say Hello?
Students access an online resource to study how to say hello in Spanish, Japanese, and Arabic. They complete a worksheet telling how to say hello in these three languages before practicing the proper pronunciation of each.
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Heart (and Arm) of Darkness
Learners read and translate a 19th-century American ghost tale into a Japanese hanging scroll in this exciting lesson for middle-level Language Art classes. The lesson can be completed in four or five days.
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Band of Brothers
What is a community? Explore the idea of community by investigating countries that have experienced severe damage. Learners discuss the horrible aftermath the 2011 earthquake had on Japan's infrastructure after the tsunami it caused....
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Introduction to China
Compare and contrast the distinctive characteristics of art forms from various cultural, historical, and social contexts, and describe how the same subject matter is represented differently in works of art across cultures and time...
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Japanese Warriors
Students compare and contrast the warriors in Japanese history, folktales, and art to the kinds of soldiers American children learn about. This lesson includes possible lesson enrichments.
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Food and Languages of the World
Learners examine Japanese culture. In this multicultural lesson plan, students taste rice crackers and create Japanese fans from paper and paint.
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Exploring Japan Through Learning Centers
Students explore the Japanese culture and literature through various learning centers. They compare and contrast story details in two stories and complete a Venn diagram. After comparing the stories, they rotate to different centers and...
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Good Prevails
Students write descriptive paragraphs of characters after reading a Japanese folktale in which characters represent by good and evil.
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Origami
Students, through active participation in Japanese origami, demonstrate their skills in this cultural art form and develop an appreciation for other cultures.
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Literature
Students listen and respond to poems about rain. Then they review the continent of Asia and the country of Japan. They listen to a Japanese folktale about a peach boy. Next they listen to a story from Germany about musicians.
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"Hello's" Heard Around the World
Students say hello in five different languages (Spanish, Swahili, French, Portuguese, and Japanese). They are introduced to the countries of these languages (Mexico, Tanzania Africa, France, Brazil, and Japan).
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Grandfather's Journey
Third graders explore world cultures by reading a children's story in class. In this Japanese heritage lesson, 3rd graders read the book Grandfather's Journey and identify the characters, setting and plot that takes place. Students...
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Literature: Yoshiko Uchida Unit
Sixth graders read the books, The Invisible Thread: An Autobiography by Yoshiko Uchida and Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki about Japanese Americans during World War II. They hold discussions, take quizzes, and write essays about the...
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Journey to Japan: An Elementary Geography Standards-Based Unit on Japan
Second graders compare and contrast Japanese customs and culture to those of Americans through research in this year long study. They determine the basic needs of all people in spite of cultural differences.
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Dorothea Lange and the Relocation of Japanese Americans
Pupils analyze a photograph and translate the analysis into words. They explain and explain the impact of governmental decisions made during a specific historical time period.
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Who? What? Why Does Your Family Do That?
Students explain that Japanese and Americans have different values concerning behavior, education, and work. They fill out questionnaires which ask about their family practices and compare their answers with Japanese families.
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"Kokoro (True Heart)" by Velina Hasu Houston
Students read and analyze a play that examines a cultural defense case. They analyze case studies, formulate an argument, write about the Japanese Festival of the Dead, and answer discussion questions about the play.
Consortium for Ocean Science Exploration and Engagement (COSEE)
Fish Morphology
Life comes in all different shapes and sizes, and fish are no exception. Here, young scientists create fish prints as they learn how specific characteristics allow different species to survive in their particular habitats.
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Understanding A Culture Through Storytelling
Pupils explore Japanese folk tales and create a performance that tells one of the Japanese folk stories.
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Animals in Japan
Students compare and contrast common animals children love and have as pets in Japan and America in this early elementary lesson. The culminating project is an original work of art by each student depicting an animal of their choice.
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Your Story, My Story
Students write from differing points of view, and act out stories in pantomime as another student narrates.