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Japanese Tea and Teacups
Upper graders use the potter's wheel to make Japanese style tea cups, which they will use in a Japanese style tea ceremony. They hone their sculpting techniques while exploring Japanese cultural and the history of tea. There are two...
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Music of Japan
My, how Japan has changed! From Hogaku to karaoke, this slide show provides an overview of the culture, instruments, and periods of transition through Japanese music. Here you will find 21 text-rich slides which are great for note taking.
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Japanese Music Study
Gagaku is music traditionally played in the Japanese imperial courts of long ago. Learners listen to this and other traditional Japanese music to gain an understanding of culture and music history. They work to identify Japanese...
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The Art and History of Japanese Calligraphy
Chinese and Japanese calligraphy is beautiful and significant in both culture and tradition. Engage your class in this expressive fine art form through a activity on using, holding, and creating brush strokes common to Japanese writing...
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Music for Alice
Third graders explore Japanese culture. They read the story Music for Alice. Students write a paragraph defining what happiness means to them. They discuss Alice's culture and their own cultures. Students create a brochure about Japanese...
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Global Music Lesson Plans: Britten and Japan – Japan and the UK
Students explore the links between Japanese and British culture. In this Japanese music instructional activity, students listen to their instructor present a lecture regarding Gagaku music and then perform "Te Lucis Ante Terminum" with...
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Haiku and Beyond: Exploring Genres of Japanese Literature
Fourth graders compare and contrast the literature of Japan as they study the culture, history and geography of the island nation. They read various genres of literature, describe geographic and landform features of Japan, and find...
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Noh Theater
Students take a closer look at Japanese drama. In this Japanese culture lesson plan, students study the attributes of Noh theater and compare it western theater. Students conduct independent research on the art form prior to acting out a...
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Demystifying Stereotypes and Understanding Contemporary Cultures
Fourth graders compare and contrast folk songs from different cultures. In this music lesson, 4th graders listen to and list the attributes of selected Japanese and American folk songs. Students discover the customs, foods, and culture...
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A Pentatonic Scale Activity
The famous Japanese tune, "Cherry Blooms" was composed using a pentatonic scale. Budding musicians explore the nature and theory behind the pentatonic scale as well as the East Asian music it is commonly used in. Multiple extensions are...
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Traditional Japanese Garden Design
Students create a miniature Japanese garden that incorporates the elements of traditional Japanese aesthetics. They study the simplicity, asymmetrical design and incorporate traditional structures.
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The Tale of Genji
Did you know that the world's first novel was written by a woman? Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji, was published in 1021. Class members research Eastern and Western cultures in the 10th and 11th centuries, view modern adaptations of...
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Silk Dragons - Activity 1
Students investigate and discuss Japanese art and culture through an online video and a KWL chart. This lesson is an introduction to Japanese art with two supplemental lessons provided for further activities.
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You Too Can Haiku: How to Write a Haiku
Students explore language arts by writing their own poems. For this haiku lesson, students investigate the Japanese culture and their beautiful music, poetry and art. Students count the syllables in every line of a haiku poem and write...
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In Perfect Harmony: Teaching the World to Sing
First graders listen to music as the impetus to learn about the concept of Japanese harmony as it is understood in Japanese culture. They use the New Seeker's song, "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing," to compare America and Japan...
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JAPAN, IMAGES A PEOPLE
Young scholars interpret Japanese and American paintings; evaluate paintings as sources of cultural and historical information
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Jive Foil Puppets
Students engage in a lesson that is about the creation and use of Jive Foil Puppets. They conduct research using a variety of resources to gather information for differences in use by different cultures. Students create their own puppets.
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Letters from the Japanese American Internment
Students examine letters of Japanese-American children during internment in World War II. They discover what it was like in the camps and how they were treated once they were released. They also view photographs of the camps.
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Being in the Noh: An Introduction to Japanese Noh Plays
High schoolers read a Japanese Noh play and discuss its structure and traditional characters. They choose a short myth and write a Noh play based on it.
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Japanese music
Students explain music in relation to history and culture. They explore "Tanko Bushi."
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Integrating Japanese Folk Tales into the Classroom Using Japanese Kamishibai
Students study Japanese folk tales focusing on the traditional values and key elements. They compare the Japanese values with their own. They discuss Japanese art before designing a set of kamishibai on which they write a summary of a...
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Japanese Fan
Young scholars discuss Japanese culture and the functional and artistic uses of fans and create paper fans using watercolors, popsicle sticks, and tape in this Art lesson for the elementary classroom. Can be used as an introduction to...
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Incorporating Japanese Music into the Music Classroom
Fourth graders experience the music and arts of Japan as they explore the language and culture of the country in this lesson. A variety of musical elements from the culture are demonstrated.
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Origami Paper Fun
Students explore the art of Origami. They listen to various stories about Japan, create Origami shapes by following step-by-step directions, sing Japanese songs, locate Japan on a map, and take a quiz.