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Mary Ann LeBeau
Grade 2
Geography
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this lesson is to teach to the children about the culture of Japan. This will be a hands on approach to teaching Japan’s geography, daily life, language, foods, education, customs, art and literature. They will learn all the exciting events that take place to make it really seem like they are living in Japan. I want the students to know how they may survive if they may take a trip to Japan.
CONNECTION TO THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY STANDARDS:
No. 1 – Knows and understands how to use maps, globes and other graphical tools to acquire, process and report information. This standard will be used in locating the geographical location of Japan and surrounding islands. They will locate the points of interest on each of the four islands of Japan.
No. 4 – Knows and understands the physical and human characteristics of places. The children will understand what it is like to live in Japan.
No. 6 – Knows and understands that culture and experience influence people’s perceptions of places and experiences. They will know what the people in Japan do daily and what types of homes they live in.
No. 14 – Knows and understands how the earth’s physical and human systems are connected and interact. This will apply because I want them to learn the language of Japanese. They will also know the about the island of Japan and what kinds of people live there.
No. 15 – Knows and understands the consequences of the interactions between human and physical systems. This standard will apply because they will understand that Japan was formed by volcanic eruptions.
TEXAS ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:
*The student will identify ways which people depend on the physical environment and adapt or modify them.
*The student will identify the physical characteristics of places, such as landforms, bodies of water, and natural resources.
*They will identify human characteristics of places, such as houses and ways of earning a living.
OBJECTIVES:
Students will demonstrate their ability:
OVERVIEW OF PRESENTATION:
It is important for children to learn about and value the diversity in the world around them. This unit will share ideas, hands-on activities, and resources from that will lead the student into different experiences. Our heritage is certainly multicultural. By learning how others live, think, and react, children gain an insight into the diversity in people from the environment that they live in. This unit will be a valuable resource for our children to experience the daily life, language, culture, and foods of Japan. The lessons I have prepared for this unit not only involve active participation, but also my own experiences as well because I had the opportunity to live in Japan for three years. I hope this resource will help create a multicultural community in everyone’s classroom. These lessons are five days long, and it is assumed the time length is 90 minutes.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN: Turn your classroom into a Japanese atmosphere! Label articles in your classroom with their Japanese names and practice using Japanese words in daily speech. A Japanese alphabet, numbers, a map of Japan, a Japanese flag, and Japanese music will set the atmosphere and get your students excited about visiting Japan.
DAY ONE: Geography
MATERIALS: World map and globe, map of Japan for each student, crayons – blue, purple, orange, 2 sheets of 12" x 18" construction paper per student, 1 strip 2" x 18" and 2 strips 2" x 12" for the handles of a suitcase, transparency of map.
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Sponge Activity: Have a map of Japan ready on their desks for them to locate the points of interest, Mt Fuji, Tokyo, train stations, rice fields.
Opening: To start each day, greet each other in Japanese, and then bow. I would have my students go out in the hall first to take off their shoes and then have them bow to you as they walk back into the classroom. This would also be a good time for the teacher to explain that teacher in Japanese is sensei. They are to call the teacher sensei from now on.
Guided Practice: Begin the unit by telling the students that they are off on a trip to Japan, but in order to go to Japan, we have to pack and get ready to fly there. Make a suitcase made out of construction paper by folding the 12x18 in half and gluing the handles on to it. Have the children decorate them. Then everyday you start the unit have the students take their suitcases with them by storing all papers in their suitcases that you have given them for the unit.
Have a map of the island of Japan on posterboard or use a map of Japan to geographically locate Japan. Then with a transparency map have the students use their red crayon to color the four main islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku as well as the other islands. Label with a black dot the major cities of Tokyo, Sapporo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima. Use a blue crayon to identify the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan. Mt Fuji should be labeled with a ^.
Discuss how Japan is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire. These maps should be placed in their suitcases.
Independent Practice: They will work on their suitcases during this time.
Closing: Ask them what main islands are in Japan. Tell them to name their favorite thing they learned today about Japan.
DAY TWO:
MATERIALS: Glass bottle, clay, baking soda, red vinegar, Japanese music, imagery tour (see appendix).
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Sponge Activity: I will have Japanese music playing as they bow and are welcomed by me into class. They will get their maps out of Japan and study those as they listen to the music.
Opening: We will take our shoes off first and greet each other appropriately. I will tell them that Japan was made because of volcanoes and that we will witness the creation of a volcano, and take an imagery tour of Japan. They will need to get their suitcases and we are off!
Guided practice: Review names and locations of the four main islands. First make a volcano using a glass bottle and clay to show how they create as well as destroy. Then combine baking soda and red vinegar and pour into the bottle. Watch this erupt. Discuss how Japan has many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that occur frequently and unexpected. Also discuss the power of a volcano and its ability to change the natural environment.
One way to visualize Japan is to make a story of the information. Have the children relax on the floor with their eyes closed. Tell them that they’ll spend a day in Japan. Then tell them the imagery tour (see appendix). After this has been done let them tell you what they imagined, what things they saw or heard. Discuss the differences between life in the United States compared to life as they just heard in Japan.
Independent Practice: They will keep a diary of the next few days, and this would be a good time for them to keep a diary because of the imagery tour. They can write in their journal what they did today and how they felt while taking a tour of Japan.
Closing: Have them kneel on the floor such as the people of Japan do and ask them questions about their trip to Japan. Would they like to live there? Which part of Japan interests them the most?
DAY THREE: Language
MATERIALS: Japanese words written on the board: hello=konnichi wa, thank you=arigatoo, good-bye=sayonnara, please=doozo, good morning=ohiyo gozaimus, no=eyeah, yes=hai, nice to meet you=doozo yoroshiku, ichi=one, ni=two, san=three, chee=four, go=five, roku=six, ju=seven, hachi=eight, ku=nine, ju=ten Internet day: http://jin.jcic.or.jp/kidsweb/virtual.html, internet worksheet (see appendix).
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Sponge Activity: Have them read the board and try to pronounce the Japanese words together in pairs.
Opening: When opening the lesson speak in Japanese to get their interests going. Tell them they are going to learn some of the language and daily customs of the culture of Japan. This will also be internet day for them to research the island of Japan.
Guided practice: We will discuss the language of Japanese. Japanese is an easy language to speak. It is spelled and pronounced as kanji. Japanese is often read from up to down and often from right to left. Practice reciting each word then teach them the numbers in Japanese. In order to challenge the students, make up some math problems using the Japanese numbers. Then once you have finished take the children to the computer lab to complete a worksheet using the internet (see appendix) using the website listed above.
Independent Practice: They will finish their internet papers listed in the appendix after some guided practice has been done. They should be able to do some of the things on the website on their own.
Closing: Ask the children what they learned from today’s lesson. Let
them tell you a few things on their own before you tell them some more
things in Japanese.
DAY FOUR:
MATERIALS: Chopsticks, rice cooker, rice, paper towels, 4 cotton balls, 4 pieces of macaroni, rubber bands, erasers, dried beans, tuna fish, water How My Parents Learned to Eat book.
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Opening Activity: Have the children bow to each other and take
off their shoes while they also speak some of the language that they just
learned in the previous lesson.
Guided practice: Explain the different types of foods first that Japan is famous for. Then read the book How My Parents Learned to Eat. This book will explain the origin behind the chopsticks. Tell the students that rice is so important to the Japanese. Rice grows in the flat lands and also on the terraced hills. A delicate crop, it requires two separate plantings. Their food is treated reverently and aesthetically. Vegetables and fish are the major foods, and rice is the center of the meal. Have their rice balls ready for them ahead of time so they may eat them while you are reading them the book. After you have read them the book, tell the children they will have an opportunity to use chopsticks. Spread out on a table four each of the items cotton balls, uncooked macaroni, rubber bands, erasers, dried beans, etc. Let them practice picking up the items with their chopsticks for a little while. Then have a contest to see who can pick up one of the items the fastest.
Discuss different foods such as noodles, soy, desserts, and sushi. Two common noodles are the ramen and soba noodles, soy is eaten in a sauce, bean, paste, or tofu, desserts such as chocolate, ice cream, and cake.
Evaluation: Give them a test on the culture of Japan (see appendix).
Closing: Ask the children to show you how to use the chopsticks to see if anyone has mastered them. Ask them to name some of the foods that are important to Japan.
DAY FIVE:
MATERIALS: Small Styrofoam balls, yarn, paper cups, origami
paper, or copy paper.
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Sponge Activity: Have the different types of games displayed first for each student to look at such as origami, jan ken pon, kutso, ken da ma, kami shi bai, o te da ma.
Opening: Explain to the students that traditional games are played at home, but Japanese children love to play with string, marbles, balls, and dolls. Tell them that they are going to have a chance to play some of the games that Japanese children play.
Guided Practice: I would have about five centers set up for each game first. Jan Ken Pon (paper, stone, scissors-hand game) This game involves students counting to three and then make a hand sign of either paper, rock, or scissors. Ken da ma (Japanese Yo-Yo) this involves taking a paper cup, yarn, and a small ball. Tie the ball to the cup then have the students try and flip the ball into the cup. Kami shi bai this game means to draw a story scene on a paper plate. Write the summary of the story on the back and have actors use the plates as scenery to present the story to the class. O Te Da Ma (bean bags) is played like jacks. Throw the bean bag up and catch it while scooping one, then two bags and on and on. Origami is the last center you should have and this should be a center where the teacher is present. Origami helps develop fine motor skills, and the ability to follow directions. There are many books that you can use to make an origami piece. This may take some practice on your part before you let the children do it with you. I would give the kids about twenty minutes for each center then rotate in a clockwise direction to the next one.
Independent Practice: Let some of the kids show you their ability to perform some of the games for an independent assessment. This will build their confidence and increase their self-concept.
Closing: Tell the children that these games are played every
day by Japanese children. Ask them which game they liked the best and have
them demonstrate their skill in the game. Would they ever play this game
again? Would you teach all your friends the games you learned today?
Appendix:
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Day Two: Imagery Tour
You are sleeping on puffy futons which are like comforters. Another lighter one is covering you. You are warm and comfortable. Your family is sleeping around you. Your futon is made of pink, shiny fabric, covered with a shell of cotton. You soon hear "gohan des yo" (it’s time for breakfast). You stand up, fold the futon into thirds and flip it into the closet behind the sliding fusuma or paper doors. You help your mother set up the table in theplace where you had been sleeping. Everyone kneels on the flat cushions (zabuton) and begins to frink themiso soup. It’s a rich red color and has green onions floating in it. Yummy! The rice is white, steamy, and hot. Everyone eats quickly and stacks their dishes. You say "Gochi so sama (thank you) to your mother to thank her for the meal. You carefully brush your teeth and get ready for school. You put on your dark uniform and pick up your book bag containing all of your homework. You put on your shoes at the front door, bow to your mother, and off you go to school. The train is always on time, so you rush a little through the crowded streets. It’s a rainy day, and people are holding umbrellas and wearing boots. You dart quickly into the station and show your train pass. It is very crowded on the train. You stand up and look for your friends. "Good morning" everyone calls. Once at school, you put your outside shoes on a shelf desk. It’s a busy morning. At recess, you and your friends play marbles (be da ma) a delicious lunc with soup, rice, and a little fish. You make sure you have eaten everything and have cleaned your table. In the afternoon, you hear about your field shrines and to eat the fancy Kyoto cakes. Soon it’s time to go home. You pack, bow perhaps to your teacher, and put on your outside shoes. You go home to have a snack and perhaps to watch some television. Next, you do your homework. Your family is having soup and rice for supper. There are also many small dishes filled with tasty pickles, little fishes, and vegetables. You watch a little television, hoping Dad will get home early tonight. He works long days and then commutes on the train. At bedtime you unfold the futon and curl up, dreaming of going to Kyoto and wondering which team will win the sports day races.
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Internet Worksheet:
Name: ________________________________________________________________________
Go to website and pick a section to go into.
Answer these questions:
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2. Would you recommend this website to someone?
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3. If you had to choose a website about the geography of Japan,
would this be one?
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4. Scroll down on the main page and go to Japanese cooking. Choose rice and miso soup. Read through the important things they say about rice and explain an important step in making the rice.
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Test
Name: ________________________________________________________________________
1. What do they use to eat with instead of a fork? _____________________________________
2. When is the proper time to take your shoes off in Japan? _____________________________
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3. Name the largest ocean that surrounds Japan. ______________________________________
4. Name the tallest and most famous volcano in Japan. _________________________________
5. Japan grows this as their main crop. ______________________________________________
6. How many islands does Japan have according to the map we colored? ___________________
7. What is the capital of Japan? ___________________________________________________
8. Is Japan an island or a continent? Why? ___________________________________________
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9. Name something you have learned about Japan.
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10. Japan was formed by volcanoes? Earthquakes? Why? _______________________________
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Edmonds, Ann C. Our Global Village: Japan. Milliken Publishing Co. St. Louis Missouri, 1990.
Friedman, Ina R. How My Parents Learned to Eat. Houghton Mifflin, 1984.
Kalman, Bobbie. Japan: The People. Crabtree, 1989.
Soleillant, Claude. Japan, Activities and Projects in Color. Sterling Publishing Co., 1980
Sullivan, Dianna J. Discovering Japan – Multiculural Education Series. Hayes School Publishing Co., 1995.
Tames, Richard. Journey Through Japan. Troll Associates, 1991.
Websites:
http://jin.jcic.or.jp/kidsweb/virtual.html Japanese Information Network. Updated April 12, 1999.
http://jin.jcic.or.jp/atlas Japan Atlas. Updated April 5, 1999.
Created 4-27-99
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Plans and Research Paper, 1999