Imperial Japan Lesson Plans

Ninth graders study factors of the era of expansion that caused the era of imperialism. They watch a segment from one of the following movies: A Passage to India , or The Barbarian and the Geisha. They create an annotated bibliography off the Internet.

Students examine the westernization of Japan. In this world history activity, students explore the culture shift in Japan during the 20th century and note the similarities between the foundation of modern Japanese government and governments of the west.

Ninth graders create a map of China. They identify the various spheres of influence carved out by the Imperialist powers of Europe as well as locating geographical features of china and major cities. They explain the global impact of imperialism and political and social reform in China.

Students work from topics provided by the teacher to create a political cartoon that illustrates imperialism throughout the world, focusing on that which led up to World War One.

Students research the different groups in Feudal Japan. In this Japanese people lesson, students are broken into different groups representing the different roles in Japan. They research their group and have a "tea party" in which they interact with their classmates and find information about the other groups. 

Students examine the period in which Japan ended its isolationism with the rest of the world. Using the internet, they identify the reasons why Japan occupied and annexed Korea along with the country's reasons for going to war with China and Russia. As a class, they discuss the reasons why Japan wanted to modernize to become a world power.

Learners investigate the history of feudalism in Japan during the Middle Ages. They create a Haiku poem based upon the research that is done using a variety of resources that could include the internet.

Ninth graders examine the connection between the Russo-Japanese War and Japan's annexation of Korea. They write a petition to President Teddy Roosevelt presenting the potential impact of supporting Japan in 1905 and encouraging a different course of action.

Students explore Korea and details about the Choson Kingdom. In this Korea lesson, students examine the geographical location of Korea. Students also take notes on a lecture about the Choson Kingdom and relations between Japan and Korea. Students keep journals that require them to write from the perspectives of Korean citizens in 1880 and 1906.

Students discuss the decision after World War II of Japan's to follow a policy of pacifism. After reading an article, they identify the ways Japan is strengthening its military. They watch a video to discover how their Constitution was changed. To end the lesson, they write a paper arguing against or for Japan increasing its military.