Curated OER
Japanese Festivals and Holidays
Bring the excitement and beauty of Japanese festivals into your classroom. Kids with special needs create calendars that reflect special festivals and holidays common to Japanese culture. They start the project by creating a list of...
Curated OER
Japanese Festival Mask Making
Students learn about Japanese culture and make a mask. In this lesson about Japanese mask-making, students use research and art to explore the Japanese culture. Students research Japanese masks. Students design their own Japanese mask....
Curated OER
Japanese Festivals and Celebrations
Students investigate the importnce of celebrations anf festivals in Japanese culture and then create a story based upon an image from the activity. Resource links are provided for images of events.
Curated OER
The Japanese Way
First graders complete a two-week introductory unit on Japan and Japanese culture. They compare/contrast Japanese and American lifestyles, watch videos, design an original kimono, eat Japanese food using chopsticks, fold Origami shapes,...
Curated OER
Creative Writing - Research and Letters
Here's a fresh approach that combines research, business and personal letter writing, and creative story telling. Student groups research different decades in the life of a famous Japanese astronomer. They then craft a decade fact sheet,...
Curated OER
Natural Disasters
Students read the book "Tsunami!" and discuss natural disasters and how they can prepare. This activity is much more than a study of tsunamis. The activity is chock-full of ways to study the Japanese culture across the curriculum. There...
UTSA Institute of Texas Cultures
Teaching Through Kamishibai and The Art of Chinese Calligraphy
Young learners discover kamishibai, a popular Japanese storytelling art, and explore how these Japanese folktales illustrate the country's cultural themes and values through discussion and storyboarding.
Education World
Every Day Edit - Sapporo Snow Festival
In this everyday editing learning exercise, students correct grammatical mistakes in a short paragraph about the Japanese snow festival known as Sapporo. The errors range from capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and grammar.
Curated OER
"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.
Curated OER
Japanese Designs
Fourth graders learn some traditional Japanese designs and what they represent, then make their own stamps for printing Japanese designs.
Curated OER
American and Japanese Cities
Students compare different cities within Japan and within the United States, as well as Japanese and American cities with each other. Students research cities and then write a short essay comparing them.
Curated OER
International Festival: Japan
Students discover Japanese culture and the importance of Sakura to Japan. In this international festival lesson, students demonstrate an appreciation for the Sakura trees beauty by creating Sakura trees from white and pink dyed cotton...
Curated OER
Arts of Asia in Reach
Students explore the traditions and celebrations of another culture and research a city or community in Japan. They then examine traditional Japanese music as well as practice several dance steps and discover their significance in...
Curated OER
Japan: A Cultural Study
Third graders "take a trip" to Japan. They discover what life is like for a typical Japanese child and compare/contrast it to life in America. They give an oral presentation of Japanese holidays and festivals.
Curated OER
Tanabata: The Japanese "Wish Upon a Star"Festival
High schoolers research the legend of Tanabata in order to explain some of the astronomical findings in the night sky. The Japanese tell the story in order to explain the origin of celestial bodies.
Curated OER
Japanese music
Students explain music in relation to history and culture. They explore "Tanko Bushi."
Curated OER
International Festival: Japan
Students create representative Sakura trees. In this multi-cultural appreciation lesson, students listen to their teacher talk about Japan before students create Sakura trees out of cotton balls and popsicle sticks.
Curated OER
Cultural Rituals
Fifth graders explore cultural rituals. In this cultural rituals lesson, 5th graders discover different cultures way of celebrating rice. Students gain information about festivals in the US, Indonesia, Thailand, and Japan. Students...
Curated OER
Blooming Thermometers
High schoolers study phenology, or the study of climate change. They research the Japanese springtime festival of Hanami and plot and interpret average cherry blossom bloom date data from the past 1100 years.
Curated OER
Origami
Students, through active participation in Japanese origami, demonstrate their skills in this cultural art form and develop an appreciation for other cultures.
Curated OER
Papel Picado ( Mexican Cut Paper)
Fifth graders describe the characteristics of a piece of "papel picado", or Mexican cut paper, which is seen in the Dia de los Muertos festival. They predict what medium was used in the papel picado art. They explain how the scene in the...
Curated OER
New Year Celebrations in Japan
Students are introduced to the way the Japanese celebrate the new year. Using the internet, they compare and contrast the celebrations in Japan with those in Korea. After being read a story, they complete a worksheet on the series of...
Curated OER
Hana Matsuri (Buddha's Birthday)
Students write a haiku about the Hana Matsuri, then write a letter to a Japanese pen pal asking them about their experiences at the Hana Matsuri.
Curated OER
Japan: New Year's Day
Young scholars discover how New Year's Day is celebrated in Japan. In groups, they create their own versions of Japanese kites using materials available to them in the classroom. They discover the signifigance of the kites to their...