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Tansai Sumi Painting

For Teachers 1st
First graders study Japanese art and apply the technique of Tansai Sumi (lightly colored) to create individual works of art. Painting, design, lines, and drawing techniques are covered in this 1st grade lesson plan.
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Mapwork: A Place In the News

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students determine how to find geographic information about places they read about in the news. In this geography lesson, students look at political and physical maps to determine the difference. They access maps online to find the...
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Where Is Japan? What Direction Is It?

For Teachers 1st
First graders locate countries on maps and globes and learn about the hemispheres and the cardinal directions. They listen to books read out loud and dicuss geography.
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Shinto, Stones, and the Garden

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students examine how Shinto and Buddhism are reflected in the Japanese art and life-style, especially as seen in the relationship people have with the land (gardens). This lesson is for the elementary classroom.
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Uchiwa Lesson Plan

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students view images from Japan's Summer Festival celebration. They create a uchiwa fan to use while doing the Kuma River Dance.
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Countries, Food, and Culture

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students examine foods from other countries. In this multicultural lesson plan, students write down names of different restaurants and categorize pictures of foods according to the specific restaurant. For example, Won Ton Soup would be...
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Gyotaku Lesson Plan

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students examine and discuss the history and process of Gyotaku, or fish prints. They view images of Gyotaku, create a fish print, and write a haiku.
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What is a Haiku? How Do You Write a Haiku?

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Haiku poetry is explored in this language arts lesson plan. Yong readers identify the characteristics of haiku and read several examples. Students make connections between their study of Japan and the poetic form of haiku, and they write...
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Houses in Japan

For Teachers 1st
First graders compare the everday lives of school-aged children in the United States and Japan by comparing the houses they live in. They discuss how traditional Japanese houses are designed with a feeling of opennes to the outdoors and...
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Making A Karuta Game

For Teachers 1st - 9th
Students explore the culture of Japan be creating a traditional Japanese game called Karuta. They conduct research in order to find the rules for the game and to make cultural connections. The content of the game is modified according to...
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The Golden Rule of Reciprocity

For Teachers K - 5th
Students explore The Golden Rule of Reciprocity from various religions. For this religious beliefs lesson, students examine various religious quotes and summarize the idea of The Golden Rule in a sentence.
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Rice is Nice

For Teachers 1st
First graders explore Japanese foods through fairy tales, fiction and nonfiction books, cooking meals and eating with chopsticks. After all of the creative ideas have been utilized, the class holds a tea party for parents in the classroom.
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JAPANESE CULTURE

For Teachers 1st
First graders explore what life in Japan is like including, home and daily life, food and eating customs, school life, games and sports, holiday customs, and religion.
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Create a Family Crest

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students create their own family crest using prior knowledge and Japanese and Native American examples of symbolic art. Lesson extensions include the creation of a school crest or woodblock examples of crests.
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Arts of Asia in Reach

For Teachers 1st - 4th
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...
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Japanese Warriors

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
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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Origami

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students create paper cranes using the art of Origami from Japan as a basis. This lesson includes three lesson enrichment activities, a vocabulary list, and ideas for possible origami materials.
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Japanese Abstract Wind Sock

For Teachers K - 6th
Students create Abstract Wind Socks using brown paper bags, markers, kite string, and basic art supplies in this Art lesson for the elementary classroom. Abstract concepts are emphasized and it is recommended to only use primary colors.
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Haiku

For Teachers K - 12th
Young scholars write haiku poems on leaf paper.
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Bodhidharma/Daruma Doll Lesson

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students investigate the historical Bodhidharma and focus upon the founding of Buddhism in China. They create two-dimensional Daruma dolls and define the term of enlightenment using simple language. Students read about the legend while...
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Flora, Fauna, and the Passing Seasons

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students discover representations in art, religion and cultural practices of the flora and fauna of specific geographical regions in this early elementary lesson plan. The lesson ends with a mural project by the entire class.
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Mudras and Sign Language

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students compare the languages of the ancient Japanese people and the American deaf community, two cultures that utilize hand signs in this lesson for the early elementary classroom.
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Cast A Paper Valentine

For Teachers K - 5th
Students create and learn about the history of Valentine's Day cards, as well as use recyclable materials to design their own cards.
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Family Life Around the Globe

For Teachers 1st
First graders examine customs of other nations and compare countries using Venn diagrams. They also write pen pal letters and e-mails to students in other countries.