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The Noble Eightfold Path
Students gain an introduction to Buddhist teachings about moral behavior by exploring a depiction of the Buddha and by writing a speech inspired by their interpretation of the Noble Eightfold Path.
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The Life of Buddha, relating his life to our own in modern times
Students do a variety of activities to become familiar with Buddha's life and relate it to their own.
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The Art of Nonviolence: Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, and Concepts of Nonviolence in Indian Art
Young scholars make connections between nonviolent ideals and art. In this visual arts lesson, students discuss the successes of the American Civil Rights Movement and discuss Gandhi's influence on the movement. Young scholars then...
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The Clothing of the Buddha
Young scholars discuss the idea of cultural diffusion by examining how the sculptural portrayal of the Buddha's clothing evolved in Japanese and Chinese art. This activity concludes with a group project and presentation.
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East Meets West: The Art of Simplicity
Fifth graders examine the influences of Japan on American life through this three lesson unit. Feudal Japan with its traditional arts and culture is contrasted with current developments of the country.
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Buddhist Art - Lost In The Landscape
Students explore new objectives for art and examine how Chinese painting reflects Buddhist principles. This lesson includes a vocabulary list and possible lesson extensions for various student levels.
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Iconography: Art and Literature
Students discover the main subjects and objects of Buddhist art and how symbolism in the Arts can enhance the artistic elements. The lesson concludes with the creation of student works using iconography.
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Destruction in Bamiyan
Pupils examine the destruction of the colossal statues of Buddha, carved into sandstone cliffs of Bamiyan, Afghanistan, that were recently demolished by the Taleban. They look for photos of local artifacts that represent the culture they...
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The Cleverest Thief
Third graders read the story The Cleverest Thief and complete language art activities to go along with it. Students complete activities including discussion, reading, writing, predicting, drawing, role playing, and sequencing.
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Pursuit of Meaning
Students study art based on the theme "The Pursuit of Meaning." In this art lesson, students research the role of a museum curator and create a proposal and exhibit catalog based on the theme "The Pursuit of Meaning."
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The Buddha And His Many Different Forms
Students examine the historical Buddha and Buddhism through in-class discussions, visual artifacts, and the practice and performance of the play "The Enlightened One". Evaluation occurs after performance of the play.
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Art And The Afterlife
High schoolers discuss various cultures and their beliefs of the afterlife in this study of Japanese art. The final evaluation is done through the creation of student collages illustrating their beliefs of the afterlife.
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Introduction to the Monomyth, an Initiation Theme
Pupils analyze the archetypal hero called the monomyth. In this archetypes lesson, students discuss the topic and view a chart of hero figures with related details. Pupils analyze the monomyth process diagram, read the story of the...
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Morality "Tails" East and West: European Fables and Buddhist Jataka Tales
Have your class explore Buddhist Jataka Tales to compare and contrast them to European fables. After defining fables, Jataka tales, and the elements of each, learners identify themes and patterns for both types of narratives and the...
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Haven't I Seen You Somewhere Before?
High schoolers discover the true meaning of karma and the related concept of samsara by reading the Jataka Tales. Learners work in groups to become familiar with one form of Buddhist storytelling and examine how Jataka Tales are used as...
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Religions
Eighth graders explore the major religions of the world. In this religion lesson, 8th graders create a foldable with the characteristics of the religions to study. Students watch videos, PowerPoint slides and look at pictures from the...
Novelinks
The Good Earth: Question Answer Response Strategy
Readers of Pearl Buck's The Good Earth craft and answer "Right There," "Think and Search," "On Your Own," and "Author and You" questions.
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Adaptability of Buddhism
Ninth graders learn Buddhism adapted to the indigenous religions of the countries into which it was introduced. They learn that sculptures of Buddha connect with the stories of the historic Buddha.
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Geography and Culture of China
Take out a map, a paper, a ruler, and those coveted colored pencils for a lesson on Chinese culture and geography. This is a multifaceted approach to basic geography skills that incorporate story telling, class discussion, primary source...
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Shizuko’s Daughter: Knowledge Rating Scale
How well do your kids know key terms from Shizuko's Daughter by Kyoko Mori? Have them review a list of words that they will encounter in the novel, and mark which words they know well, which words they've seen before, and which words...
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Trees as Symbols: Composing Poetry and Creating Images
Students analyze the tree as a symbol, sharing ideas in class discussion. They use art as the basis for a creative writing assignment in poetry or represent a selected poem with an original student drawing.
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The Cleverest Thief
Second graders explore a folktale from India. In this folktale lesson, 2nd graders read the book The Cleverest Thief and discuss how the monks felt in the story. Students complete a cloze activity sheet. There are several extensions...
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Colossal Structures and Sculptures
Fifth graders explore the historical, procedural, and comparative studies of colossal sculptures and structures in this six lessons unit. The cooperative efforts of many people to complete the works is emphasized.
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What Would Moses, Jesus, Mohammed, Budha and Krishna Say?
Students compare and contrast five different religions and the views that their leaders have in regard to civic responsibility and philanthropy. They choose one of the five leaders and write a letter outlining their perception of that...