Pupils discuss the importance of the horse as a "beast of burden" animal in Japanese culture and create a legend, myth or tall tale set in Japan with a horse as the central character.

Students research and analyze the roots of Shinto in this instructional activity about Japanese cultural practices and philosophy. Possible instructional activity enrichments and/or extensions are included with the instructional activity.

High schoolers investigate the importnce of celebrations anf festivals in Japanese culture and then create a story based upon an image from the lesson. Resource links are provided for images of events.

Students examine the celebrations around the Japanese New Year. After watching a video, they discuss and answer the questions given to them on a worksheet. As a class, they practice pronouncing common sayings in Japanese and create an...

Students create a travel brochure for the country of Japan.

Students explore the country of Japan. For this international studies lesson, students utilize their geography skills to locate Japan on a map. Students explore some Japanese customs and communities. Students use descriptive...

Learners study Japan and explore the use of screens.

Students video tape a sports function of their choice. They work together to discuss how a sporting event can be an expression of a country's culture. They view a video about basketball in Japan and discuss.

Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this stewardship lesson, students consider human capacity for generosity as they read folktales from different cultures that feature characters giving of themselves.

Learners become more aware of cultural differences by reading a variety of multicultural books about social issues. They assess various Haiku's by Lee Bennett Hopkins, Kamishibai stories by Dianne Clouet and snapshots from Japan by Peter...

Students become familiar with the sound of Japanese by singing familiar songs in Japanese.

Fourth graders examine the culture and environment of Japan, beginning with a KWL chart. They use clay and cups of water to construct representations of the Japanese Islands. After designing flags representing farming and food, 4th...

Students investigate and examine ukiyo-e, or Japanese woodblock prints, from the Edo period (1615-1868) in Japan and use this gained knowledge to compare Japanese culture to American societal trends.

Students work together to research different aspects about the country of Japan and its culture. Using PowerPoint, they organize their information to be shared with their classmates. They are asked questions by their teacher to end their...

Students identify different objects from Japanese culture and their purpose. They read Japanese folktales and discuss common themes. They create a sketch and clay sculpture of a character or animal in one of the folktales.

Students understand that some jobs require workers to wear special clothes or a special suit. In this art appreciation lesson, students observe the Suit of Armor and discuss how a samurai is requires to wear armor to work. Students pick...

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...

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.

Students read the tale of 'Three Strong Women' looking for facets of culture that create a 'face' of the Japanese people. They create a Venn Diagram comparing Japanese tall tales with factual research about Japanese culture. One side...

Students compare and contrast the cultures of Japan and the United States. In groups, they are given a proverb from each country and note the similiarties in their teachings. They complete a worksheet and share their findings with the...

Middle schoolers are introduced to Japanese bookbinding techniques. In groups, they compare and contrast the western style against the Japanese style. As a class, they make their own book binding to present the material in a more...

Students explore various intellectual traditions which dominate human history through a variety of contemporary pieces of literature which exemplify the traditions. Biblical monotheism, Greek rationalism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism...

High schoolers creat personal timelines, marking key events in their lives. They discuss the different events with a small group. They analyze how Western Civilization influenced their timeline in comparison to Eastern Asia.

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.