Students create realistic and impressionistic drawings of irises in an attempt to better understand the importance of the iris in Japanese culture and art. Lesson extensions are provided for this one day lesson.

Students investigate the Japanese people and how they lived in the World War II era. They conduct research in order to obtain information. Then they role play the part of different people in groups who lived during the time.

High schoolers examine military maps and photos to better explain why an isolated battle on a remote island in Alaska alarmed the nation. They explain how the Japanese occupation and American recapture of Attu were significant in the...

Learners compare and contrast the Japanese educational system with that of the United States and debate the merits of both.

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...

Students read the literature of The Talisman in order to make cultural connections and investigate the concept of irony and how it is used in this Japanese text. They also discuss the issue of conformity and its relationship to the story.

Second graders discuss various types of music. They identify and explore Japanese music, and instruments. They make a koto.

Students explore how the written languages of China and Japan evolved, creating representations of Chinese and Japanese Poetry. Emphasis is placed on small, cooperative learning groups.

Students discover the connection between Japanese art and Romantic literature using a variety of sources and the impact of nature on these two art forms. This lesson is a three-day exploration.

Learners compare and contrast American and Japanese social and cultural values, attitudes, characteristics, and patterns of behavior. They identify problems that North Americans have in doing business in Japan. They appreciate the...

Twelfth graders work together in groups to examine the discrimation Japanese Americans felt after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Using primary source documents, they analyze and discuss the case of Fred Korematsu who was placed in an...

Tenth graders analyze how government policies led to complete concentration in war effort, evaluate how patriotism was encouraged by many local and state groups, and discuss fate of Japanese Americans.

Students watch the movie, Mr. Baseball, and discuss the difference between Japanese and American cultures.

Young scholars 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.

Students read and analyze the Japanese play, "Twilight Crane," by Kinoshita Junji. They read a handout on Japanese theatre, conduct Internet research, answer discussion questions, and compare/contrast versions of the story.

Learners discuss the importance of guardian figures in Japanese Buddhist practices using prior knowledge and visual cues gathered from examples of Japanese art. This lesson can be extended to include a creative project.

High schoolers explore the symbolism of flowers and trees in Chinese and Japanese art. This lesson meets state standards and includes two possible lesson extensions or lesson enrichments.

Students examine how Chinese and Japanese artists used different kinds of birds as representations of ideas that were important in both cultures and create their own birds using the technique of origami.

Students identify some of the attributes of China and Japan and compare and contrast the way Chinese, Japanese, and American artists represent nature in art. The lesson is for upper-elementary classrooms.

Students write an essay about previous studied lessons that is applied to the Japanese American experience. They have to role play being a Caucasian, or Nisei in California at a given time based on what they have studied. What would...

Students research the mythological and factual founding of early Japan. They compare and contrast the two accounts. As an assessment activity, they fill out a chart that compares and contrasts the facts and myths surrounding Japanese...

Students examine photographs of the attack on Pearl Harbor. They discuss the damage that occured on December 7, 1941. They debate whether the attack was a success or not for the Japanese.

Learners 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 identify and define definitions of beauty and perfection in Chinese and Japanese art and compare those definitions to other cultural beliefs and societies. This instructional activity includes a two-part instructional activity...