+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Japanese Tea and Teacups

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Upper graders use the potter's wheel to make Japanese style tea cups, which they will use in a Japanese style tea ceremony. They hone their sculpting techniques while exploring Japanese cultural and the history of tea. There are two...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Art and History of Japanese Calligraphy

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Chinese and Japanese calligraphy is beautiful and significant in both culture and tradition. Engage your class in this expressive fine art form through a lesson on using, holding, and creating brush strokes common to Japanese writing...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Noh Theater

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars take a closer look at Japanese drama. In this Japanese culture lesson, students study the attributes of Noh theater and compare it western theater. Young scholars conduct independent research on the art form prior to...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Being in the Noh: An Introduction to Japanese Noh Plays

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read a Japanese Noh play and discuss its structure and traditional characters. They choose a short myth and write a Noh play based on it.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Letters from the Japanese American Internment

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students examine letters of Japanese-American children during internment in World War II. They discover what it was like in the camps and how they were treated once they were released. They also view photographs of the camps.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Famous Person: Yushiko Uchida

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Third, fourth, and fifth graders read the book The Bracelet by Yushiko Uchida and examine the events of Uchida's life. They participate in a guided discussion of Japanese culture, perform a reader's theater, listen to a guest speaker,...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Japanese Noh Masks

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders create Noh masks. In this Japanese art lesson, 8th graders research Noh masks and their special connection to Chinese theater, and then make their own.
+
PPT
Curated OER

Shintoism

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Take a trip to Japan in this bright and vivid presentation that displays the philosophies  and traditions of Shintoism. Pictures of temples, shrines, and theater productions will enthrall your class and bring their study of world...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Noh Theater

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers compare Noh drama to western drama and trace the influence of Japanese theater on modern western drama.  In this Noh drama lesson, students read the play Black Tomb (Kurozuko) defining the elements and conventions of Noh...
+
Lesson Plan
Asian Art Museum

Telling Tales with Kamishibai

For Teachers K - 5th Standards
Kamishibai (paper drama), is a Japanese form of storytelling that uses emakimono (paper picture scrolls), to relay a moral lesson. As part of a series of resources that examine Japanese art and artists, learners watch a video retelling...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bunraku and Western Puppet Theater: A Comparison

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students compare and contrast puppet theater traditions. In this cultural traditions lesson, students watch film clips of bunraku puppet theater in Japan and then research the art of puppet theater in the world. Students share their...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Turning the Tide in the Pacific, 1941-1943

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explore the overall strategies pursued by the Japanese and the Allies in the initial months of World War II. What each side hoped to accomplish what what actually happened forms the basis of a comparison made in this...
+
PPT
Curated OER

Music of Japan

For Teachers 7th - 9th
My, how Japan has changed! From Hogaku to karaoke, this slide show provides an overview of the culture, instruments, and periods of transition through Japanese music. Here you will find 21 text-rich slides which are great for note taking.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"The Proper Application of Overwhelming Force": The United States in World War II

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the role that the U.S. played in bringing about victory in the two major theaters of the war in the Pacific and Europe. How the various military campaigns contributed to the war's successful conclusion forms the focus of...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Giving Voice to History

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Learners examine the plight of Japanese Americans during World War II. In this World War II instructional activity, students participate in a mock evocation simulation, research primary and secondary documents about internment camps, and...
+
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Hamlet Meets Chushingura: Traditions of the Revenge Tragedy

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers read texts, view film and video and conduct research in an analysis and comparison of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and the Kabuki piece "Chushingura". They focus their analysis on the theme of revenge.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Japanese Folktales

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Learners listen to examples of Japanese folktales and identify universal themes. Students construct a 'kamishibai' - a traditional Japanese storytelling prop - and dramatize a folktale through puppetry.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Being in the Noh: An Introduction to Japanese Noh Plays

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students analyze the conventions used in Noh plays and write an introduction to a Noh play of their own. In this Noh play lesson, students identify the conventions of the Noh form and analyze the realizations the main character achieves....
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Traditional Japanese Garden Design

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students create a miniature Japanese garden that incorporates the elements of traditional Japanese aesthetics. They study the simplicity, asymmetrical design and incorporate traditional structures.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Japanese Abstract Art And The Impressionist Movement

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars study several examples of Japanese abstract art and how this style impacted the Impressionist movement of the 19th century. This lesson includes ideas for student-created sketchbooks.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Noh Theater

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the roles in Noh drama and the significance of Noh masks while creating their own version of a Noh play in this High School lesson adaptable for either the Language Arts or Theater classroom.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Victory in the Pacific, 1943-1945

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the military campaigns of the Pacific theater, tracing the path of the Allied offensives. The lesson presents what the Allies were trying to accomplish and why.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Japan Through Learning Centers

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students explore the Japanese culture and literature through various learning centers. They compare and contrast story details in two stories and complete a Venn diagram. After comparing the stories, they rotate to different centers and...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Turning the Tide in the Pacific, 1941-1943

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students analyze the Japanese strategy for the Pacific and compare it to the Allied strategy. They identify on a map the sites that were important the early war in the Pacific, and identify key military engagements.