Zen Buddhism and Modern Utopia

As part of the study of Japanese cultural history, introduce your class members to Chanoyu, the Way of Tea. After a discussion of the history and key elements of Chanoyu, class groups perform the ceremony.

Students compare the histories of Japan and the United States by creating horizontal time lines of the two countries. They conduct research via the internet and available text books to complete their time line. The class discusses the...

Students study American transcendentalism through readings of Emerson and Thoreau. They make cognitive connections to the similarities to Buddhism in these writings. The connection of the literary movement is explained in the art of the...

Students examine how the Chinese and Japanese used art and literature to bolster the legitimacy of military regimes. The instructional activity concludes with small group Powerpoint presentations.

The effect of cultural beliefs on the progress and industrialization of a society is an interesting idea to consider, and this is certainly true in this lesson on feudal Japan. Your young historians will read informational texts on...

Students explore the power of the Church in government. In this literature lesson, students read Sir Thomas More's Utopia and Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince. Students respond to questions regarding the works and discuss them.

Here's a great resource for your curriculum library. The 240-page packet, organized into units by topics, includes sample lesson plans, links to primary and secondary source documents, worksheets, activities, and sample assessments.

Students write position papers from the point of view of a Shigaraki art collector in this instructional activity on pottery techniques found in Japan between the Kamakura and Muromachi periods.

Students examine the issue of the freedom of religion or beliefs in their family and community. As a class, they state the difference between a plural and homogenous community and identify the difference between major religious groups...

Intended to help Virginia teachers align their curriculum to the state's history and social science standards, this packet provides a wealth of materials for any social studies or science instructor. Loaded with plans, suggestions for...