Introduction
The following thematic unit focuses on the history, geography, and culture of Japan, including: major holidays; information on life as a Japanese student; everyday activities; and common cultural ground between Japanese and American children. This unit is created for a third grade class of 22. It is designed to be four weeks in length, consisting of five class sessions per week that last approximately 35 minutes each. The second to last class session consists of a unit exam that will last for the duration of the period, and, during the very last class session, students will observe and present their PowerPoint projects.
During the first lesson, students will utilize a teacher generated Internet “Hotlist” to gather research about Japanese geography, history and culture. For the second lesson, students will focus on the Internet site http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/, gathering information on the similarities and differences between Japanese and American students’ lives and presenting this information in the form of an Inspiration Venn Diagram. For lessons three through six, students are assigned Key Pals in a corresponding Japanese classroom and become involved in a series of activities, including: introductory conversations; discussions that compare and contrast the students’ lives in differing countries; a collaborative project via epals.com; a class Skype conversation; and the construction of a blog between the two classes, focusing on a “Life as a Third Grader” theme. In lesson seven, students break into small groups and collaboratively create PowerPoint presentations on Japanese history, geography and culture. For the final, eighth lesson, students will draw on the information they’ve gathered throughout the unit and create travel brochures, informing readers about the country of Japan and the various topics they’ve studied.
During the first lesson, students will utilize a teacher generated Internet “Hotlist” to gather research about Japanese geography, history and culture. For the second lesson, students will focus on the Internet site http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/, gathering information on the similarities and differences between Japanese and American students’ lives and presenting this information in the form of an Inspiration Venn Diagram. For lessons three through six, students are assigned Key Pals in a corresponding Japanese classroom and become involved in a series of activities, including: introductory conversations; discussions that compare and contrast the students’ lives in differing countries; a collaborative project via epals.com; a class Skype conversation; and the construction of a blog between the two classes, focusing on a “Life as a Third Grader” theme. In lesson seven, students break into small groups and collaboratively create PowerPoint presentations on Japanese history, geography and culture. For the final, eighth lesson, students will draw on the information they’ve gathered throughout the unit and create travel brochures, informing readers about the country of Japan and the various topics they’ve studied.
