Title: A Japanese Feast of Activities
Author: Allen Sylvester (allen.sylvester@nccvt.k12.de.us)
Subject: World Geography, Global Studies
Grades: 9-12
Background: The lesson plans below are inspired by elements of Japanese culture
that spoke to me such as the dinner tray above. Similar to a variety of foods on one
plate, I hope that a variety of small lesson plans can have at least something for
everyone and a lot for the truly adventurous. Like many Japanese products, these
activities purposely come in small packaging, with compact size, and are designed
for practical usage. Furthermore, the activities were inspired by the Japanese nonsedentary lifestyle. Each activity is meant to be enjoyed mostly standing up. Lastly,
I hope that like many Japanese goods, these activities are easy to export and you can
share them with your teacher colleagues.
Activities: There are three activities each meant to supplement your instruction of a
Geographic Principle. I think they fit best before or after a lecture or reading, likely
spread out in your curriculum or as part of a Japan Unit.
1. Student Skits on Japan as a Region
2. A Quick Complimentarity Game
3. A Picture Walk— to Introduce and Analyze Japan
Objectives: Per activity as taken from the Delaware Geography Standards
1. Geography Standard Four: 9-12a: Students will apply knowledge of the types of
regions and methods of drawing boundaries to interpret the Earth's changing
complexity.
2. Geography Standard One: 9-12a: Students will identify geographic patterns
which emerge when collected data is mapped, and analyze mapped patterns
through the application of such common geographic principles as -Complimentarity (the mutual exchange of people or goods among places usually
occurs over the shortest possible distances)
3. Geography Standard Three: 9-12a: Students will understand the processes which
result in distinctive cultures, economic activity, and settlement form in particular
locations across the world.
Procedures:
1. Student Skits on Japan as a Region
-This is to be used after a lesson explaining the three types of regions:
Formal, Functional, and Perceptual.
-Each of the six skits is meant to have four to five roles depending
upon class size.
a. The students will be divided into six groups with 4-5 students in each
group. The groups will each be doing a different skit. For each group,
print out a copy of their skit for each student in the group (4-5 student
roles).
b. Tell students that they will be working in a small group to learn about
Japan’s region types through reading and acting out a skit.
c. Divide your class into five groups and give each group a different skit,
1 copy for each student in the group. Tell students to each pick a role
and allow them 10-15 minutes to organize and practice their skits.
Remind students to discuss and identify which region is being
represented in their group’s skit.
d. Invite each group to come perform their skit in the front of the class.
During each student group’s skit, instruct the other students to do the
following:
On a separate sheet of paper, write down a) what type of region
the skit is showing (Formal, Functional, Perceptual), b) What
was shown in the skit that made it that region, and c) what is an
equivalent region that you can think of in the US or
internationally.
e. After each group presents, discuss what the students wrote on their
papers.
2. A Quick Complementarity Game
-This should be used after instruction to further help students
understand the Geographic Principle of Complementarity.
a. Print out the attached sheet and cut each item into its own strip of
paper.
b. Pass out strips of paper face down, one for each student. Then tell the
students to flip their strip over to read their item and then as quickly
as possible to find the matching or Complimentary item. However, the
rule is that they have to hold the paper up by their forehead (as to be
visible to other students during the game) and must walk around
silently until they find their partner. Once they think they have found
their complementary partner, they go to the teacher and then are
directed to the side of the playing area.
c. After all the complimentarity matches are found, the teacher should
reinforce how complimentarity results in exchange of goods and ideas
and how the principle of accessibility further affects the patterns.
d. Have student pairs share with the class their complimentary items
and explain why they match.
3. A Picture Walk—to Introduce and Analyze Japan as a Place
a. Tell students that you are going to project 10 pictures related to
Japanese culture.
b. Pass out a T-chart to each student or have students draw their own on
a piece of notebook paper. Give them the following instructions for
completing the T-chart:
On the left hand side of the T-chart, analyze the picture and
describe what you think it is of and what it tells about Japan. On
the right hand side, find one way to connect the photo to one of
the four Geographic Principles or at least some deeper analysis
that you can come up with. *Here I would encourage students
to be creative. [See example below after step d.]
c. As each picture is projected, students are to move and work with a
different partner each time and they are to discuss the picture while
completing their T-chart. Encourage students to pretend that they are
in an art museum and must whisper their answers to each other. Give
students about one to two minutes for each photo.
d. Once all pictures have been projected, discuss the students’ findings
and notes on their T-charts as a whole class and perhaps share your
own interpretations.
For example, with the following photo students should easily analyze
that Japan is a bowing culture and that this is a formal greeting. They
might pick up on other details such as homogeneity, formality, and
maybe someone might even know that Japan is famous for flower
arrangements. Let the students surprise you and share.
However, their connection to the Geographic Principles has many
possibilities, and I would encourage creativity, such as the following:
i. A social hierarchy as seen by varying angles of bowing.
ii. Students could say that bowing makes germs less accessible to
each person and could slow the diffusion of the germs.
iii. These people are interacting and there for there must be some
complimentarity between them, such as trade or a common
agenda.
Materials:
1. Student Skits on Japan as a Region
2. A Quick Complimentarity Game
3. A Picture Walk to Introduce and Analyze Japan