unit
Culture of Japan
overview
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unit |
Culture of Japan |
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overview |
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Today we are going on a scavenger hunt for information about Japanese culture! You and your partner will need to use your web savvy, reading, and thinking skills to maneuver your way through the Kids Web Japan site to find as many answers as possible. Look for clues in the questions, think about main ideas. Remember, it is a culture treasure hunt, so let that be a hint about where to begin. Off you go. Have fun!
| 1. In autumn this
tree sprouts lots of bright red berries. With its sparkling, shiny fruit, this is a very beautiful type of bonsai. It is called Japanese Winterberry or ? |
| 2. Find the
picture of the Japanese Black Pine bonsai. What is its name? How old is the one pictured estimated to be? |
| 3. How old is the tradition of growing bonsai? |
| 4. How do you
think the art of growing bonsai expresses both the Japanese respect for living things and their sense of beauty? |
| 5. Where was the World Bonsai Friendship Federation convention held in 2002? |
| 6. Which razor
sharp tool would you use to trim braches flush to the trunk of a bonsai? |
| 7. What would you use a Me-tsumi basami for? |
| 8. What are bonsai? |
| 9. What other game does Fuku Wari remind you of? |
| 10. In Japan, at what time of year are traditional games and toys still very popular? |
| 11. When did kites come to Japan? |
| 12. What is the name
of the kite made to resemble a merchant's servant, often in funny poses? How large were some community kites |
| 13. What do you use to play bei-goma, and what is the objective of the game? |
| 14. What is the name of the Japanese art of calligraphy? |
| 15. What are the
Japanese names for the three types of calligraphy? square style? cursive? semi-cursive? |
| 16. To do Shodo, you
dip the _____ into the _____ and then draw figures called _____ on the hanshi, using a _____ to keep the hanshi from moving. |
| 17. What does a traditional Japanese meal consist of? |
| 18. If you were invited to a Japanese dinner, what would you say before eating? |
| 19. What does gohan mean? |
| 20. After eating how would you say, "it was quite a feast"? |
| 21. What is the URL for the page on which you can learn to hold chopsticks properly? |
| 22. Do they eat long grained or short grained rice in Japan? |
| 23. If you order hanbagu at a restaurant, what will you be served? |
| 24. Find the folk
legend Warashibe Choja. After reading the legend answer these
two questions:
How did
the boy go from having a stalk of straw to marrying the daughter of a Why
do you think the peasants of Japan would have told this legend from |
| 25. What other legend did you enjoy, and why? |
| 26. How long does it take to acquire the technical and expressive skills for ikebana? |
| 27. In what part of the home are ikebana traditionally placed? |
| 28. What are the four main pieces of equipment for ikebana, and what is each used for? |
| 29. Who manages the Kids Web Japan site? |
| 30. Do you think this site has reliable information? Why or why not? |
| The Assignment: |
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The Topics: |
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Required Elements in Presentation: |
1. An outline of the information in your oral presentation. |
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The outline should include five to seven main ideas. Each main idea should have two or three specific, informational details. Your outline must be printed on an overhead to be displayed during your presentation. The overhead is available from Mr. R-M or Mrs. R-P, one per group – so be sure it is ready before printing. The outline is also your guide for giving the oral presentation |
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2. A skit presentation (5 minute maximum). |
The information and some possible lines of dialogue are in the resource packet for each topic. Your skit should have a colorful, appropriate background scene. Actors do not need costumes, labels will be sufficient. The skit does need to be rehearsed so that you clearly communicate to your classmates. The skit is to highlight, emphasize, and make memorable the most important points of your presentation. |
3. A class handout (one page, front and back maximum). |
The handout should be developed from your outline of information. The handout should include five to seven fill in the blank items as well as two short answer questions. The fill in the blank items should be clearly worded so that your classmates may complete them during your skit presentation. The short answer questions should be ones that will lead your classmates to think about the information you are presenting and to analyze or classify that information in some way. You must provide me with a printed word document of what your group considers to be a good, thoughtful, complete answer to your questions. |
| Haiku is one of the most important forms of traditional Japanese poetry. Haiku is, today, a 17-syllable verse form consisting of three metrical units of 5, 7, and 5 syllables |
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Modern Haiku: The history of the modern haiku dates from Masaoka Shiki's reform, begun in 1892, which established haiku as a new independent poetic form. Shiki's reform did not change two traditional elements of haiku: the division of 17 syllables into three groups of 5, 7, and 5 syllables and the inclusion of a seasonal theme. Kawahigashi Hekigoto carried Shiki's reform further with two proposals: 1. Haiku would be truer to reality if there were no center of interest in it. 2. The importance of the poet's first impression, just as it was, of subjects taken from daily life, and of local color to create freshness. |
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How to write Haiku: |
In Japanese, the rules for how to write Haiku are clear, and will not be discussed here. In foreign languages, there exist no consensus in how to write Haiku-poems. Anyway, let's take a look at the basic knowledge: |
What to write about? |
Haiku-poems can describe almost anything, but you seldom find themes which are too complicated for normal people’s recognition and understanding. Some of the most thrilling Haiku-poems describe daily situations in a way that gives the reader a brand new experience of a well-known situation. |
The metrical pattern of Haiku: |
Haiku-poems consist of respectively 5, 7 and 5 syllables in three units. In Japanese, this convention is a must, but in English, which has variation in the length of syllables, this can sometimes be difficult. |
The technique of cutting: |
The cutting divides the Haiku into two parts, with a certain imaginative distance between the two sections, but the two sections must remain, to a degree, independent of each other. Both sections must enrich the understanding of the other. To make this cutting in English, either the first or the second line ends normally with a colon, long dash or ellipsis. |
The seasonal theme: |
Each Haiku must contain a kigo, a season word, which indicate in which season the Haiku is set. For example, cherry blossoms indicate spring, snow indicates winter, and mosquitoes indicate summer, but the season word isn't always that obvious. |
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Haiku Writing Assignment Checklist |
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You wrote the following haiku poems: |
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2 haiku per season (that’s 8 in total) _____ 2 for fall _____ 2 for winter _____ 2 for spring _____ 2 for summer ____2 haiku about animals ____2 haiku about people (yourself or others you know well) |
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____Your haiku is in the correct format. (Three lines with 5-7-5 syllables per poem). |
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| ____Your haiku contains one simile or one metaphor | |
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____You zoomed in and
focused on the smallest details so that your reader can really visualize theimage you’ve created. |
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| ____You gave each haiku a title and underlined it. | |
| ____Your haiku is original (we haven’t heard the lines before!) | |
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Directions for making your Haiku booklet: |
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Get two strips of white paper (the long narrow strips) |
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Fold each strip twice lengthwise into fourths- (You’ll end up with four equal parts) |
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Cut off one fold (square) from each of your 2 strips (You’ll be left with three parts) |
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Glue the two strips together overlapping one square in the middle from each strip |
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Fold each crease (fold) both ways several times to create an accordian booklet |
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Choose a pale color of construction paper (yellow, peach, pink, light blue or green) |
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Carefully trace the size of the end pages (one square) on the corner of the construction paper and cut out the two pieces of construction paper |
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Get a length of yarn (About 2 feet long) |
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Put glue on one piece of construction paper (this will be the back of your book) |
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Place the yarn across the glue on the construction paper leaving an equal amount off each side |
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Place the booklet on top of the construction paper and press firmly |
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Glue the other piece of construction paper on the front of the book, the yarn will wrap around and tie in front like a bow to close the book |
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You will glue a printed haiku on each page (That’s six in total-same font please), illustrate (Yes, you have to draw. No clipart) the poem with an appropriate scene |
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*Paper clip your completed “Haiku Assessment” to your book & put in basket |
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