Knowledge Objectives

As a result of completing this module, students will be able to:

EXPERIENTIAL OBJECTIVES

Literacy: Interacting with others - Group effectiveness

(This also links to Personal and Social Competence in the General Capabilities and is embedded in cooperative learning and thinking activities throughout the unit).

Criteria/Essential content: What is important in the assessment of this learning element?

Foundation:

(ACELY1784) Use interaction skills including listening while others speak, using appropriate voice levels, articulation and body language, gestures and eye contact

Year 1:

(ACELY1656) Engage in conversations and discussions, using active listening behaviours, showing interest, and contributing ideas, information and questions

(ACELY1788) Use interaction skills including turn taking, recognising the contributions of others, speaking clearly and using appropriate volume and pace

Year 2:

(ACELY1789) Use interaction skills including initiating topics, making positive statements and voicing disagreement in an appropriate manner, speaking clearly and varying tone, volume and pace appropriately

Literacy: Interacting with others - Reading

Foundation:

(ACELY1646) Listen to and respond orally to texts and to the communication of others in informal and structured classroom situations

Year 1:

(ACELY1655) Respond to texts drawn from a range of cultures and experiences

Year 2:

(ACELY1665) Discuss different texts on a similar topic, identifying similarities and differences between the texts

Cross Curriculum Perspectives: Asia & Australia's engagement with Asia

CONCEPTUAL OBJECTIVES

Literacy: Interacting with others

Year 2:

(ACELY1666) Listen for specific purposes and information and extend students' own and others' ideas in discussions

Cross Curriculum Perspectives: Asia and Australia's engagement with Asia

ANALYTICAL OBJECTIVES

Language: Text structure and organisation

Foundation:

(ACELA1430) Understand that texts can take many forms, can be very short (for example an exit sign) or quite long (for example a book or film) and that stories and information texts have different purposes

Year 1:

(ACELA1447) Understands that the purposes texts serve shape their structure in predictable ways

Year 2:

(ACELA1463) Understands that different types of texts have identifiable text structures and language features that help the text serve its purpose

Literature: Literature and context

Foundation:

(ACELT1575) Recognise that texts are created by authors who tell stories and share experiences that may be similar or different to students' own experiences

Year 1:

(ACELT1581) Discuss how authors create characters using language and images

Year 2:

(ACELT1587) Discuss how depictions of characters in print, sound and images reflect the contexts in which they were created

Cross Curriculum Perspectives: Asia and Australia's engagement with Asia

APPLIED OBJECTIVES

Literacy: Creating texts

Foundation:

(ACELY1651) Create short texts to explore, record and report ideas and events using familiar words and beginning writing knowledge

(ACELY1652) Participate in shared editing of students' own texts for meaning, spelling, capital letters and full stops

Year 1:

(ACELY1661) Create short informative texts that show emerging use of appropriate text structure, sentence-level grammar, word choice, spelling, punctuation and appropriate multimodal elements, for example illustrations and diagrams

(ACELY1662) Reread student's own texts and discuss possible changes to improve meaning, spelling and punctuation

Year 2:

(ACELY1671) Create short informative texts using growing knowledge of text structures and language features for familiar and some less familiar audiences, selecting print and multimodal elements appropriate to the audience and purpose

(ACELY1672) Reread and edit text for spelling, sentence-boundary punctuation and text structure

Cross Curriculum Perspectives: Asia & Australia's engagement with Asia

1. What do You Know about Japan?

For the Student

On the 'map of the world' colour Australia and Japan.

Studies_of_Asia_map_test.pptx

On the survey sheet, circle the picture which best describes your feelings about:

How do I feel about learning Japanese? (excited, OK, bored)
Learning more about Japan would be . . (awesome, OK, terrible)
How much do I know about Japan? (heaps, a bit, nothing)
I would like to learn . . (lots more, a bit more, no more)

Write down what you know about Japan, life in Japan and its culture. These pictures of life in Japan might help you with thinking of ideas.

Fig. 1: Map of the World

For the Teacher

The focus of this learning module is:

How are Australian and Japanese culture and people similar and different?

What is the structure and language features of an information report?

Studies of Asia with a focus on cross cultural connections between Japan and Australia.

Gathering baseline data

All students will complete baseline data for quantitive analysis.

The baseline data from three focus students will be analysed and documented for an action research 'change story'.

Three forms of baseline will be collected:

locating and colouring in Australia and Japan on a 'world map'
Studies_of_Asia_map_test.pptx
'attitude survey' in reference to personal opinion of learning about another language/culture
Japan_pre-assessment_attitude.docx
prior knowledge of Japan, recorded using visual images as a stimulus.
three focused students will be interviewed. 'Interview' will be recorded (audio only - using video
interview_recording_sheet.pptx
camera) then scribed for analysis. 'Visual images' will be used as a stimulus.
asia_initial_visual_reponse.pptx

2. Join in the Fun

For the Student

Each Thursday afternoon you will get to participate in a fun activity. You will do one activity for 3 weeks and then change and do a second activity for another 3 weeks.

Listen carefully to the teachers as they tell you about their activity.

On the activity choice card write your name and class. You get to choose 4 activities that interest you. Place a tick against the activity that is your first choice, second choice, third choice and fourth choice.

You will end up participating in two of your four choices. You will get to choose from the following activities.

Manga - Japanese cartoons, Cooking, Origami, Bonsai, pottery, lantern making, martial arts, Kite making, screen printing, calligraphy, Japanese craft and Japanese games.

Fig. 2: Kites in Ancient Japan

For the Teacher

Japanese enrichment activities

The purpose of this experience is for students to engage with the Japanese culture in a fun way. They have choice over the activities they participate in. We are hoping to see a change in attitude towards learning about a new culture.

Students will engage in two rotations of enrichment activities with a focus on Japanese culture. Each rotation will be for a duration of three weeks. After each session students will return to their class and report back on their learning.

Class teachers (8 teachers) will choose an area of interest and research its connection with the culture.

Individual teachers will present an overview (advertisement) of their activity to participating students before they fill out their preference sheet. Activities with the most interested participants will go ahead.

Manga - Japanese cartoons, Cooking, Origami, Bonsai, pottery, lantern making, martial arts, Kite making, screen printing, calligraphy, Japanese craft and Japanese games.

Focus students will be given their first and second preference.

3. What did You Learn?

For the Student

What did you learn today in your activity?

Draw/write what you learnt today in your activity. Share this in your group and share what you have done with students from the other activities.

For the Teacher

Reporting back to the class

Purpose:The purpose of this activity is for students to share their learning (cumulative) from their chosen cultural activity and its connection with the Japanese culture.

After each session of enrichment activities for the two rotations, students share their learning by reporting back to the class what they learnt in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd session and its connection with the Japanese culture.

Teaching tips:In preparation for student sharing from their enrichment activity, designate an area in your classroom for an information wall. Display a heading for each enrichment activity and chart paper below for learning to be recorded. In this way the cumulative learning will be highly visual in the classroom and easily accessed by all students throughout the duration of the unit of work.

4. What Makes this Japanese?

For the Student

What does this teach us about Japan, its people or what's important to them?

As a class brainstorm and create a mind map of the benefits of this Japanese experience.

Do a good copy of your drawing or reflection and add it to the display wall.

For the Teacher

Making connections with the culture

The purpose of this activity is for students to make connections between the activity and the Japanese culture.

After completing the second rotation of 3 sessions of an enrichment activity on a Thursday afternoon, students rejoin their enrichment activity group to reflect on its significance for the Japanese people. Draw out any links to culture/traditions, e.g. in Japanese martial arts respect and patience are very important.

The key ideas from the class experience mind map will be added to the class display.

5. What do You Know about Australia and the Australian Flag?

For the Student

What do you know about Australia and the Australian flag?

In your group decide on who is doing what job role. Take it in turns to share what you know about Australia. Record your ideas on the chart. The 'sharer' will report back to the class and a class chart of knowledge about Australia will be recorded.

This chart of what we know about Australia will be displayed and we will use this in a later activity.

For the Teacher

Geography and flag - activate background knowledge

The purpose of this activity is to gather students' prior knowledge of Australia (geographical features) and its flag. This information and knowledge will be used in comparing and contrasting the geographical features of Japan with Australia.

Students will work in round robin teams to share knowledge and will be assigned team roles for group effectiveness.

a manager, who makes sure everyone gets heard;
a scribe, to record the whole team's ideas;
an encourager, to motivate team members and praise all ideas; and,
the sharer, who will share the ideas with the whole class at the end of the activity.

*Consider providing a map of the world and a blank flag template to each student group on which to record their ideas.

'Round robin', Kagan's cooperative strategies.

RoundRobin.pdf

6. Where is Japan and What does the Japanese Flag Look Like?

For the Student

look at the big book 'Snap shots of Asia' (Access Asia) and/or website - Kidsweb Japan/about Japan and its features.

Before reading any information - What are you thinking about when you look at these pictures? Write your question in a cloud of wonder. Share your question with the class.

Follow the text and listen as the information is read to you.

Talk about the information you see on the website in a Round Robin and then with the whole class.

For the Teacher

Geography and flag - introduce Japanese geography

Display the internet site Kids Web Japan on the Interactive White Board.

(http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/explore/basic/index.html)

First Steps Reading Resource Book, second edition, pg, 155 - Clouds of Wonder for students to develop their self questioning reading skills.

Locate Japan on the map and note Australia's location. Scroll down to read about currency and follow the link to read about and view some aspects of the capital, Tokyo. Check that the students know about the capital of Australia.

Click on the geography and climate tab to read about and view Mt Fuji and the four seasons.

'Round Robin' Resource: Kagan Cooperative Learning. Dr Spencer Kagan & Miguel Kagan - structures 6.33

RoundRobin.pdf

7. How to Take Notes

For the Student

Watch and listen as you teacher models how to skim and scan the website, and how to take short notes to help you remember new facts that you learn.

Complete a Venn diagram with the class using the recorded information from the website and our chart of knowledge about Australia to see/compare how similar and/or different the Australian and Japanese geography is.

On a map of the world mark in where Australia and Japan are. Label their capital cities.

For the Teacher

Model how to extract key information about Japan's geography

The purpose of this activity is to model note taking so students can see how factual information is extracted from a text and recorded to be used at a later date (information report).

Display posters which document the skills of skimming and scanning - see First Steps Reading Resource book ed.1& 2 page 66.

Model note-taking from the website/big book. Explain to the students that you will use the reading strategies skimming and scanning. Skim through the website, and scan for the key words geography and flag.

As you read the text, model how you think aloud to locate key information and how you record each new point with a 'dot point.'

Display the chart of students' prior knowledge of Australia and the information about Japan in dot point form side by side. This will be used to complete a 'Venn diagram', or 'T-chart' as a shared activity, comparing and contrasting Australian and Japanese geography and flag.

venn_diagrams.docx

T-Chart.pptx

8. Playing with Our New Information

For the Student

Mix-pair-share share the following questions.

How many Japan's would fit into Australia?
How could you travel from Australia to Japan?
If it's Autumn now in Canberra, what would it be like in Tokyo?
How does Tokyo fit this many people into its city? (Compare the number of people living in Japan's biggest city Tokyo with the number of people living in Sydney).

Can you think of any questions of your own?

Looking at our note taking chart;

What is it for?
Who is the audience?

For the Teacher

Theorising with geographic information

'Mix-pair-share,' Kagan Cooperative Learning, page 6.29 structures.

or 'think, pair, share'.

Think_Pair_Share.pdf

Lead the students through a discussion where they have opportunities to self question and make connections. Encourage students to formulate their own questions:

There are activities and information to address these questions in Exploring Japan by Julia Fraser, see specifically pp. 13.

The next activity deals with the text structure of note-taking. To prepare for this, discuss with the students when note-taking would be useful.

9. How to Turn Notes into Sentences

For the Student

Read the notes recorded in dot point form about Japan, its geography and flag.

Watch and listen as your teacher shows you how to expand a dot point into a sentence.

Let's expand the second dot point into a sentence together.

Choose a dot point that you want to expand and write in a sentence.

For the Teacher

Model how to expand notes into sentences

Purpose:

The purpose of this activity is to scaffold students using the First Steps model of gradual release of responsibility to expand dot points into sentences in preparation for writing an information report.

Teaching tips:

Revisit the notes taken previously from the website. Discuss the structure of the text. Make a class chart to display in the classroom. See Below.

Purpose:

Note taking is used to record key information from a text. It helps you to remember information.

Features:

Each new piece of information begins with a dot point

A space is left between each new fact

Information is recorded in short words or phrases.

Audience: Self

Model (thinking aloud) how to expand one of the dot points into prose that can be read by anyone.

As a shared activity, invite students to help expand a second dot point in preparation to working independently.

10. Write Some Sentences about Japanese Geography

For the Student

Look at the dot points the teacher has written and write these as sentences.

You should write at least 2 sentences, each containing a fact about where Japan is and what its flag looks like.

Find a partner and read your sentences to them. Listen to your partner's sentence. Ask yourself the following questions;

Did the sentence make sense?
Were there 2 or 3 facts included in the sentences?

On your world map, label the four islands of Japan and the capital city of Japan.

For the Teacher

Students independently expand notes into sentences

Ask students to write 2-3 sentences based on the key points about the geographical location of Japan and its flag.

Teaching tips:

Consider teaming more able students with less able students to support this first attempt at expanding notes into sentences.Students could then work in pairs to read their sentences aloud to their partner and reflect if their sentence makes sense and if 2 or 3 facts ere included.

Students progressively build upon their geographical knowledge of Japan adding more detail to their world map.

'Kindy' recording sheet.

Geography_and_Flag_of_Japan.docx

Year 1/ 2 record sentences in integrated books or use 'recording sheet' .

Geography_and_Flag_of_Japan_-_year_1.docx

Teaching tips

Options to cater for different abilities or year/age groups with recording factual information to write an information report.

* For Kindy/year 1; After each focus learning area of Japan (geography/flag, homes, school and celebrations) in the applying appropriately students will draw and write an accompanying sentence/s. This will culminate as an information report about Japan at the end of the unit of work. Students will have student agency in choosing interesting facts recorded as dot points through class research.

* For each area of focus (geography/flag, homes, school and celebrations) provide students with the opportunity draw and write about four key aspects. This will support students' in their writing of an information report about Japan providing prompts and information to develop a clarifying and descriptive sentences for each area mentioned above.

11. Yellow Hat Thinking

For the Student

Put on your yellow hats! This is where you get to think about good things...

Think, pair, share, What's good about learning about another country?

Your teacher will record your ideas on to a class chart.

For the Teacher

Reflection (geography and flag)

Purpose:

The purpose of this activity is for students to critically reflect on their learning using their new knowledge and experiences from enrichment activities.

Show the students a chart with a big yellow hat.

/shared/files/0000/0842/Yellow_Hat_thinking.ppt

Yellow_Hat_thinking.ppt

Explain that De Bono used this hat when he wanted to do positive thinking.

Ask the students What's good about learning about another country?

Think, pair, share.

Think_Pair_Share.pdf

Brainstorm ideas and record them on the yellow hat.

12. Choosing to Learn More about Japanese Geography

For the Student

In your library sessions, you will have the opportunity to learn some more about the country of Japan.

Your teacher will give you some ideas, but you might come up with some of your own.

Why is Mt Fuji very important to Japanese people?
What are the major rivers in Japan?
What are the seasons like in Japan?
What types of transport do Japanese people use?

Find three facts, take notes and write the notes into sentences. Add your research to the class/unit Japan information board.

For the Teacher

Extension/ library work

The purpose of this activity is to give students, student agency to continue on with researching an aspect of Japan's geography.

Each class or unit might like to allocate an area (research board) for students to post their research findings.

13. What is Your Home and Garden Like?

For the Student

Think, pair, share to describe what your home and garden is like.

You have a choice of four different activities to show what your home or Australian homes are like:

Draw a picture of your home, including the garden space
Draw a map/picture of your home and garden using graph paper
use magazines (including real estate sections from newspapers) to make a collage showing Australian homes and gardens
Use Lego to build your home.

Participate in a gallery walk in the classroom to view other students' work. Give a compliment to another student.

For the Teacher

Homes - activate background knowledge

The purpose of this activity is to gather students' prior knowledge about homes in Australia.

Students have student agency in the way they show their prior knowledge.

14. What do Traditional Japanese Homes Look Like?

For the Student

Look at the pictures of Japanese homes and some of the materials that are found in these homes.

Before reading any information - What are you thinking about when you look at these pictures? Write your question in a cloud of wonder. Share your questions with the class.

As a class read some information about Japanese homes.

Are there any words that you don't understand, or are unusual? Let's create a class glossary/ dictionary for new and interesting words we find.

For the Teacher

Homes - introduce Japanese homes

Bring the following webpages up on the IWB to provide visual stimuli for the students before reading the handouts,

1. Kids Web Japan has images and text about Japanese homes - explore housing.

(http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/explore/basic/index.html)

2. This is a clear image of a tatami mat:

http://www.japan-i.jp/whatsjapan/outline/d8jk7l0000000lgp-img/d8jk7l0000000lhb.jpg

3. 'Text to read' and highlight key facts/words.

Houses_characteristics.doc

4. 'Visual images'. This can be used for the clouds of wonder activity about Japanese homes.

housing_i_wonder.doc

Reading Resource Book, pg, 155 - Clouds of Wonder. For students to develop their self-questioning reading skill.

Distribute the handout to the students and read through it with them. (From Exploring Japan, Julia Fraser, pp.23,24)

Start a class glossary for new and interesting words found in texts read. Invite students to add to throughout the unit.

Discuss and explain vocabulary in the text, such as tatami, opaque, etc.

15. Comparing Australian and Japanese Homes

For the Student

Look at the Japanese Homes text on an IWB. Read the text together.

Re-read the handout of the text carefully. What interesting or important information about Japanese homes did you find?

Locate key information and big ideas in the text. Underline or highlight these facts on your handout. Share your ideas and locate and highlight key information on the IWB.

Together we will note take the key information.

In your group create a Venn diagram or T-Chart to show similarities and differences. Discuss with your group members where each label should go on the Venn diagram or T-Chart. Glue the labels into place.

When all groups have completed their Venn diagram, do a gallery walk to view the work of other teams seeing where they placed labels.

For the Teacher

Sharing note-taking from text on Japanese homes

The purpose of this shared/ interactive activity is to engage students in the process of locating and highlighting key information to be then transferred into dot points.

Be very explicit about teaching the reading strategy of locating key information in a text.

Display the Japanese Homes text on an IWB.

Students will engage in shared note-taking to record big ideas and key information.

Revisit the Venn diagram created in the previous activity on Japanese geography. Remind students that the Venn diagram shows similarities and differences.

For group effectiveness in completing the Venn Diagram, consider allocating roles to each group member;

team manager - who makes sure everyone has their say;
scribe - who glues the labels into place on the Venn diagram;
encourager - who motivates the team and keeps them to time; and
sharer - who shares the work at the end of the activity.

Prepare labels for students to sort into a 'Venn diagram' or 'T-Chart', Eg. floor area measured in tatami mat size; bedding aired and put away; shoes taken off before entering; family room to eat together; separate rooms; etc.

Venn_diagram_homes.docx

T-Chart.pptx

16. Making Connections about Japanese and Australian Homes

For the Student

As a class/ think, pair, share or World Cafe activity to discuss the following questions:

What do homes give us? (shelter, warmth, safety)
What impacts on our homes? (eg. climate; volcanic activity; bushfires)
How do our homes differ and why?
What if you swapped homes. What would be different?

Record ideas on a green hat chart.

Look at the pictures of the different types of Japanese homes. Sort these homes into categories:

traditional
modern
city
country

Under each category write a supporting statement to answer 'Who might live here and why?'

For the Teacher

Theorising with information on homes

Cafe Activity: Prepare individual charts with the first three questions on a different chart. Groups rotate through each question sheet and record their responses with a different coloured texta. One person from each original group stays with their chart as the groups rotate through as the 'expert' person to share student reonses before groups add more.

Use De Bono's Green hat thinking to record student responses in the discussion about homes.

Prepare copies of Japanese homes; traditional, modern, city and country for small groups to sort and categorise.

The purpose of this activity is for students to make connections about why places (countries/ regions) have different types of homes in regards to structure and design.

17. Sorting Information into Groups

For the Student

Watch as your teacher models how to sort facts into categories. Each category will then become a descriptive paragraph in your information report.

As a class label the structural features of the information report.

Take the jumbled sections sheet and in your group re-order it under the headings to categorise the key information on homes.

Title

Classifying paragraph

Descriptive paragraph

Concluding paragraph

For the Teacher

Model gathering and categorising information

Review the recording chart on Japanese homes created during the shared note-taking activity earlier.

Prepare labels for students to label modelled information report sections.

Prepare a copy of the 'exact text' that you will be modelling for students to re-construct after the modelling session.

Modelled_information_report_in_coloured_boxes_for_years_1_and_2.doc

When modelling use a think aloud strategy, explicitly describing each step for the students using the meta-language of information reports.

Model how to categorise the information under different headings, eg. floor coverings; wall dividers; bedding. Each heading will become a new descriptive paragraph.

Model how to expand each category into a full paragraph (as was done earlier with the facts on geography).

Add a title, a classifying paragraph and a concluding paragraph.

On a chart record the structural and language features of an information report for future reference: ie. title, classifying paragraph, descriptive paragraphs and a concluding paragraph. Display as a resource.

Explain that we don't use 'I' or 'we' in information reports as we are writing facts, not opinions. Sentences are written in present tense.

Refer to First Steps Writing Resource Book - assessing writing to describe, page 41 for descriptors of student behaviour at the beginning stage.

18. Why do People Live in Different Homes?

For the Student

Your group will be given one of the picture cards to look at from below.

a Japanese home in the city with a picture of a Japanese farmer;
a Japanese country/farm home with a picture of a Japanese person dressed in city business wear;
a picture of an Australian farm home with a city of Japan picture; and
picture of 4 Japanese houses in Australia.

Discuss with your group members what is wrong with this? and Why?

Write your reason in the space provided.

As a class cut up and match correctly each Japanese and Australian home with who lives here and explain why.

For the Teacher

Thinking critically about the purpose and style of homes

Note: refer back to theorising and ask what if questions for students to make connections as to why people live in different homes.

Prepare picture cards of the following examples for students to think about why people live in certain homes and why countries have different styles of homes.

a Japanese home in the city with a picture of a Japanese farmer;
a Japanese country/farm home with a picture of a Japanese person dressed in city business wear;
a picture of an Australian farm home with a city of Japan picture; and
picture of 4 Japanese houses in Australia.

19. Making a Model Home

For the Student

Work with a partner to build part of a Japanese home. Choose to do either:

Felt bedding
Rice paper and wood doors
Tatami mats from toothpicks
Tables from matchboxes and paper
People from cork and oddments
Glass doors from plastic and cardboard

Your finished product will be part of our class model.

For the Teacher

Create a diorama of Japanese homes

Students work in pairs to make different rooms of a Japanese house (e.g. bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, lounge room) and furnishings. These will be put together to make a whole-class 'diorama'.

DSCF1744.JPG

20. The School Life We Know

For the Student

Move around the room and when the music stops Hi 5 the nearest person to you. With your partner move around the room and when the music stops Hi 5 another pair. This will be your working group for this activity.

On the strip of paper, writing each idea one under the other, write down all the things you do at school daily or during the week?

I am going to give you 5 minutes. Ready! Go! Share your responses with a partner or table group.

Think back to the beginning of the year when we made our class rules.

Think, pair, share, What are our class rules?

Pair up, square up (or make a group of 3). Choose a rule from the lucky dip. With your partner/ small group create a role play to show what your rule looks like and sounds like. Take turns to perform your role play in front of the class.

While you are performing your teacher will take a few photos.

Write a caption for each photo with your group members and display.

For the Teacher

Schools - background knowledge

The purpose of this activity is to gather student prior knowledge about school life in Canberra at Bonython Primary School. Students will be reviewing class rules, routines and times, daily and weekly learning experiences.

Prepare strips of paper for students to list all the activiities they do at school. Put the count down timer on the smart board for 5 minutes.

Teacher scribes students' responses to class rules. Model and guide a role play of a rule using the "Fish Bowl" strategy.

Do a freeze frame of each rule: Display photos with a supporting caption.

21. What do Japanese Students Learn at School?

For the Student

View the slide show of Japanese school life.

When you look at these pictures what are you thinking about? What are your wonderings? Write your question in a cloud of wonder. Share your question with the class.

Look at the pictures of Japanese schools. What do you see? How is it similar or different to school in Australia.

Listen to the text about school life in Japan. Share your thoughts with the class. Write words that are new or interesting on post it notes to share with the class.

For the Teacher

School - Introduce Japanese schools

The purpose of this activity is for students to engage in a visual interactive experience showing what schools can be like in Japan.

Bring the webpage up and play the slideshow on IWB.

http://www.nishimachi.ac.jp/

or follow 'link'. 'You tube has footage about cleaning at school, school carnivals and school life in Japan.

japanese_elementary_school.avi

First Steps Reading Resource Book, second edition, pg, 155 - Clouds of Wonder for students to develop their self questioning reading skills.

Next put the pictures of Japanese schools on from the teacher resource DVD. Stop at each picture and invite students to respond.

Distribute the handout to the students and read through it with them. (From Exploring Japan, Julia Fraser, pp.48-49)

Discuss and explain vocabulary in the text. Invite students to add to a class glossary as they read words that require defining.

22. Similar or Different?

For the Student

With a partner;

Read the handout on Japanese schools and underline key words and facts about school life.
Using the information, record 3 key facts as dot points on a post it note.
Expand your dot points into sentences and record each sentence on a strip of paper.

Join with another pair and share your key fact strips. Sort them into different categories; for example, school uniforms, timetables, classroom layout or class rules.

Choose one category or look at school life in general and create a Venn Diagram comparing Japanese and Australian schools.

How do they differ from each other?
How is school life in Japan and Australia similar?

For the Teacher

Note taking from the text on Japanese schools

Gradual release of responsibility: Independent note taking. Display note taking from previous information searches (geography & homes) and revise note taking structure explicitly modelled previously.

'Text for reading and notetaking' in dot point form.

schools_information_to_record_dot_points.doc

Pair more competent readers with less competent readers to share in the independent note-taking experience.

Revisit the Venn diagram created in the previous cycle of activities on Japanese geography and Japanese homes. Remind students that the Venn diagram shows similarities and differences.

To support students, prepare statement labels about uniform, time school starts and ends, days of the week students go to school, classroom layout, resources (e.g. chalk board) games, rules, areas of learning(e.g.subjects) for students to sort in the 'Venn diagram'.

Venn_diagram_school.docx

23. What if?

For the Student

As a class discuss the following questions.

Why do Japanese students go to school on a Saturday?
Why do Japanese students have to clean their classroom?

In a Round Robin discuss what it would mean to you as a student:

If you had to clean your classroom everyday?
If you had to play sports once a week as a whole school?
If you had to take your shoes off at school before entering the classroom?

Record your feelings on a piece of card and paste it on the shoe, ball and sponge template.

For the Teacher

Theorising with information on schools

Pose questions about school life in Japan and record student responses.

Prepare a large template of a shoe, ball, and a cleaning sponge for students to record their 'what if' feelings about taking shoes off, cleaning tables and participating in sport once a week.

The purpose of this activity is for students' to make connections and comparisons with school life in Japan by putting themselves in the shoes of a Japanese student and responding how they would feel.

24. Writing Descriptive Paragraphs

For the Student

As a class brainstorm the key categories. Using the notetaking recording sheet and the Venn diagram create a word web about one of the categories.

With your partner, take the facts from the word web and make one or more sentences. These are our descriptive paragraphs.

Let's join up our descriptive paragraphs and as a class write a classifying paragraph and a concluding paragraph. Then add a title.

For the Teacher

Guided writing of descriptive paragraphs

The purpose of this activity is to practise 'categorising some information' according to the categories determined by the whole group.

paragraphs_-_Japanese_schools_-_for_years_1_and_2.doc

It also aims to reinforce the structure and language features of an information report.

As a guided writing experience the teacher will scaffold the categorising and writing process.

Possible categories in the brainstorm are: uniform, organisation of the day, extra duties, subjects etc.

Word web reference (page 44 First Steps Writing Resource book, second edition)

Allocate topic areas to groups so all areas will be covered.

Resources

Information report on School in Japan.

25. Thinking about School Life in Japan

For the Student

In small groups complete a PMI chart about school life in Japan.

Under the 'P' record what the good points are about school in Japan.

Under the 'M' record what the bad points are about school in Japan.

Under the 'I' record what you found interesting about school life in Japan.

Present your PMI chart to the class.

For the Teacher

PMI chart on school life in Japan

This Activity could be completed in two ways.

Option 1.

In small groups students discuss and record positive, negative and interesting points ('PMI chart') about school life in Japan.

Good_points_about_school_life_in_Japan.doc

Option 2.

Prepare a large outline of a P, M and I for student responses to be pasted in. Give each student 3 pieces of paper. On one piece they record -

a positive statement about school life
a negative statement about school life
something they found interesting

Resources

PMI chart

26. A School Day for a Japanese Student

For the Student

Today we are going to act out a school day in Japan. You will be a Japanese student and I will be your teacher - Sensai ________. We will do what Japanese students do at school.

For this to work we need all of you to join in the experience. Afterwards we will reflect on our experience.

For the Teacher

Role play a school day in Japan

Prepare the classroom for a Japanese school day experience. Think about materials to be used, learning experiences, routines, class layout and Japanese greetings (taught in Japanese classes).

27. School Day Reflection

For the Student

Think, pair, share about your day experience as a Japanese student.

What was your favourite part?

What was your least favourite part?

Thinking about school at Bonython. Which do you like better, Australia or Japan?

In the speech bubble write down your feelings/thoughts.

For the Teacher

Prepare student photos with a speech bubble for them to write their personal reflection about their day experience as a Japanese student.

28. Festivals and Celebrations - How do You Celebrate a Special Occassion

For the Student

In a Round Robin share and record the types of celebrations you celebrate with your family? Choose a spokesperson from your group to read your list to the class.

In a circle format take turns to respond to a particular celebration by giving a word that comes to mind when you hear the name of the celebration, e.g. Birthdays. Think about decorations, food, clothes, place, people, music, time of day etc.

Choose your favourite celebration - you can pair up with a class member - and complete a 'sensory safari,' Draw/write what that celebration looks like, feels like, smells like, sounds like and tastes like.

Create a mind map drawing/writing about when, who, where. what, symbols.

Regroup and share your favourite celebration.

For the Teacher

Festivals and celebrations - What we know about celebrations

The purpose of this activity is for students to identify and name family/cultural celebrations and identify their features.

Students choose their favourite celebration and either complete;

'a sensory safari' (what it looks like, sounds like, smells like, tastes like, feels like)
sensory_chart.docx

a mind map to record key features (when, who, where, what happens, decorations, clothing)

Purpose

To determine what students know about celebrations and how their family celebrates special events.

Resources

Birthday cake anda Data Retrieval Chart

29. Let's Learn about Japanese Celebrations

For the Student

As a class read and browse the internet/ books for celebrations and festivals in Japan.

Choose a Japanese celebration that you or the class want to research. Below is a fe possibilities.

Hina Matsuri - March 3 (dolls day).

The Shichi Go San or 7-5-3 Festival - 2nd Monday in January

Kenkoku Kinenbi (National Foundation Day) - February 11

Golden Week:

Showa No HI (Showa Day) - April 29

Kenpo Kinenbi (Constitution Day) - May 3

Midori No Hi (Greenery Day) - May 4

Kodomo No Hi (Children's Day) - May 5

Obon - July 13-15

Bunka No Hi (Culture Day) - November 3

Seijin No Hi (Coming of Age) - Second Monday of January

Taiiku No Hi (Sports and Health Day) - Second Monday of October

Using a highlighter, locate key information that is important to your celebration/festival.

For the Teacher

Festivals and celebrations - researching Japanese celebrations

Festivals and celebrations - researching Japanese celebrations

Each unit/class will investigate and research a Japanese celebration/festival. This information will be used later for their information report.

Provide photocopies of relevant pages of celebrations/festivals for students to locate key information and highlight relevant points.

As a class go to: http://hubpages.com/hub/List-of-Japanese-Holidays-and-Celebrations

Make a list of the Japanese celebrations and festivals found on the net or in reference material. (Studies of Asia - Snapshots of Japan)

Using resources from the internet, school and teaching library, each class researches a different Japanese festival/celebration.

Festivals/celebrations may include but are not limited to:http://hubpages.com/hub/List-of-Japanese-Holidays-and-Celebrations

*Remind students that whilst the internet is a powerful source of information, not everything on there is correct. We need to cross reference information to ensure its legitimacy.

Purpose

To gather information from factual texts to inform the students about a Japanese festival/celebration.

Resources

http://hubpages.com/hub/List-of-Japanese-Holidays-and-Celebrations

30. Festivals and Celebrations - Recording Data

For the Student

Using the highlighted sheets in the previous lesson complete a data retrieval chart about your celebration. You may draw and write your information.

Use this information to write sentences about each feature/characteristic.

Name of Festival/Celebration
When
Who
Where
Why
What/symbols
clothing
food

For the Teacher

Festivals and celebrations - data retrieval chart

The purpose of this activity is to locate and record key facts, features and symbols of a chosen Japanese celebration.

Using the highlighted sheets from the previous lesson, each group completes a 'data retrieval' chart to record key information about their chosen celebration/festival.

Festival_data_chart.docx

The information will be used to structure sentences providing information about the festival and how it is celebrated.

Extension activity - students research the history and origins of the festival.

Resources

Festival Data Chart

31. Festivals and Celebrations - Why are They Important?

For the Student

Bring your charts to the floor. We are going to use them to share what we have learnt about our chosen festival and how it is celebrated.

How is your festival celebrated?

Who is the festival for?

Ïf I was to go to Japan at the time of the festival, what will I see, hear, taste, smell?

Why is this festival important to the Japanese people?

What does it mean to their culture?

For the Teacher

Festivals of Japan and how they are celebrated - why is it important?

Students regroup to form a sharing circle, and discuss what they have learnt about their festival, how it is celebrated and its significance to the Japanese culture.

On a large sheet of paper or the IWB record the children's responses.

Display for future reference.

Discussing the information helps to internalise the data in preparation for writing an information report.

32. Writing Descriptive Paragraphs of a Celebration

For the Student

In your group or with a partner choose a category from the retrieval chart to write a descriptive paragraph.

As a class or in small groups we will put the categories together to show descriptive paragraphs.

As a class we will write the classifying and concluding paragraphs together in preparation for writing your own information report using the structural features:

Title
Classifying paragraph
Descriptive paragraph
Concluding/summarising paragraph

For the Teacher

Festivals and celebrations - writing descriptive paragraphs

Use the information gathered in the retrieval chart on the chosen Japanese festival or celebration to independently write a descriptive paragraph.

Refer back to categories in the retrieval chart. Give each student/pair a category to write a descriptive paragraph. Descriptive paragraphs will be ordered and put together.

Guide students' through the writing of a classifying and concluding paragraph for celebrations. This will give students another practice with writing these before they write their own individual information report on Japan.

33. My Information Report on Japan

For the Student

Write an information report about Japan using your knowledge of what an exemplary information report looks like.

Use the planning sheet to record your key facts under each focus area: geography and the flag, homes, school and celebrations.

Use the rubric to help you include all the important key facts and structural features.

For the Teacher

Writing an information Report - CQ Rubric

The purpose of this activity is for students to apply their knowledge of the structural features of an information report to write their own information report about Japan.

Students use the 'planning sheet' to organise their ideas for their information report.

Planning_Sheet_for_Final_Information_Report.doc

Students will be assessed against the 'CQ rubric'. Show the students the rubric so they know what you are looking for.

CQ_Rubric_for_Final_Information_Report.doc

Students in different First Step Phases will be given an appropriate proforma to write their information report.

K/1

information_report_template.pptx

Year 1/ 2 use planning dot point sheet then write in literacy books using categories as paragraphs.

Resources

Planning Sheet and information Report

34. Celebration - 1000 Cranes

For the Student

Now that we have researched our chosen celebration we are going to make something intrinsic to that celebration.

In your books you are required to draw the item and tell the reader why it is an important part of the celebration/festival.

Year 5 & 6 students from Gordon Primary School are going to Cowra on an excursion. In Cowra there is a Japanese garden as a memorial to Japanese soldiers from WW2. To share in this experience - showing how we can think of others - and valuing another culture, we are going to make 1000 cranes using the Japanese paper art of origami. These cranes symbolise good luck and fortune in the Japanese culture.

For the Teacher

Learning Intention - To make an item intrinsic to the student's chosen celebration and articulate why it is important.

Success Criteria - To be successful you will have made an item special to your celebration/festival and told your classmates why it is important.

Each class/small group makes something related to the celebration they have researched. It could be food or a symbol which identifies directly with their celebration.

To acknowledge and value the Japanese culture students from K-2 will make cranes totaling 1000 to go to Cowra with year 5 & 6 students from Gordon Primary School, another school in our Cluster.

35. What have I Learnt?

For the Student

Before writing think about the following questions using De Bono's hats.

Yellow hat: What did you enjoy most?

Black hat: What didn't you enjoy?

Red hat: How did you feel about the unit of work? Did you enjoy it?

Green hat: How could we make it better for you?

White hat: What facts did you find interesting?

Blue hat: What's good about learning about another country?

For the Teacher

Student reflection

Students use De Bono's thinking hats to reflect on their learning and experiences.

Prepare a 'recording sheet' with a yellow hat, black hat, red hat, green hat, white hat, blue hat for students to record their feelings and ideas.

Student_reflection_sheet.pptx

36. What have I Learnt?

For the Student

Last term I gave you a map of the world and asked you to colour in/ place a star on Australia and Japan. I am going to give you that map again to see how your knowledge has increased over the term.

On the map of the world colour Australia and Japan. Mark in capital cities and names of islands if you can.

Now that you have been learning about Japan for a term we are going to revisit the survey you completed at the end of last term.

On the survey sheet, circle the picture which best describes your feelings/attitude now about

How do I feel about learning Japanese? (excited, OK, bored)
Learning more about Japan would be . . (awesome, OK, terrible)
How much do I know about Japan? (heaps, a bit, nothing)
I would like to learn . . (lots more, a bit more, no more)

Write down what you now know about Japan, life in Japan and its culture. These pictures might help you with thinking of ideas.

For the Teacher

Gathering end data

The same baseline data assessment tools that were used prior to the unit of work will be used at the end of the unit to measure student growth and change in values and knowledge.

All students will complete baseline data for quantitive analysis.

The baseline data from three focus students will be analysed and documented for action research 'change story'.

Three forms of baseline will be collected:

locating and colouring in Australia and Japan on a 'world map' - mark in capital cities/ name islands;
Studies_of_Asia_map_test.pptx
'attitude survey' in reference to personal opinion of learning about another language/culture;
Japan_post-assessment_attitude.docx
Three focus students will be re-interviewed. 'Interview' will be recorded (audio only - using video camera) then scribed for analysis. Visual images will be used as a stimulus.
interview_recording_sheet.pptx

37. Acknowledgements

The original authors of this learning module were Robyn Kiddy, Veronica Rapp, Christine Nuttall, and Lisa O'Halloran.

Title Image: Source; Fig. 1: (Source); Fig. 2: (Source).

Kaizen - Global Connections

Let's Visit Japan!

Learning Module

Abstract

Keywords

Knowledge Objectives

1. What do You Know about Japan?

For the Student

For the Teacher

2. Join in the Fun

For the Student

For the Teacher

3. What did You Learn?

For the Student

For the Teacher

4. What Makes this Japanese?

For the Student

For the Teacher

5. What do You Know about Australia and the Australian Flag?

For the Student

For the Teacher

6. Where is Japan and What does the Japanese Flag Look Like?

For the Student

For the Teacher

7. How to Take Notes

For the Student

For the Teacher

8. Playing with Our New Information

For the Student

For the Teacher

9. How to Turn Notes into Sentences

For the Student

For the Teacher

10. Write Some Sentences about Japanese Geography

For the Student

For the Teacher

11. Yellow Hat Thinking

For the Student

For the Teacher

12. Choosing to Learn More about Japanese Geography

For the Student

For the Teacher

13. What is Your Home and Garden Like?

For the Student

For the Teacher

14. What do Traditional Japanese Homes Look Like?

For the Student

For the Teacher

15. Comparing Australian and Japanese Homes

For the Student

For the Teacher

16. Making Connections about Japanese and Australian Homes

For the Student

For the Teacher

17. Sorting Information into Groups

For the Student

For the Teacher

18. Why do People Live in Different Homes?

For the Student

For the Teacher

19. Making a Model Home

For the Student

For the Teacher

20. The School Life We Know

For the Student

For the Teacher

21. What do Japanese Students Learn at School?

For the Student

For the Teacher

22. Similar or Different?

For the Student

For the Teacher

23. What if?

For the Student

For the Teacher

24. Writing Descriptive Paragraphs

For the Student

For the Teacher

25. Thinking about School Life in Japan

For the Student