Children in Japan and Hawaii: How Are We Alike and Different
Created By:
Patricia Louis
Title/Role:
School Librarian
Organization/School Name:
Aliamanu Elementary School
Location:
Hawaii
Grade Level:
1 Type of Lesson:
Lesson in a unit Type of Schedule:
Combination Collaboration Continuum:
Moderate Content Area:
Social studies Content Topic:
This is a unit on comparing cultures. Scenario:
This lesson is part of a larger unit on understanding and appreciating how cultures are different and similar. In this unit, students focus on one of the cultures with close ties to Hawaii: Japan and the traditions and practices that influence children in Japan. The teacher works with the students in the classroom to identify Hawaii traditions as they relate to clothing, food and holiday celebrations. In the library, which is the focus on this lesson, the LMS uses streaming video to identify Japanese traditions and practices. Overview:
The essential questions for this unit are: How are children in Japan like us in Hawaii?
How are children in Japan different from us in Hawaii?
Final Product:
Students produce Venn diagrams of the similarities and differences they discover between lifestyles and customs of children in Hawaii and in Japan. Library Lesson:
First graders will be able to (1) identify at least one similarity and one difference between children living in Japan and in Hawaii, and (2) identify the source of their information (e.g., book, video, person). In this lesson, students work on their Venn diagrams. Estimated Lesson Time:
60 minutes Have you taught this lesson before:
Yes Strategies for differentiation:
The teacher and LMS circulated as students worked on their Venn diagrams and provided varying levels of assistance (prompting and 1-on-1 questioning) depending on difficulties experienced by students.