乐播传媒

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叠测:听Kathy Keidel and Stacey Mandel with Christine Cervera and Catherine Ishida听听

Featured Children鈥檚 Literature:The Wakame Gatherers, by Holly Thompson

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Lesson (pdf)

Materials (pdf)

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Objectives:

1. 乐播传媒 will understand some similarities and differences between communities and lifestyles in Japan and the United States.
2. 乐播传媒 will understand some advantages and challenges of being a bicultural child.

National Content Standards:

Geography

• Geography Standard 1:听乐播传媒 know how to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective.
• Geography Standard 10:听The characteristics, distribution, and complexity of Earth鈥檚 cultural mosaics.

Reading and Writing

• Reading Standard 2:听Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
• Reading Standard 7:听Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
• Writing Standard 2:听Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
• Language Standard 1听: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

Plan for Assessment:

1. 乐播传媒 will actively participate in small-group work and whole-class reading and discussions, constructing categories and making comparisons.
2. 乐播传媒 will demonstrate ability to identify central ideas or themes of a text and to develop text-to-self connections. 乐播传媒 will communicate these ideas, themes, and text-to-self connections in visual and written formats. A checklist for assessing students鈥� work is provided.

Notes:

• This lesson is written for the early elementary grades but is easily adaptable for older students. The focus on biculturalism is especially suitable for transnational student populations. The suggested time frame is four class sessions of 40 to 60 minutes.
• The lesson develops students鈥� comparison skills, focusing on cultural aspects of Japan and the United States highlighted in the featured children鈥檚 literature,听The Wakame Gatherers. In the picture sorting activity, students are asked to categorize images from Japan and the United States. The suggested categories are: food and meals, home, and transportation. The number of photographs has been kept small to make the task manageable for early elementary students; of course, a small number of photographs will necessarily represent only a small slice of any aspect of a country鈥檚 culture. As students identify similarities and differences in the pictures, guard against overgeneralization based on this small amount of data.
• A focus of听The Wakame Gatherers听is cultivation and harvesting of a form of seaweed called听wakame. Uses of other types of seaweed are also mentioned. If you suspect that your students are not familiar with seaweed, you may wish to see whether you can find听wakame听at an Asian market or natural foods store in your community. It is usually sold dried. It is then soaked in water for a few minutes before use. It quickly regains its original size and leafy appearance. One package of dried wakame is probably plenty for one class, since it expands to about eight times the original size when rehydrated. Author Holly Thompson provides a few recipes using听wakame听at the end of听The Wakame Gatherers; additional recipes are available on her website (see听Resources and References).
• Wakame听grows naturally on rocks. It requires cold water and the changing tides to grow well. Natural听wakame听is harvested in the early spring. Since the 1940-1950s, Japanese have also cultivated听wakame. Cultivated听wakame听is planted in the end of November or early December. Spores are attached to a string, and the strings are attached to floats. Cultivated听wakame听is harvested in the late winter or early spring. Because the water temperature is rising,听wakame听has to be harvested earlier and the harvest is not as plentiful. The harvested听wakame听is boiled, hung to dry in the sun, and packaged in 150g quantities in long, plastic bags.
• Note that the book alludes to World War II (although it does not mention it by name). Young students may need some background information about the war in order to understand the allusion. The practice of gathering听wakame听was affected by the war. During World War II, the people of Koshigoe (the town that served as the model setting for听The Wakame Gatherers) continued to collect听wakame. As the war went on and the men were away fighting, community elders took over the harvesting.听Wakame听served as a source of calcium to keep the villagers鈥� bones strong.

Materials:

1. The Wakame Gatherers,听by Holly Thompson
2. One set of听Picture Sorting Cards听(provided) per small group of three to four students (note that the letters are for your reference only; you may cut off the letters when you cut the cards apart to create the student sets)
3. Three enlarged copies of the听Venn Diagram Worksheet听(provided)per group of three to four students
4. Living in Two Cultures Worksheet听(provided), four enlarged copies for board, two copies per student
5. Copies of听Making Connections Worksheet听and听Making Connections Checklist听(provided) for all students
6. Wall map of world
7. Chart paper
8. Blank index card or piece of paper for each student
9. Tape or paste
10. Clipboard and pencil for each student (Optional)
11. Large piece of construction paper per student

Implementation:

Introduction

1. Build background knowledge with students by asking: How many of you have family members who live in other countries? How many have family members who live in other parts of the United States? List these places on chart paper or the board.
2. Gather students by a world map. On the map, point out the general location of the community in which your school is located. Then help students find some of the other places they listed on the map. For a few minutes, allow students to share stories and experiences.
3. While at the map, point out Maine and Japan. Talk briefly about the story you will read. Explain that Nanami, a character in the story, has a grandmother in Maine and a grandmother in Japan. 乐播传媒 will learn what she does with them separately in the two places and what she does when they meet at her home in Japan.

Connections

1. Organize the class into groups of three to four students. Explain that to prepare for reading Nanami鈥檚 story, students are going to look at pictures of Japan and the United States. Pass out a set of the听Picture Sorting Cards听to each group.
2. Have the students look through the pictures and talk about what they notice. For your reference, the pictures show the following:

   a. Seafood burger (Japan)听
   b. Ramen noodles (Japan)听
   c.听Wakame听Lunch [rice, soup, salads, braised chicken] (Japan)听
   d. Pork chop dinner (United States)听
   e. Hamburger and fries (United States)听
   f. Fast-food chicken lunch (United States)听
   g. Bullet train (Japan)听
   h. Car (Japan)听
   i. Bus (Japan)听
   j. Scooter (Japan)听
   k. Truck (Japan)听
   l. SUV (United States) Truck (United States)听
   m. School buses (United States)听
   n. Truck (United States)听
   o. Home (Japan)听
   p. Guest room (Japan)听
   q. Bath room (Japan)听
   r. Toilet room (Japan)听
   s. Home (United States)听
   t. Bathroom (United States)听
   u. Child鈥檚 bedroom (United States)
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3. Next, explain to students that they are going to sort the pictures into categories. A category is a group of items that have something in common. For example, students in your class fit into the category of 鈥渇irst-graders鈥� (or whatever the appropriate grade is). Some fit into the category 鈥渂oys鈥� while others fit into the category 鈥済irls.鈥� Some fit into the category of 鈥済ood soccer players鈥� while others fit into the category of 鈥渏ump rope experts.鈥� Have the students sort through the pictures to find similarities and create categories. Have them label the groups of pictures with similarities. If students struggle, you may want to work through one category, such as 鈥渇ood鈥� with the whole class. The suggested categories are food and meals, transportation, and home.
4. When groups have completed the sorting, give each group one copy of the听Venn Diagram Worksheet听for each category they created. Explain that students are going to look carefully at the pictures in each of their categories. First they will decide whether each picture is from Japan or the United States. Then, if a picture shows something different about the two countries, they will attach it to the听Venn Diagram Worksheet听under the appropriate section of the diagram (in the circle marked 鈥淚n Japan鈥� or the one marked 鈥淚n the United States鈥�). If a picture shows something similar about the two countries, they will attach it in the center of the diagram, where the two circles overlap. If a picture shows both similarities and differences, they can place it so it fits over two sections. Allow time for groups to finish this task for each category they created.
5. Finally, pass out a blank index card or piece of paper to each student. Have each student draw听another听picture to fit in one of the categories and add it to one Venn diagram. For instance, a student can draw pancakes for the food category or a scooter for the transportation category, etc.
6. As a whole class, debrief the activity. Ask students: What did you discover about differences and similarities in transportation, food, and homes in Japan and the United States? What picture did you draw and where did you add it to the Venn diagram? Guide students to share both differences and similarities they analyzed.
7. Transition to the story by saying: As we visualize and then read听The Wakame Gatherers,听pay attention to cultural similarities and differences in the story.

Guided Reading

1. Before starting the book, take the students on a 鈥渧isualizing鈥� trip through the story. The idea is for students to get a 鈥渕ovie鈥� in their mind and use all five senses to imagine a story. Have students lie around the room, bodies still as statues, but brains on and buzzing. Turn the lights off and walk around the room as you talk them through the basic story elements鈥攖he characters, problem, solution, setting, feelings. 乐播传媒 can start to visualize and experience the story before hearing it.
2. Read听The Wakame Gatherers听aloud, checking for understanding along the way. Point out and discuss the characters, settings, and cultural similarities and differences. Review vocabulary with students as needed. If the content and vocabulary in the story are too difficult for your students, tell the story, rather than reading it, paraphrasing some of Nanami鈥檚 experiences and/or have students role-play parts of the story.

Guided Practice

1. Recall the story and what was discussed previously. After students share their memories of the picture-sorting activity and the story, walk through the pictures of the book again to help students completely recall. Have students compare the pictures and point out some of the similarities and differences between Nanami鈥檚 home, town, and lifestyle in Japan to their home, community, and lifestyle. (They may mention similarities or differences in language, foods, geographical features, transportation, street scenes, houses, and gardens.)
2. Discuss how Nanami lives and interacts in two cultures. Ask: What does Nanami like to do with her grandmothers in both Japan and Maine? (Go to the water and gather fish or seaweed, eat good meals) What do you like to do with the people you love who live in other places?
3. On the board, tape up two copies of the听Living in Two Cultures Worksheet.听Talk about all the places where people whom students care about live, referring to the chart-paper list created previously and adding new places students mention. Model how to fill out the posted worksheets. First, model filling out a place name for each sheet. Then model drawing what you like to do in both places with people you care about. Then model writing a description to go along with each.
4. As a whole class, fill out another set of the enlarged听Living in Two Cultures Worksheet听for Nanami, writing about Maine and Japan.

Instruction

1. Pass out two copies of the听Living in Two Cultures Worksheet听per student (and clipboards and pencils if necessary). Refer to the chart-paper list of places where students鈥� families live. If necessary, have a few students share what two places they will write in the blanks on the worksheets.
2. Have the students work individually. When finished, the students can color their pictures and glue the two worksheets onto a large piece of construction paper.
3. Debrief the activity. Point out the title of the worksheet and ask: What does听culture听mean to you? Record students鈥� answers on chart paper and use them to develop a valid definition. (乐播传媒 may give answers such asa different place, a different country, another city, etc.; probe to help them reach a more conceptual definition鈥攃ulture is a group鈥檚 way of living鈥攖heir language, food, beliefs, possessions, etc.)

Conclusion

1. Reread the story, focusing on conversations between Baachan, Gram, and Nanami as the translator. Discuss how Nanami lives and interacts in two cultures. What are her challenges? (She has to figure out how to explain complicated information in another language in a way that can be understood. She gets the two languages confused.)听What advantages does she have over Baachan and Gram? (She knows both languages and understands both cultures. She understands two ways of doing things.) How do you live and interact in two cultures with your families and people you love? How is understanding two鈥攐r more鈥攃ultures an advantage? (It allows you to interact easily with people in both cultures.听You can be more flexible and open-minded. You can be more tolerant of difference.听You have a personal reason for peace.)
2. Review the student-developed definition of听culture. Introduce the concept of bicultural. Refer to examples from the story, student work, and discussions to define听bicultural听with the students and discuss what it means to them.
3. Pass out the听Making Connections Worksheet听and the听Making Connections Checklist. Explain the instructions and have students draw and write individually. 乐播传媒 can self-assess using the听Making Connections Checklist. As an alternative, the worksheet can be used as a rubric. Instead of check marks, score 1-4 to grade effectiveness.
4. If time allows, have a few students share their completed worksheets with the class.

Extensions and Cross-Curricular Ideas:

1. Have students read听The Way We Do it in Japan听by Geneva Cobb Iijima. Have students complete the activities and worksheets above for this book to broaden and deepen the extent of their comparisons and achievement of the lesson objectives.
2. Have students compare their findings by reading other stories featuring people negotiating between cultural aspects of Japan and the United States (see list in听Resources and References).
3. Science:听Engage students in studying the life cycle of听wakame听cultivation from seeding and planting to harvesting, as Nanami discusses on page 4.

Resources and References:

Resources for Use in Lesson

Thompson, Holly.听The Wakame Gatherers.听Kazumi Wilds, illustrator. Walnut Creek, CA: Shen鈥檚 Books, 2007.

Resources for Use in Extensions or Cross-Curricular Ideas

Iijima, Geneva Cobb.听The Way We Do it in Japan.听Paige Billin-Fyre, illustrator. Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman & Company, 2002.

Friedman, Ina R.听How My Parents Learned to Eat. Allen Say, illustrator. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1984.

Little, Mimi Otey.听Yoshiko and the Foreigner. New York: Frances Foster Books, 1996.

Say, Allen.听Tea with Milk. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999.

References for Teacher Background

Holly Thompson:听.

Kosaka, Kristy. 听The Japan Times,听2009.听

Zitlow, Connie S., and Lois Stover. 听The ALAN Review, vol. 25, no. 3, 1998.听

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The Program for Teaching East Asia at the 乐播传媒 gratefully acknowledges the support of the听Freeman Foundation听and听in the development of听Texts and Contexts: Teaching Japan Through Children's Literature.

Created 2010 Program for Teaching East Asia, 乐播传媒.听