Curriculum Project: 3 Mini Units Learning About Japan, China, and South Korea Through Authentic Literature and Fairytales (for Kindergarten)

This is a Kindergarten Curriculum Project for Origins to 1800. Within this unit are 3 Mini Units where students will learn about Japan and Japanese culture, China and Chinese culture, and South Korea and Korean culture through fairy tales, Cinderella stories, and traditional and modern literature. Although the standards are for Kindergarten, this hit could be tweaked/transformed for grades pre-school through 5th grade with different standards and projects integrated throughout.

LAUSD- Cowan Avenue Elementary School


Mini Unit 1: Learning About Japan Through Authentic Literature and Fairytales

Subject: History/Social Science/Social Studies

History-Social Science Content Standards: Kindergarten
v Learning and Working Now and Long Ago
o K.1.3. Know beliefs and related behaviors of characters in stories from times past and understand the consequences of the characters’ actions
o K.4. Students compare and contrast the locations of people, places, and environments and describe their characteristics
o K.6. Students understand that history relate to events, people, and places of other times
§ Identify the purposes of, and the people and events honored in, commemorative holidays, including the human struggles that was the basis for the events
§ Understand how people lived in earlier times and how their lives would be different today
1.) Anticipatory Set:
· Focus/Motivation: Students will be able to related to ancient and modern Japanese culture by learning about traditions, values, and heritage through authentic literature and fairy tales.
· Purpose: The teacher will read fairy tales from Japan. The students will be able to use/relate what they know about the American versions of each story to compare/contrast similarities and difference in the cultures.
· Overview: The teacher will introduce ancient and modern Japanese customs, traditions, values, and heritage through stories to build background and understanding. The teacher will then present Japanese fairy tales to motivate a deeper cultural awareness and knowledge base about childhood in Japan throughout history.
2.) Instruction:
· Time: 5 days; 1 hour each day
· Materials: chart paper, lined paper, origami paper, water color paper, water color paints, markers, crayons, pencils, Writers Workshop folders, and various children’s books and literature (see each lesson for specifics)
3.) Guided Practice/Independent Practice:
Day 1: The teacher will engage students in the creation of a K-W-L (Know/Want to know/Learned) chart about Japan and Japanese history to see what the students all ready know/are familiar with, then ask what they want to know/learn about. The teacher will activate prior knowledge and assess what students already know about Japan and Japanese culture through the K-W-L chart. The teacher will present photos of various commonplace Japanese items to see what students know and are familiar with.
Day 2: The teacher will read Japanese Traditions: Rice Cakes, Cherry Blossoms, and Matsuri: A Year Of Japanese Festivities, by Setsu Broderick (Tuttle Publishing, 2010). The teacher will then discuss Japanese holidays, foods, toys, and seasonal festivals more in depth. The teacher will create a graphic organizer on large butcher paper to have students compare and contrast Japanese and American cultures (this graphic organizer will be added to as students learn about each additional culture throughout this unit). Students will then be asked to illustrate their favorite part of the story and save it in their Writers Workshop folder.
Day 3: The teacher will read All About Japan: Stories, Songs, Crafts, and More, by Willamarie Moore (Tuttle Publishing, 2011). The teacher will then have students discuss the types of homes, family structures, and school life of Japanese children characterized in the story. The ideas from this book should help provide deeper background knowledge about Japan, the concept of childhood there, language, etiquette, and traditional arts through history, and more recently sports, festivals, art, and anime. The teacher will use this as a jumping of point for further discussions into deciding which aspects of Japanese culture the students want to learn more about. The students will then make some of the origami art introduced in the book (such as origami frogs and samurai helmets).
Day 4: Introduce the book Japanese Children’s Favorite Stories: Anniversary Edition, by Florence Sakade (Tuttle publishing, 2014). The teacher will explain to children that they will be listening to a new story/fairytale from this book every day for the next couple of days. From each story the students will determine the moral or lesson and do an activity or craft to go with each lesson. Today they would read the story of Peach Boy and learn about traditional Japanese storytelling, characters, plot, and setting. The teacher will have students discuss bravery, character building, and the Japanese ideal of caring for ones parents. The teacher will then have students add the story of Peach Boy and its moral to the graphic organizer about Japanese stories and fairytales. The class will then use watercolors to paint their favorite part of the story (similar to the paintings in the story).
Day 5: From the book Japanese Children’s Favorite Stories: Anniversary Edition, by Florence Sakade, the teacher will read Why The Jellyfish Has No Bones and the students will discuss the importance of honesty and loyalty. The teacher will also have students discuss why it important to follow through with something you say you are going to do or what may happen if you do not (the concept of punishment). The teacher will then have students add the story of Why The Jellyfish Has No Bones and its moral to the graphic organizer about Japanese stories and fairytales. The students will engage in paper plate crafts making monkeys and jellyfish. The students will write one sentence about the moral of the story and attach it to their jellyfish tentacles.
4.) Closure: The teacher will review the history, heritage, culture, and language of Japan introduced throughout the week. The teacher will have student review the morals of the stories and the similarities/differences from ones they are already familiar. The teacher will review with students the differences in family structure and respect for ones elders historically held in the Japanese culture. The class will add necessary information to the butcher paper graphic organizer. The teacher will then introduce the next country to be taught: China.

Mini Unit 2: Learning About China Through Authentic Literature and Fairytales

Subject: History/Social Science/Social Studies

History-Social Science Content Standards: Kindergarten
v Learning and Working Now and Long Ago
o K.1.3. Know beliefs and related behaviors of characters in stories from times past and understand the consequences of the characters’ actions
o K.4. Students compare and contrast the locations of people, places, and environments and describe their characteristics
o K.6. Students understand that history relate to events, people, and places of other times
§ Identify the purposes of, and the people and events honored in, commemorative holidays, including the human struggles that was the basis for the events
§ Understand how people lived in earlier times and how their lives would be different today
5.) Anticipatory Set:
· Focus/Motivation: Students will be able to related to ancient and modern Chinese culture by learning about traditions, values, and heritage through authentic literature and fairy tales.
· Purpose: The teacher will read fairy tales from China. The students will be able to use/relate what they know about other versions of each story and compare/contrast similarities and difference in the cultures.
· Overview: The teacher will introduce ancient and modern Chinese customs, traditions, values, and heritage through stories to build background and understanding. The teacher will then present Chinese fairy tales to motivate a deeper cultural awareness and knowledge base about childhood in China throughout history.
6.) Instruction:
· Time: 5 days; 1 hour each day
· Materials: chart paper, lined paper, origami paper, water color paper, water color paints, markers, crayons, pencils, Writers Workshop folders, and various children’s books and literature (see each lesson for specifics)
7.) Guided Practice/Independent Practice:
Day 1: The teacher will review the K-W-L (Know/Want to know/Learned) chart about Japan and then introduce China to see what the students all ready know/are familiar with, then ask what they want to know/learn about. The teacher will activate prior knowledge and assess what students already know about China and Chinese culture. The teacher will present photos of various commonplace Chinese items to see what students know and are familiar with. The teacher will add information provided by students to the K-W-L chart in relation to China.
Day 2: The teacher will read Moonbeams, Dumplings, and Dragon Boats: A Tresury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities, and Recipes, by Nina Simmons (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2002). The teacher will then discuss Chinese holidays, foods, traditions, and seasonal festivals more in depth. The teacher will add to the graphic organizer on large butcher paper to have students compare and contrast Chinese and Japanese cultures and stories learned about thus far (this graphic organizer will be added to as students learn about each additional culture throughout this unit). The ideas from this book should help provide deeper background knowledge about China, the Chinese concept of childhood, language, etiquette, traditional arts, traditional/recent foods and festivals. Students will then illustrate their favorite part of the story using watercolors and save it in their Writers Workshop folder.
Day 3: The teacher will read The Little Monkey King’s Journey: Stories of the Chinese Zodiac, Retold in English and Chinese, by Li Jian (Shanghi Press, 2012). The teacher will then have students discuss the Chinese Zodiac symbols and their birthdays. Students will discuss the children characterized in the story. The teacher will use this as a jumping of point for further discussions into deciding which aspects of Chinese culture the students want to learn more about. Students will then create their own Chinese Zodiac Symbol for their birth month similar to designs created in the story using collage-style art introduced in the book. Projects will be added to Writers Workshop Folders along with one sentence reflecting on the story and/or their project.
Day 4: The teacher will read Tikki Tikki Tembo, by Arlene Mosel (Square Fish Publishing, reprint 2007). From the story the students will determine the moral or lesson according to Chinese culture and tradition. In the story, two brothers go on an adventure when one brother falls down a well. Students will discuss what they would do (save him or leave him) and what they learned from the tale and discuss the importance of honesty and loyalty (similar to the Japanese stories and family structure). Students will also discuss the concept of oral story telling traditions in China and traditional Chinese names. The teacher will introduce other Chinese names and how they style of first and last names differ in Chinese culture. Students will then research traditional Chinese names online and reflect in their Writers Workshop Folders. Students will compare/contrast Chinese and Japanese stories and cultures learned about thus far and add to the butcher paper graphic organizer.
Day 5: The teacher will read a Chinese version of Cinderella, Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China, by Ai-Ling Louie (Puffin Books, 1996). Students will then discuss Cinderella stories in which they are already familiar and compare/contrast to this story. Students will delve deeper into the cultural, traditional, and historical aspects of this tale and add to the graphic organizer. Students will illustrate themselves as the Cinderella character using watercolors and traditional Chinese symbolism and imagery. Students will add work to their Writers Workshop Folders with a sentence/dictation of their version of the story.
8.) Closure: The teacher will review the history, heritage, culture, and language of China introduced throughout the week. Student review the morals of the stories the similarities/differences previously learned, family structure between their own families with Chinese and Japanese culture. The class will add information to the butcher paper graphic organizer. The teacher will then introduce the next country to be taught: South Korea.


Mini Unit 3: Learning About South Korea Through Authentic Literature and Fairytales

Subject: History/Social Science/Social Studies

History-Social Science Content Standards: Kindergarten
v Learning and Working Now and Long Ago
o K.1.3. Know beliefs and related behaviors of characters in stories from times past and understand the consequences of the characters’ actions
o K.4. Students compare and contrast the locations of people, places, and environments and describe their characteristics
o K.6. Students understand that history relate to events, people, and places of other times
§ Identify the purposes of, and the people and events honored in, commemorative holidays, including the human struggles that was the basis for the events
§ Understand how people lived in earlier times and how their lives would be different today
1.) Anticipatory Set:
a. Focus/Motivation: Students will be able to related to ancient and modern South Korean culture by learning about traditions, values, and heritage through authentic literature and fairy tales.
b. Purpose: The teacher will read fairy tales from South Korea. The students will be able to use/relate what they know about the Japanese, Chinese, and American versions of each story to compare/contrast similarities and difference in the cultures.
c. Overview: The teacher will introduce ancient and modern South Korean customs, traditions, values, and heritage through stories to build background and understanding. The teacher will then present South Korean fairy tales to motivate a deeper cultural awareness and knowledge base about childhood in South Korea throughout history.
2.) Instruction:
a. Time: 5 days; 1 hour each day
b. Materials: chart paper, lined paper, origami paper, water color paper, water color paints, markers, crayons, pencils, Writers Workshop folders, and various children’s books and literature (see each lesson for specifics)
3.) Guided Practice/Independent Practice:
Day 1: The teacher will engage students in adding to the K-W-L (Know/Want to know/Learned) chart about South Korea and South Korean history to see what the students all ready know/are familiar with, then ask what they want to know/learn about. The teacher will activate prior knowledge and assess what students already know about Japan/Japanese and China/Chinese culture through the K-W-L chart. The teacher will present photos of various commonplace Korean items to see what students know and are familiar with.
Day 2: The teacher will introduce the book Korean Children’s Favorite Stories, by Kim So-Un (Tuttle Publishing, 2004). The teacher will explain to children that they will be listening to a new story/fairytale from this book every day for the next couple of days. From each story the students will determine the moral or lesson and do an activity or craft to go with each lesson. Today they would read the story of The Bad Tiger and learn about traditional Korean storytelling, characters, plot, and setting. The teacher will then have students discuss the types of family structure and home life of Korean children characterized in the story. The ideas from this book should help provide deeper background knowledge about South Korea, the concept of childhood there, language, etiquette, and traditional arts through history. The teacher will use this as a jumping of point for further discussions into deciding which aspects of Korean culture the students want to learn more about. The teacher will then have students add the story of The Bad Tiger and its moral to the graphic organizer about South Korean stories and fairytales. The class will then collage their favorite part of the story and add it to their Writers Workshop Folders along with a sentence or reflection.
Day 3: Reintroduce the book Korean Children’s Favorite Stories, by Kim So-Un (Tuttle Publishing, 2004). Today the teacher will read the story of The Grateful Tiger and compare/contrast the Korean ideals between this story and ones from the day prior. The teacher will discuss the wit and straight-forwardness of the characters and moral. The teacher will have students discuss loyalty, character building, and the Korean ideal of honesty. Students will then add information about both stories to the graphic organizer about South Korea and its values, culture, traditions, and values. Students will then engage in a calligraphy lesson where introduced to Korean writing and characters depicted in the book.
Day 4: The teacher will read Tales of a Korean Grandmother: 32 Traditional Tales from Korea, by Frances Carpenter (Tuttle Publishing, 1989). The teacher will then discuss Korean holidays, foods, toys, and seasonal festivals more in depth. The teacher add students comments to the graphic organizer on large butcher paper to have students compare and contrast Japanese, Chinese, American, and South Korean cultures. Students will then be asked to illustrate their favorite part of the story and save it in their Writers Workshop folder.
Day 5: The teacher will read The Korean Cinderella, by Shirley Climo (Trophy Picture Books, 1996). Students will then discuss Cinderella stories in which they are already familiar and compare/contrast to this story. Students will delve deeper into the cultural, traditional, and historical aspects of this tale and add to the graphic organizer. Students will then create a different ending for the story using themselves as the main character, then add an illustration. Students then compare/contrast this version of Cinderella to the Chinese version from the last mini-unit. Information will be added to the graphic organizer and K-W-L chart.
Closure: The teacher will review the history, heritage, culture, and language of South Korea introduced throughout the week. Students will review morals, similarities/differences, family structure, and historical information and add to the graphic organizer. Students will then compare/contrast independently one characteristic of each culture they learned about on a Venn Diagram and add it to their Writers Workshop Folder to complete this unit.
edited by cgao on 7/6/2016
edited by cgao on 7/6/2016