Japan+Classroom+Activities

= = Classroom Activities

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=Elementary Activity =

**Objective**: Students will make and use salt dough to create a map of Japan's geographical cities, rivers, lakes, mountains, and major landmarks.

**Materials needed: (for one map)**
 * 2 cups flour
 * 1 cup salt
 * 3/4 cup water
 * Templates made from cardboard (8 1/2 x 11) of Japan outlined with a marker
 * Pencils
 * Paint sets
 * Adhesive paper
 * Toothpicks

**Steps:** (education.com, 2011)
 * 1) Distribute dough on each student’s cardboard template of Japan. Ask students to spread the dough all over the cardboard by modeling this step on the document camera.
 * 2) Using a map of Japan's topography, Students will create mountains and hills with extra salt dough.
 * 3) Using a pencil or their hands, students will create rivers, lakes and Japan's surrounding bodies of water.
 * 4) Next have the students take out their paint sets, and paint the salt dough map.
 * 5) Using toothpicks and adhesive paper, students will write the major cities on the adhesive paper and stick it to the toothpick. Then, they will place the toothpick into the salt dough where the city lies on their map.
 * 6) This will take a day to dry so put them at the back of the classroom and let them dry over night.



=Upper Elementary =

**Objective**: Students will use information they learned from this website in order to make a brochure about Japan. They will act as though they are working for an advertising company trying to sell vacation packages to Japan. **Materials needed:** **Overview:** Students will browse this website and research Japan in order to create a brochure about the country. The students will be allowed to use the internet to research and look up information about Japan. The brochure must be a three-fold brochure, covering six geographic or cultural topics about Japan. The student will be able to draw images, print images, and cut images out from magazines, articles, etc. to use for their brochures. The final product should include accurate information about Japan and should be visually appealing. The students will share their final products with their classmates and explain why they did what they did.
 * Construction paper
 * Markers
 * Colored Pencils
 * Magazines
 * Internet
 * Computers
 * Scissors
 * Glue



=Fine Arts Activity =

**Objective**: Students will define the word origami, learn about the history of origami, and create an origami figure. **Materials needed:** **Overview**: As a class, we will discuss the word origami and what it means. Each student will receive a handout on the history of origami and will be instructed to read through it with a partner. On the Smartboard, there will be examples of different types of origami. Using the projector, we will watch a YouTube video on how to make an origami rose. There will also be handouts of different origami figures if students finish early and want to create another origami. Click here for information about the history of origami.
 * Origami paper for every student in the class
 * Handouts on the history of origami
 * Handouts of several different types of how-to make origami figures.

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