UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project

Learning About Japanese Culture Through Folktales and Artwork:

Sample Primary Grades Lesson Plan

Darcy Long

3rd grade, Coronado Elementary School

West Contra Costa Unified School District

Japan Art, Artifacts, and Folktales - LESSON PLAN

Name /
Grade Level / Darcy Long – 3rd Grade
Unit Topic / History-Social Science Topic: How American Culture Differs From Other Cultures
Reading and Language Arts Topic: Folktales From Around the World
CA H-SS Content
Standards / 3.1 Students describe the physical and human geography and use maps, tables, graphs, photographs, and charts to organize information about people, places, and environments in a spatial context.
ELA CCSS / Reading Standards for Literature - 2. Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.
Writing - 3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
Speaking and Listening: Comprehension and Collaboration - 1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics andtexts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Lesson Focus Question / What can we learn about Japanese culture through their folktales and artwork?
Lesson Teaching Thesis / Lessons about important Japanese cultural practices, Japanese economics, and the geography of Japan can be learned bystudying and researching representative folktales and artwork.
Primary Source
and
Literacy Strategy / Primary Source:Tanuki (raccoon dog) that turned into a tea kettle (from the folktale BunbukuChagama), by Mitsuyuki (Japanese), 1850-1950. Japan. Ivory with detail staining. The Avery Brundage Collection, B70Y78.
UCBHSSP Literacy Strategy: Analyzing artifacts: Primary and Secondary Sources
Text and Literacy Strategy / Text:The Lucky Tea-Kettle
Literacy Strategy: Top Ten List, Keep It or Junk It?
Reading/Writing Strategy: Passage Level Analysis, Sentence Level Analysis
Lesson Assessment / Writing Instruction / Prompt:
If the badger could transform into a special object from your kitchen or eating utensils, what item would it be? Write a descriptive paragraph explaining the transformation of the tanuki into your special object. Use the “springboard” text outline from The Lucky Tea-Kettle to help you choose interesting action verbs and descriptive details to help your reader visualize this transformation!

Name______Date______

Using the text you have read, create a top ten list of the most important events in the story. Remember that number 1 is the most important!

Text: ______

Author:______

Top Ten List

10. ______

9. ______

8. ______

7. ______

6.______

5. ______

4. ______

3. ______

2. ______

1. ______

Name______Date______(KEY)

Using the text you have read, create a top ten list of the most important events in the story. Remember that number 1 is the most important!

Text: ______The Lucky Tea-Kettle______

Author:______Unknown______

Top Ten List

10. They become rich, retire, and the tanuki decides to live in the temple as a kettle.

9.The tinker and his wife make a performing tea-kettle show.

8. The tanuki says it can perform acrobatic tricks as a kettle.

7.The tanuki retransforms and tells the tinker about his gratitude and how he wants to help him get rich.

6. The priest believes the kettle is bewitched so he returns it to the tinker.

5. The priest has a tea ceremony using the kettle, but when he heats the kettle the tanuki jumps off the fire.

4. The tinker and his wife donate the tea-kettle to the temple.

3.The tanuki transformed itself into a tea-kettle.

2. The tanuki decided to repay the tinker for his kindness.

1.The tinker freed a tanuki he found caught in a noose.

Name______Date______

In time order, sequence the “Top Ten” Events in:______

Name______Date______(KEY)

In time order, sequence the “Top Ten” Events in:

The Lucky Tea-Kettle

A poor tinker found a tanuki caught in a noose and freed it.
The tanuki decided to repay the tinker for his kindness.
The tanuki transformed into a tea-kettle and hopped into the tinker’s bag.
The tinker and his wife discover the beautiful tea-kettle and decide to donate it to the temple.
The priest has a celebration tea ceremony using the kettle, but when he heats it on the fire the tanuki jumps off.
The priest believes the kettle is bewitched so he returns it to the tinker.
The tanuki retransforms and tells the tinker about his gratitude for having been saved and how he wants to help him get rich.
The tanuki says it can perform acrobatic tricks as a kettle.
The tinker and his wife make a show with the performing tea-kettle.
They become rich, retire, and the tanuki decides to live in the temple as a kettle.

Name______Date______

Directions:Group the “Top Ten” events into the sequence categories. Fill 10 spaces TOTAL below.

Title:______Author:______

Category title:
Beginning / Category title:
Middle / Category title:
End

Name______Date______(KEY)

Directions:Group the “Top Ten” events into the sequence categories. Fill 10 spaces TOTAL below.

Title:______The Lucky Tea-Kettle______Author:______Unknown______

Category title:
Beginning / Category title:
Middle / Category title:
End
A poor tinker found a tanuki caught in a noose and freed it. / The tinker and his wife discover the beautiful tea-kettle and decide to donate it to the temple. / The tinker and his wife make a show with the performing tea-kettle.
The tanuki decided to repay the tinker for his kindness. / The priest has a celebration tea ceremony using the kettle, but when he heats it on the fire the tanuki jumps off. / They become rich, retire, and the tanuki decides to live in the temple as a kettle.
The tanuki transformed into a tea-kettle and hopped into the tinker’s bag. / The priest believes the kettle is bewitched so he returns it to the tinker.
The tanuki retransforms and tells the tinker about his gratitude for having been saved and how he wants to help him get rich.
The tanuki says it can perform acrobatic tricks as a kettle.

Name ______Date______

Story Title: ______
______
______
Author: ______
______
Characters:______
______
______/ First / Next
Then / Finally / In the end

Name ______Date______(KEY)

Story Title: The Lucky Tea-Kettle
______
______
Author: Unknown
______
Characters: Tinker, wife, tanuki, priest
______
______/ First, a poor tinker found a tanuki caught in a noose and freed it. The tanuki decided to repay the tinker for his kindness by transforming into a tea-kettle / Next, The tanuki kettle hopped into the tinker’s bag. The tinker and his wife discover the beautiful tea-kettle and donate it to the temple.
Then the priest has a celebration tea ceremony using the kettle, but when he heats it on the fire the tanuki jumps off.The priest believes the kettle is bewitched so he returns it to the tinker. / Finally, the tanuki retransforms and tells the tinker about his gratitude for having been saved. He wants to help the tinker get rich by performing acrobatic tricks as a kettle in a show. / In the end, the tinker and his wife make a show with the performing tea-kettle. They become rich, retire, and the tanuki decides to live in the temple as a kettle.

Name______Date______ReadingInstruction Passage 1

Directions: Circle or highlight the adjectives describing the teakettle. Underline the context clues that show the value of the tea-kettle.

Passages from The Lucky Tea-kettle
Suddenly an idea struck him, and calling on his one magic power, he started to transform himself into a beautifully ornamented tea-kettle. His body grew fatter and rounder and his fur sleeked into the rich brown luster of an antique kettle. His tail curved into a handle, and his four furry paws shrank to become the four feet. Only his pointed and bewhiskered nose projected where the spout should be.
They carried the kettle to their room and placed it on the floor, where it's dull sheen glowed against the poor threadbare straw matting. They knelt beside it and gazed at it in silent admiration.
“It is indeed a miracle, a miracle,” murmured the tinker.
“There is no more beautiful kettle in the whole of Japan,” murmured his wife in reply.
They fell into silence again, their eyes lost to all but the delicate form of the little kettle. ______
When the tinker had departed, the priest examined the kettle more closely and thought to himself: “It is indeed a kettle of exquisite rarity...”.______
….. the priest brought out a fine silk cloth and spread it on the floor, On it he placed the kettle and the guests fell to examining it and praising its simplicity of line, its symmetry, and the lustre of the metal.

( Student Sample KEY)

Name______Date______Reading/Writing Instruction Passage 1

Directions: Using the paragraph below, insert the missing words in the blank boxes. Next, look up synonyms for the VERBS and

write them in the “Ideas/Questions/New Vocabulary” box.

Suddenly an idea struck him, and calling on his one magic power, he started to transform himself into a beautifully ornamented tea-kettle. His body grew fatter and rounder and his fur sleeked into the rich brown luster of an antique kettle. His tail curved into a handle, and his four furry paws shrank to become the four feet. Only his pointed and bewhiskered nose projected where the spout should be.
Time marker/ connector / Who/What Noun
(use complete subject) / Action or
State of being
Verb / Who, What, Where / Ideas/Questions/New Vocabulary
(List SYNONYMS you look up using the thesaurus, when possible.)
Suddenly / an idea / him,
and / on his one magic power,
he / himself into a beautifully ornamented
tea-kettle.
His body / fatter and rounder
and / his fur / into the rich brown luster of an antique kettle.
His tail / into a handle, and
his four furry paws / to become the four feet.
Only his pointed and bewhiskered nose / where the spout should be.

Name______Date______Reading/Writing Instruction Passage 1 ( KEY)

Directions: Using the paragraph below, insert the missing words in the blank boxes. Next, look up synonyms for the VERBS and

write them in the “Ideas/Questions/New Vocabulary” box.

Suddenly an idea struck him, and calling on his one magic power, he started to transform himself into a beautifully ornamented tea-kettle. His body grew fatter and rounder and his fur sleeked into the rich brown luster of an antique kettle. His tail curved into a handle, and his four furry paws shrank to become the four feet. Only his pointed and bewhiskered nose projected where the spout should be.
Time marker/ connector / Who/What Noun
(use complete subject) / Action or
State of being
Verb / Who, What, Where / Ideas/Questions/New Vocabulary
(List SYNONYMS you look up using the thesaurus, when possible.)
Suddenly / an idea / struck / him,
and / calling / on his one magic power,
he / started to transform / himself into a beautifully ornamented tea- kettle.
His body / grew / fatter and rounder
and / his fur / sleeked / into the rich brown luster of an antique kettle.
His tail / curved / into a handle, and
his four furry paws / shrank / to become the four feet.
Only his pointed and bewhiskered nose / projected / where the spout should be.

STUDENT SAMPLE

Name______Date______Reading/Writing Instruction Passage 1 ( KEY)

Directions: Using the paragraph below, insert the missing words in the blank boxes. Next, look up synonyms for the VERBS and

write them in the “Ideas/Questions/New Vocabulary” box.

Name______Date______Reading/Writing Instruction Passage 2

Special object chosen from home: ______

DIRECTIONS: Using the “springboard” paragraph below, insert YOUR OWN WORD CHOICES in the blank boxes. TRY to use a synonym for the VERBS you looked up. REMEMBER that the tanuki is transforming into YOUR OBJECT in this version!

Suddenly an idea struck him, and calling on his one magic power, he started to transform himself into a beautifully ornamented tea-kettle. His body grew fatter and rounder and his fur sleeked into the rich brown luster of an antique kettle. His tail curved into a handle, and his four furry paws shrank to become the four feet. Only his pointed and bewhiskered nose projected where the spout should be.
Time marker/ connector / Who/What Noun
(use complete subject) / Action or
State of being
Verb / Who, What, Where
Suddenly / an idea / him,
and / on his one magic power,
he / to transform himself into
______.
His body / ______
and / his fur / into
______.
His tail / into
______.
his four furry paws / to become into
______.
Only / his pointed and bewhiskered nose / where the
______.

Reading/Writing Instruction Passage 2 (TEACHER SAMPLE KEY)

Special object chosen from home: coffee mug

Suddenly an idea struck him, and calling on his one magic power, he started to transform himself into a beautifully ornamented tea-kettle. His body grew fatter and rounder and his fur sleeked into the rich brown luster of an antique kettle. His tail curved into a handle, and his four furry paws shrank to become the four feet. Only his pointed and bewhiskered nose projected where the spout should be.
Time marker/ connector / Who/What Noun
(use complete subject) / Action or
State of being
Verb / Who, What, Where
Suddenly / an idea / came to / him,
and / using / his one amazing magic power,
he / began / to transform himself into
a cylindrical, polished, ceramic coffee mug.
His body / shrunk / several inches shorter and
and / his fur / smoothed / into
the dark, black, glazed surface of the mug.
His tail / turned / into
the mug's handle, and
his four furry paws / shortened / to become
little feet at the base of the mug.
Only / his pointed and bewhiskered nose / protruded / from the
mug's lip.

Reading/Writing Instruction Passage 2 (STUDENT SAMPLE KEY)

Writing Prompt

Name ______Date ______

Background:

In the folktale, The Lucky Tea-Kettle, you read about the transformation of the badger (tanuki) into a lucky tea-kettle. We analyzed the author’s writing style and vocabulary to learn how it helped us visualize the transformation.

Directions:

If the tanuki could transform into a special object from your kitchen or eating utensils, what item would it be? Write a descriptive paragraph explaining the transformation of the tanuki into your special object. Use the “springboard” text outline from The Lucky Tea-Kettle to help you choose interesting action verbs and descriptive details to help your reader visualize this transformation!

Expectations:

Write one, very detailed, paragraph:

Use the “springboard” paragraph to help you!
Edit your work when you think you’re done!
Illustrate your paragraph using the blank space at the bottom of the page.

CHALLENGE: See me if you’d like to extend your paragraph into a more expanded story!

Vocabulary Bank

(TEACHER SAMPLE KEY)

Directions: If the tanuki could transform into a special object from your kitchen or eating utensils, what item would it be? Write a descriptive paragraph explaining the transformation of the tanuki into your special object. Use the “springboard” text outline from The Lucky Tea-Kettle to help you choose interesting action verbs and descriptive details to help your reader visualize this transformation!

Suddenly an idea came to him, and using his one amazing magic power, he began to transform himself into a cylindrical, polished, coffee mug. His body shrunk several inches shorter and his fur smoothed into the dark, black, glazed surface of the mug. His tail turned into the mug's handle, and his four furry paws shortened to become little feet at the base of the mug. Only his pointed and bewhiskered nose protruded from the mug's lip.

(STUDENT SAMPLE KEY)