ACT

October 7, 2016

For this lesson my 4th grade students learned about Japan and their use of the traditional Kimono. We learned how to pronounce and say japanese words and some of the items worn with the Kimono, such as the Geta (Japanese clogs), Obi (sash worn under the Kimono) and Eri (the belt). We also learned that the word "Ki" means wear and "Mono" means thing. Kimono translates as something to wear. We read the book, Suki's Kimono by Chieri Uegaki to introduce the lesson. This book had other traditional Japanese words that the students learned. The book was great because it focuses on a young girl in elementary school who wears a Kimono to school and shares stories about her traditions to her class. In the book some students in her class laugh at because of her Kimono and stories, the story shows students how to be respectful of all cultures. The teacher in the story handles the situation appropriatly and the class cheers and claps for Suki. For this reason, I had students do Self-Portrait of themselves in a Kimono. We used coffee filers to create the look for the kimono. In this lesson I also got to talk about skin tones and why our skin color is different. We had a great conversation in class. I am thrilled with how they turned out and the students loved this project!