Lesson Plan - What's Up World? Japan
Learning Objective
Students will read about national holidays in Japan and learn about some characteristics and features of Japan.
Text Structure
Compare and Contrast
Content-Area Connections
Social Studies; Global Communities
Standards Correlations
CCSS: RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.3, RI.3.4, RI.3.5, RI.3.6, RI.3.7, RI.3.8, RI.3.10, L.3.4, SL.3.1
NCSS: Global Connections
TEKS: Social Studies 3.2
1. Preparing to Read
Watch a Video: Let’s Discover Japan
Take a video trip to the island nation of Japan. Discuss: Which facts about Japan caught your attention? Why?
Preview Words to Know
Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.
Set a Purpose for Reading
As students read, have them think about the purpose of national holidays and why countries celebrate their people and places.
2. Close-Reading Questions
1. What is the main purpose of this article? The purpose of this article is to inform readers about Constitution Day, a national holiday in Japan. It also describes how Japan’s government compares with the U.S. government and what life is like in Japan.
(RI.3.2 AUTHOR’S PURPOSE)
2. How is the prime minister of Japan similar to the U.S. president? Both the prime minister of Japan and the U.S. president are leaders elected by their country’s people. They also have similar responsibilities, and each leads a branch of government.
(RI.3.9 COMPARE AND CONTRAST)
3. List three facts about Japan that you can learn from the map. Sample response: The map shows that Japan borders three bodies of water, including the Pacific Ocean. It also is near Russia and China. Finally, the map shows that Japan’s capital city is Toyko.
(RI.3.7 TEXT FEATURES)
3. Skill Building
FEATURED SKILL: Compare and Contrast
Use this skill builder to have students compare Japan with their own community.
(RI.3.9 COMPARE AND CONTRAST)
