Glastonbury Foreign Language Program
Curricular Unit: Families in Japan (Japanese)
Grade: 3
Subject/Topic Area(s): How is my family different from others?
Key Words: Nihon, ajia (Asia), taiheiyou (Pacific Ocean), oostoraria(Australia), kankoku (Korea), chuugoku (China), Tokyo, Honshuu, Hokkaidou, Shikoku, Kyuushuu, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Mt. Fuji, sumo, yakyuu (baseball), sushi, tempura
Standards:
Major standards— 1.1 1.2 2.1 3.1 4.1 5.1
Supporting standards— 1.3 2.2 4.2 5.2
Brief Summary of Unit (including curricular context and unit goals):
Students will locate Japan on a map and/or globe.
Students will identify and name the continent, countries and the ocean near Japan .
Students will compare popular pets, sports, and pastimes between Japan and the U.S.A.
Students will recognize the names and the location of at least three important cities in Japan .
Students will name and locate Mount Fuji on a map of Japan .
Students will complete a project- a book on Japan.
Number of days for activity: 3-4 weeks
Materials and resources (including technology and multimedia):
_ Map, globe
_ Pictures of Japan
_ Flash cards with names of different cities and specific locations in Japan
_ Picture of the flag of Japan
_Mini-book on Japan (project)
_Example
Identifying Desired Results
• What essential questions will guide this unit and focus teaching/learning?
How is my family different from a Japanese family?
How is my family similar to a Japanese family?
What do people in Japan wear? Is it different or the same as in the U.S.A. ?
What do people eat in Japan ?
What is the favorite pastime in Japan ?
What sports do children practice in Japan ?
Do students in Japan wear regular clothes or uniforms to school?
• What enduring understandings are desired?
Student will understand...
That people in Japan wear the same type of clothing that people wear in the U.S.A.
That people in Japan wear traditional clothing on special occasions.
That families in Japan are similar to families in the U.S.A.
That food and eating habits are different in Japan .
That Japanese love baseball, a favorite sport.
That students wear uniforms in schools.
• What key knowledge and skills will students acquire as a result of this unit?
Students will know…
• the names of various animals
• how to describe animals by color, size, and shape
• how to categorize animals
• the names of different animal habitats
• that Japan is formed by four big islands and many small island.
• the location of Japan on a map and/or globe.
• the capital of Japan.
• the names of at least three big cities in Japan.
• the location and the name of an important volcano in Japan.
• the names of favorite sports and pastimes in Japan.Students will be able to…
• use writing to convey meaning
• use the following conventions of writing:
_ spacing between words and sentences
_ capitalization
_ punctuation
_ end marks
_ commas
_ accents
Vocabulary:
Grammar:
_ Regular and irregular plurals
_ Subject pronouns
_ Naming words (common and proper nouns)
_ Action words (verbs)
_ Describing words (adjectives)
_ Present, past, future tenses
• What do they already know that will help them learn new information? Where and when did they learn it?
The students know continents and oceans. They know their location on a map and/or a globe
Determining acceptable evidence
• What evidence will show that students understand?
Performance Tasks:
project, class participation
Quizzes, Tests, Prompts, Work Samples:
Book on Japan
Unprompted Evidence (observations, dialogues):
Student Self-Assessment:
Lessons:
Links to Relevant Web Sites:
Assessment Blueprint (Performance Tasks)
Task Title: Book on Japan
Approximate Time Frame: 3-5 days
Standards: 1.1, 2.1, 3.1, 4.1, 5.1, 1.2, 2.2, 1.3
Purpose: check those that apply Formative – Summative –
Description of Task:
The students will complete a project- the students complete a mini-book on Japan .
Evidence of desired understanding:The students will correctly enter information about Japan on the lines.
The students will draw pictures that will tell about Japan .
The students will draw the flag of Japan .
The students will read their books to the rest of the class.Criteria of judgment:
The students drew pictures and wrote the correct information about Japan in the mini-book.Evaluative Tools: check those that apply
Analytic Rubric –
Holistic Rubric –
Criterion (performance) list –
Checklist – x
Assessment Blueprint (Other Evidence)
• What is being assessed?
General knowledge of Japan
• Describe the assessment.
Oral assessment: Throughout the unit individual students will periodically be assessed on their understanding of the vocabulary and their ability to apply concepts taught in class.
• What is the purpose of the assessment?
• Criteria of judgment/evaluative tools:
Checklist:
__ Follows directions correctly.__ Draws pictures that tell what he/she has learned about Japan .
__ Writes information about Japan correctly.
__ Demonstrates good effort.