Grade 6 - Understanding Culture and Society

This sub-organizer contains the following sections:
Prescribed Learning Outcomes
Suggested Instructional Strategies
Suggested Assessment Strategies
Recommended Learning Resources

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES

It is expected that students will:

identify some characteristics of Japanese culture and society
compare some cultural elements of Japan to those of their own cultural backgrounds

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Understanding Culture and Society in other grades click on an icon below.

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Students explore their family and community traditions and compare them to those in Japan. They identify similarities between Japanese culture and their own. Students gain understanding of how cultural links to language enhance communication.

Ask students in small groups to create visual displays of all the possible members of a Japanese family (e.g., mother, father, guardian, stepsister, stepmother), using a variety of materials such as photographs, magazine pictures, and dolls or puppets. Have them create a caption or short description to identify each family member. Using this information and gender- and culturally appropriate gestures, students role-play introducing family members to one another and then to the class.
Provide students with materials to create dolls dressed in traditional or contemporary Japanese clothing. Students could use flat paper figures (paper dolls) or 3-D figures such as origami sculpture or kokeshi. Invite students to collect words related to the essential elements of kimono, and discuss as a class the advantages and disadvantages of wearing traditional kimono and modern dress. Students could also discuss how these Japanese modes of dress are similar to their own.
Invite a person of Japanese heritage to speak to the class about family structures and the role of the family in Japanese societies. Have students prepare a number of questions for the speaker and record the results. Suggest that they use this information to add to a visual display depicting Japanese family life. Ask students to thank the guest orally and later in writing.

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

Building students' knowledge of Japanese culture and society will enhance their skills in language communication. Students' attitudes play a key role in their abilities to understand the cultural context of the language. At this level, assessment of cultural understanding focusses on students' awareness, openness, interest, and willingness to participate.

As students create visual displays about Japanese family relationships, look for evidence that they:
- clearly identify relationships among family members
- use the correct term of address for each position and relationship
- create appropriate captions describing some of the characteristics of family members
When students role-play introducing family members, note growth in areas such as:
- confidence in using Japanese words or structures
- understanding of the vocabulary used for family members according to their position
- knowledge of expressions used in introductions
- use of non-verbal gestures (e.g., depth of bow according to position)
As students discuss traditional and contemporary clothing or participate in cultural activities, note evidence of their interest and understanding such as:
- volunteering information about their own communities or customs
- speculating about reasons for particular customs or behaviours
- asking questions
- offering to find out the answers to questions
- volunteering information they have discovered about other cultures

RECOMMENDED LEARNING RESOURCES

Print Materials

Ancient Japan
"Body" Language
Chopsticks! An Owner's Manual
Everyday Japanese
Festivals of Japan
In Japan
Japanese - An Appetizer
A Look Into Japan

Video

The Children of Japan

Multimedia

Niko Niko

Games/Manipulatives

The Complete Origami Kit for Children

Revised: January 26, 1999

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