Webquests for teaching about Japan
Japanese webquests are online and therefore an interactive way for students to learn about Japan. The webquests listed below are on the following topics: Japanese art, exploring Japan and its culture, travel to Japan, Japanese food, daily life and hiroshima and Japanese wars.
Art webquests
Japanese Art Festival
http://cte.jhu.edu/techacademy/fellows/Kirby/webquest/template.html
Students research various art forms such as origami, haiku, shodo or ikebana and present it to Year 1 students.
Australia compared to Japan
Hunting for Kenshu Japan
http://www.beenleigss.qld.edu.au/requested_sites/kenshu/hunt.htm
Students describe the similarities and differences between an aspect of their Australian life and that of Japan.
Discover Japan and Japanese culture webquests
Discover Japan
http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/for_lang/Japanese/WebQuest/discover/DiscoverJapan.html
As a group, students research Japan’s geography, customs, history, government and language. Students will play on of the following roles: geographer, historian, political scientist, linguist, and anthropologist. Students are expected to work together to get information about Japan, and share their findings with the group, and compare and contrast with their own culture. Based on their findings, students create an interesting presentation using power point.
Exploring Japan
http://www.education.umd.edu/Depts/EDCI/edci385/webquests3/Webquest5/student.htm
Students research the web in small groups about various topics such as Japanese food and clothing, Japanese holidays and festivals, Japanese school and education, Japanese home, family and religion, Japanese recreation and transport. They then need to write a report which will then be bound together to make a small book on Japan. Also, students present the information they found to the class.
Let's read Japanese fairytales
http://onene24.tripod.com/letsreadjapanesefairytales/id4.html
Students read Japanese Fairy Tales in English and through these tales learn about Japanese culture.
Webquest Japan
http://members.shaw.ca/jirlam/WebQuestJapan/index.htm
Students select from on of the following topics: A summer in Japan, opening a Japanese restaurant, artistic director does Japanese theatre, a TV special on Japanese festivals, Japanese sports – a career choice, Martha Stewart visits Japan, moving to Japan, A Japanese fashion show.
Fashion webquests
Let's try on Japan
http://www.rblewis.net/technology/EDU506/WebQuests/tryonjapan/tryonjapan.html
Students research the Kimono and then create a brochure on Kimonos and design their own kimono.
Food webquests
Invite Japanese exchange students to the party
http://www.columbia.edu/~mf2249/webquest/webquest.html
Students chose appropriate dishes and recipes for a party for their Japanese classmates who are feeling homesick. Students will make a menu, present their recipes to their class and create a webpage with all of the dishes.
Hiroshima and War webquests
Attack on Hiroshima
http://www.crews.org/curriculum/ss/hiroshimaquest.htm
Students imagine they are a news group that was alive during WWII, more specifically, the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima, Japan. Students write a special edition magazine to capture and relay the perspectives of the people during this period.
The decision to drop the bomb
http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/webquests/wwii/
Students are divided into four groups (Harry S Truman, the American miliarty, the Japanese and the scientists) and research the decision to drop the atomic bomb. They then debate the decision in a form of a town meeting and support their arguments based on their research.
School and daily life webquests
A Day in the life of a Japanese child
http://www.cusd.chico.k12.ca.us/libraries/elementary/japan/
Students create a book that will tell about the daily life of a Japanese child. Students research and create a book from the viewpoint of a Japanese elementary school student. Each page in the book will tell about the child’s daily life and about their favorite things. Welcome
http://www.geocities.com/loriblanke/
Students are asked to imagine they are a Meeter Greeter at their school and need to assist new students who have moved to Japan adjust to their new Japanese life. Together with three other classmates students gather information about the living conditions, recreational activities and school atmosphere.
Travel webquests
Japanese holiday
http://www.cap.nsw.edu.au/bb_site_intro/stage2_Modules/japan/japanese_holiday.htm
The students imagine that their family has won a two week holiday to Japan to be taken any time throughout the next twelve months. Students need to consider three cities to stay in – Tokyo, Nagasaki or Hakone. Students write up their findings and present them to the rest of the class.
Travel Japan
http://sd71.bc.ca/Sd71/Edulinks/countries/japan/
Students imagine they have just been hired by a travel agency. Students create a brochure for the company to use to advertise their latest vacation package to Japan.
You are moving to Japan
http://web.viu.ca/webquests3/2001/japan/japan.html
Students imagine that their parents have decided to move to Japan. There are three cities they can chose from Sapporo, Nagoya or Fukuoka. Students research the net to determine which city would be the best for their family. They then make a brochure to show their parents highlighting all the positive things they have found out about that city.