“East Meets West”—Using Friendship Gardens to Build Understanding andAppreciation for Cultural Differences.

Naomi Oyadomari—October 2019
Lucerne Valley Middle High School
Lucerne Valley, California
8th Grade Language Arts/ History
Suggested Timeline: Approximately 2 months
Key Vocabulary:
Issei, Nissei, Sansei, Inu, Shikata ga nai, Banzai, Samurai, Geisha, Kabuki, Bakatare,kimono, arigato, Hiroshima, Fujiyama,
Learning Objectives:

Identify various aspects of Japanese culture through the reading of the novel,
Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James Houston
Differentiate Japanese traditions from other cultural traditions such as American,
Hispanic, European, etc
Demonstrate knowledge of similarities between the two cultures
Disseminate information learned through various mediums such as writing,power point presentations, videos, art, display boards, garden design
Define key Japanese vocabulary terms pertinent to the reading
Develop a deeper understanding for Japanese culture.

Focus Questions:
1. How is Japanese culture similar to American culture?
2. How can differences bring two cultures together?
3. Can one have National pride and loyalty towards ones’ adopted country, whilestill holding onto ones’ original heritage?
Instructions:
1. Students will complete the novel Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki
Houston and James Houston in their English Language Arts class.
2. Students will identify the difficulties and hardships Japanese Americans had toendure during WWII internment, while still holding onto their traditional Japanesecustoms and traditions through journalizing and class discussions.
3. Students will develop a deeper understanding of the Japanese culture throughthe reading of the novel and through further research of Japanese customs.
4. Students will create a vocabulary bank of significant Japanese terms used in thenovel to further understand the Japanese culture5. Students will create a group slideshow showing their understanding of similarities
and differences of the two cultures and present their two slides and script on a
timed presentation.
6. Students will read Mitoko and the Friendship Garden for further extension of thisunit and the personal stories of other individuals affected by the war.
7. Upon completion of the novel, students will create a power point presentation,
display board, video or demonstration to disseminate their learning of Japaneseculture. They will choose from the following topic suggestions: History of Ancient Japan Geography of Japan The Samurai Warrior Class Religions of Japan Japanese Language and Writing Zen/ Meditational gardens
 Traditional customs
 Internment camps in California
 Manzanar Internment Camp Video: A Day in the Life of a Japanese Student / A Day in the Life of aLucerne Valley Student
8. The final culmination of this unit will be the combined efforts of students indesigning and creating a Friendship Garden/ Meditational Garden on the Middle
School campus, that will display the blending of both cultures of Japan andLucerne Valley. The end result is to instill an appreciation of how meditational
gardens can bring comfort and a sense of calmness, as it did for so many
Japanese Americans who were interned at Manzanar.
Extensions: Japan Fair showcasing the students’ final projects
 Paint Party on a Japanese painting Fieldtrip to the Japanese American Museum in Los Angeles & the Huntington
Library in Pasadena to visit the Japanese Garden.
 Link up with a school in Japan, ie Takehaya High School as pen pals
Summative Assessment:
Students will be assessed on the completion of their final project as outlined in theproject rubric. They will also be required to create an original thesis statement for theirproject while addressing the focus questions to demonstrate their understanding of theirresearch as it relates to the unit.