letters to Tokyo

I had the opportunity to visit a second grade classroom in the Arlington District in December.  This year, the study of Japan is incorporated in the social studies curriculum for all second graders in the district. I visited a class that was being taught by a teacher who had spent some time in Japan. The learning that was taking place was obvious when I stepped into the classroom. The children were very enthusiastic. They responded to directions given by the teacher in Japanese. They were self-motivated to go to activity stations and could explain to me which aspect of Japanese culture they were exploring. One child proudly showed me a picture he had drawn with the kanji characters for Japan written on it. Other children sang me the song “Teru Teru Bozu” (somewhat like a Japanese version of “Rain, Rain, Go Away” as they showed me the Teru Teru Bozu figures (looking like ghosts in the photo above) they had made to ensure good weather. The teacher was doing an amazing job making the students enthusiastic about Japan studies.