Abstract:

Using the video and accompanying curriculum unit, students will identify their preconceptions of Japanese housing and the sources for their information, describe several traditional and innovative features in contemporary Japanese homes and appreciate the value placed on each of these features, analyze the relationship among geography, environment, housing, and lifestyle, consider how pressures on living space have influenced Japanese lifestyles and defined social issues, and solve hypothetical problems involving space and living conditions. Module themes include: tradition and change, home design as a reflection of aesthetic and cultural values and geographic and environmental influences and socioeconomic realities, and cultural transmission, borrowing and adapting. || For Grades 5-12 || The video contains several shorter segments that can be used individually or together. The teacher's guide contains background essays for the teacher, a video transcript and discussion guide, two complete lesson plans, and a list of relevant Web resources.