Elementary School Resources
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Math | Social Studies | Language Arts | Science | Healthful Living | Visual Arts
Mandarin Chinese can be found in High School Resources
Math
The Art of the Warli
By Dee Camp White
Published on and developed with Center for South Asia Outreach at University of Wisconsin-Madison
Students will look at Warli paintings and reflect on the meaning of culture and the use of geometry. They will examine how Warli culture translates into paintings about everyday experiences and how students’ own everyday experiences reflect on the culture around them. Common Core Standards for Geometry can be met.
The Long March: Finding Mathematical Equivalence
By Charlee Raddish from Green Intermediate School
Published on and developed with National Consortium for Teaching about Asia-Ohio
This lesson teaches 5th grade math students about Mao Zedong leading China’s Communist Party on the Long March in 1934. It requires students to find mathematical equivalences between units of measure and capacity.
Magic Squares
By Asia for Educators from Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University
A “magic square” is a square divided into multiple additional squares or blocks, each block containing one number. This introductory guide to “magic squares” includes some puzzles for students to solve. For more advanced problems, visit https://plus.maths.org/content/anything-square-magic-squares-sudoku.
Tangrams
By Asia for Educators from Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University
This lesson will focus on students learning tangrams, a game-puzzle played in ancient China. This puzzle was played by royalty and was made of ivory, gold, and other materials. For another interactive website where students can solve tangram puzzles, visit http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/math-games/tanagram-game/.
China Abacus
By University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Published on Asia for Educators from Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University
Students will learn how to calculate using the abascus. They will practice place value while learning a new method for addition and subtraction.
Social Studies
Animals of the Chinese Zodiac
By EDSTIEment at the National Endowment for the Humanities
Students will learn about the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac in this lesson plan. In the process, they will learn about Chinese culture and improve reading, writing, and researching skills.
Family and Other Families: Using Totoro to Teach Family Structure
By Rosemarie Young from Japan Society
Students will read a story and watch a Japanese movie about the fantasy creature Totoro. Students will discuss the structure of the family in Japan and discuss its similarities and differences with their family. Common Core Standards can be met.
Japanese American Internment: How Young People Saw It
By Smithsonian Education from Smithsonian Institute
Through primary and secondary sources, students will learn of the experiences of children and teens in World War II internment camps. This set of four lessons is divided into grades K–2, 3–5, 6–8, and 9–12. Younger students will read (or listen to) Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki.
Lions, Dragons, and Nian: Animals of the Chinese New Year
By EDSTIEment at the National Endowment for the Humanities
In this lesson, students will study the differences between Eastern and Western dragons and discover why Eastern dragons are associated with the Chinese New Year. For an additional video of the Triangle’s TACAS Lion Dance group, visit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA5SOAyjQaQ&index=2&list=PLnlixMoRkDHKCFSzwy7hSUiNu5tJ-F9gb
Obento: The Japanese Lunch Box
By About Japan Editors from Japan Society
Students will understand the importance of an obento (lunch box) in the Japanese lifestyle, learn the basic rules of an obento, and be exposed to Japanese food culture.
On the Road with Marco Polo
By EDSTIEment at the National Endowment for the Humanities
Students will become Marco Polo adventurers in this curriculum unit, following his route to and from China. Students will record their “journey” by creating journal entries, postcards, posters, and maps related to the sites they explore. Unit includes eight lessons.
Our Mapping Perceptions
By Asia Society
Students will create their own map and analyze a historical map of China. Students will identify key elements of maps, functions that influence their creation, and how they serve as resources.
We’re Off to India!
By Virgina vonReichbauer
Published on and developed with Center for South Asia Outreach at University of Wisconsin-Madison
This curriculum unit for 3rd and 4th grade students helps introduce young children to geography, landmarks, literature, languages, celebrations, schools, and arts and daily life of India.
Language Arts
The Art of the Warli
By Dee Camp White
Published on and developed with Center for South Asia Outreach at University of Wisconsin-Madison
Students will look at Warli paintings and reflect on the meaning of culture. They will examine how Warli culture translates into paintings about everyday experiences and how students’ own everyday experiences reflect on the culture around them. Common Core Standards for Writing can be met.
Can You Haiku?
By EDSTIEment at the National Endowment for the Humanities
This lesson plan explores the rules and conventions of haiku, provides examples of master haiku poets, and helps students create haiku of their own. This simple yet highly sophisticated form of poetry can help sharpen students’ response to language and enhance their powers of self-expression.
Journey to the West: The Adventures of Monkey
Re-told by John S. Major from Asia Society
These online storybooks help students practice reading through a popular Chinese fairytale.
Part 1: http://kids.asiasociety.org/stories/journey-west-part-1
Part 2: http://kids.asiasociety.org/stories/journey-west-part-2
Our Family and Other Families: Using Totoro to Teach Family Structure
By Rosemarie Young from Japan Society
Students will read the story and watch the Japanese movie about the fantasy creature Totoro. Students will discuss the structure of the family in Japan and discuss its similarities and differences with their family. They will also create a poem about families. Common Core Standards for Language Arts can be met.
Science
Living Efficiently: Daily Energy-Saving Practices from Totoro and Today
By Yen Pham from Japan Society
The rural 1950s way of life depicted in the anime film My Neighbor Totoro offers lessons in green living that are applicable across cultures and time periods. In this lesson, students will 1) describe traditional Japanese attitudes toward nature; 2) identify at least five energy-saving practices in Totoro; and 3) design an advertising poster to promote those energy-saving practices in today’s world. Common Core Standards for Language Arts can be met.
The Web of Life: Seaweed
By Kasi Kiehlbaugh from Marine Discovery at the University of Arizona
By making use of common household foods, this activity presents the concepts of food chains and food webs. It teaches students about the differences between a producer and a consumer and emphasizes that humans are just one piece of this very complicated web of life. It illustrates that the ocean is part of our food web and that marine algae are an important ingredient in many of our foods. National Standards for Science can be met.
Healthful Living
Truyen-Truyen: A Vietnamese Game
By Asia Society
This game of jacks teaches counting and hand-eye coordination skills. Children will use a rubber ball (or a tennis ball) with ten chopsticks to learn about this Vietnamese game.
Visual Arts
The Art of the Warli
By Dee Camp White
Published on and developed with Center for South Asia Outreach at University of Wisconsin-Madison
Students will look at Warli paintings and reflect on the meaning of culture. They will examine how Warli culture translates into paintings about everyday experiences and how students’ own everyday experiences reflect on the culture around them.
We are More Common than Not: Connecting the Cultural Dots between U.S. Students of South Asian and West Indian Descent
By Nikita Hunter
Published on and developed with Center for South Asia Outreach at University of Wisconsin-Madison
Students will do a variety of activities to learn about Indian history and culture. They will see overlapping cultural traditions between India and the West Indies.
The Carolina Asia Center supports diverse Asia-related lesson plans. However, CAC did not create these lesson plans. This lesson plan database does not constitute endorsement of or agreement with the views presented therein. As an academic institution, we value diverse perspectives that promote dialogue and understanding.