Book: 
A Book of Five Rings
Monotaro, the Peach Boy
Patterson.  Of Nightingales that Weep

1.) Students will read, discuss, and take notes on primary and secondary sources about the samurai class and feudal system in medieval Japan. Students will read selections from A Book of Five Rings and Momotaro, the Peach Boy and list warrior values of bushido and information about the samurai. They will read the first chapter of Katherine Paterson's Of Nightingales That Weep and use their notes to write a description of the battle from the point of view of the samurai Lord Moriyuki.

2.) Students will watch selections from Akira Kurosawa's film Rashomon. Based on their knowledge about medieval Japanese society, students will predict who the killer was and how the crime was committed. Students will discuss reasons for the popularity of medieval Japanese subjects in modern Japanese film, and identify aspects of samurai culture that may appeal to modern Japanese people or still exist in modern Japan.

3.) Students will read haiku by Japanese authors such as Basho and discuss work by artists such as Ando Hiroshige. They will write and illustrate haiku in Japanese style.

4.) Students will participate in a role play that illustrates features of different social classes in Tokugawa, Japan. The room will be divided into stations, each station representing a different social class. Students will move from station to station and perform a different activity at each station that represents each class. For example, at the station representing the samurai, students will practice "shooting" by throwing paper balls into a box. At the station representing the merchants, students will sell products to the passersby, etc. At the end of the activity, students will discuss the differences between the classes, their places in the feudal society, and the perspectives they had on society.

5.) Students will make a chart comparing and contrasting feudal societies of Medieval Europe and Japan.

Expectations for the Tasks

· Students need to identify three features of each type of Buddhism discussed in the presentations, locate sources of the sects, and compare and contrast the cultures and religious sects. 

· Students should include at least five details or pieces of information about the Samurai and Medieval Japan in each writing assignment.

· Poetry and artwork should contain only Japanese artistic and literary elements.

· Students will need to identify the structure of feudal Japanese society and the roles played by each class of people.

· Charts should give at least five differences and five similarities, and present accurate and detailed information.