Webquest Activity
Procedure:
1. Divide class into groups and assign a different piece of art to each
group.
2. If each group doesn’t have access to a computer, print out the art and
artist descriptions, and hand one set to each group. Also, if necessary, copy,
print, and hand out the appropriate questions for each piece.
3. Students examine and discuss each picture and then answer the following:
·
Observation Questions: These questions
are based solely on their observation of the art and artist’s descriptions.
·
WebQuest Questions: Students answer these after viewing
the recommended web links.
·
Critical Thinking Questions: Students use higher
ranking thinking skills to answer these questions.
4. Suggested additional activity, if time allows: Re-enactment: group members form a
“tableau” with each member selecting one person in the scene. Copy their body
position, facial expression, etc. and freeze. At the signal, each participant
unfreezes and all group members interact and act out in action and dialogue
what might happen next.
5. Allow 5 minutes per group (20 minutes in all for 4 groups) to display
their assigned art piece, present their discoveries and insights - perhaps
leading a short discussion, and, time permitting, to act out their one-minute
tableau scenes.
6. End with a short discussion of what the students have learned about
Japan and the importance of water in Japanese culture. Is water more important
to their culture than to ours?
Observation questions: Look closely at the details in the art, read the
artist description, and answer these questions:
·
What are the people doing?
·
The young people here all attend the same __________.
WebQuest Questions:
·
Open up the suggested links to find the information needed to answer these
questions:
·
Traditionally men and women have a different role in planting rice. What
are they?
Men’s role:
Women’s role:
·
What is “Inadama”?
·
What time of the year do they plant rice in Japan?
·
Why do they flood the field when they plant rice?
·
Critical Thinking Questions:
·
Rice is a “staple food” in Japan? What does the term “staple food” mean?
·
What are the staple foods in your country?