Teaching Resources

The Spider’s thread is a well-known story in Japan. It is a moral fable inspired by Buddhist beliefs about good, evil and redemption, written by Ryunosuke Akutagawa and published in 1918. This kamishibai is suitable for KS3 and above. 

This standalone lesson brings Japanese culture into the maths classroom, allowing students to learn about the history and significance of three Japanese patterns as they explore the properties of shapes. 

This lesson introduces Japan, Japanese culture, and the Tokyo Olympic games to KS2 students. It includes many fun facts and a short quiz at the end.

In the final lesson, students will learn about the different materials and techniques which have been used to design buildings in Japan, allowing them to withstand earthquakes.

In this lesson, students students will learn how earthquakes can cause a tsunami and will also consider the impact of the disaster on survivors. They will also look at the work of Fumio Obata, a graphic novelist and illustrator who produced ‘comic reportage’ detailing the scale and human tragedy of the disaster.

In Lesson 5, students will study Sakurajima, located on the island of Kyushu and learn to describe the key features of a volcano.

In this lesson, students study a population graph and produce a written description of the changes in Japan. They will also use population data to produce their own choropleth map showing Japan’s population density.

In this lesson students explore the wildlife of Japan and consider what makes it home to so many different animal species. Using the information sheets, students will gather information about some animals and their habitats and create a labelled map showing where they are located in Japan.

In lesson 2, students will learn about the climate of Japan and the climatic variations between different regions. Using information fact sheets about the different seasons and seasonal festivals they will produce a climate calendar and decide the best time to visit Japan.

In the first lesson of this unit students learn key features of Japan’s location and geography, including that it is within the Pacific Ring of Fire and on the boundaries of four tectonic plates. They will consider the opportunities and challenges of living in Japan.