Teaching Resources

Using the NHS ‘5 Ways to Wellbeing’ (Connect, Be Active, Keep Learning, Take Notice and Give) pupils will explore the concept of wellbeing and how it might be improved through engagement with the events, customs and celebrations of Japan. This scheme of work will not only promote increased cultural awareness, but also highlight features of Japanese culture, which promote positive mental health and wellbeing.

Looking for some craft activities to do for Valentine's Day this year? Why not try making your own origami decorations, a gift box for Valentine's Day sweets, or a secret message envelope?

An origami box is unique and very useful. It is also very easy to make. All you need is a square piece of paper!

The 7-5-3 Festival (Shichi-Go-San 七五三) is an annual celebration held on November 15. In this lesson, students will learn about the customs, foods and beliefs associated with the 7-5-3 festival in Japan.

In Japan, it is said that a rabbit lives on the moon and this folktale explains how that came to be. This kamishibai can be used to teach about Otsukimi, the autumn moon viewing festival. Visit the O Tsukimi page for more teaching resources.

Otsukimi literally means “Moon Viewing” and is an autumn festival in Japan celebrating the Harvest Moon.

According to an old Japanese folktale, rabbits are associated with the Tsukimi festival in autumn. Follow this video to make your own moon rabbit!

In this lesson, students will explore the impact of different tenses in creative writing by writing prose about their journey to school and editing their own work.

In this lesson, students will learn about the key elements of haiku: that they are seasonal poems which contain a ‘phrase’ and a ‘fragment’. Students will also have a chance to write their own haiku and read it aloud. 

In Lesson 1, students will respond creatively to images of Japan, using sensory language to write a description of a scene and will reflect on the concept of journeys.