Unit 4

SKETCHING

Sketching My Possible Selves Tree

Unit 4 Sketching

This unit is designed to explore some uncomfortable emotions. It is important to look at things we fear so we will will be encouraged to take a different path. As uncomfortable as it may be to think about negative things, it may help the students to identify with what they want to achieve. As with all lessons, do keep the age of your students in mind.

For the KCAI Japanese version I focused on the recovery efforts from the Tohoku natural disaster of 2011 and the covid-19 quarantine response in Japan. This is a possible time to introduce your students to natural disasters or other difficult situations found in countries where your languages are used.

As students will be drawing a tree, I recommend introducing them to a famous tree found in countries where your languages are used. For Japanese I chose the 1000 year old cherry blossom tree that stands at the edge of the nuclear exclusion zone in Fukushima. This tree has become a symbol of resilience, not only for Tohoku recovery but also for covid quarantine measures.

Check out the KCAI Unit & Resources below!

Downloadable Template

Unit 4 Sketching Template

KCAI Sample & Adaption Suggestions

Possible Selves Lesson 4 UPDATED

EXPLORE:

Cultural Artifact: The power of singing: Kyu Sakamoto and community singing
Kanji Micro-skills: 上 Up 幸 Happiness 悲 Sadness 歩 Walk
Linguistic Awareness: Direct and Distal style recognition
Linguistic Activity: Create a poster with supportive messages
Linguistic Skill: Volitional form conjugation in distal and direct style

Language Substitution: Activate your students to think about how they keep their heads up in difficult times. What talismans or cultural artifacts do you know of that are related to the one you used in Units 1, 2, and 3? Are there other songs, stories, or artifacts that can be used for encouragement in dark times?

CREATE:

Discovery: Students explore the importance of singing songs to lift their spirits. This section highlights how the song Ue wo Muite Arukou was used in both the 2011 Great Tohoku Earthquake and the 2020 Covid Quarantine measures.

Apply: Students sketch their Possible Selves tree. Labeling comes from words and expressions students identified in the earlier units.

Language Substitution: Adjust the language and career ambitions in the English survey to align with student population. Encourage all students, regardless of artistic skill, to put effort into this drawing. If needed, you can use a tree template or other simple drawing as a starting place. Some of my student work is found below.

REFLECT:

In English, students write about the tree and environmental hazards they sketched. In as much detail as possible they are to describe how the roots represent them, the limbs are the three areas of their life (Japanese user, professional artist, person) and the branches are their hopes and expectations. They also write about the fears they identified as things attacking the tree.

Language Substitution: Adjust the language and career ambitions in the English survey to align with student population. If your students have a variety of career paths, you can change this to "preparing to enter the workforce"