Photos around Japan

Nara was all about the deer!

Usually timid, unless you had food to give them. 

 Originally the capital of Japan - many temples and shrines found around the city.  Endo-Ji temple in the mountains above Nara.

Tokyo also had many shrines and temples-  below  is Asakusa.

 Koyoto 
Also originally one of the capitals of Japan.  Many old areas mixed in with those of a big city.

ESD projects!

ESD: Education for Sustainable Development is the idea that we live within our means.
It is not just about the environment - it is about the interconnection of all things and the
careful use of natural resources.  That we partner with nature and not dominate it!  

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization), explains ESD as 
"a vision of education that seeks to balance human and economic well-being with cultural traditions
and respect for the earth's natural resources".  

We will be doing this by working 
together with schools in both the
U.S. and in Japan!

At Howard Gray we will be concentrating on three main areas:  Food, Peace and Water.  

Food:  We will be working on a project to design "mascots" that teach younger students about good food nutrition and healthy eating.  So start thinking about the food groups and ideas you have for teaching students about these!

Water:  Water is needed for life and connects us all around the world.  We will be learning about water sources in areas around the U.S and in Japan and the importance of conservation, especially in Arizona!  This will involve some field-trips to ponds and other water areas and communicating with students around the world!

Peace:  We will be participating in a project where we will be sending "symbols of Peace" to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial park in Japan.  

Question - What is the Hiroshima Peace Memorial and why is it important? (put your answers in the comment section below).

Leaving Japan

Today I head back to Arizona from  Japan.  This has been a fantastic trip with lots of great experiences to share with all of you!

For the last few days we have been working together on joint projects to use in class so that we can build international understanding between the US, Japan and around the world.

We wrapped up the trip by working in small groups and I have several projects I will be sharing at school!

Here is a view from the hotel conference room and then all the teachers that were involved in the program.

I leave Tokyo at 4 pm today, July 2nd, and arrive in Phoenix at 3:30 pm on July 2nd.

Question:  How am I able to arrive earlier, then I left?  Answer in the comment area below!  

Yesterday we left Nara for a day in Kyoto.  We had completed 2 more school visits and then a visit to the University with a tour from some of the students.  The first school, Koutou Jr. High, was up in the mountains, so we had a very short visit to Enjo-Ji Temple before arriving.

The students greeted us at the door - they also have a very small number of students, only 40.  Then we attended different groups for activities in:  Judo, Calligraphy, and Koto - a musical instrument of Japan. I attended Koto and learned how to play the instrument. It was very difficult to learn, but beautiful to listen to.  After this we learned some Japanese manners of how to bow and serve tea!

 At Tonan Jr. High we learned about their recycling program and roof garden that grows cucumbers to help shade the windows from the sun.

In Kyoto, I was able to see many of the sights and did so much walking.  It is a very large city with a lot of history - it was also a capital of Japan at one time!

Now I am back in Tokyo fro the joint conference with US and Japanese teachers.  We will be discussing what we learned and projects we hope to complete on sustainable development.

Question:  What project would you like to work on with Japanese schools?  Areas we are looking at are: the enviroment, human impact, culture, world heritage, peace, and students' responsibility.  

Visited the Nara City Education Center yesterday - a state of the art center for teacher training and resources.  They even have a planetarium - quite impressive.  Nara does quite a lot with World Heritage as they have many areas that are designated as a World Heritage sight.

Then we visited Ichijo Municipal High School and got to participate in an English Class with the students.  They had to ask us questions in English - very fun!  Afterwards we observed the students cleaning the school.  Students take pride in their schools and all Japanese students clean their schools.  Then it we observed several afternoon afterschool activities - one was a really amazing dance program.

Some of the activities we saw were: dance, fencing, baseball, soccer, swimming, volleyball, judo, band, handball, and badminton. Students are often at school till 7pm.

Question:  What after-school activity would you like to participate in, if it was offered at our school?

Been a busy couple of days - I'm now in Nara which is fairly close to Kyoto and Osaka. We did a tour of Nara Park yesterday - had an amazing lunch and then visited Nara National Museum. Next it was onto a tour of Todaiji Temple -which is  surrounded by deer. Also just completed my homestay with a very nice family in a mountainous area about an hour from Nara - very beautiful. More schools tomorrow!

Question:  Why are there so many deer in Nara? (go online to find your answer) -  Answer in the comment area below.  

schools

Visited 2 amazing schools yesterday - Ochanomizu University Elementary and Jiyu Gakuen.  Lots of activities with the students.  In Jiyu we even helped to build a bench!

Tokyo

Have been in Tokyo for a day now - this is a city of 30 million people in the city and surrounding area. It is very densely populated so there are many high rises for all of the people.  The hotel I am in, Keio Plaza hotel, has 2 towers with the tallest tower having 47 floors! Here is the view outside my hotel window.

We then had a few meetings an incredible Japanese lunch - I had pork and noodle lunch and had to eat the whole thing with chopsticks!  I actually did it without spilling a thing!

Then it was off on a bus tour of the city.  We went to a Buddhist shrine called Asakusa - very elaborate and beautiful.  There was also a incredibly large shopping area nearby - with hundreds of little shops from food, to trinket, to clothing. Then we went to the Imperial Palace - Japan still has an emperor (it is its 125 one and they all are descended from the same family).  The Palace was so beautiful with lakes and green trees throughout the grounds.  Finally we ended up at an area called Ginza - which is suppose to be the most expensive shopping area in the world!  Incredible amount of stores and people. We ended up having to take the Japanese subway back to the hotel - quite an experience!!

My Itinerary

I fly to San Francisco and meet up with the other U.S. teachers on Tuesday at the airport.  We leave for Japan at 1:30 pm and arrive in Tokyo at 4:15 pm the next day!  We'll be in Tokyo till Friday, June 24th and then fly to our host cities - one group will fly to Hiroshima and the other group to Nara.  I am in the Nara group.

In Nara I will be completing a home-stay with a family from the town.  Then we will spend 5 days in the town. Nara was once the capital of Japan and is known for its ancient temples and shrines as well as the deer! Go here for more information on Nara.  Nara is located near Kyoto and Osaka.

After Nara, we head to Kyoto for a day of sight-seeing.  This was also once the capital of Japan and has a great number of beautiful temples!

Then it's back to Tokyo via the bullet train for a wrap-up conference with all the teachers from both the U.S. and Japan!  I leave Tokyo on July 2nd at 4pm and arrive in Phoenix at 3:30 on July 2nd!!

Question of the day: If you had this opportunity, what would you like to see or do in Tokyo? (hint go to this link to learn more about the city).  Write your answers in the comment section. 

Japanese Art

I leave for Japan in only 4 days on June 19th!  This week I have been at school for our summer school program and students are learning about Japanese art and culture.  We explored two main areas of Japanese art - Kirigami and Origami.  They are somewhat related, but Kirigami involves not just folding, but cutting as well.  In Japanese, Kiru means to cut, Ori means to fold and kami refers to paper.

For resources on both Kirigami and Origami click on the links here and here.



Students completed a friendship tree from the Kirigami and Origami art they created for the students of Japan

Konnichiwa from Howard Gray School 

ハワード·グレイ学校からこんにちは

What was your favorite part about the Japanese art that you learned about this week? (Write your reponse in the comment section).

Japanese Consulate in San Francisco

I had the honor of being invited to the Japanese Consulate in San Francisco with the other U.S. and Japanese teachers on our program.  During the visit we heard from the Consul General Hiroshi Inomata on the importance of this program for the U.S., Japan and the world.  The purpose is to promote international understanding and work together on a shared project with our students - the main saying at the conference has been "Think Globally, Act Locally".  I look forward to sharing this experience with my students and the students of Japan!

Working with Teachers from around the world

Yesterday was packed full of meetings and speakers.  So many teachers with fantastic ideas!  Learned another Japanese word, "Kizuma" - means "Strong Bonds of Friendship".  Here is the Japanese word for it!

Below I'm having dinner and discussing projects that we will be doing in Japan and when return to the U.S.

Student questions:  What would you like to learn from the Japanese teachers and students?  


What would you like to tell them about our school and the U.S.?

Arrived in San Francisco and this is a view from my room!  Then headed off to the first meeting - an orientation on the trip to Japan.  We will be doing a lot of school visits while there and also have a homestay with a Japanese family.

Dinner was spent talking with some of the teachers from Japan and the U.S.  Learned one of my first Japanese words:  Itadakimasu means Thank you for the meal.  I will try to post a new word each day.



Student questions:  What is Sustainability?  What are we doing at Howard Gray to be more sustainable?  (answer these in the comment section below)

Off to San Francisco

One week till the San Francisco Joint Conference where I get to meet the U.S. and Japanese teacher participants! We'll be working on lots of activities around sustainability and learn about what other schools are doing around the U.S. and in Japan! It will be great to share our experiences at Howard Gray, but more so to learn about the activities and lessons that the other teachers are using in their classrooms.

I will be speaking at the conference about our sustainable garden at Howard Gray and the ECO program. We will also have the opportunity to visit the CuriOdessey Park and learn all about hands-on science and animal activities that they offer at this unique location. Another exciting activity during the conference is a dinner at the Consul General of Japan in San Francisco.

Going to Japan

Can't believe I was picked as a participant in the Japan-U.S. Teacher Exchange program for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). What a fantastic opportunity to work with other teachers from the U.S. and Japan on ESD curricula and enhancing school programs worldwide! This will give me the opportunity to bring global awareness into my classroom and further build up our program in ECO.

The first part of the program starts off in San Francisco for a Joint Conference with all the ESD teachers. We meet for four days from April 29-May 2nd for introductions of the program. Then were off to Japan on June 19th! This will be an amazing program for both myself and my students!