Bunka 2004-2005

Welcome to the Fourth Grade Bunka web site. The aspects the students study of Japanese culture, Nihon Bunka, will be chronicled here. Biographical notations, study pages, relevant links and, most importantly, student pictures and reflections will be included. 

                       ASIJ Main   ES Main   4th Grade

September

October

Nov-Dec

January

February

April

Spring

• Opening

November and December were busy times with regards to Bunka. The ninth grade East Asia class' curriculum parallels that of fourth grade particularly with the focus on religions. On November 19th,the high school students selected essential elements of Buddhism and presented skits, puppet shows, PowerPoints, games and kamishibai to the whole fourth grade as a way to introduce the concepts to the fourth grade. It was and educational and grand time.

 In mid-November, we'll learn about shodo-the way of the brush. Japanese calligraphy is learned by many in elementary school.  Calligraphy is used to write poetry, and is often considered an artwork in and of itself.

Our fourth graders learned how to write a few kanji beautifully. The kanji, or characters, were invented in China around 5,000 years ago!  Each character represents a word or idea, not just a sound like a letter.  As you can see from some of the most basic kanji, the first kanji were pictures of the things they stood for, like natural objects and the human body.

To finish off the month, the students made New Years cards for their Fuchu Dai Ichii buddies to wish them a "Happy Year of the Monkey".

Some sites that you might find of interest are:

Introduction to Japanese Calligraphy   Includes information on the art and its history. Also explains what distinguishes good calligraphy from bad.

What is Shodo?  This site is good for information about the art, and the tools and postures necessary for calligraphy.  I couldn't seem to get the virtual shodo to work, but it looks like a neat idea!

Styles  This is a basic information site that shows three distinct calligraphy styles.

Page written by Bridgette Fincher and Kay Clarke