A Place and River Civilization Perspective: a cross grade project of fourth and ninth grade students from the American School in Japan

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"The Musashino Plateau, which also includes the town of Fuchu, is a tongue shaped area south of Kawagoe, that is boarded by the Arakawa River on the north and the Tamagawa River on the south. Sloping down from the northwest, all of its rivers run southeast to empty into Tokyo Bay. Historically, the Musashino Plateau was a dry grassland. The no of Musashino, which translates as field, plain or plateau, could not support agriculture or trees until irrigation canals were dug to bring drinking water into the city."  

An Edo period drawing of the Tama River.

...and the water they found was from the Tama. In this site, two groups of students from the American School in Japan explored the effect the Tama River had on the people who lived there. The ninth grade Asian Studies class viewed the river from the perspective of Asian river society characteristics while the fourth grade students from the geographic theme of Place. The individual student's sites show this comparison as each buddy pair answered questions based on the fourth grader's trip to Fuchu-no-Mori museum. This museum explores the history of our local city of Fuchu, which is situated on the Tama River, from prehistoric times to the present. Scattered throughout the site, in brown, are quotes from Mimi Le Bourgeois, who graciously gave us permission to use excerpts from Water Walks in the Suburbs of Tokyo, by Sumiko Enbutsu and herself, to provide supplementary background information.  

Site constructed and maintained by Bridgette Fincher, fourth grade teacher, and Kathy Krauth, ninth grade teacher.  2001. Photographs taken by Bridgette Fincher, Jane Sperling, Mary  Murray, and Johanna Katsoulis. Student pages constructed by the ninth and fourth grade buddy pairs.

Saturday, August 23, 2003