<p><strong>Time</strong>- 2 class periods</p> <p><strong>Description:</strong></p> <p>Using the Project Zero Design Thinking routines  "Parts, People, Interaction", this activity provides an understanding of the system of gender power at stake in the representation of Chapter 34 of Tales of Genji - Kashiwagi catches sight of the third Princess.  It then looks at a modernization of the illustrations and offers a reflection on what the new feminine contemporary perspective brings to the interpretation of the Third princess story. </p> <p>In exploring the representations of the tales of Genji, students have the opportunity to discover tales that have become a standard for Japanese culture. They look at the first known literature piece written by a woman, who shares a rare and intimate perspective of a woman on a world governed by men.  Students compare the representation of the tales from the XVIth century with one from the XXth century to identify in what ways they have been interpreted.</p> <p><strong>Day 1:</strong></p> <p><u>Step 1: Have students sketch The tale of Genji, chapter 34;</u> Kashiwagi catches sight of the third Princess</p> <p><u>Step 2: Debrief as a whole group</u></p> <p>Discuss what the students have noticed.  Do not show the caption to the students yet. The observational drawing is good to help students pay attention to details and unveil the artist's choices. It also encourages them to initiate a first interpretation.</p> <p><u>Step 3: Parts, People, Interaction</u></p> <p>Once students have discussed the painting, guide them through the routine "Parts, People, Interaction". </p> <p>"This thinking routine helps students slow down and look closely at a system ( here the system of gender power.) In doing so, young people are able to situate objects within systems and recognize the various people who participate—either directly or indirectly—within a particular system. </p> <p>Students also notice that a change in one aspect of the system may have both intended and unintended effects on another aspect of the system. When considering the parts, people, and interactions within a system, young people begin to notice the multitude of subsystems within systems. </p> <p>This thinking routine helps stimulate curiosity, raises questions, surfaces areas for further inquiry, and introduces systems thinking." (PZ)</p> <p><u>Step 4: Read the PDF "More about Chapter 34" and go back to the questions</u> <br /></p> <p>Have students read the caption, go back and look at the painting and ask them to take notes on how their understanding has shifted from their initial interpretation.</p> <p><u>Step 5: Debrief the "Parts, People and Interaction" routine as a whole group:</u></p> <p>During the discussion, here are some specific question students may want to address:  </p> <ul><li>What does the illustration of <em>Chapter 34, Kashiwagi catches sight of the third Princess</em> says about the system of power gender in place at the Japanese court in the XIth century? </li><li>To what extent the architecture in the painting play a role in facilitating the superiority of men? </li><li>How does the system in place impact relationship between men and women?</li></ul><p><strong>Day 2:</strong></p> <p><u>Step 1: "See, Think, Wonder"</u> - <em>The third princess with her pet cat,</em> Yamato Maki, 1987</p> <p>Have them do a quick "See, Think, Wonder" to encourages them to reactivate prior knowledge, pay attention to details and reflect on the effects of the modernization of the illustration of <em>The tales of Genji </em>though manga. Identify the audience and the context of the illustration.</p> <p><u>Step 2: Read the caption as a group </u>- notice what is important.</p> <p><u>Step 3: "Layers"</u></p> <p>This routine will encourage students to refine their first analysis of the illustration by looking at it through different angles (Aesthetic, Mechanical, Connections, Narrative, Dynamic). It will allow them to draw upon their prior knowledge and consider the impact of modernization of art on the public. </p> <p>Students can work in small group and cover between 3 and 5 of the categories.</p> <p><u>Step 4: Each group of students present their learning to the class </u></p> <p><br /></p> <p><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span></p>

<p><strong>Description:</strong><br /></p> <p>This collection, based of the exhibition "Imperfectly Beautiful: Inventing Japanese Ceramic Style" is integrated in a unit on Francis Ponge’s collection of poems called <em>The nature of things, </em>1942, France. In his poems, Ponge has a unique way of focusing on everyday life objects and symbols that he describes in very tiny details. The goal is to explore how Ponge’s perception of objects and symbols can be used as an entry point for an exploration of key components of other cultures. This collection is an opportunity for the students to understand how micro perspectives can lead to global and intercultural understanding.<br /></p> <p>The collection represents tea pots used for the Japanese tea ceremony (chanoyu). Through slow looking techniques, students explore them and write poems using the thinking routine "Creative Comparison".</p> <p><strong>Step 1: choose one of the tea pot and sketch it</strong></p> <p><strong>Step 2: Pair and Share</strong> - Explain your choice. What did you notice? what do you notice in your classmate's choice/object?</p> <p><strong>Step 3: Creative Comparison</strong></p> <p>The thinking routine " Creative comparison" encourages metaphorical thinking – central to the work of any artist and to creative thinking in any discipline. Metaphors provoke our imaginations to create comparisons between dissimilar things, often leading to deeper and richer understanding of each." (PZ)</p> <p><strong>Step 4: Pair and Share </strong>(with someone else) - Explain your choice. What did you notice? what do you notice in your classmate's choice/object?</p> <p><strong>Step 5 : read the description of the exhibition and the caption. Answer the questions:</strong> </p> <ul><li>In what way this new information influences your interpretation? </li><li>What does it confirm? What new ideas do you have? </li><li>What could you do to integrate them in your poem?</li></ul><p><strong>Step 6 : write a poem, using Francis Ponge's approach to objects.</strong></p> <p><strong>Possible extension:</strong></p> <p>Ask the students to reflect on ways to curate their poems, using the thinking routine "Layers".</p> <p>For instance, my students decided to do a a pop-up exhibition. They turned their poems into bilingual bookmarks for the school fair. It was a good opportunity for us to talk about translation.</p> <p><br /></p>

<p><strong>Description:</strong></p> <p>The goal of this collection is to focus on the ways artists like Shimomura denounce the impact of World War 2 on individuals. The collection is integrated in a unit called Paroles. It is the name of the collection of poems by Jacques Prévert written in 1946 that partly deals with the topic of war. Prévert is famous for taking strong political positions in his poems, using a simple, sometime surrealist and often sarcastic writing [ressources 6 and 7].</p> <p>In integrating the study of  <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/resources/view/27850"><em>Diary: December 12, 1941</em></a> that addresses the Japanese-American Incarceration, students have the opportunity to both understand the uniqueness of Shimomura's style and the global magnitude of his topic by reflecting on the similarities and differences between his work of art. and Prévert's poems.</p> <p>In this collection, students use the thinking routine "Think, Feel, Care" to uncover Shimomura's work of art. It also encourages a comparative study of the ways the two artists approach this global issue and how their work is shaped by culture and by their context of production. This analysis lead them to a broader discussion on how art can be used as a powerful way to give a voice to the unknowns and educate people. </p> <p><strong>Step 1: Sketch the painting</strong>  [ressource 1]- it helps student pay close attention to details, specifically to the superman shape on the background, but also the woman's body language and the architecture of the room - Do not show the caption yet.</p> <p><strong>Step 2: Think, Feel, Care [ressource 2] in small group</strong></p> <ul><li>First, name the person involved in the painting (the American superhero, the Japanese woman, the painter, the public, the American authority).</li><li>Then, analyze the painting using the 3 steps of the routine "Think, feel, care": </li></ul><p>"This routine encourages students to consider the different and diverse perspectives held by the various people who interact within a particular system" (in this painting, the students can identify several systems, from the system of the house to the system of power gender or immigration). My advice is to let them explore one of the system they identify. The additional information provided in step 3 will help them broaden their understanding afterward. </p> <p>"The goal of this routine is to help students understand that the variety of people who participate in a system think, feel, and care differently about things based on their positions in the system. This routine fosters perspective taking, raises questions, and surfaces areas for further inquiry." (Agency by Design, Project Zero)</p> <ul><li>Debrief with the whole group</li><li>Take notes individually on the questions and puzzles that remain</li></ul><p><strong>Step 3: Provide additional information on the context of the painting - use </strong>the caption and the entry of the diary [resource 3], , Shimomura and his grandmother [resource 4]) and Pearl Harbor [resource 5].”</p> <ul><li>Let the students take notes individually</li><li>In small group, answer these questions: what was the artist's intent? What is the artist's impact? In what ways do the symbols used in the painting contribute to influence the public's perspective? What are the similarities and differences between Prévert and Shimomura's approach to World War II?</li><li>Debrief as a whole group</li></ul><p><strong>Step 4: Imagine what poem Prévert could have written to raise awareness about Japanese Incarceration.</strong></p> <p>This activity is an opportunity for the students to reactivate prior knowledge about Prévert's writing style while  rephrasing Shimomura's intent. </p> <p>Tips: Using ressources 6 and 7, the students can use the Thinking routine "Connect, Extend, Challenge" before they write their poem. This activity will allow them to reflect on the differences of style of the two artists. </p> <p><strong>Extension:</strong></p> <p>After the analysis of <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/resources/view/27850"><em>Diary: December 12, 1941</em></a>, invite the students, in small groups of 3, to find another work of art of their choice in the Learning Lab that denounces the consequences of war on individuals. </p> <p>Use the Visible thinking routine "Layers" to help them justify their choice and connect it with Shimomura and Prévert's work.</p> <p>Use the Global thinking routine "The 3 Y's" to help them understand the global impact of the work of art they have chosen.</p> <p>Each group present the work of art to another group.</p> <p><strong>Alternative</strong>: </p> <p>The students write a poem on the work of art of their choice mimicking Prévert's style, instead of writing a poem on <em><a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/resources/view/27850">Diary: December 12, 1941</a></em></p>