Sharing Culture Through Issun-Boshi Stories
Exploring Japanese folktales Building reading and writing skills Grade 2 English Language Arts
Meet Issun-Boshi: The One Inch Boy
A tiny boy from Japan Only one inch tall but very brave Goes on amazing adventures Teaches us about courage and determination Learning Centers: Reading Corner: Explore Issun-Boshi storybooks Writing Center: Create your own tiny hero stories Phonics Center: Practice words with /u/ sounds Storytelling Area: Act out adventures with props
Phonics Fun: The /u/ Sound
Listen for the /u/ sound in words Examples: put, push, move Practice spelling these tricky sounds Use these words in sentences
What Makes Someone Brave?
Think about Issun-Boshi's size How can someone small be brave? What brave things have you done? Share with a partner
Story Setting: Where Does Issun-Boshi Live?
{"left":"Traditional Japanese village\nWooden houses with curved roofs\nRice fields and gardens\nMountains in the distance","right":"Rivers and bridges\nCherry blossom trees\nPeaceful countryside\nLong ago, not today"}
Descriptive Writing Workshop
Main Idea Practice: What is the main idea of Issun-Boshi's adventure? List three key details that support the main idea Descriptive Writing: Add describing words (adjectives) Make your sentences more interesting Example: 'The boy ran' becomes 'The tiny, brave boy ran quickly' Practice with Issun-Boshi's adventure
Create Your Own Tiny Hero Story
Work in small groups Plan a new adventure story Use descriptive words we learned Think about the lesson your story teaches
Stories Connect Us All
'Stories from different cultures teach us that people everywhere share similar hopes, dreams, and values.'