Description

What our Tsukimi lesson plan includes

Lesson Objectives and Overview: Tsukimi is a high-interest reading comprehension lesson plan. As such, students will practice various close reading and comprehension skills. In addition, they will learn about the Autumn Moon Festival of Japan. This lesson is for students in 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade.

Classroom Procedure

Every lesson plan provides you with a classroom procedure page that outlines a step-by-step guide to follow. You do not have to follow the guide exactly. The guide helps you organize the lesson and details when to hand out worksheets. It also lists information in the yellow box that you might find useful. You will find the lesson objectives, state standards, and number of class sessions the lesson should take to complete in this area. In addition, it describes the supplies you will need as well as what and how you need to prepare beforehand.

Teacher Notes

The teacher notes page provides an extra paragraph of information to help guide the lesson and remind you what to focus on. It explains that you can teach this lesson in a whole-class setting or as an independent, small-group activity. The blank lines on this page are available for you to write out thoughts and ideas you have as you prepare the lesson.

TSUKIMI LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES

History of Tsukimi

The Tsukimi lesson plan contains two content pages. The Autumn Moon Festival is a unique event that celebrates the beauty of the full moon in the fall. It is inspired by the traditional Japanese holiday called Tsukimi, which means “moon viewing.” People have celebrated Tsukimi in Japan for hundreds of years, taking time to appreciate the bright full moon that shines in the sky during autumn. The festival is held during the eighth month of the lunar calendar, usually around September or October.

The history of the festival dates back to Japan’s Heian period (794–1185 CE). During this time, nobles and royal court members would gather to admire the full moon. They would hold grand banquets, recite poetry, and reflect on the moon’s beauty while sitting on boats floating on lakes or near water. The people believed that the moon’s reflection on the water had special significance, bringing peace and happiness to those who saw it.

In the past, people also made offerings to the moon. These offerings were special rice dumplings called dango that the people made to honor the moon and give thanks for a good harvest. People also decorated their homes with pampas grass, a tall grass with feathery tops, to protect against evil spirits.

Autumn Moon Festival Today

Today, Tsukimi keeps many of these traditions alive. Many still gather with friends and family to view the full moon. The festival has become a larger celebration with more activities. In cities and towns, there are often street festivals where you can find food stalls selling traditional treats like dango, sweet potatoes, and chestnuts. Performances like traditional Japanese music, dance, and storytelling are typical at these festivals.

One of the key highlights of the modern Tsukimi festival is the floating lantern event. People release paper lanterns into the air or onto water, symbolizing wishes for happiness and good fortune. Watching the lanterns rise into the sky or float on rivers while the full moon shines above creates a magical scene many people look forward to each year. Some of the lanterns float so high they almost touch the stars!

The Autumn Moon Festival is mainly celebrated in Japan. Still, it has also become popular in other parts of the world. The festival occurs in Japan in various locations, from big cities like Tokyo and Kyoto to smaller rural towns. The exact date of the festival changes each year depending on when the full moon appears, usually in late September or early October.

Interesting Facts

The moon holds special meaning during the festival. In Japanese culture, there is a belief that rabbits live on the moon and make rice cakes called mochi. People often tell the story during the festival, and many of their decorations and treats feature images of rabbits.

An interesting fact about the Tsukimi Autumn Moon Festival is that it also marks the time to give thanks for the year’s harvest. Farmers celebrate the festival in the countryside by offering fruits, vegetables, and rice to the moon in gratitude for a good crop. It’s a way that they can show their appreciation for nature’s abundance.

Tsukimi has become a way for people to connect with nature, family, and friends. Through watching the moon, releasing lanterns, or enjoying delicious food, the festival brings joy and wonder to everyone who participates. It’s a reminder to slow down, appreciate the beauty of the world around us, and give thanks for all we have.

TSUKIMI LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS

The Tsukimi lesson plan includes two worksheets: an activity worksheet and a practice worksheet. Each one will help students solidify their grasp of the material they learned throughout the lesson. You can refer to the classroom procedure guidelines to know when to hand out each worksheet.

PAPER LANTERN ACTIVITY WORKSHEET

For the activity, students will create their own paper lanterns. First they will design them by drawing pictures or words on the paper. Then they will follow the instructions to cut and glue the lanterns properly. You can have them add strings to the tops to hang them in the classroom.

TSUKIMI REVIEW PRACTICE WORKSHEET

The practice worksheet requires students to answer a series of 10 questions. These questions all relate to the content pages, so students will need to refer to them often for the answers. In addition, each question provides which reading tool the question corresponds to, such as text feature, vocabulary, or comprehension.

Worksheet Answer Keys

At the end of the lesson plan document is an answer key for the practice worksheet. The correct answers are all in red to make it easier for you to compare them with students’ responses. If you choose to administer the lesson pages to your students via PDF, you will need to save a new file that omits these pages. Otherwise, you can simply print out the applicable pages and keep these as reference for yourself when grading assignments.