LESSON PLAN

I. Grade Level: 7th/8th Grade Boys Choir

II. Lesson Goals:

Understanding text of “Uji River” and its historical
significance.

III. Objectives:
Students will be able to—
- Identify the location of Japan on a map of the world.
- Identify what country the Uji River is located in.
- Understand the cultural meaning behind the text.
- Know the meaning of the words of the text.

IV. Student’s Prior Knowledge:

World geography – Identification of continents and oceans

V. TEKS:
117.209.3.D.b examine written and aurally presented music representative of
diverse genres, styles, periods, and cultures;
117.209.3.D.c identify relationships of music content and processes to other
academic disciplines such as the relationship between music and mathematics,
literature, history, and the sciences;

VI. Materials:
“Uji River” – sheet music
“Uji River” Slide Presentation with embedded videos and pictures
https://prezi.com/view/rf4xmLxmBKOyriuTL5ru/
Exit Tickets (Boarding Passes)

1. Anticipatory Set: Today we are going to learn about our song “Uji River”.
i. Say “Uji River”
ii. Look at the picture and the words and see if you can guess where in
the world the Uji River is located.
2. Slide 1: On Location: First let’s see if we can identify Japan on the map.
Who can show the class where Japan is located?
i. Sub-slide: Map of Japan identifying Uji
3. Slide 2: Ukai (Cormorant) fishing
i. Say ukai (‘oo-kah-ee), say cormorant
ii. Read the description of ukai fishing
iii. Sub-slide 1: The fishermen
1. Have a student read the description of the fishermen
iv. Subslide 2: Baskets of Fire
1. Have a student read the description of the baskets of fire
v. Sub-slide 3: The birds
 1. Have a student read the description of the birds
vi. Video
1. Show video of ukai fishermen (:22-1:28)
a. Prompts during video
i. How many years have they been fishing?
ii. How many generations has ukai been in their
family?
iii. What are they doing to the birds’ necks?
iv. How long does it take them to catch a fish
using the birds?
4. Slide 3: Uta – the poetry
i. Read the description of the text
ii. Sub-slide page 1:
1. Look at text side by side
2. We will not be learning the Japanese until another date.
iii. Sub-slide page 2: What does it mean?
1. Dawn = early morning, sun just rising
2. Mist = fog over the river
3. “In the early morning when the fog is starting to lift.
4. Fishermen like to fish in the early morning because the fish
are hungry and active.
iv. Sub-slide page 3: From the shallows to the deep
1. Have a student explain shallows vs. deep
2. Show the picture of the stakes of the fishing nets in the water
a. This is another technique for capturing fish that the
song speaks about.
5. Slide 4: Ongaku: The music
i. Read the description of the music
ii. Explain what the students will listen for
iii. Sub-slide: Video
1. Play the video of the choir singing “Uji River”
2. Prompt them to tell what language they hear
3. Have them move their arms to the eb and flow of the music
4. Have them pretend to row their boats to the deep of the river
5. Prompt to listen to the Japanese when it occurs in the second
half of the song.
6. Slide 5: O shimai: The end
i. Closure: Next time we will learn how to speak the Japanese text.
VIII. Evaluation
1. Have them take out their exit ticket and respond to the following prompts
(also on the final slide of the presentation)
i. What country is the Uji River located in?
ii. List your favorite fact about ukai.
iii. List something you learned about the text.