Maki Saji performs Kamishibai about Sadako

Thanks to Michiko, who found this wonderful YouTube video of Maki Saji, a Buddhist nun, performing her Kamishibai about Sadako. The little girl who was in Hiroshima when the U.S. dropped the atomic bomb. She lived but was diagnosed with leukemia when she was 10 and died when she was 12. She is famous for her 1,000 paper cranes. Maki Saji is incredible -- her life's pursuit is to share stories of peace -- like Sadako's -- to the world. You can see the tabletop stage in this video.

Here is her webpage: http://www.sajimaki.com/Introduction.html

Nagasaki's web page: http://www1.city.nagasaki.nagasaki.jp/peace/index_e.html

Hiroshima's web page: http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/index_e2.html

So, my hope is to team with Mary Ann and the A World of Difference students to create Kamishibai stories on peace -- just as Maki Saji has above. Then we would share these stories with the younger students and the preschoolers at the Parent-Child Center.


7/8 Team: Here is where I need to hear from you. What questions do you have about Hiroshima? Japan and World War II? What items are you looking for me to bring back from Japan? Please leave your comments on this post.
Thank you! Arigato!

Kamishibai

So, above is my first Kamishibai, which I created using the iPad app, Toontastic. This story was created on the free version. As you see, it is only six slides. (The paid version only allows six slides as well.)

I found some folks who make Kamishibai on PowerPoint. Perhaps I am biased, but I like this better because of the animation possibilities! I'm thinking that this will be a collaboration with our art teacher. I'd like the Grade 1/2 students to create their own Kamishibai fairy tales -- with technology and in the traditional fashion -- as our first library project of the year.
   

Kamishibai project

My project is beginning to take shape. I've created a six-panel story using an Ipad app, Toontastic -- it's a free app in which I was able to create characters and save them to a database. I found an Internet source with a list of Japanese fairytales. I chose "The Sea Snail." I drew six scenes relating to the story. Then I animated them and added narration.

Next, I took a piece of white typing paper and folded it into 12 boxes. Using yellow sticky notes, I added scenes to my meager 6-scene story. Traditional Kamishibai are told in 12 panels. The yellow sticky notes will show how I better developed the character of sea snail by showing what he does and what he says. For example, in one scene I show his head growing bigger and bigger and bigger -- crowding out the adoring fish -- until in the next scene his head dominate the frame. Also, I use quotes to show his hubris. He says repeatedly in the elaborated story: "I am amazing. I am strong. Nothing can hurt me." Each time he repeats this refrain his voice will grow more conceited. The final scene will show him on a dinner plate -- big head et al.



I am hoping my students will see the importance of elaboration and what details bring to the story -- not only to the author and the illustrator, but also to the listener or reader. I hope they recognize that six frames did not allow me to develop my character and his problem. Instead I was relegating to telling them that the snail was arrogant. The more elaborated story shows them the extent of the snail's hubris and why that is such an issue.

Meanwhile, Michiko sent me a YouTube video of Saki performing Kamishibai. I am hopeful I can have this translated for myself and my students. I am collecting Internet links relating to my project in my Diigo library.

Japanese

http://www.rocketlanguages.com/japanese/learn/japanese-greetings/

Although I prefer learning from Michiko because I can watch her mouth as she speaks, and I so appreciate her immediate feedback, this site has been helpful to me in my Japanese practice. I am learning so much about myself. I don't learn language easily. I think I don't have a great ear. So, I plan to keep my goal simple by learning several phrases and then hoping I can find English speakers!

One of my friends who is a world traveler cautioned me not to worry. "Everywhere I go," she says, "people speak English. Don't worry. You'll be fine."

We'll see ....

One thousand paper cranes

One Thousand Paper Cranes

http://camcc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/kamishibai.pdf

Maki Saji

Myozoji Buddhist Temple, Izu Peninsula

Diane Williams

Resources

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/09/guest-post-teaching-about-japan-one-year-after-the-disaster/

http://resources.primarysource.org/content.php?pid=132301&sid=1134565

http://www.ceas.ku.edu/outreach/documents/children-lit-review-japan.pdf

http://www.montessoritidbits.com/2012/07/favorite-children-books-about-japan.html

http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/lit_resources/diversity/asian_am/japanese_am/nihon_japan.html

http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/lit_resources/diversity/asian_am/asian_am_links.html

Informational text about Kamishibai
http://www.storycardtheater.com/PDFs/One+Magazine-Kamishibai-article.pdf

More resources on Japan:

http://library-resources.www.gresham.k12.or.us/modules/groups/group_pages.phtml?gid=2787614&nid=367558&sessionid=&printable=TRUE&SID&portrait_or_landscape=landscape

Lesson plans on Japan (Thank you, Emily!)
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/

Project

Manga -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rfRU4DxziY

http://www.aems.illinois.edu/events/educator_events/anime_workshop.htm#lessonplans

http://www.amazon.com/Manga-Kamishibai-Japanese-Paper-Theater/dp/081095303X

http://www.kamishibai.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6URceEr_zc


http://www.amazon.com/Manga-Kamishibai-Japanese-Paper-Theater/dp/081095303X

http://bookbuilder.cast.org/view_print.php?book=26254

http://www.cvsd.org/progress/documents/PDF_files/kamishibai.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamishibai

http://www.uvm.edu/~outreach/?Page=JapanInstitute2013.htm&SM=overseasmenu.htm

http://www.shin-eiken.com/info/img/PeaceCraneBill.pdf

http://www.kotatsufestival.com/blog/2011/08/invitation-to-a-kamishibai/

http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2011/10/kamishibai-is-a-form-of-visual-and-participatory-storytelling-that-combines-the-use-of-hand-drawn-visuals-with-the-engaging-n.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEId2SFRezY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlZty1TZMU4

http://www.sajimaki.com/News.html

ipad http://aramatheydidnt.livejournal.com/2941705.html

http://saku1991.blogspot.com/2011/01/ipad-gives-kamishibai-stories-new-lease.html