NCTA/CGP Lesson Plan—Greg Hamilton

7.31 Analyze the rise of a military society in the late twelfth century and the role of the shogun and samurai in that society.

Samurai Lesson Plan for Seventh Grade

Objectives: Students will:

  • Research the training and responsibilities of samurai to answer the key question: What things did the samurai need to learn in medieval Japan?
  • Apply their knowledge in a 5-paragraph essay.

Time: two 50-minute class sessions.

Introduction and reading/research.

1. Ask students to think about the training and qualities that make up soldier in today’s military. Distribute Samurai Handout 1,“The Rise of the Warrior Class in Japan.” Divide students into small groups of 4 or fewer and allow groups 5-10 minutes to complete the handout.

2. Groups report what they decided. After a preliminary discussion, teacher asks students to complete a followup task: Rank the top five skills, knowledge, and values. Allow another 2-3 minutes. For this.

3. Discuss the results. What did students think were the most important tasks and why? There’s not a correct answer, but ask students to support their opinions with reasons.

4. Explain that our lesson today and tomorrow will examine the training and role in society of the samurai, the warriors of medieval Japan.

5. Distribute the article “Samurai One Who Serves” and Samurai Handout 2. Read some of the beginning paragraphs of the article in class and help students classify them as skills, knowledge, and values. When students are comfortable with the task, they should complete the rest of the article independently. Students should either finish the assignment in class or at home.

Day 2.

6. As a follow-up on yesterday’s assignment, ask students to star the two things on Handout 2 they consider most important for a samurai. Follow with a discussion about the reasons they chose what they did. The teacher’s role should be to facilitate and ask questions.

7. Explain that today, we’re going to examine a primary source, written by Yamago Soko, written in the 17th century and outlining the samurai’s role in society. Hand out Samurai Reading 2. Since this reading is more difficult, the teacher should provide support through whole-class instruction. The document has been broken down into segments with specific questions to make it easier for students at the seventh-grade level to understand. By reading each segment and answering the questions together, students can work through this primary source.

8. Class discussion. What did we learn that was new? What was said about fighting, compared to values and attitudes? Distill the important details from the reading and add them to Handout 2.

9. Students will use their research notes from Handout 2 to write a 5-paragraph essay on the training of a samurai. The essay should have an introduction, a paragraph in the skills, knowledge, and values of the samurai and a conclusion. Essays will be graded for organization, topic sentences, and supporting details.

Resources:

Chris Graf. “Samurai One Who Serves” Appleseeds. January, 2006.

Excerpts from the Way of the Samurai (Shido), by Yamaga Soko. Asia for Educators.

Afe.easia.columbia.edu (adapted for seventh grade)

Teacher Curriculum Institute. History Alive! The Middle Ages and Beyond, Chapter 21, The Rise of the Warrior Class in Japan. Interactive Student Notebook, p. 1.