Japan Book Club: Bushido: The Soul of Japan – Part 5
Nothing is as awesome as a samurai bunny. Nothing. ’m sure we’re all living our lives better now than we were a few weeks ago thanks to what we’ve learned about the samurai code. This week we’ll strive to make you even better human beings – or at least to help you learn a little more about Japanese culture and mindset.
If you’re checking out our website to see what Minooka TAP is all about, welcome. There’s a post right below this one about our 2013 trip to England and there’s tons of information about the group on the FAQ, TAP Trips, TAP Teachers, and About TAP tabs up at the top of this page.
This post is one of our weekly “homework” assignments. While we’re preparing for our trip, we host an online book club. All of the teachers and students that are traveling to Japan have been reading a variety of books about Japan’s history and culture. Right now we’re reading about book about samurai, but in the last few months, we read a novel about a tsunami, a biographical picture book about a Japanese artist, and the journal of one of Japan’s most famous poets. Each book is carefully selected to help us make connections to the things we’ll be experiencing when we go on our trip.
Each week we “meet” here on the website and discuss a chapter or two of the book. This week we’re selecting Part 5 of Bushido: The Soul of Japan.
During preparation for our England trip, we’ll be reading some great books to prepare us for travel also. Those books will include some Sherlock Holmes, Oliver Twist, the legend of Robin Hood, and some King Arthur myths – along with a bunch more.
This week our Japan group is reading three more chapters of Bushido: Soul of Japan (those of you that are new to TAP, this link will take you to a free e-copy of the book) – Loyalty, Education of a Samurai, and Self-Control. Read those three chapters and answer the series of questions below.
TAP Returns to Jolly Ole England
That’s right folks, in 2013, Minooka TAP is headed back to England.
Back to England?
Yup, back to England.
Wait a minute – let’s go down the list. In 2007, TAP took their first trip ever, right?
Yup. We went to Germany that year.
Then in 2008, you guys went to Greece.
Greece was incredible.
I remember that it was Italy in ’09, Ireland in 2010, and this past summer you went to Spain and Portugal, right?
You got it. And we’re headed to Japan in 2012 and back to England in 2013.
There it is again. What do you mean BACK to England? Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Japan… There’s no England on that list.
I know, that’s cuz we never planned a trip to England. We went there by accident.
By accident? How do you accidentally go to England? Read more…
Whole Lot of Quakin’ Going On
By Mr. Doerr
‘Twas the night of an earthquake, and as quiet as a mouse some some tectonic plates slightly moved the house.
All the children were sleeping all snug in their beds, dreaming of sugar plums or something that they really want, maybe a bowl of ice cream, cuz really what the heck is a sugar plum?
It started slowly and sounded like a garbage truck on the street, but wasn’t loud enough to bring anyone to their feet.
The glass of water on the bedside table began to rock, my mother fell out of bed and her head she did knock.
A few picture frames were a little askew, but how they got that way, no one really knew.
Some toys and some books fell down to the ground, and the stuff in the fridge got rattled around.
If we’d been awake we’d have thought it was a big garbage truck, but since it was 4:30 am we slept right through, just our luck.
I looked around, but couldn’t find any proof, but I thought it was cuz a big fat dude had fallen off of our roof.
When we woke in the morning, we saw on the news. That we’d just had an earthquake that was measured at 4.2.
It turns out they’re felt all over by girls and by boys, the one just described was felt right here in Illinois. Read more…
Japan Book Club: Bushido: The Soul of Japan – Part 4
I’m sure we’re all living our lives better now than we were a few weeks ago thanks to what we’ve learned about the samurai code. This week we’ll strive to make you even better human beings – or at least to help you learn a little more about Japanese culture and mindset.
We’ll read three more chapters of Bushido: Soul of Japan this week – Politeness, Veracity, and Honor. I know a lot of people have had a hard time understanding parts of the book, but I’ve found as I’ve read that it seems to be getting easier the further I get. Maybe I’m understanding it better, maybe I’ve started to “get” the way this author explains things, or maybe I’m super smart. You decide.
Whichever it is, read those three chapters and answer the series of questions below.
If you are confused by the questions or can’t figure out the answers, you may post questions to the teachers and other students in the comments section here. This is a tough book, so let’s be sure to help one another understand it.
Japan Book Club: Bushido: The Soul of Japan – Part 3
With short days on Wednesday and Thursday, and no school at all on Friday this week, I feel okay about giving you guys a little more work to do.
Believe me, the TAP teachers realize that this is a complicated and confusing book, but we really feel that even the most basic understanding of it will go a long way to help you understand the Japanese culture.
This week we want you to read three chapters of the book – that’s only about 15 pages, so take your time and read for understanding, not just to get through it. Honestly, Mr. Curtis is reading each chapter twice, because the first time is tough, but the second time through them it makes a lot more sense. Don’t be afraid to take the time to look up words that you don’t know – but, in the questions we’re going to ask you what a few words mean – make sure you’re putting what you think they mean based on the book, not a copied definition from the dictionary.
Read chapter 3 Rectitude, chapter 4 Courage, and chapter 5 Benevolence. After you’re done reading, answer the questions below.
If you haven’t opened a copy of the book yet, here it is again – Bushido: Soul of Japan.
If you are confused by the questions or can’t figure out the answers, you may post questions to the teachers and other students in the comments section here. This is a tough book, so let’s be sure to help one another understand it.
Japan Book Club: Bushido: The Soul of Japan – Part 2
I know I’m really late getting this homework posted, so I’m only going to ask you guys to read one chapter again this week. Try to get it done as soon as possible.
Next week we’ll have a longer assignment (but I think you guys can handle it with two shorts school days Wednesday and Thursday and the day off on Friday).
This week we’ll read the second section of Bushido: Soul of Japan by Inazo Nitobe. This section talks about the origin of Bushido – where the ideals of it come from. The author gives credit to three completely different things.
It’s your job to carefully read the chapter and determine what those three things were.
When you’re done reading, come back and answer the questions below.
If you are confused by the questions or can’t figure out the answers, you may post questions to the teachers and other students in the comments section here. This is a tough book, so let’s be sure to help one another understand it.
Who Likes Pie???
John Dough Bakery in Lisle is helping Minooka TAP fundraise for our upcoming trip to Japan!!!!
The bakery already donated dozens and dozens of fantastic cupcakes and delicious cookies to our dodge ball tournament fund raiser, and now they’re going to help you with your holiday pie needs.
John Dough makes some unbelievable pies, and just in time for Thanksgiving, they’re offering up a great deal. Just $10 gets you a fresh Classic Apple or Traditional Pumpkin pie, and John Dough is so generous that $5 from every pie sold is going to TAP to help offset the costs of travel for the students that are traveling to Japan next summer.
If you’d like to order a holiday pie from John Dough AND help out the students of Minooka TAP, please email us at minookatapfundraising@gmail.com
Japan Book Club: Bushido: The Soul of Japan – Part 1
We’re going to be honest with you… the book we’re beginning this week is a tough one. Bushido: Soul of Japan by Inazo Nitobe was originally written in 1900 and influenced many important Americans including Teddy Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. The book itself is a non-fiction piece that studies the way of the Japanese samurai. It explores the codes the samurai lived by and how this lifestyle has helped create the culture of modern Japan.
This is a much more difficult book than the last few have been, but we feel it’s important to understand how the culture we’ll visit came to be the way it is. We’re going to take this one slowly, and instead of one question per week, there will be a few short questions that we feel will help you understand the text better. Read more…
Japan Book Club: The Old Man Mad About Drawing – Part 4
This week we want you to finish The Old Man MAbout Drawing by Francois Place. The end of the book is filled with messages and advice that Hokusai gives to Tojiro. Tojiro answers the man by telling him that he will learn, but I want you to tell me what is the lesson that can be learned from Hokusai? What did you take away from the story? What piece of Hokusai’s wisdom lives on? Every student in our Japan group is required to participate. You must comment on this post with your thoughts, then come back and comment on what other people have said – you are required to make an effort to keep the conversation going by replying to at least 2 other students (more than just “I agree” or “you are right.” Give them reasons why you agree/disagree or what they said that was meaningful – make this a discussion). Next, we’ll be reading Bushido: The Soul of Japan a story about the samurai by Inazo Nitobe – you can look for a copy if you want, but I will be sending everyone a free ebook copy of Bushido this coming weekend. We’ll start that book next week.
Japanese Art: TAP Style
Hannah's Drawing
Our Japan travelers were asked to make an effort to produce some of their own Japanese style art. This is what we came up with.
Jackie's Animals
Austin's Drawing
Lyssette's Village
Joy's Japanese Art
Sumo Drew Drew
Mark's Unicorn Llama
Jacob's Shrine
Jessica's Drawing
Nate's Drawing
Persephone's View of Mt. Fuji
Conrad's City
Shane's Shrine
Elise's Japanese Contortionist
Bobby's Brush Battle
Sydney's Drawing of Someone Drawing
You better have your homework for Mr. Curtis' class that day.
Old Ben Mad About Drawing
Minooka TAP 