Cranes for Peace

BY: Janet Bragg, Lebanon, IN

Site Address: http://www.he.net/~sparker/cranes.html

Theme: Cranes for Peace (U. S./Japanese relationships; WWII bombing of Hiroshima; projects for peace; cranes

Grade Levels: grades 4 - 7 ( this website would correspond nicely with the study of world geography in 6th grade)

Annotation of Site:

"Cranes for Peace" is the website under the Blue Web’s learning applications link sponsored by Pacific Bell (an excellent link for educational resources pertaining to all subject areas - http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bluewebn/#about). The story of a Japanese girl who died of leukemia ten years after the bombing of Hiroshima, Sadako and the 1000 Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr, is the basis of the Cranes for Peace project and the impetus for much of the information presented in this website.

Included at this site are educational links and resources to supplement your curriculum in learning about the relationships between the United States and Japan; world peace projects; the Japanese art form of origami; and cranes. A Sadako Resource List is accessible, and ordering information for a Sadako teachers’ guide is attainable.

Directions for folding paper cranes are graphically detailed, and projects for linking students to students in other parts of the world are discussed.

An environmental link suggesting sources on the topic of the crane provides many items addressing the topic of this symbol of peace. This resource list would be worthy of the time spent in browing it. While not all sources are worthwhile, some items listed would provide information on an environmental connection to cranes.

Additional items of interest are several fairy tales and stories involving Japanese culture. Information about membership in the Sadako Peace Club, including requirements for pen pal exchanges, is additional supplementary material.

Time spent browsing this source would surely uncover additional information of interest to your study.

Geography Standards Addressed:

• Human Systems: The geographically- informed person knows and understands: how the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of Earth’s surface. (13)
• The Uses of Geography: The geographically-informed person knows and understands: how to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future. (18)
• Places and Regions: The geographically-informed person knows and understands: how culture and experience influence people’s perceptions of places and regions. (6)

Indiana Social Studies Proficiency Guidelines Addressed:

Grade 6

• 1. Students will evaluate the effect of historical events, figures, and decisions on world cultures.
• 5. Students will develop an understanding that all cultures share common elements regardless of their diversity.