HOW IT WORKS
In Our Views of Edo, students study One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, the Ukiyo-e woodblock prints by 19th century Japanese artist Hiroshige. They take a virtual journey to Edo, the former capital of Japan, and invent original illustrated narratives about imaginary characters that time travel and “jump” into amazing multidimensional adventures. The class meets two periods weekly for a total of 12 classes. The program can be introduced as a stand-alone unit or in conjunction with a long-term study of Japanese art and culture. In week one, the class brainstorms what they know about Japan and are introduced to the work of Hiroshige. 

They go on a web search and locate specific information about the Edo Period, Ukiyo-e art, and Hiroshige’s art and life. During week two, they look at images from “Hiroshige: One Hundred Views of Edo” (http://brooklynmuseum.org) and discuss what it would be like to “jump into” that famous view of Edo. Students select an image and brainstorm a beginning, middle, and end to their story. Then, each student chooses three plates for a beginning, middle, and end of their own imaginary adventure. In week three, each child uses photocopies of their chosen plates as a reference to write a first draft and begins to alter their photocopies to illustrate his/her story. In weeks four and five, students wordprocess edited versions of their stories and continue altering the images. In week six, they complete and share their stories—orally, on bulletin board displays, and on the school web site. 

THE STUDENTS
Three classes of 20 seventh-grade I.C.E. students participated in the program. I.C.E. is a multi-ethnic, multi-racial school of heterogeneously grouped classes with students of various levels of achievement. Each class meets for two 50-minute classes per week in the computer lab. This program can easily be adapted to meet the needs of any middle- or high-school student and can be done in a traditional classroom with traditional media. 

THE STAFF
Meryl Meisler is an artist and educator who has taught in New York City since 1979. She became a digital art educator in 1995, and began “Enter Through The Form,” a middle school study of Japan using digital media, after her 2001 study/tour of Japan with The Japan
Society. 

WHAT YOU NEED
Our Views of Edo can be done in any classroom. You can use traditional media (pencils, paper, and photocopies of Hiroshige prints) or use new media to create web-based projects. 

OVERALL VALUE 
The students explore art and culture; interpret visual images for historical references; write a fictional narrative; adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language to communicate effectively; and employ a wide range of strategies and writing process elements to communicate with different audiences. They use a variety of technological and information resources to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge; and use spoken, written, and visual language for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information .