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 .
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