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Japanese Cuisine

Tenth graders explore the world of Japanese food (りょうり, ryōri) — sushi, ramen, tempura, onigiri, and miso soup. Japanese cuisine (washoku) is so celebrated it’s recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Grade 10Japanese Cuisine55 minutes1 class periodACTFL / World LanguagesExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explore Japanese dishes.
  • ✓Learn about washoku.
  • ✓Explore ryōri.
  • ✓Talk about food.
Essential Question

Japanese food is loved worldwide. What are the classic dishes, and what makes Japanese cuisine special?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

The Japanese Cuisine Explorer

Project this and tap each. Have students explore classic Japanese dishes.

🍣 Explore Japanese cuisine — tap eachTry it

The Lesson · Language Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

55 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — A World of Flavor

6 min

Japanese food is loved worldwide — what are the classic dishes?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a sushi platter.
  • Ask what dishes they know.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Share.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Japanese Cuisine

13 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to the Cuisine Explorer.
  • Present each dish.
  • Note washoku heritage.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Tap each.
  • Note it.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Practice

15 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a dish you’d try.
  • Describe sushi.
  • Say oishii.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name it.
  • Describe.
  • Say it.
4

Speak — Speak

15 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Order a dish politely.
  • Say what you like.
  • Ask a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Order.
  • Say it.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a dish.
  • Say what makes cuisine special.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Intermediate-Mid).

ACTFL
Cultures 2.1

Explore food culture.

ACTFL
Cultures 2.2

Explore washoku heritage.

ACTFL
Connections 3.1

Connect to nutrition & geography.

ACTFL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: understand food words.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Dish picture cards.
  • Show real food images.
  • Repeat aloud.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with sushi & ramen.
  • Use pictures.
  • Repeat aloud.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Research a regional dish.
  • Plan a Japanese meal.
  • Learn table etiquette.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🍣Dish cards
  • 💻The Japanese Cuisine Explorer
  • 🍴A menu
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

りょうり (ryōri)cuisine / cookingすし (sushi)sushiラーメン (rāmen)ramenてんぷら (tempura)tempuraおにぎり (onigiri)rice ballみそしる (miso shiru)miso soupのり (nori)seaweedいただきます (itadakimasu)“thanks for the meal” (before eating)
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What is sushi?
Vinegared rice with fish or vegetables — Japan’s most famous dish.
QUESTION 2
What is onigiri?
A rice ball, often with a filling and wrapped in nori.
QUESTION 3
What do you say before eating in Japan?
Itadakimasu.

Reflect: Japanese cuisine.

Have students name two Japanese dishes and describe one. A printable Japanese cuisine sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Japanese CuisineFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Japanese CuisineQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Japanese CuisinePrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: いただきます (itadakimasu), おにぎり (onigiri), すし (sushi), てんぷら (tempura), のり (nori), みそしる (miso shiru), りょうり (ryōri), ラーメン (rāmen)
  1. miso soup
  2. “thanks for the meal” (before eating)
  3. ramen
  4. cuisine / cooking
  5. rice ball
  6. sushi
  7. seaweed
  8. tempura

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What is sushi?
  2. What is onigiri?
  3. What do you say before eating in Japan?
Answer key — Part A: 1) みそしる (miso shiru) · 2) いただきます (itadakimasu) · 3) ラーメン (rāmen) · 4) りょうり (ryōri) · 5) おにぎり (onigiri) · 6) すし (sushi) · 7) のり (nori) · 8) てんぷら (tempura)
Part B: 1) Vinegared rice with fish or vegetables — Japan’s most famous dish. 2) A rice ball, often with a filling and wrapped in nori. 3) Itadakimasu.