Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

Introduction

“She was part of a warm, loving circle where she would always be.”

-Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

We've just finished reading Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. We spent a lot of time building background knowlegde about Japanese Culture, World War II, Hiroshima, and the atomic bomb. You will continue to learn more about Sadako in this Webquest.

Task

Your Assignment:

Answer the essay questions using background knowledge, what you've read, class discussions, textual evidence, and information obtained from this webquest. This will be your final assessment for Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes.

Process

Before we get to know even more about our main character Sadako, use what you've read, class discussions, and textual evidence to answer the following essays in your reading notebook.

1. Why did Mrs. Sasaki make Sadako a kimono? What affect did this have on the story?

2. "The star of her school’s running team, Sadako is lively and athletic … until the dizzy spells start. Then she must face the hardest race of her life – the race against time. … " Explain this quotation and the importance it has in the book.

3. People now make wishes by Sadako’s statue. Why do you think this is? Give evidence from the text to support your thinking.

4. Sadako was a courageous and brave girl. Give evidence from the text to support this conclusion.

Will the Real Sadako Sasaki, Please Stand up, Please Stand Up

Please visit the wikipedia link , the Waging Peace Today website and watch the YouTube video about the true real life of the protagonist of our book, Sadako Sasaki, and answer the questions below. Write your answers in your reading notebook titled 'Sadako's True Story'.

1. How old was Sadako when the atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima?

2. What were the very first symptoms of her illness, leukemia?

3. What was the reason that her family took her to hospital? How is this different than the book?

4. What did Sasako make the cranes out of? Why?

5. How many paper cranes did Sadako complete?

6. What were the last words of Sadako?

7. What was done as a tribute after her death?

8. What is the significance of August 6th in Japan?

9. Paragraph answer: As you have discovered, the true story of Sadako has different details than the book you read in class. Why do you think the author changed these details, and do you think it is O.K. that she did this and still called this a 'true story'? Explain your answer.

Ancient Japanese legend holds that anyone who folds one thousand paper cranes,senbazuru, will be granted a wish. Inspired by the Senbazuru legend, Sadako set out to fold one thousand cranes. She wrote, “I will write peace on your wings, and you will fly all over the world.” Sadako continued faithfully and persistently to create these symbolic birds until the disease claimed her life.

In memory of Sadako, you are going to fold one paper crane. Go to the following links to learn how.

How to make a paper crane YouTube video

How to make a paper crane directions