Before reading this book, explore the history of the atomic bomb with your students. Use the Internet and books to investigate when the bomb was created, who created it and why it was created. Ask students to share their thoughts about this deadly bomb; ask them if they think it is an asset, a detriment or if they think it should have ever been created. This history lessons serves as an ideal pre-reading activity for "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes," as it helps children build knowledge related to the book and activate their schema, fostering a greater understanding of the content of the story.
The story is set in Hiroshima, Japan, a place that many students may not know the location of or anything about. Help children gain an understanding of Hiroshima by encouraging them to research the location. Before reading the story, ask them to locate the city on a map of Japan. Prompt them to research the culture of the people and compare and contrast the culture with their own. After reading the story, encourage children to research how the city changed; what happened to the people, the landscape and the environment.
Have children create origami cranes after reading the story. In the book, Sadako tries to fold 1,000 origami cranes in the hopes that upon doing so, her wish to live will come true. Each day, Sadako folds paper cranes but she only folds 644 cranes before she dies. Provide children with sheets of decorative paper and teach them how to fold origami cranes. After creating their cranes, suspend them from the ceiling in your classroom to honor the life of Sadako and the lives of others lost due to the atomic bomb.
Arrange for your students to have Japanese pen pals. Contact a Japanese school and plan for your students to exchange correspondence with a class in the school. Encourage children to write letters that help them learn about the Japanese culture and perhaps prompt them to ask their pen pals if they know about Sadako and how the country views her. Through this activity, children can gain an appreciation for another culture and develop friendships with children from around the globe.