As a seventh grade social studies teacher, my curriculum covers Asia, Africa, and the Pacific Realm. There is an enormous amount of information to cover, in what seems to be an increasingly shrinking school year. Therefore in my implementation plan I have attempted to expand lessons that I already teach by incorporating the sources and information learned in the seminar. In doing so, I have tried to include an "authentic Asian voice" in these lessons. There were many areas I could have chosen in which to do this, and given the time, I will be adding to most of my Asian lessons by incorporating what I have learned in the seminar, or by utilizing the numerous websites that I have been exposed to in the class. For the purposes of this implementation plan I have chosen the areas of geography, Confucianism, and Chinese writing.
In the lesson on geography of East Asia, I chose to incorporate two ideas presented in the seminar. The first was a sample lesson entitled A Script - Remembering East Asian Countries. I chose this because this matched techniques I often use in my lessons, and felt it would come very naturally to me, and to my students. I also incorporated the suggestions offered by Dr. Ronald Knapp, from State University of New York at New Paltz. Dr. Knapp encouraged the use of orders of magnitude and comparisons when teaching geographic concepts. I wanted to use the data he provided us because I think it provides students with a more concrete conceptualization of the information. If we say that China is 3,691.500 sq. miles it doesn't really mean anything to my students. But if you provide them with comparable data, the whole concept of area takes on a more concrete vision. I chose to have students use the data to create graphs, which builds important skills and makes the information even more visible.
The next lesson I expanded was my lesson on Chinese writing. Here I added the use of paint and brushes to actually practice the art of calligraphy, just as we had done in our lesson at the Auckland Museum. Students love hands on activities and I know from experience these activities remain with them for a long time. I also used the Ask Asia website to find a lesson on the topic. In this lesson the students experience the fact that all Chinese can read the writing, but may speak differently. It's a wonderful simulation in which they all write the same figures, but each make up their own way to say it, then read their messages to the class.
In the third lesson I wanted to expand my lesson on Confucius. In the past we have simply read about him in our textbooks. In this lesson I used some of the selections from the Analects presented in the book Chinese Civilization by Patricia Buckley Ebrey. Students will read Confucian ideas and then relate these to our own county's Character Traits that we emphasize in the character development component of our curriculum.
LESSON 1 - INTRODUCTION TO EASTASIA / PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
OBJECTIVES: Students will be able to identify the location of the countries of Eastern Asia.
Students will use statistics about China, Japan, North and South Korea and other countries in order to get a sense of how these Asian countries compare to other places in the world.
Students will create graphs to illustrate the comparisons between countries.
MATERIALS: Outline map of East Asia for each student
Transparency of East Asia Map
Script - Remembering East Asian Countries - source: The Southern Center for
International Studies Research Center (SCIS)
Statistics Page for each student - Source: Geographical Perspectives on East Asia
2001 North Carolina, Ronald G. Knapp ( if intranet access is available, students could use the following web site to obtain statistics: http://www.newpaltz.edu/- knappr/EastAsia2001NC.html
Rulers
Graph paper (optional)
PROCEDURE:
1. On the chalkboard write the following places: Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, North Korea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. When class begins, distribute one copy of the outline map to each student. Instruct students not to write on these maps but to use them as references. Point out that students need to be familiar with the absolute and relative locations of places in East Asia. Say to students, "Today at the end of class I am going to ask you to fill in the names of 15 East Asian countries. I am going to show you some tricks that will help you learn and remember the names and locations of the countries written on the board." Use Teacher Resource 1.1, " A Script - Remembering East Asian Countries." ( taken from LESSON 1 EAST ASIA: AN OVERVIEW - SCIS)
2. After reviewing twice and checking for understanding, have students label each of the 15 countries from memory.
3. Distribute statistics page. Help students to make comparisons by asking questions such as which country is the largest? Smallest? Which two countries are similar in size? Which country has the highest population? Smallest? Ask what urban population means and what it could indicate about a place. Ask what implications could be made about the future from looking at the age of the population.
3. Have students create bar graphs (circle graphs could be assigned to more advanced students) using the information provided for the countries of U.S., China, Japan, North Korea, and South Korea.
(For population types use percentage of the total instead of raw data.)
LESSON 2 CHINESE WRITING
OBJECTIVES: To expose students to the art of calligraphy
( other objectives see attached Lesson from Ask Asia Web Site; www.askasia.org)
MATERIALS: Calligraphy brush for each student
Ink
Paper
Worksheet from Ask Asia Web Site
PROCEDURE: Follow lesson plan from web site, but have students use ink and brushes to write their sentences on large sheets of paper.
Chinese Dialect Exercise
From: Focus on Asian Studies: Asian Languages, New Series Vol.1, No. 3. Reprinted with permission from the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE).
Materials:
* Dialect Exercise: Student Handout
(1 copy for each group of 4-6 students)
* chalkboard, chalk
Objectives:
* to expose students to the obstacles to communication created by the presence of dialects
* to make students aware of the usefulness of a common writing system available to speakers of all dialect forms
* to prepare students for an investigation into the reasons for and approaches to "language reform"
Background:
In China there are many different dialects. Dialects usually refer to "regional forms of a language." However, many of the regional variants which are commonly referred to as "dialects" of the Chinese language are more different from one another than French is from Spanish or Norwegian is from Swedish! Below are some figures for different "dialect groups" in China:
Dialect Group
Number of Speakers
(approx.)
Northern(Includes Mandarin)
387,000,000
Jiangsu-Zhejiang
46,000,000
Hunan
26,000,000
Jiangsi
13,000,000
Hakka
20,000,000
Northern Min
7,000,000
Southern Min
15,000,000
Cantonese
27,000,000
One thing that makes the Chinese dialect situation unique -- that is different from the situation confronting speakers of French and Spanish or Norwegian and Swedish -- concerns the fact that all speakers who are literate share a common written language. Thus, while oral forms vary greatly, written symbols can be used to communicate effectively between speakers of different dialects.
In this exercise, students will investigate the difficulties presented by dialect variations. The students' experiences will help accentuate the usefulness of a common written language when dialects exist. Thus primed, students will be ready to explore the desirability of anti-illiteracy campaigns and language reform movements.
Activities:
Divide students into small groups (4- 6 students in each). Give each group a copy of the DIALECT EXERCISE (see top of page). Instruct the groups to make up an ORIGINAL pronunciation for each symbol given. Encourage students' originality.
(2) After students have created a pronunciation for each symbol, have each group create a sentence using some of the given symbols. At the bottom of the worksheet have the group write their sentence using the symbols.
(3) Have each group present their sentence orally to the class, using the pronunciations derived by the group. Obviously only those students who are members of the group presenting the sentence will understand the sentence when orally spoken. A member of the group should then write the symbols for the sentence on the chalkboard. The groups' common knowledge of the meanings of the given symbols will then allow all members of the class to comprehend the meaning of the sentence! Continue this process until all groups have presented their sentences.
(4) Reiterate to the class that due to the vast number of dialects in China as well as to the distance between the areas in which various dialects are spoken, many Chinese people cannot communicate orally with one another. For instance, speakers of Mandarin (a dialect from North China) and Cantonese (a dialect from South China) would pronounce the items below as:
Note: The marks on each of the Mandarin and Cantonese words indicate tonal inflection. Printed below is a general "rule-of-thumb" guide to tonal pronunciations, and is not meant as a complete primer on the subject.
**Thanks to the China Institute in America (New York, NY), for advising AskAsia on the Cantonese tonal marks.
(5) Encourage students to discuss the implications of such language variance. Be sure to explain that even though a person in North China (Mandarin dialect) and a person in South China (Cantonese dialect) would pronounce the word for rice or cup differently, if both people were able to read and write, they could use the written symbol to communicate with one another.
Note: Students often try to use other languages they know (e.g., Spanish, French, pig-Latin, or some "code" language) to form their pronunciations for the symbols presented. In order to ensure that students understand the notion of ORIGINAL pronunciations, it may be necessary or advisable to produce some sample pronunciations for the first few symbols.
Discussion Topic:
People often overlook the fact that dialects in the United States vary quite widely from region to region. This would be an appropriate time to discuss dialect variation in the U.S. Some suggestions include making a tape of various people from different regions of the country. Be sure to have each person read or recite the same material, including key words that mark particular pronunciations. Another suggestion would be to conduct a lexical survey. These are available in various books treating dialectology in the United States. Have students choose from a variety of vocabulary words the one they use most often. Sample items from such a survey might include whether students use the word (a) handbag; (b) purse; (c) pocketbook; (d) bag, for example. Students may also use a map of the United States to try to identify various dialect regions.
LESSON 3 CONFUCIUS
OBJECTIVES: To expose students to the teachings of Confucius
To have students make comparisons between his teachings and "Character Trait " teachings they are taught today.
MATERIALS: Copy of quotes from Selections From the Analects ( Ebrey)
Copy of Wake County Character Traits Poster
Dictionaries
PROCEDURE: Have students read each quote.
Have students use the dictionary to define underlined words.
Discuss with class what they think is meant by each of the quotes, and to give examples of how these could be applied in life today,
Have students read over the Character Traits Poster and pick any character traits that they think might match what Confucius was trying to teach.
Ask students what they think Confucius would think of these traits being taught in school today.
SELECTIONS FROM THE ANALECTS
SAYINGS OF CONFUCIUS:
ABOUT A GENTLEMAN- ( A GOOD PERSON )
" First he behaves properly and then he speaks, so that his words follow his actions."
"The gentleman reveres three things. He reveres the mandate of Heaven, he reveres great people, and he reveres the words of the sages.
" In his personal conduct he is respectful; in serving his superiors he is reverent; in nourishing the people he is kind; in governing the people he is righteous."
"When he sees the chance for profit, he keeps in mind the need for integrity.
ABOUT HUMANITY -
" An individual must practice five things; reverence, generosity, truthfulness, diligence, and kindness.
" Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you.
ABOUT FAMILY -
"Do not offend your parents."
USE A DICTIONARY TO LOOK UP THE MEANINGS OF THE WORDS THAT ARE LISTED IN COLUMN A. THEN MATCH THAT WORD TO THE WORD OR WORDS THAT BEST DEFINE IT IN COLUMN B.
COLUMN A
COLUMN B
_____1. Reveres
A. Wise people
_____2. Sages
B. Hard Work
_____3. Reverent
C. Honesty
_____4. Righteous
D. Treats with honor
_____5. Integrity
E. Virtuous, honest
_____6. Diligence
F. Respectful
CHOSE ONE OF THE QUOTES FROM CONFUCIUS AND EXPLAIN HOW IT IS SIMILAR TO ONE OR MORE OF THE CHARACTER TRAITS THAT ARE VALUED IN OUR SCHOOL.
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