This unit for sixth graders focuses on the origins of Chinese civilization, the rise of early Chinese imperial centers, and the breakdown of order by the beginning of the sixth century B.C. Among the topics in the unit are: Early history and geography of India; Buddhism; Early history and geography of China; Confucius; and Culture, politics,…

The purpose of this three-week teaching unit on China is to promote interest in the People's Republic of China, to investigate China's role in world politics, and to promote cultural awareness. Chinese culture and geography are covered while research skills, group work, and oral presentations are stressed through assignments. The unit contains:…

This play, intended for middle school and high school students, uses the historical events of the Macartney mission to China from 1792-94 to illustrate the problems that can occur when different cultures interact. The play describes the first major encounter in which government officials representative of the European Enlightenment come face to…

These lessons were developed by participants in a 1986 Fulbright Group Project Abroad sponsored by the East Asia Resource Center at the Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington. The lessons were developed cooperatively and are aimed at the middle school student. Lessons include: (1) "The Qin Dynasty" (Marte…

Offers ideas for teaching children about China. Includes suggestions dealing with geography, philosophy, history, and diet. Recommends means of bringing the topics to life through games, class discussion, role playing, and other activities. (SG)

Three separate curriculum projects were developed to help secondary school educators to teach about the People's Republic of China. "How does China feed its one billion people?" (Susan Ember) is a lesson plan that seeks to make students aware of the dilemma of food supply and shortages in poor, underdeveloped countries. "The…

A cross-cultural approach is used to foster an understanding of modern China in this 8-part handbook of supplementary social studies materials for grades 5 through 12. Part 1 focuses on students' perceptions of China. Following a pretest, in which students consider their own stereotypes, three exercises help students gain a sense of the Chinese…

This unit addresses the questions of how and why people create order in a world whose randomness and order are for individuals to interpret. This unit uses the Han Dynasty of China as an example of one country's attempt to create such order and unite China successfully for over 400 years. The activities in this unit examine order in politics, in…

This resource book contains fourteen readings on the People's Republic of China and in particular on Chiliying, a farming commune in the province of Honan. Political, geographical, and historical perspectives are presented as well as glimpses into the working, educational, social, and family lives of Chinese citizens. Each short reading is…

This volume contains 23 lesson plans that were written for middle school teachers to help students learn about East Asia. The lessons are organized across six themes: (1) "People, Places & Environment"; (2) "Technology, Production, Distribution & Consumption"; (3) "Cultures, Continuity, and Change"; (4)…

Suggesting that students in the intermediate grades can explore the world around them and practice valuable skills in spelling, reading, writing, communication, and language, this book presents cross-curricular units designed to integrate language-arts activities into the study of Asian and Australian cultures. The units in the book reach diverse…

In this grade 6 interdisciplinary language arts and social studies unit, students are required to assume the role of a team and describe their country's participation in trade along the Silk Road. Countries represented in the unit include Egypt, Italy, Iraq, India, Israel, and China. The team is asked to create a display showing artifacts, journal…

Asserts that multicultural education is an integral part of the school curriculum. Describes a three-week interdisciplinary unit on China combining social studies, language arts, mathematics, the arts, and computer skills. Includes a list of children's literature, a sample lesson, and a map of China. (CFR)

A unit in a Glendale, California sixth grade social studies curriculum is presented as a model for addressing two problems in the instruction of the growing population of limited English-proficient (LEP) students: (1) inadequate teacher training; and (2) shortage of appropriate, effective instructional materials. For the curriculum segment on…

This document includes the following issues of this journal: volume 18, number 3, Summer 2002; volume 18, number 4, Fall 2002; volume 19, number 2, Spring 2003; and volume 19, number 3, Summer 2003. The summer 2002 issue of "The Bill of Rights in Action" views problems related to victims of war. It focuses on the internment of Japanese…