Ji-li Jiang's extraordinary memoir "Red Scarf Girl" transports readers to a tumultuous time in Chinese history--the first two years of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. Caught between conflicting forces--joining the Revolution's call for rebellion, protecting her family, and fitting in with her peers--Jiang describes how her once-"perfect" world begins to crumble. What might young people all over the world learn from reading Jiang's story about growing up during this period? Though this guide aims to help teachers and students explore "Red Scarf Girl" in its particular historical context, Facing History and Ourselves is rooted in a pedagogy that identifies concerns and choices adolescents confront each day and uses them as connections for students to move back and forth between understanding choices of the past and the present--the bridge between history and themselves. Students learn to recognize distinctions among events, to draw appropriate connections, and to grasp similar issues without making facile comparisons and imperfect parallels. Through deep examination of particular case studies, students gain an awareness of universal themes of prejudice and discrimination, as well as courage, caring, and responsible participation. The teaching activities in this guide encourage this kind of reflection. Individual sections contain footnotes. [This guide was created to accompany the Memoir "Red Scarf Girl", by Ji-li Jiang.]