Unit Plan

Exploring China

  • Grades: 1–2

Overview

It is always exciting and eye-opening for students to learn about another culture. By exploring cultures, students begin to get a sense of the world around them. China's culture is something that many students find fascinating. They begin to see how cultures that can be so very different, can also have some similarities. This unit allows students to explore China through literature as well as Internet resources.

Objective

Students will:

  1. Discover fundamental differences between China and the U.S.
  2. Compare our daily lives to the life of a child in China
  3. Explore how literature can change in different cultures
  4. Compare and contrast the two cultures' versions of Little Red Riding Hood
  5. Research geography, history, celebrations, and people of China
  6. Become an expert in one topic by researching it further
  7. Create a poster with a group of four to display their learnings
  8. Share their findings with the rest of the class

Lesson Plans for this Unit

Culminating Activity

The WebQuest serves as a great culminating activity to studying China. It incorporates cultural, geographical, and historical aspects of the country. By allowing each student to become an expert in one area, they become the teachers to the other members in the group. This creates an interactive learning environment, and all students are completely engaged. Through presenting the information to the class, the students have to justify their ideas and gain an even better understanding of the content

Supporting Books

Books for Exploring China

  • Subjects:
    Curriculum Development, Content Area Reading, Independent Reading, Literature, Compare and Contrast, Literature Appreciation, Listening Comprehension, Public Speaking, Research Skills, Asian History, Communities and Ways of Life, Asian and Asian American, Asia, Chinese and Chinese American, Teacher Tips and Strategies, Communication and the Internet, Computers, Educational Technology, Teaching with Technology
  • Skills:
    Compare and Contrast, Social Studies, Listening Comprehension, Public Speaking, Research Skills
  • Duration:
    12 Days
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