ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR FIFTH GRADE AND ABOVE
Geography -- create a geography bee. Provide students with index cards and encourage them to visit the Tour in China Web site. As they explore the site, ask students to write down one fact about each city visited. Tell them to write only one fact on each card and to note the name of the city on the back of the card. Collect all the cards and use them to conduct a classroom geography bee. Finally, provide students with copies of a map of China and ask them to locate each of cities visited.
History -- make a timeline. Arrange students into small groups and assign each group a period in Chinese history. Have students research their assigned period by visiting Condensed China: Chinese History for Beginners, Chinese History: The Main Dynasties, or by exploring other online sites or classroom resources. Then ask each group to make a timeline showing the period's most important events. Combine the timelines to create a bulletin board display.
Art -- make an abacus. Have students visit
The Abacus to learn how the ancient Chinese calculator is constructed and used. Then encourage them to Build Your Own LEGO Abacus or Make an Oaktag Abacus.
Math -- use an abacus. As a follow-up to the previous activity, provide students with several math problems and ask them to use the abacus to solve them.
Science -- make your own paper. Make Your Own Paper at Home -- or at school. This activity requires a great deal of supervision and safety awareness, but it's a great learning experience for older students.
Language arts/art -- learn about caligraphy. Ask students to read about Chinese Caligraphy. Then have them click More on Characters and continue reading. After students read the information, ask them to design characters they might use to convey a word or idea.
Current events -- a scavenger hunt. Encourage students to go to Six Paths to China, then to click The Treasures of China and complete the scavenger hunt to learn more about China's recent history and present political climate.
Science -- study Earth's rotation. Have students visit China Facts and study the clock showing where on Earth the sun is shining. Then ask them to study the Current Rotation of the Earth and the Current Rotation of the Earth in 12 Hours. Ask students to plot the relative positions of Earth, the sun, and the moon at 6-hour intervals for one 24-hour period. Have them indicate where on Earth the sun will be shining at each point.
Art -- cut paper activity. Have students take the Chinese Papercut Tour. Then provide them with materials and encourage them to create their own Chinese papercuts.
Understanding diversity -- act it out. Have students read The Three Teachings, about Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Then complete Mr. Donn's Lesson Plan about how a follower of each teaching would solve a problem. You might want to arrange students into groups and ask them to act out, rather than write out, their solutions.
Science -- classify animals. Ask students to read about China's Giant Panda and point out the information about the Panda's class, order, and family. Then provide students with a list of animals found in China, such as the dolphin, python, monkey, tiger, deer, and alligator, and ask them to place each animal in its correct Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species. Finally point out to students that nearly 500 species of mammals, 2000 species of birds, 200 species of amphibians, and 300 species of reptiles live in China. Challenge students to make a list of as many as they can find.
Games -- complete a puzzle. Invite students to complete the Chinese Slide Puzzle.
MORE VALUABLE CHINA RESOURCES WORTH A LOOK!
- Ancient and Modern China Created by Don Donn, a 6th grade social studies teacher, this site contains many valuable resources for a unit on China, including lesson plans, activities, and links. Don't miss this one!
- The Complete Reference to China/Chinese-Related Web Sites Provides links to sites about nearly every conceivable aspect of life in China.
- Six Paths to China From Pacific Bell's Knowledge Network Explorer, you'll find six activities that use the Web to teach about China. In addition, the site's hotlist links, China on the Net, provides resources for nearly every aspect of the country and its culture.
- Golden Legacy This curriculum for third, fourth, and fifth grade students -- developed by the Chinese Historical and Cultural Project in partnership with the San Jose Historical Museum and the San Jose Convention, Cultural and Visitor Services Department -- complements the California State Social Studies Framework. The three sample activities online are on feet binding, the abacus, and the lunar calendar.
- China Virtual Tours Online tours of the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Yellow Mountains, the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, the Yangtze River, Shanghai, the Ming Tombs, Tibet, Yunnan, the Yellow River, Shangri-la, and many other places of interest.
- Country Profile: China Information and statistics about China's people, religions, languages, and economy.
- Panda Resources Links to many sites on both Giant and Red Pandas.
- Country Information: China Links to many sites on China's politics, economy, and culture.
- Chinese Embassy Home Page Information on China's economy, education, news, regions, issues, events, and more.
- Chinese Culture Brief descriptions of 28 aspects of Chinese culture, including folk arts, architecture, clothing, puppetry, paper cutting, kung fu, opera, dance, and much more.
Article by Linda Starr
Education World®
Copyright © 1999 Education World
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02/08/1999
