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Molly Cowan-Johnson.
Rob_Hugo@PortNWLast night Linda mentioned the book "On Gold Mountain: the one-hundred-year odyssey of my Chinese-American Family" by Lisa See. I read it about five years ago and not only enjoyed reading it but I learned a lot about Chinese culture. Lisa See's grandparent's interracial marriage at that time was unique! As I mentioned last, their sons were the first Asians to graduate from Lincoln High School in 1918 or 20. I don't remember the exact date.
You will learn a lot about LA's Chinatown. A good read!
In the movie department, Light the Red Lantern, is a great movie. It made quite an impression on me. My sister and I saw it together and we bring it up every once in a while.
Definitely rent it!
AnonymousTotally unsuspecting, I am reading a book called Kalimantaan by C.G. Gottchalk (sic?) (a first novel) that deals with the colonial period on Borneo. It describes the indigenous culture and the British and Dutch control of the island. Written from the colonizers point of view and really quite revealing and exotic. Not necessarily suitable for assignment to your high school classes, but an interesting recreation of the period. RSM
Author is C.S. Godshalk, Copyright 1998, pub. Holt. This is a work of historical fiction.[Edit by="rmansdorf on Aug 8, 4:58:25 PM"][/Edit]
AnonymousThe Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan is an amzing book. It takes place mostly in the US, but one of the main characters is orginally from a small town in China and the last quarter of the book takes place there. There is tension bewteen characters and cultures. A young asian american woman struggles with and against identity while her sister Kwan seems happy to just be "crazy." The character's journey is completely real and surprising. there are also jumps in time to Kwan's remembered "previous lives." Fantastic book. Magical and real.
AnonymousMany of Tan's books deal with the Americanized vs. more traditional women in America. In The Bonesetter's Daughter, she represents both the American part of the story as well as going back to the Chinese historical basis of the family. Tan explores family relations (specifically mother/daughter) and the traditions that underly the Chinese society both immigrant and at home.
AnonymousThe Good Women of China: Hidden Voices by Xinran
"For eight groundbreaking years, Xinran presented a radio programme in China during which she invited women to call in and talk about themselves. Broadcast every evening, Words on the Night Breeze became famous throughout the country for its unflinching portrayal of what it meant to be a woman in modern China. This unforgettable book is the story of how Xinran negotiated the minefield of restrictions imposed on Chinese journalists to reach out to women across the country." http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/xinran/home.htm
This is a powerful book. I strongly recommend it for anyone who is interested in the lives of women and their struggle to find a voice, their voice. I am a fifth generation Chinese/Vietnamese - American. This book not only touched my heart but served as a histroy lesson. I am blown away by the lives of the women in this book and the roles they had as women in China.
AnonymousMade in China- Ideas and Inventions from Ancient China by Suzanne Williams is an excellent resource for sixth grade social studies teachers teaching ancient civilizations.
This book is filled with information, nicely illustrated and easy to read. Each section is a nice introduction to a topic which can later be expanded with further lessons. Even if you don't teach ancient civilizations, it will be a nice addition to your class library.
I found this book at Eastwind Books at Westwood - 923 Westwood Blvd.
310-824-4888 It's close to the UCLA campus. Go check it out! I've found a lot of great books there.
"Explore ancient China's scientific discoveries and technology. You will find out how the Chinese:drilled wells for natural gas to light their streets, made jackets,hats and shoes from paper, raised insects for silk to produce cloth, created compasses to find the best placement for buildings and graves, cured diseases with acupuncture needles, guarded the crossbow as a top-level military secret, and invented rudders and moveable sails so their ships could sail into the wind".
Table of Contents
Chinese Seeds/Living Chinese
Bronze
Shang and Zhou/Bells
Agriculture
Nomads and Farmers/ Crossbow
Qin/Find at X'ian
Paper
Scientific Traditions/Two Great Men
Han Dynasty/Salt, Iron, and Gas
Astronomy
Mandate from Heaven/Seismograph
Silk Road/Making Silk
Tang Dynasty/Printing
Monkey King/Changing Dynasties
SOng Dynasty/Su Song's Clock
Counting in Chinese
Mongols/Compass
Qi
Chinese Medicine
Ming Dynasty/Making Porcelain
Zheng He/ Building Better Ships
Changes
AnonymousWoman of the Dunes
Posted: 01-15-2005 10:36 PM
A very old Japanese movie is available for check out at LACMA.
This is a movie that was released about l5 years ago and is
visually wonderful and quite sensuous. that really
was before it's time. If you get a chance, go over to LACMA,
check it out, take it home to see it.
AnonymousI read this book with my English Language Learners and it was a hit.
This book is probably 3rd or 4th grade level reading but great for ESL students.
The story is about a young girl, Shirley Temple Wong, who arrives to America from China.
Her family settles in Brooklyn in the 1940's in a tiny apartment compared to their lavish home back in China and has to deal with and learn English.
But she knows, America is a land of dreams on opportunities.
She then learns about baseball and one of it's stars, Jackie Robinson and learns about his struggles.
There are so many issues you can relate to with ESL students regarding immigration to a foreign land, having to acquire a new language, and dealing with an obscure culture.
This serves as a great discussion piece with students who usually do not speak too often because of their accents or unfamiliarity with the English language.
This book is also fitting for the month of February because it is African-American Heritage Month and also tie in with Chinese New Year (Year of the Rooster).
Just some thoughts.
Also, this book is so easy and short, you can reading during homeroom or even as a motivational.
lc
AnonymousI remember reading this book when i was in the sixth grade. At that time, i was a struggled reader, an immigrant, and an ESL student. It was quite difficult to understand, but it was the one book i read that year with my class that i still remember today. I was taught with numerous strategies that i still remember. One of them, was the story board. It's a great way to motivate ESL students to write their own book. I was also called Shirley becuase most of my friends see the similiarities between Shirley Temply Wong and me. Some of them still call me Shirley Temple today.
AnonymousFireflies to the Graveyard is an animated Japanese movie deplicting the lives of a brother and sister after the booming of Hiroshima. This movie really capture the aftermath of the war in a child's world after losing both of thier parents. It shows how the war has put these siblings into a world of loneliness, hardship, homelessness, and dependence on each other through sibliing love. Though they are both confused by the event, nevertheless they strive to bring happiness to each other.
This is a great movie to show after a lesson on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Both places can be compared and contrast in many ways and connect thorugh an interdisciplinary lesson through the teaching of East Asia. I have created lesson plans for this and is planning to implement it soon. You can also connect this with the Children's Peace Museum of Japan as well.
AnonymousChinese Cinderella written by Adeline Yen Mah is a true story of Ms. Mah from childbirth to the age of fourteen. Ms. Mah shares the many struggles of her childhood. She was considered bad luck by her family since the day she was born because her mother died while giving birth to her. Ms. Mah had the privilege of going to school and was the top of her class. It's her education, love of learning and love from an aunt that helps her cope with the feeling of unwantedness by her family. World War II is going on while Ms. Mah is growing up. This also has an effect on her life.
This book is wonderfully written. I often found myself filled with emotion. Ms. Mah painted a picture of what life in China was like for an unwanted girl. The book gives us a glimpse into traditions, gender and family roles and expectations for children. There is a universal theme of wanting to be loved and accepted by family and peers which students will be able to relate to.
[Edit by="jchan on Jan 21, 8:17:12 PM"][/Edit]
AnonymousScience in Ancient China by George Beshore is a great resource to have if you are teaching sixth grade social studies. This book is highly informative and has a variety of illustrations and pictures. The glossary is helpful for students to quickly look up words they may not be familiar with. This book covers wonders of science, secrets of alchemy, medicine, astrologers and astronomers and math. The book also talks about the great influence China has had on the world. A must have book if you like your students working on in class research.
AnonymousThe Great Wall of China by Leonard Everett Fisher. This is another great resource to have if you are a sixth grade social studies teacher. This is a nonfiction picture book, a bit young but can be used as an introduction to the Great Wall of China. Fisher writes the history as a story yet manages to fit in the important facts.
AnonymousI've been reading a lot of books about the lives of Chinese women. It was the title of this book that caught my interest. Bound Feet & Western Dress - A Memoir by Pang-Mei Natasha Chang "A gripping, candid, dual memoir that relates the stories of great-aunt and great-niece and their individual struggles to reconcile Chinese tradition and modern Western ideas" - South China Morning Post. This book touches on many of the subjects we've discussed in seminar, tradition, filial piety, gender roles and education. I find it interesting to read about different Chinese-Americans and their struggle to find their "place" and identity in America. This book also shows the life of
Yu-i, the great aunt and the challenges she faced living in a modernizing China. Although Natasha is "allowed" more freedom from the traditions and customs she still feels bound by them.
AnonymousThis book sounds wonderful. I will look for it. But it gives me an idea of how students can write autiobiography paper in language arts class. I will ask the students to consider all of their favorite fairy tales or children's stories. Then, they should compare which one is closest to their own lives. They can write their own life story with illustrations. Using a bit of hyperbole, they can expand the story and make it a book. They could even write their own future into it. Thanks for the inspiration.