pre-2011 middle school ideas

[Anonymous]

Not foot, not postage, not food, but rubber; yup, rubber stamps. I dig rubber stamps and so do my 7th grade students. They love stamps. They create and maintain lists of who will stamp on a daily basis and get really ticked if someone messes with the list. They mope if they miss class and the list ratchets down; yes, I'm amazed that it motivates some to be in class on their stamping day or request in advance a list adjustment.

I use them to give extra credit, mark completion of homework, to stamp planners, and to provide a basis for the students own coloring (just as in the hobby of stamping), and for use by students who want to illustrate their work with them. Many students keep a page for stamps in their notebook and collect the various images. And most, of course, want to stamp themselves, but that is forbidden at our school...

Since stamps come in all sizes, I look for those small enough to stamp planners or those that will fit above the title bar or in the margin of students' papers. Some assignments I have designed with enough white space to accomodate a larger stamp.

I have haunted e-bay and other on-line stores until I have found several stamps for each unit in the curriculum from Rome to the Enlightenment. Remember they come both mounted and unmounted and sometimes in large uncut sheets. The unmounted usually end up costing me more, though the initial cost is much less, since they have to be mounted at the local stamp store; one of these days, when I have the TIME, I'll buy the adhesives and backings and saw my own wooden mounts.

One nice set is The Chinese Chop Pack which has 8 small chops (approx. 1/2" sq.), an ink pad and an eighty page booklet. Here's an address at Amazon

Check out the attachment.

[Anonymous]

First rubber stamps, now coloring books, maybe I'll make this a trilogy and end with paper dolls. I like nothing more than getting out the colored pencils and scrubbing away at a nice picture from a coloring book. I guess it should come as no surprise that 7th graders like to color too. It's kind of nice for me at my school that all 7th graders have to have colored pencils for science class, but I keep a big tub of the pencils around anyway.

Dover Publications, Inc. publishes a number of coloring books on East Asia. I haven't purchased them all, but among the ones I use are Chinese Fashions, Chinese Designs, Japanese Fashions, and In Old Japan. They also have coloring books for other places and times. The books have color covers both inside and out which helps the students set the color palette, and I usually print these out and post them on the walls.

If I am pressed for time, I let them choose a page to color for extra credit and laminate and post the ones I like, but, if I have time, I like to go further. Each picture usually has a description, e.g.: "Ashikaga Period; This warrior is wearing a richly patterned jacket and loose trousers tucked into leg guards. The armor encasing his body is made of metal, leather, and silk." They have to color the picture, digitize it so we can project it, and compose a minute to two minute presentation expounding on something that they researched from the description.

Here's a web address for the coloring books at Dover

The attachment has a copy of one of the covers.

[Anonymous]

Luenn, Nancy The Dragon Kite. Harcourt, Brace and Company:New York. 32 pp.
1982
Chen, Jiang Hong The Legend of the Kite: A Story of China. Futech Interactive Products, Inc.:
1997 Phoenix, AZ. 32 pp.

When schooldays arrive, I get nostalgic for my good old days. A third grade teacher and I combined classes, I conned the science teacher into a unit on aerodynamics, and large and small, child, parent and teacher, we made and flew kites in the fall winds. We put up fighters, hawks, dragons, butterflies, wind socks, banners, and good old diamond kites. And all of us, in our minds, rode, like the clipper ship captains of old, those fluttering sails.

The Legend of the Kite tells of Dan-Long and his grandfather, who after a long winter, flying their beautiful dragon kite. The Grand Dragon becomes entangled on the temple roof and ripped to shreds when the string breaks. Grandfather uses the tragedy to tell why there are so many kites flying in the skies of China. He tells of how two lovers use a kite to thwart the plans of the emperor and stay together. The book also has a page on the geography of China and another on the Chinese kite flying tradition.

The Dragon Kitetakes place in Japan at the beginnning of the 17th century. Ishikawa, a Japanese Robin Hood, dreams of stealing he golden dolphins from the roof of a nearby castle. He hits upon the idea of using a giant kite to accomplish the task. It takes him four long years to acquire the skills necessary to construct his kite and carry out the theft. Little does he know that the dragon kite he frees into the winds will return to free him.

Chapter books are difficult to use in class when time always seems to be rushing by. I really like picture books, though I won't let the students use them for book reports, because the illustrations convey so much of the culture they depict and the stories are interesting and short. I can digitize them, pass out a copy of the text, and have a great little lesson that is complete in much less than a class period.

[Anonymous]

Bodkin, Odds Stories of Love:The Crane Wife. Audio-CD.Compass Productions.
2000

Odds Bodkin is a great storyteller. His versions of The Odyssey and The Rage of Hercules, with some judicious editting, fit well into the sixth grade curriculum. His voice characterizations and accompanying Celtic harp make A Crane Wife, a folktale from Japan, a great mini-lesson for seventh grade social studies. A print edition of the story is also available.

In the tale Osamu is a sail-maker who lives alone by the sea. One dark and stormy night
(don't ya love that phrase) he hears a thump at his door and finds an injured crane. He heals it and soon it flies off to rejoin its flock. Some months later in the midst of another storm, he finds an injured maiden, Ukiko. As she recuperates they fall in love and become as if man and wife.

Despite his best efforts, the sail-maker cannot make a living for two. Ukiko volunteers to make a sail, but she must weave it alone and uninterrupted. She sets up a screen and begins working the shutttles. Though he wants to know what she is doing, Osamu keeps his promise. The sail is wondrous and seems to hold the wind in its warp and weft. Osamu sells the sail at the harbor for enough gold to last most of the year. All to soon more gold is needed, and , once again, Ukiko secludes herself to weave the sail and emerges more exhausted than before. The sail's sale brings even more gold , but it too will not last forever.

The news of Osamu's incredible sails spreads and a sea captain offers all the gold that Osamu will ever need for just one sail. Osamu initially refuses, but the thought of all that gold and no more worries tempts him and he agrees though Ukiko is sore afraid of the task ahead. Becoming angry, he orders her to make the sail and she complies. The task takes longer than before with day stretching into day. Osamu calls to her but receives no answer other than the sound of the shuttle moving back and forth. He wonders what she's doing, and then the thought strikes him that he too should know the secret of these magical sails. He jerks aside the screen and there is the crane he helped so long ago. Her body has been plucked and the feathers are streaming into the loom to be woven into the fabric of the sail. With a "Chrrr" the crane flees and flies off into the night. When the moon is obscured and the storm winds blow, Osamu sits by his door waiting in vain for the thump that will tell him he will no longer be alone.

The tale can be expanded in the lesson to include notions of love and trust, the crane's symbolism in Japanese culture-peace, longevity, and good fortune- and to talk about Cranes for Peace, a remembrance of Sadako Sasaki and the Hiroshima A-bomb attack. Sadako was two at the time of the bombing and died ten years later of leukemia. She attempted to fold a thousand cranes, senbazuru, for a Japanese legend says that this so pleases the gods that a crane will grant a wish for long life or the recovery from illness. Now children from all over the world send cranes to the A-bomb memorials hoping for peace.

You can find both CD and book at Bodkin's website:http://www.oddsbodkin.com/store/products_all.php or at Amazon.com

[Anonymous]

To jwyss,

This is a wonderful idea and I think that students will have a great time taking out the coloring pages and the crayons/color pencils and actually learn about history.

I will be focusing my lessons on Japan and I bet my 9/10th graders will like to complete the unit by coloring pages that apply to what I will be teaching.

Thanks,
mlacosta [Edit by="mlacosta on Sep 1, 10:29:48 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

Shang, Xiu Shi (adaptor and illustrator). Monkey and the White Bone Demon.
1984 Victoria, Australia: Kestrel Books, The Viking Press.

This is a beautifully illustrated episode of The Pilgrimage to the Westby Wu Cheng En. The White Bone Demon, evil shape-changer that she is, skeleton in the form of a beautiful maiden, wants to strip the flesh from the pilgrimaging monk, Hsuan Tsang, and share the feast with her mother, the Golden Toad Fairy. Her first attempt fails, but she learns that Monkey has the ability to see through mystic disguises and defeat evil. She also discovers that Hsuan Tsang has forbidden Monkey to kill in the monk's defense. The Demon attacks the party with two more transformations in which Monkey uses deadly force, and is forced to return home by Hsuan Tsang. This is the chance for which the Demon has been waiting. She captures the monk's party and prepares a feast. Pigsy, one of the monk's traveling companions, escapes and implores Monkey to return. He does, defeating both the Golden Toad Fairy, whose form he takes, and the White Bone Demon in a climactic battle.

I searched for this book for several years before I found my first copy. I had seen it listed in another Kestrel Book on the Ramayana from India. Of course, I wanted to digitize it, copy the text, and use it in class as part of the Monkey's myth cycle-White Bone Demon sounded like a delicious tale. Instead, I found this:

Hsu Kwang-jung and Pan Tsai-ying (adaptors). Monkey Subdues the White-Bone
1979 Demon. People's Republic of China:Liaoning Art Publishing House.

I shamelessly copied it and use it as a reading/viewing (PowerPoint) assignment in class. Interestingly, the Shang edition described above was originally published by Liaoning Art Publishing House. This is also gorgeously illustrated and we spend some time in class discussing what is contained in the illustrations.

[Anonymous]

Mayer, Marianna and Winslow Pels Turandot. New York: Morrow Junior Books.
1995

Turandot, a beautiful and talented princess of China, has been forced by her father to find a husband and marry. She acquiesces under the condition that each suitor must ring a large gong and answer three riddles of her choosing. She would marry whoever answered correctly, but a failed suitor would be beheaded and have his head impaled on the wall of the city.
Despite the number of failed suitors, Calaf, the son of a dethroned Mongol khan, falls in love with Turandot and rings the gong. He answers three riddles:
1. "In the dark night, a many colored phantom flies. It soars and spreads its wings above the gloomy crowd. People call to it, asking, begging favors. At dawn the phantom vanishes. Yet it is born again in each heart when darkness falls and so it goes: Every night it soars anew, every day it dies. What is it?"
2. "It burns like a flame, but it is not fire. sometimes it smolders like a fever, but boredom will cool it. If you lose heart or die, it grows cold. Yet begin to dream, and the flame flares anew." What is it?
3. "What is the ice that gives you fire, and that your fire turns colder still. It is pearly white and black as night. If it welcomes you, you are its slave or king. Name this thing or die!"
Although Calaf successfully answers, Turandot protests and would know if he would marry her against her will. He would not and replies he will leave forever if she can but tell him his name on the morrow. No one in Beijing will sleep that night as they search for the stranger's identity. In the morning, before court is called, Calaf meets Turandot and, to preserve her dignity, gives her a gift--his name. When her father asks if she knows his name, she responds.....

I like picture books that have great illustrations, and this one does. They can make great short lessons and can be the source of great posters and PowerPoint literature shows. I especially like the story of Turandot because its origins are interesting and the riddles are great. I try to keep the students thinking by putting a riddle and a wordle on the board every day so I make them think about Turandot's riddles before giving or acknowledging correct answers.

Many trace the tale to The Thousand and One Nights or The Arabian Nights, but I think this is incorrect and have confused the source with The Thousand and One Days or The Persian Tales.

This site contains another similar version of the tale but the riddles are different and in verse:Turandot

[Anonymous]

Marton, Farina Lady Kaguya's Secret: A Japanese Tale. New York: Annick Press.
1997

This is another of those gorgeous picture books written for 7-12 year olds that I find so useful for short lessons about the culture that is being studied. I convert the illustrations to a PowerPoint so they are easily viewed by all and read and discuss the story. This one is particularly applicable to late elementary school, maybe even earlier, and for 6th and 7th grade social studies.

Marton gives a beautiful rendering of this Japanese origin tale which is greatly enhanced by her sumptuous illustrations. In reading it, I was struck by a superficial resemblance of this story to that of Turandot and her many suitors.

An old bamboo cutter and his wife lived near Mt. Fuji and one day he saw a glow in a bamboo trunk. When he cut it down he found a baby girl, and, each time he returned, he found gold nuggets. The childless couple called her Kaguya-hime, "Radiant Princess," and, when she came of age for marriage, many suitors came but she paid no attention to them. The woodcutter told his daughter it was customary to marry , but she said she never would. However, to keep from insulting the family, she agreed to meet the suitors and send them on quests to see who was most courageous. When none succeeded, she came to the attention of the young emperor who fell in love with her when first he saw her. Soon she had to reveal to him and her parents that she was not a creature of Earth, but a lady of the Moon who would have to soon return. The emperor and Kaguya grew close through an exchange of messages but one night the Moon King came for his daughter. The emperor tried to protect her but could not. Though she wanted to stay as a mortal, Kaguya's father insisted and she transformed on drinking the potion of immortality. Before returning she offered the potion to her Earth parents who refused to live forever without her. Leaving a note and the elixir of immortality in the emperor's hands, she bid her parents goodbye and disappeared into the night. The emperor read the note and took it to the mountain top nearest the moon where he burned the note and poured the elixir of immortality on the flames. He wanted the smoke to reach her and remind her, if only for an instant, of his love. From that day on a trace of smoke could be seen wafting into the sky from the top of Mt. Fuji.

[Anonymous]

One book that has been very popular with our students is "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park. Most of my 6th graders and many even younger students have read this Newbery Award winning story about a 12th century Korean boy who overcomes great difficulties in his quest to become a master potter.

Paterson's trilogy about Japan and the Samurai that begins with "Sign of the Chrysanthemum" is also very popular although for more mature readers.

We also use many folktales from China and Japan. My favorite collectons are "Tales of a Chinese Grandmother" and "Shen of the Sea."
Susan Dubin
Valley Beth Shalom Day School

[Anonymous]

Ancient Origins. Marin Multimedia Limited/ Piranha Interactive Publishing, Inc.
1996-1998

Ancient Origins cd-rom is one of the best electronic resources I have come across. It is a top-notch resource for sixth grade social studies and covers the early part of the seventh grade social studies curriculum. It has some of best little bells and whistles I have seen and that includes web technology that is now ten years newer. Students can actually play ancient instruments, explore 3-D buildings, excavate archaeological sites, and interact with animations of everyday life. Many topics have a narrated introduction and interactive maps. One wishes that the great mass of information that is presented in text form were also narrated for they are really informative, but difficult to present to an audience in the format they are presented. That said, they are superb as a reference for the single user.

Ancient Origins covers the time period from 5,000,000 BCE to 500 CE. The Grand topics include Europe, West Asia, South Asia, East Asia, Africa, North America, Central America and South America, all of which can be accessed either on a time line or a large spinning globe.

The segment on East Asia and the Pacific is the one most cogent for this forum. The sections on Prehistoric Japan start with the late Paleolithic and stretches to the Yamato Period. The Jomon Period contains an interactive 3-D reconstruction of a Jomon village; one can also hear an early Japanese zither played. One of the last sections in this segment covers the early states of Japan and Korea from 500 BCE to 668 CE. Korea does get short shrift, but there is a wonderful interactive map of Korean history and a great animated panel of daily life.

Chinese history starts with Homo erectus and goes through the Han Dynasty. The section contains interactive maps and for Shang China one gets to excavate the Tomb of Fu Hao and play a Chinese mouth organ; for Zhou zeng bells can be played; in Qin one can excavate the Tomb of Qin Shji Huang Di and for Han the Tomb of Muwangdui. There are also interactive panels of everyday life for Zhou and Han.

I have had many pleasurable hours exploring this cd-rom and have used it in class as well. Students love the music sections and are enamored of the reconstructions and excavations and all want to get a chance to interact with the program. They are less attentive when it comes to the picture and textual portions that are not narrated. I choose these carefully and use the bookmark function because navigation in this section of the program is not particularly good. It is unfortunate that the cd-rom is out-of-print. However, one can sometimes find it used at Amazon

[Anonymous]

Confucius is one subject we touched this semester (7th grade). Since social studies/history is not my subject, I won't be able to spend chunks of classroom time on specific topics.

I took the class to the Pacific Asia Museum's Confucius: Shaping Values Through Art. The students saw the philosophy's influences on arts objects, daily life, and literature. We discussed how Confucius teaching was done through exposing children to stories painted on different everyday objects. Students also watched the interviews with Southern Californian locals talking about how they view Confucius teaching nowadays. The students filled the museum survey as part of the assessment.

I would say that artifacts always inspire genuine discussion. So even the class cannot afford visiting the museum (which is free for a group of 12 or more), the teacher might be able to show some artifact and open the topic.

[Anonymous]

This is an online exhibition and here is the http://www.pacificasiamuseum.org/rankandstyle/index.stm.

The students and I walked through and discuss about each piece. Afterward students reproduced their versions of the design. They brought their court wear design to one kindergarten class and share their knowledge of the Chinese court and the court wear with the little ones.

[Anonymous]

I got my principal to let me teach a seventh grade core last year. I will be doing it again in the 2009/2010 school year. I will have two groups of students and will be teaching on a block schedule that gives me four English classes and two history classes. I will teach only three classes every day. I have each group for English every day and one group for history every day. They alternate history every other day. Anyway I wanted to do this because seventh grade history and English lend themselves to doing lots of cross curricular things. The California State standard 3.0 for English states that "students read and respond to historically or culturally significant works of literature that reflect and enhance their studies of history and social science." This allows me to incorporate literature such as Beowulf, Chaucer, Dante, Cervantes and other writers from Europe.

World History and Geography State Standard 7.5 (Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the civilizations of Medieval Japan ) strand 7.5-5 says to "Study the ninth and tenth centuries' golden age of literature, art, and drama and its lasting effects on culture today, including Murasaki Shikibu's Tale of Genji."

Another history standard (7.8-4) allows me to use The Travels of Marco Polo to "understand the effects of the reopening of the ancient silk road between Europe and China, ncluding Marco Polo's travels and the location of his routes."

East Asia in my Classroom has helped me become more familiar with the Far East part of my curriculum for history and helped me do more cross curricular studies with English. I am in fact creating my lesson for the course as a crosss curricular one studying The Tale of Genji.

For single subject teachers of English State Standard 3.0 opens a wide door for the study of Eastern literature and because of the curriculum for sventh grade history makes it hard not to do.

Medieval China, Japan, and Korea are of course imbedded in the seventh grade history standards and don't need any special modificatin to "bring in the far East".

GG

[Anonymous]

Durham Cathedral & Castle
Centre for Law and Computing of the University of Durham, United Kingdom

http://www.dur.ac.uk/event.durham/vrtours/castle/

This is a really neat site that provides virtual tours of a nine-hundred-year-old cathedrals and castles built by William the Conqueror around 1072ish. Photographs and text allow you to explore fun and interesting areas, like the monasterys and the castle keepers chambers. Other tools like a timeline and a glossary will help you to better understand these two vast locations. This is a really neat site that can give you better look ionto Medieval Euroope! :@

[Anonymous]

PS i thought this one was pretty good for Japan..i kno wayy off from Med Europe but still M.S.!
http://www.pbs.org/empires/japan/
Commanding shoguns and fierce samurai warriors, exotic geisha and exquisite artisans—all were part of a Japanese renaissance between the 16th and 19th centuries when Japan went from chaos and violence to a land of ritual refinement and peace. But stability came at a price: for nearly 250 years, Japan was a land closed to the Western world, ruled by the shogun under his absolute power and control. Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire brings to life the unknown story of a mysterious empire, its relationship with the West, and the forging of a nation that would emerge as one of the most important countries in the world. (From the website)
Also, its very easy to navigate, has tons of authentic time art work and the best part are the actual video clips. Check it out and let me know what you think! 😛

[Author]

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