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This web site is a pay site, however, there are a few free parts you can see, and there is a 14 day trial. My school pays for all teachers to be able to use it, you might also be able to get your department to use it.
Brainpop offers many mini movies (maybe 2 minutes long) that introduce and/or review topics that you have or will teach to your students. The asia related topics for social studies include: Great Wall of China, Korean War, Religion (general with info at the end on Taoism and Buddhism), and parts on WWII and the League of Nations that can be used in conjunction with Asian history. It also has information on American and European history, English, Health, Science, Technology, and Math. Some of the Technology information can be used while teaching History or Science as well.
The short cartoons have characters, Tim & Moby, that explain things as asked by a question from a "viewer". If, say, you'd like them to do one on Samurai, you can e-mail that as a suggestion, and it can show up there at some point that you can use it.
Students love this the short movies, and you can play quizzes at the end and have students answer in groups or teams or as a class (I like to make them use sign language letters). It can be used in many different areas that you teach. It is not meant for in depth information.
I recommend this site highly, however. It works great as a warm up when you project it on a screen.
This is another website that would be a good resource for teachers looking for information and organizations about Asia. It is designed especially for students, teachers, businessmen--basically anyone interested in Asia. Here is the mission statement of the site:
The mission of Asian American Net is to promote and strengthen cultural, educational, and commercial ties between Asia and North America.
The site provides many links to top news articles about Asia, links to Asian American organizations, schools with Asian Studies programs, business links, and educational resources, to name a few. In the educational resources sectoin, there are several good links to sites with scholarships specifically for Asian Americans, as well as other minorities.
One thing I like about this website is that it is organized regionally, so you can look up things about Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Central Asia, etc. A good basic site if looking for information or general info on Asia.
The term "model minority," as the website points out, is superficially complimentary. This website seeks to break down stereotyping and barriers by creating a place for Asian Americans to express themselves through writing, seek support in the community, and break down racial barriers.
Taken from the website:
The mission of ModelMinority.com is to provide this scrutiny in every possible way, so as to educate, inform, provoke, and inspire movements by individuals and groups toward Asian American empowerment. Through ModelMinority.com, we intend to provide the Web's richest collection of research articles, commentaries, stories, poems, pictures, and other documents on the Asian American experience.
There are some great articles that would be of high interest to students. One is called "Racism and the Experience of Asian American Students." Another is "Explaining Asian American Academic Achievement." There is also a forum, similar to this one, where people can express their thoughts on issues concerning Asian Americans. One of the features I like the best is the area that tracks stereotyping of Asian Americans in recent TV shows and movies. A lot of interesting content--could keep you busy for hours!
http://www.askasia.org/teachers/
Yeah! A website from the Asia Society designed specifically with teachers in mind. There are several good lesson plans, background essays, maps, and links for all of us interested in incorporating more about Asia into the curriculum. While the site covers all of Asia, there are many lessons and essays that focus on Southeast Asia. Some of the background essays are wonderful resources, especially "Asia Through a Glass Darkly: Stereotypes of Asians in Western Literature," A Silk Roads Glossary Ancestral Rites and Divination in China,
Religion and World View in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, ca. 1600–256 BCE, Asian Americans and US-Asia Relations Asian Americans Then and Now, and Asian Customs and Values: Preservation within American Communities. The articles are short and somewhat simple, but they do provide useful background information for both teachers and students.
One of the lesson plans that I'd like to try is called All in the Life of a Student: A Look at South Korean Education. According to the website's objectives, this lesson allows students to compare and contrast the South Korean and U.S. education systems in terms of the goals, strengths, and challenges of each. There are lessons on Asian American experiences, Daoist art, Angel Island, and more. This is a practical site that I plan on actually using next year with my American Lit classes.
I used this site every year to help me teach about Japan. It is made by the Japan Tourism Ministry so it has a little bit of a Japanese visual style as well as pretty good English translations of good facts. Sure there are sometimes simple grammatical errors in translation, but it is kept pretty up to date and very kid-safe and friendly. I wish I could find similar sites for this age group on China, Korea, Vietnam, and even the U.S.???
Kids Web Japan
Don't forget to try some of the online games and activities.
Here is an handout I made to help students do a site evaluation.
Hi,
If you are looking for good Japanese Temple pictures, try the web-site below...
Japanhttp://www.bigfoto.com/sites/galery/japan
Hope you like the picture.
x[Edit by="xsantibanez on Aug 3, 2:31:12 PM"][/Edit]
http://www.historyforkids.org is a great resource for students to access to learn about China. The site contains the following Index:
History (with timeline)
Environment (with maps)
Religion
Clothing
Economy
Philosophy
Food
People
Art
Architecture
Books about China
Crafts and Projects on China
Teacher's Guides for China
Under each section are pages detailing, for example, Art from each of the dynasties with nice large pictures and accompanying descriptions.
[Edit by="mwilson on Aug 3, 2:47:43 PM"][/Edit]
Another very cool site where your students can actually "step inside" a Japanese elementary, middle, or high school by taking a virtual tour with pictures or captions is at: http://web-jpn.org/kidsweb/life.html
What a great way to potentially set up pen pals? Or perhaps you could assign your students in groups of three or four to research the school's city/town on the web and explain what island they are on and the basic demographics of the area and then take the virtual tour and then do a presentation about that school on an overhead or by doing posters etc. This site also teaches basic Japanese language skills that students could use on a vacation/trip or practice in class. [Edit by="mwilson on Aug 3, 3:27:07 PM"][/Edit]
[Edit by="mwilson on Aug 3, 3:31:13 PM"][/Edit]
Hi people,
This web site is of little use to me, but I recall a few of the teachers having ESL classes. I've found the mother of all ESL sites, with specific support for Chinese (traditional), Chinese (simplified), Korean and Japanese language students. I had to share it! May this site bring you blessings!!!
This site's primary materials are thematically organized into categories such as "Speaking," "Reading," "Listening," and "Writing." Within each of these sections, visitors can take a look through topical resources that compartmentalize different, more digestible themes, such as "Topics for Writing" or "Organizing and Composing." Visitors can also find materials for beginning, intermediate, or advanced level students. This site has it all! You can use it for ideas for yourself in preparing lessons or in sending kids to get jhelp, though the latter has to be done judiciously.
See, even when we're not in class together I tend to prattle on!
LOL,
Chris Carter
OK,
Another cool ESL site.
This one is for students to practice on, and it has a lot of applications. This website provides a multimedia experience for those seeking to learn the English language. The focus on the site is most definitely on developing users' listening skills, and it provides dozens of helpful audio features that quizzes students on topics such as renting an apartment, understanding credit cards, and making doctor appointments. Along with these more practical skills, another section of quizzes deals with subjects that students might encounter in other situations, such as the TOEFL or more advanced conversations. It is even broken down from easy to very difficult interactions.
Again, LOL,
Chris Carter
OK, last cool ESL site:
The Reading Matrix, was designed to create a place where both teachers and other interested persons could come together to find resources about reading and writing. Most of the resources are geared towards the language needs of ESL and international students, but there is really something for everyone. The Archives are a good place to start, as users will have the opportunity to look through subject-oriented resources for English-language learners that range from dictionaries, grammar quizzes, and speaking and listening practice.
LOL,
Chris Carter
Hi all,
How about a starter simulatioin of world trade that can springboard into an examination of trade in the Pacific, or more specific issues like trade between the US & China?
Check out this site:
http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/center/students/trade/index.htm
It is an interactive simulation and role-playing activity based on a fast-paced game that challenges the player to buy low and sell high. The simulation is a trading model that matches the player with computerized traders from around the world. Prices respond to the
overall health of the global economy, and players can see how commodity prices change over time.
It is suitable fore middle school or high school, so everyone in hte class can use it!
Expect more websites, as I've just begun to go through the web sites I've archived over the years!
LOL,
Chris Carter
Here's one,
Flags of the World (FOTW) is the Internet's largest site devoted to vexillology (the study of flags). Here you can read more than 26,000 pages about flags and view more than 48,000 images of flags. The site is fed with news and images posted to the FOTW mailing list and with other contributions from interested readers and visitors. Flags of the World is produced and maintained by an Editorial Staff of unpaid volunteers and the contents of these pages are offered freely to the Internet community. Ugly interface but lots of info.
Check out Japan. Did you know that Japan has a flag for the emperor, and another one for the empress? Interesting facts about the flags, and a whole lot more!
LOL,
Chris Carter
Here's a 'best of the web quests' list:
http://bestwebquests.com/default.asp
With so many pages claiming to be "webquests," it's time for the experts to step in and separate the real webquests from other web-based activities. Look to this site as finding aid and matrix of the best WebQuests arranged by content area and learners' age. You'll be able to read tips on what makes a great WebQuest, submit yours for consideration, and get tips on WebQuest design. Designed and maintained by Tom March.
In the Social Science section there is a world cultures web quest which is quiet a good one! Worth checking out!
LOL,
Chris Carter
Once more unto the breech!
The Nation Master is an excellent resource for finding out any number of current details about just about any country in the world. For easy reference, the main Web page features the most frequently requested stats, such as televisions and military expenditures per capita. Did you know that Bhutan's capital is the only one in the world that doesn't have street lights? Nation Master also allows visitors the option of creating their own graphs in order to effectively compare different nations. The site also has links to national profiles. Additionally, the site has a search engine, and a place where visitors can read short facts on the different countries. Apart from being interesting to browse through, the site will be helpful
for students looking for basic statistics on the world's different countries.
This is a bit thick but is a great resource for teachers who do MUN (Rocky) or who like comparisons in teaching, like how many TVs does China have per capita compared to the US? Find out the answer on this site!
TTFN,
Chris Carter