seminar basics

[clay dube]

This is where we'll post copies of seminar announcements and handouts.

[clay dube]

A copy of the seminar assignment is attached. In addition to attendance at and active participation in every session, you are expected to complete three tasks.

1. Exchanging ideas via the discussion forum. Substantative posts are the norm. In evaluating websites, provide details on who created the resource, what are its particular strengths and weaknesses, and how might it be used by teachers. In reviewing films, summarize the story and focus on how teachers could use it to teach about Asia. What issues does it explore? Is it an accurate representation of a particular time and place? In discussing seminar readings or presentations, feel free to raise questions, offer interpretations, and brainstorm on classroom applications for the materials or concepts. For example, how can these primary sources be used to develop student skills?

Remember to post website evaluations and film reviews to the Asia in My Classroom forum. Put seminar-specific posts in this forum. Please put AsiaMedia (http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu) and Asia Pacific Arts (http://www.asiaarts.ucla.edu) posts in the appropriate public forum. General discussion of Asia Institute articles or things you see in the newspaper should go in the Asia On My Mind forum.

2. Create a website for use either with your students or your fellow teachers. You may combine this assignment with the curriculum development task. Your website should have a minimum of three different pages. Be sure to check your spelling and grammar and to properly credit your sources of information and images. You may post your website to our web server (your URL will be http://international.ucla.edu/asia/lessons/yourfirstinitialyourlastname -- be sure to name your homepage "index.html") or elsewhere (your school site, your ISP, or on a free website host such as GeoCities). Please include your email address on the website so that interested colleagues may contact you.

3. Develop a set of lesson plans covering two - five days. These lessons should be appropriate for the students you have in class everyday. These plans should be fully developed with discussion questions, handouts, vocabulary lists, and so forth. Alternatively, you may write an essay discussing how you will bring ideas and resources from the seminar into your classes and to your colleagues.

Download and print out a copy of the assignment. Try to meet the discussion forum requirement by the end of the year. Start working on your webpages right away (while the techniques are fresh in your mind). And begin thinking about your curriculum project right now. Everything must be satisfactorily completed and submitted by February 10, 2006 for you to be eligible for the summer 2006 tour. If you are not applying for the tour you have until March 1, 2006 to submit everything.

[clay dube]

Hi Folks,

I've attached a guide to using the forum. It includes a section on why forums work better than email discussion lists for some tasks, plus information on how to post your ideas and how to respond to others.

A couple of quick notes:
1. Put seminar specific comments/questions in this forum. These include discussions of presentations and your projects.
2. Put more general comments/questions that other teachers would be interested in in the Asia in My Classroom forum or one of the other forums.
3. Rather than starting a new thread (topic) with your post, please try to put your post into an existing thread. This is much easier for readers. So to post something to the film festival thread, go inside that thread and click on the "reply" button. If your subject is different, change the subject line. This will make it easy for readers to scan.

Please click on the icon below to download the guide. It is in "pdf" format. You'll need a copy of the free Acrobat reader (you probably already have it on your computer) to read it. Try clicking on the icon and see what happens. If the file opens, or you are asked if you want to open it using Acrobat, you're all set. If not, you'll need to download and install Acrobat. It's pretty easy to do. Just go to:

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Acrobat is handy and works on Windows, Linux, and Mac computers. Because it preserves formatting and is a standard, the US government (e.g., the IRS) uses it to distribute documents.

[clay dube]

The table of contents for the seminar reader is attached. Please note that at each session, certain parts of the upcoming reading assignment will be stressed.

[Anonymous]

This posting is meant mainly for Clay. I recently sent you an email with some questions about the seminar assignments which I thought were a bit too personal and specific to be posted on this website, but since I have not heard from you and a week has gone by, I am guessing you have not answered because you need ALL questions posted here.

I have cut and pasted my entire email below but would like to add that since I originally wrote you I have already taught our first two-day lesson on the topography and climate of China. Students were introduced to ancient China with an activity in which they created and analyzed annotated relief maps of China to better understand how geographic factors affected human settlement and culture in ancient times.

Students cut out different colored layers from cardstock to represent the different elevations in China and then pasted them on top of each other to create a relief map. They researched the summer and winter temperatures, annual precipitation, and vegetation types for 8 geographical areas: Chang Jiang, Gobi Desert, E. North China Plain, F. Plateau of Tibet, Himalayan Mountains, Huang He, Taklimakan Desert, and H. Tian Shan and recorded the information on gauges around their maps. Attached is a photo of a proud student showing off his topographical map.

On Monday, they will use their maps and the information they researched to discuss in cooperative groups the following three critical-thinking questions about settlement in Ancient China:

1. Most people in ancient China settled on the North China Plain. Explain why this was true by considering the following:
a. What elevation levels might be unsuitable for human settlement?
b. What locations might be too hot or too cold for farming?
c. Which locations might provide the best sources of water to fulfill human needs?
d. Which locations might provide vegetation for domesticated animals, such as cattle and pigs?

2. China was isolated from the rest of the world during ancient times. Explain why this was true by considering the following:
a. Ho might elevation make it difficult to enter and exit China from northern invaders?
b. What physiographic features might protect China from northern invaders?
c. How might the seas east of China act as barriers to trade and travel?
d. How might vegetation act as an obstacle to invaders trying to attack southern China?

3. A number of different cultures developed within ancient China. Explain why this was true by considering the following:
a. How might the different elevation levels separate people?
b. How might differences in temperature affect the way people dressed?
c. How might differences in precipitation affect the types of houseing that people built?
d. How might the different types of vegetation affect people's diets?

These lessons are relevant to the following Six Grade History Standards:
6.6 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social
structures of the early civilizations of China.

1. Locate and describe the origins of Chinese civilization in the Huang-He Valley during
the Shang Dynasty.

2. Explain the geographic features of China that made governance and the spread of
ideas and goods difficult and served to isolate the country from the rest of the world.

In the next set of lessons Max and I are planning, students will read stories about four legendary Chinese emperors and create imperial robes decorated with visuals representing the emperors' qualities to understand Chinese beliefs about the qualities of an ideal ruler. First they will learn why Chinese emperors were considered divine and how they sought to justify their rule by maintaining the "Mandate of Heaven."

Then, working in pairs, they will read stories of one of the four legendary Chinese emperors--Huang Di, Yao Di, Shun Di or Yu Di. They will decide on symbols or visuals to represent their emperors' qualities and use them to decorate full-sized imperial robes out of yellow and red butcher paper. They will also color life-sized masks of their emperors. Then they will display their robes in a procession around the class while I play a recording of the classical Chinese song, "Bow Dance." After the procession, each pair will identify the unique characteristics of their robe to the class and explain how the symbols depict the qualities of their emperor.

Finally, students will create a character collage which will illustate the qualities an ideal Chinese emperor would possess. For each quality, they will draw a symbol or illustration, identify the legendary emperor who embodied that quality and write a one-sentence explanation of how he did so. They will have to include qualites from each of the emperors.

Our inspiration for both of these lessons came from a Lesson Guide called "Ancient China" published by Teachers' Curriculum Institute (1998) which is a wonderful source for 6th grade teachers.

I believe you said, "Duplication is good." So with your permission I will copy these lesson ideas to another more appropriate forum, but I just wanted to include them here to give you an idea of what kinds of things Max and I would like to produce for the assignment.

What follows now is my original email to you with specific questions regarding meeting the qualifications for the Asia trip:

Dear Smiling clay (with a small c)

I'm not sure whether I should be posting this question on the website or asking you directly by email, but since it is specific to me, I will start here and then transfer your reply if you think it is appropriate.

I have been waiting to examine the application to confirm that I am on the right track and that I am still in the running for the Asia trip, but I have not been able to find it anywhere on the website so I will post to you.

You have no doubt noticed by now that I am not a great reader (whether it be of emails, forums or textbooks). I have a learning disorder that makes reading agonizingly painful for me. Nor am I a website wizard -- though I am sufficiently accomplished in almost all other areas of computer technology for the classroom. What I am is a great 6th grade history teacher and a fantastic lesson plan developer.

I have been doing a lot of research and I am getting very excited about this project. Whether I travel with you to Asia or not, this class has completely changed my focus. Whereas I used to either skip East Asia altogether in my curriculum or mention it in passing for a few days (squashed in between Egypt and Greece), I am now looking forward to developing a 3-5 week Unit on just China itself and in starting it immediately so that it doesn't get preempted. It is going to be a tremendous amount of work because I am nearly totally ignorant on the content; But learning and teaching are my two passions so it will be a labor of love.

It will only take a few extra hours to document a couple of those lessons according to the seminar requirements and I am confident that I can muster up all my energy to create some webpages and write 35 forum entries that will satisfy the requirements for the two silly salary points.

What I'd really rather do is put a whole bunch of my energy into designing an incredible 2 to 3 week unit on Ancient China which will exceed all requirements, include student work, and eventually knock your socks off.

I guess what I need to understand from you is:

1. Can Max and I combine our resources to create at minimum a 6-day unit (probably more) and a minimum 6-page website? We will of course each do our own 35+ postings.

2. If we do, (knock your socks off, that is) will I still have a good chance of qualifying for the trip even though Max is not allowed to go and we are combining assignments?

3. You have never been clear (I'm guessing, on purpose) about how many slots there are compared to approximately how many applications you expect to receive. For example, it is a lot of extra work if only one out of every five of us will get to go. It's probably worth the extra work, however if approximately two-thirds of us get to go. Is that something you are able to be a little more specific about?

As I mentioned, I will be teaching the unit whether there is a chance I get to go or not, but I would rather not put all that effort into documenting it according to your specific requirements if chances are slim. I hope this question is not inappropriate.

4. Finally, I currently rely heavily on the lesson plan ideas in our school textbook, History Alive! It is a wonderful resource and, of course, required. My lessons usually include the textbook's handouts and overheads enhanced with my own ideas, personal photographs, internet researched images, and activities supplemented from many other sources. If Max and I provide complete citations, is it okay to use the lessons in a particular text book for the initial framework of our unit or do the lessons need to be more original than that?

Well, I would apologize for such a long email, but I know that you DO read--and lots--so instead I will just keep smiling and wait for your reply.

Thanks, Linda

P.S. Since I originally wrote this email, one other question has come up after teaching the lessons. When we turn in our printed copies of lessons to you, may we include oversized student work like posters, mobiles, etc.? I know they will be cumbersome, but the photos don't do them justice. Thanks, L

[Anonymous]

Last day of East Asia seminar

I have attached some pictures of our classroom taken on Jauary 10 2006. I just do not know how you can observe them. Could someone tell me what to do? Thanks.

[clay dube]

Hi Reza,

You can attach pictures (alas, only one at a time) by clicking on the "browse" button that appears at the bottom of the message area when you are typing a message. Clicking "browse" opens your file manager and you then navigate to the picture (or other file) that you wish to attach.

I'll attach a photo to this message. To open the photo, click on the file icon.

[Anonymous]

Hi Dr. Dube,

I think I made it!

Here is the trick! You must zip your file or it won't work.
There are 2 more to come.

Click below to open the picture.[Edit by="rrustamzadeh on Jan 12, 6:28:40 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

Here is one more picture.

[Anonymous]

Sorry! I can upload pictures only one at a time.

Now I wish I had taken more pictures.

Maybe next time.

[Anonymous]

Hey kids,(class of 2006)

I decided to play some chinese music for you, but I had none. So I decided to sing Chinese myself. listen and tell me what you think. It is called defending Yellow River.

[clay dube]

Hi Folks,

We're having our reunion dinner and follow-up session on Tuesday, April 25. We'll be in 812-814 of the UTLA building. All members of the seminar should attend and everyone should invite another social studies/language arts teacher or a supervisor to attend. The session will be from 5 to 7 pm.

Please email me mailto:[email protected] to let me know if you'll be coming and if you'll bring someone. I really need this information to aid in ordering food.

We'll talk about the work you've done with your students and with your colleagues and we'll show off the curriculum units and websites that have been completed.

I look forward to seeing everyone.

[Anonymous]

Thanks so much for hosting us again Clay, and thanks so much to everyone for sharing your AMAZING ideas. My non-teacher friend was making fun of me because I was inspired to create new lessons from each persons website. So inspiring. It was great to see how varied and different all the lessons were. My fellow teachers I congratulate you!

Felisa

[clay dube]

Each teacher completing all seminar requirements is eligible to select, with her or his librarian, up to $300 in materials focused on East Asia. These can be films, curriculum units, books, cd-roms, maps, or other resources. I've attached the library materials request procedure. Please send these requests in as soon as you've met all seminar requirements.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, I missed the Islam in China seminar held in May.
Will there be another seminar about Islam in China in the near future? I would really like to attend a seminar which discusses this particular topic.

[Author]

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