[Betsy Ures]

The playing cards & paper cuts would be good for ELD (elementary English Language Development). I can print the cards and have students make observations about what is on the card, and what the message of the image is. Each student pair can have 5 minutes with each card to have a constructive conversation and practice academic speaking on a topic that is related to social studies content. We could focus on answering the following questions: "Who? Where? What? Why?" in order to generate discussion. I can scaffold the lesson by providing some background vocabulary terms and modeling an academic conversation.

[Betsy Ures]

The idea of comparing the Treaty of Nanjing to the Treaty of Versaille is very thought-provoking! The ripple effects of these treaties seem far more dangerous than I first thought. 

[Betsy Ures]

The "unequal treaty" begins by outlining British rights in China. Persons from England and Ireland are not subject to Chinese laws when in China. British subjects are also allowed to live in China to carry out Mercantile pursuits. Hong Kong is established as a port for the British so they may careen and refit their Ships. Establish a repayment of 21 Million dollars for various assaults on Britain. A tariff system is established. British forces will no longer stop Chinese trade through military force.

The treaty is very generous and beneficial for Brittain. It seems beneficial for the British merchants that can move into China as well as the British governemnt. China has to pay huge sums of money to the British Royal Family. China has to pay 21 million dollars and cede land to establish a port, so the agreement is extremely unequal.

[Betsy Ures]

My name is Betsy Ures and I am a coordinator at an elementary school in Echo Park in Los Angeles, CA! I am a proud LAUSD educator. My favorite aspect of teaching is watching students grow and learn!

I have taken a course before, and I love looking at architecture, art, and the foods of East Asia. One day I would love to travel to Thailand, China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. 

I hope to learn about modern life in East Asia so that I can provide engaging lessons that connect to my students' life.

[Betsy Ures]

Hello everyone!

My name is Betsy Ures and I am a title-1 coordinator at an elementary school in Los Angeles, CA. I am looking forward to learning more about East Asia and how to incorporate the information and lesson plans at my school site.

[Betsy Ures]

I love virtual fieldtrips! Even when we are in school, it's super engaging for students. Here is a tour of the different gardens at the Huntington: https://www.huntington.org/botanical-collections-tours

[Betsy Ures]

Excellent lesson/unit plan. I've been trying to incorporate schoology now that we are in virtual learning. I found that the Huntington Gardens have excellent virtual tours if you wanted to use in the future, here it is: https://www.huntington.org/botanical-collections-tours

I am looking forward to using these resources even when we are back in the classroom since field trips will be restricted.

[Betsy Ures]

Thank you for sharing. It is extremely interesting! The need for establishing a strong individual identity seems like a pattern in countries that develop from others. In America, there was a clear rush to reject England and their influence too. I wonder if Japanese people feel this way just because of the schools or if there are other influences? You seem to know quite a bit from your experiences. I have yet to travel out of North America.

[Betsy Ures]

I must say, that it might be overly ambitous. As an out-of-classroom-teacher, I will be supporting other teachers with their lesson planning. So I think I like your idea much better. Thank you for keeping me grounded in reality!

[Betsy Ures]

Cynthia, you made a great observation that even us, as adults have opinions or misconceptions about East Asian architecture and history. Approaching learning with open eyes and minds will help prepare our students for success in the future. I loved learning about how residental streets and neighborhoods were designed to encourage community activities. It will seem peculiar to our students (and myself) until we explore the culture and value systems that placed high value on family and community. It will inspire the architects and city planners of the future!

[Betsy Ures]

Upon starting this course, I wanted to develop a foundational understanding of East Asian history. The timing of this class was incredibly significant. We started class in person and I learned an immense amount about COVID-19 and China's response to it on that first day. Who knew I would need that information and background understanding in the coming days, weeks, and months? Studying the history of China helped me identify  and understand some of the biases that are being presented in the current American news media. It has given me an understanding that Americans have a long history of mistreatment and negative bias toward China and its people. Thank you for teaching beyond the curriculum and adapting to the times.

I’ve taught 6th and 7th grade history in the past and I always depended on the textbook curriculum. Now, I am an out of classroom teacher and I feel much more equipped to support teachers in using other resources to supplement the curriculum. I feel much more open to continue to take more of these classes and continue learning about East Asian history. It has always been a blindspot. 

As for the major takeaways from the seminar, I am walking away with ways to use different sources to supplement the extremely limited textbook. Using the approach of analyzing artifacts to elicit observations and inferences is engaging and cognitively rigorous. Increasing the engagement within the subject of social studies will ensure learning is solidified.

 

[Betsy Ures]

I have also shared that experience of teaching a new grade level and having to "fly the plane while its being built" in terms of developing new knowledge. I have been supported students at my school that are from Korea and Cambodia. I have been able to develop more of an understanding of Korean culture, values, and history in this forum. Now I want to explore moe about Cambodian history and culture.

[Betsy Ures]

I love the use of this film for ETK students! I am impressed with your connection Esther between the current times and the film. It would be helpful for supporting the social emotional needs of students with this film. Thank you for sharing this idea. 

[Betsy Ures]

I appreciate your observations from the film and how they connect to the cultural values of the Korean people. The visual medium of film is useful for emphasizing abstract information like family values and traditions. I want to watch this now!

[Betsy Ures]

I was super unaware of any of the gorgeous geography of Korea before I saw it in the movie. I too had just pictured the urban centers. It is so interesting how the city of Seoul seems to be within a day's travel to incredible mountainous forests. As I've been watching more East Asian films, I've learned more about the landscape and cityscape than when I was reading textbooks in middle or high school. I have also realized my attention span is very different since we've been in quarantine. Movies are awesome ways to solidify the traditional text-based and artifact-based learning we've been engaging with.

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