[Billie Johnson]

Hi Samantha,

I think the art project that you described would work well across all grade levels.  My middle school students love art and are quite expressive in their art. Perhaps they could accompany their artwork with a poem and have a gallery art walk in the classroom with students taking notes on one of their peers' artwork and poem. Thank you for the idea!

[Billie Johnson]

It's so refreshing to hear you lecture again.  I certainly look forward to our meeting tomorrow. The first lecture pretty much covers everything my class works on for 6th grade History.  However, I think it would be worthwhile to cover the history of Korea on its own. We can discuss the importance of artifacts and what they tell us outside of what is written.  I also found the piece of how it is thought large stones were moved and constructed intriguing. I would use this as a way to incorporate art with a small scale art project for students to demonstrate there understanding of this concept. It would be great to discuss the overall importance of trade and exploration so that when they start learning about the Age of Exploration in 8th grade those concepts about what else was transmitted besides diseases with trade and exploration are built in. Also, just in general I do like to discuss topics with my students that are not typically discussed; there is more interest about what they don't know much about.

[Billie Johnson]

This is such an important historical text in terms of women's history, perhaps as a focus for International Women's Day.  Of course I would want to explore more of the history of the women discussed.  What really stood out to me was how literacy is/was used as a tool to keep a person subordinate.  This immediately made me think of slavery and how educated slaves were deemed useless because they would start to think for themselves. It is a shame how history and the use of these harsh and harmful tactics were not used in isolation. It is almost like there is a book that people studied on how to mistreat others. This mentality of how what access women or slaves had to literacy definitely fit into a particular archetype.  How is it that people who are thousands of miles away from each other and speak entirely different languages behave in this way?  Anyhow, so I would love to engage with students on the importance of women in history and the different ways these women used their creativity.  Literacy is a huge focus on my campus, so this fits right in with us focusing on the importance of literacy and how it enhances creativity.

[Billie Johnson]

Hi Meghann,

The concept of who does the historical storytelling is a huge point of discussion in my class. We also discuss the impact historical memory has on a person's life which I think is equally significant. I do agree that not all historical figures are not all good and not all bad and like that you made them human. Sometimes when major figures in history are discussed, they are sometimes discussed as nearly not of this world.  Approaching the topic from multiple perspectives is incredibly important for students to get a complete picture of history. 

[Billie Johnson]

Hi Sandra!  I really like this idea of splitting up the class and have both sides research the history.  As a new teacher, I have found that what helps information stick with my students is when they are able to do their own research and present the materials with groups.  I'm not sure why this works because when I was younger I worked on assignments independently. Group projects are excellent and perhaps you can tell students to find lesser known information about each or stories that are not commonly known.

[Billie Johnson]

Hi Meghann, I have never visited or even though about visiting Japan until taking this course.  Dr. Bharne's lecture was compelling and exciting. I remember attending an in-person lecture of his and was left inspired and curious.  I too enjoyed the comparison and contrast of the purpose of construction and values associated with certain materials used...along with the cultural values associated with wood (impermanence).  I don't like to fly but certainly want to make this trip.

[Billie Johnson]

First, I would just want to introduce invisible infrastructure to my students. Discussing the vitality of telecommunications that I think students are aware of and then looking at how information traveled in Ancient China could be compared to dial-up; although I highly doubt my students know anything about dial-up. 

[Billie Johnson]

Thank you for your presentations!  I was surprised to see the very stylish and purposeful dwellings that were built in Ancient China and Japan.  It would be an interesting and exciting lesson to look at the similarities between the Chinese and Japanese pagodas. We could talk about architecture and something that I am most interested in is how in the world some of these structures were built, like the Sunken Dwellings. After we research and discuss, students can draw their own pagodas: Explain their purpose; Compare between Chinese and Japanese pagodas; and the pagoda's country of origin. Another discussion I would love to have with my students is how these old structures were purposeful. For example, the Fujian Hakka Dwellings and the many other ancient structures were built with a purpose in mind.  It was more of doing what was best for the community. There are so many rich conversations that can come from architecture alone: The how; Style; Purpose of building with wood in Japan; The transfer of information through trade and exploration; Western influence; Purpose of certain structures; Influence of other cultures and more. This lecture/presentation was inspiring. 

[Billie Johnson]

As Sandra stated, thank you so much for these presentations.  There is so much information that we could pull from to integrate into our classrooms.  I thought a great opening for conversation and for a lesson in general at the beginning of a unit would be to place two images before students: laughing round buddha; fasting buddha. I would ask students to point to the buddha and share with their table partners why they selected their images.  This would be a great conversation starter that would lead into the story of the historical buddha. With storytelling about history that has a religious aspect and miracles etc., how do you respond to the mythological aspects?  Has this been up for much debate like the story of Jesus Christ for people who do not practice? I'm just curious that as time presses on, if it is the overarching message that is held onto and not so much the origin of the story. I do wish that content was deep like this from the beginning of the school year onward.  When comparing religions, students touched on the broad make up of Buddhism but not much else.  I'm no expert by a long shot, however I think taking the time to learn and going deeper with my students can expose them to the ancient migratory behaviors, geography, and also use this as an opportunity to discuss how religion and ideals were spread in the past.  There is so much that you can do with this. Thanks again!

[Billie Johnson]

Hi Meghann, 
I also made the connection between the Warrior Code and Legalism and like your idea of using this in class for students to write their own "class code of conduct". 

I wonder why when mentioning a gift to a daughter are the filial duties questioned. That parents must be careful. Is this stating in a roundabout way that women are emotional?  In any case, it is also worth exploring the rights of women during this period of time.  It is significant and worth noting how ideals fluctuate throughout history.

[Billie Johnson]

I would love to use this as an exercise where we explore each clause together and then find modern day examples/representations of each. I think it would be a great activity to see how relateable times are from then and now.  This would definitely be a group activity and students would read their assigned clause or clauses and then give a modern day example of what these clauses were talking about. Again, we are receiving this Constitution from a person who has a powerful position so I can ask my students to look at this from different perspectives.  Who is this Constitution written to serve?  Is it written to serve the people or just keep them content?

The chapter from the Tale of Genji was also profound. There was so much happening in that chapter. I don't think I could use all of this with my students with the love affairs and whatnot, but perhaps we can talk about the different roles in society. Pull excerpts from the chapter to address a compelling question about roles in society looking at courtship, education, and marriage. There is a lot that could be unpacked from that one chapter alone, even the concept of the importance of a person's name. 

[Billie Johnson]

Really enjoyed reading The Attractions of the Capital...Using this as a primary source, I could assign a writing activity where students write about similar goings on in their communities using imagery. This can be an extension of a poetry unit as well. Of course we will have our topics that we would cover...excluding hustlers, and hone in on those detailed environments in a descriptive way. The Debate on Salt and Iron was compelling in that you read a first hand account of a clash of ideals. Again, this could be used in class as an excellent example of how to debate. Instead of having students debate verbally, they can debate in writing...which would drive most of them crazy.  I don't know about anyone else here, but my students have to put pencil to paper in my classes. 24 Stories of Filal Devotion can be used when discussing history without writing in terms of storytelling.  I would love to hear stories or traditions that have been passed down in my students' families.  We did this once and it was a wonderful exercise. So many healthy conversations driven from this topic.

Question about the Penal Servitude In Qin Law: I wonder why these laws are so specific.  Were these laws made up as crimes were committed?

[Billie Johnson]

Well, it happens right?  Sometimes parents take the old saying 'do as I say and not as I do' too far!  Anyhow, since their inherent goodness was tested I would first ask who they started hanging around. I would ask them to recount the teachings of Confucius, how they raised me, and how their actions could disrupt the harmony of our society; they need to not only think of themselves but of all society. After I am finished shaming them I would then ask them what they think would be a just punishment for said crime. Perhaps they would suggest reeducation of Confuscian teachings and then to proclaim the lessons learned to all those affected by their moment of recklessness. All is not lost because humans are good by nature and those people who negatively influenced them need our help to be set on the right path with proper education.

[Billie Johnson]

Aside from the technological advances during the Song Dynasty, which have always amazed me because I am always intrigued by brilliant minds, I am curious about these exams.  Perhaps I missed it, but did families in power have any particular advantages for this exam? It seems that with the complexity of the exam and the type of access this field provided people that there would be some leeway or maybe not. I would like to use this information to discuss how humans interact with their environment from the perspective of the economy and history. We see this in terms of how water was used for trade and commerce. We could also look at technology and manufacturing from a historical perspective and how these advancements were a positive or negative for this society. I'd be curious to know from my students, I suppose this is taking on perspectives again. If they were to rule as an occupying force, how would they structure our current society and why? This perspective could be controversial although Kubulai Khan was provided a buffer because he was described as an activist ruler...similar to Robin Hood?  It would be worth exploring that and the Marco Polo mystery is a great setup for a debate. Students could take a position on whether or not Marco Polo met with Kubulai Kahn and try to back up their arguments with evidence.  It's sort of like how do we know history exists without writing? I can see the Marco Polo activity being fun and a great opportunity for students to enhance their learning on reliable sources and the collection of evidence.

[Billie Johnson]

First of all, I love how it doesn't matter where you are from, history influences the cinema in so many ways. I like how China was credited with their construction the canal and the influence this had on the US with the Erie Canal. The flexibility and purposes of waterways are active today especially in terms of economics. Thinking about the canals in Venice that are used now for tourism and in Long Beach...all over really.  It is nice to see this written in history about the advancement of economics. I see this period of time as a lesson in diversity, too. The relatively successful reign of Empress Wu Zetian shows that people were open minded and perhaps focused on what was good for people instead of what the sex of the ruler is. Were there any lesser known female emperors? Also, the impact that spices has had on China and its food is a lesson in diversity because this is an amalgamation of cultures that emerged during this time. The tea industry is still huge all across the globe. I am intrigued how much of an impact these advancements have had beyond this period of time. The rise and fall of civilizations is also a tale we must heed. What goes up, must come down.

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