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Linda Gonzales DiazI like this idea for an assignment very much, I would probably just tweak it a little bit. In our school, we really push the use of MEAL paragraphs in our writing and we use across the curriculum. Personally, I think its a great resource to help students with academic writing in all subjects. I can see myself assigning this question as a research project that ends in a MEAL paragraph. Thanks for a great idea!
Linda Gonzales DiazHi Dan, I agree that looking at the language colonizers use is an important feature of history and worth investigating further with students. Helping students identify that the rhetoric used when colonizing and conquering other cultures tends to repeat itself, regardless of the time and location; past and present, east and west. I hope that teaching our students the mistakes of the past will help them building a better future. because they will be able to see the recurrent theme happening.
Linda Gonzales DiazI enjoyed Professor Ye Yan's lecture about Cosmopolitan China and the literature of the era. Integrating arts across the curriculum is always a great idea. I have to admit that I am not well versed in poetry and have not thought about incorporating it into my history lessons untill now. I guess this means that I will have to study up on more poetry and brainstorm different ways to infuse it into my practice. I have, however, used visual art such as sculptures, cave paintings, inscriptions, etc from ancient civilizations. I found a resource that I would like to share about using art with any subject, I hope you find it useful:
https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/5-tips-for-teaching-with-art-in-any-subject-area/
Linda Gonzales DiazHi Stephanie, I agree with you on both comments. Hearing professor Ye Yan mention and connect various ancient civilizations was great. I have never been a history buff, however, this course has been helping me understand and enjoy it a little more.
The way we were taught history and the way history textbooks continue teaching history in a segmented fashion, leads our students to believe that each culture and civilization occurs in a vacuum. I had mentioned in an earlier post that my school's history curriculum teaches the official beginning of civilization was in Mesopotamia and fails to mention anywhere else. Yet nomadic groups were popping up all over the world. As teachers, it is up to us to open our students' eyes to the genesis of civilization across the globe happening simultaneously. I teach 6th grade and I know that unless I teach it explicitly, they will not make that connection. It is our job as educators to help students see the themes across the world that are developing in the arts, technology, politics, etc. in multiple civilizations and cultures at once.
Linda Gonzales DiazI agree with you Scott. As they say, 'history is written by the victor'. However, there is always another side, somewhere in between lies the truth. In addition to our textbook curriculum, my school uses a supplemental online curriculum: Reading Like a Historian by Stanford History Education Group (SHEG https://sheg.stanford.edu/). The lessons they provide always contain multiples primary sources from different perspectives for students to analyze and compare/contrast. This is a great resource to have and to help students examine primary sources and think critically as they analyze the validity of each source. In addition to the lessons, they also have an assessment section that align with the lessons available on the site.
The 4 parts of each lesson always include:
an image of https://studycivilwar.wordpress.com/2018/01/22/reading-like-a-historian/
Linda Gonzales DiazHi Dan, I also noticed that. Buddhism shifted over time because of the changes in the cultures and times. This is definitely reflected in the fact that women were the first monastic authorities of Buddhism in Japan and as perspectives toward women change so do the practices and rituals to the point that women are eventually pushed out and are no longer allowed to participate in these duties because of the view of women's bodies. They were not permitted to be part of the rituals or step into sacred sites such as temples.
Linda Gonzales DiazI teach 6th grade history/ancient civilizations. We are coming up to China and of course the development of one of the world's most important religions, Buddhism. I have at times found it challenging to explain the ideologies and practices of Buddhism. However, this week's session has made it a little bit easier for me to create a lesson that will help my students understand this religion and its ideologies. It also allows me to connect it to the silk road which we are also learning about and explain how Buddhism spread throughout the continent of Asia.
Linda Gonzales DiazI think that the steps China has taken toward combatting air pollution in their country and globally is really comendable. It shows that they are serious about it. They saw the negative effects it was having on thier citizens' health and chose to make real change. In order to make change on such a grand scale, some real moves must be made and these moves usually require money. China was willing to invest in new technology and various sources of green power. They are providing grants for scientists to develop these new technologies. That is something that America is yet to fully commit to. Instead we have a leader promising to bring back the use of coal and therefore the dying and dangerous industry of coal mining. So will China save the World? Well, they are sure setting forth a good example, if the rest of the developed nations follow suit, we may have some real change and progress in the future.
Linda Gonzales DiazI agree Amy, unfortunately, our country is the largest producer of air pollution after China, (https://www.ucsusa.org/global-warming/science-and-impacts/science/each-countrys-share-of-co2.html) As far as waste pollution, we are #1 especially because our love for and dependance on disposable items (https://sites.google.com/site/iilyear4/top-10-countries-that-produce-the-most-waste). We use things once and throw them out, thinking that it's gone and disappeared because after all, out of sight out mind. America has to face the hard truth that we are a largest contributor to the problem and must work to find soutions to our country's behavior that causes effects on a global level. This will take a huge shift in our behaviors and the way we live our everyday lives because it will take a collective reflection of our wastefulness and the conscious changes we will need to make to change them.
Linda Gonzales DiazOne of the topics that came up during this morning's discussions was about technology. More often than not, our students do not think about technology as simple inventions. Instead, when they think of technology it is usually a computer, cell phone, newest game console, robots, etc. I know that when I mentioned that the invention of the wheel in sumer was new technology, my students had a really hard time wrapping their minds around that. They could not imagine a time where wheels did not exist and people did not know what it was or how to use it. Seeing it as the newest groundbreaking technology is so daunting to them and their reactions are of disbelief and confusion. The picture of the spinning wheel is another example of the technology of the time in China that changed people's lives forever and yet it is so simple. Maps are another example of technology that is often taken for granted, we don't often think back to the development of such an important artifact that has become such an important part of our lives. Each one of us has instant access to maps at our fingertips in our phones, we have maps attached to our classroom walls, yet students do not fully grasp what an innovative product this was. Introducing technology as a relative concept is important for my 6th graders and for them to understand that the world wasnt alway the way it is now, the way that they are experiencing it. I think that this is a difficult concept for them to grasp.
Linda Gonzales DiazHi Gerlinde, I think this assignment is a great way to get students to think critically. This would definitely qualify as a level DOK 3/4, because not only does it require critical thinking skills but it also requires analysis of the reading, then applying that same knowledge and analysis to today's politicians and bureacrats. This makes the history they are learning relevant because it connects them to the present and answers the question, "So What?" It also allows them an opportunity to argue with each other, which middle schoolers love!
In preparation for the debate, have you or will you design a graphic organizer to help students coordinate their position and supporting evidence to set up for the debate?
Linda Gonzales DiazStudents will view pictures of The Great Wall. In small groups they will make predictions about the purpose of the Wall and will share out with their group, providing insight about their responses.
Next, students will build background knowledge about the wall by reading about it. (https://nsms6thgradesocialstudies.weebly.com/the-great-wall-of-china.html) and watch a video (https://www.smithsonianchannel.com/videos/how-and-why-the-great-wall-of-china-was-really-built/37710).
I would like to incorporate the influence of the mongols in the north had on the creation of the wall. I also would like students to understand what kind of dynamic existed between both groups. Although both cultures often clashed, they still maintained a trading relationship. This is still at the brainstorming stage and not yet completed. This last piece is especially interesting to me and I would love to share it with my students. I would love to get some advice and or suggestions for this evolving lesson.
Linda Gonzales DiazThe resources provided for this week's readings are excellent! I especially love the poetry slam and the many different maps and color photographs that accompany the readings. I think that I might print these out and laminate them for longevity for use in the classroom.
However, by far my favorite reading was that of Ho Nansorhon, the poet born in the 16th century. It is both, a fascinating and heartbreaking story of the reality of the time for women. This tale depicts a bittersweet story of another woman being born with the right gifts and talents but in the wrong century. I found it refreshing that her story even made it into the history of 16th century Korea. I think the credit for that goes to her loving older brother who mentored her and loved her dearly. He supported her literary gifts and mentored her despite it being frowned upon by the male dominated society of the time. She was born into a wealthy family and she was loved and cared for. My interpretation of the reading is that she was accepted by her family in spite of her love of literature which was contrary to the beliefs an customs of the time. After marrying and having children, she began losing the protection she was offered while living in her family home. It seems clear to me that she married some average bureacrat wannabe with no real upward mobility, because according to the text he never climbed the wrungs of the bureacratic system he was employed by. His mediocrity was made even more pronounced by his wife's natural and effortless literary superiority. This made her a target of her husband and her in-laws. Plus, her children died while they were young, preventing her from fulfilling her wifely duty of raising an heir for her husband. I can only imagine the level of frustration and lack of fulfillment she felt not only as a wife and mother but as a person. The same coping mechanism she used during her times of sorrow was the same activity that was frowned upon. Still, it didn't stop her from setting her emotions to poetry. Like any successful woman within her field having to deal with haters, she was no different. During her time, while she was alive and long after, there have been many instances of men trying to discredit her literary accomplishments simply because they cannot stand for being upstaged by a woman making him look bad just by existing and being herself (My Feminism is showing). Unfortunately, so many of her poetry was lost throughout time and at the moment of her death. Many of her poems were destroyed when she was put to rest. Very few remain today, still they tell the story of a talented woman trying to get through life and the sorrows and tragedies it brings. Her poems are vividly descriptive, beautiful and somber.
Here are some links that tell a little more about her life and her poems, check them out:
http://www.columbia.edu/~sek2114/content/intro.html
http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2880246
https://spectrallyre.wordpress.com/2014/05/26/nansorhon-ho-white-orchid-poet-of-sighs/
Linda Gonzales DiazThis week's readings were very interesting. The narrative around native peoples seems to be on a continuous loop where they are dehumanized by more powerful groups. It seems that every developed culture has built its society atop the dead bodies of the original dwellers of the land, or natives. Colonists and beyond called the Native Americans "savages" or "red face" and to this day continue oppressing this group. Although the timeline of the events and the depiction of the events may remain questionable, the fact remains that it is a familiar story circling most early histories. Here we read that Yamato deems these natives "dirt spiders" and also goes about killing everyone because they are seen as less than human. Of course, history being written by the victor always seems to depict the defeated party as a formidable foe that needed to be anihalated for the 'greater good' and the preservation of the way of life for the conquerer. The other piece that really interested me was the mythology presented by Professor Katsuya Hirano. It really intrigued me and I see myself building a lesson plan around the myths based at the inception of Japanese history. Every culture has myths and legends revolving around thier own genesis. The mythology I am most familiar with is Latin American and Greek mythology. I will continue researching these myths to learn more about how they shape the culture of Japan we know today, then curate the information and take it back to my students.
Linda Gonzales DiazTeaching 6th grade ancient civilizations, I have a couple of chapters on Asia but it is limited to Chinese settlement and development of dynasties. We also briefly touch on Chinese philosophies. So brief is this chapter that it is limited to only 3 philosophies: Confucianism, Daoism and Legalism. They completely omit Mohism. I must admit that reading this week's texts was the first time I had heard of the philosophy of Mohism. I can't help but wonder why this textbook decided not to include this philosophy. I find that this particular philosophy has many parallels to the Restorative Justice practices we use currently at our school and in my classroom. After reading the text and participating in the debate about these four philosophies, I plan to also incorporate Mohism as one of the major philosophies of China. I can also help them see the similarities between then and now and how even ancient philosophies are still relevant today.
In addition to diving deeper into Chinese history, I will also include other regions that take many influences from China (Japan, Korea).
