Denver Public Schools
Kung-hsi Fa-ts' ai! – A Chinese New Year Celebration
Looking for ideas for your Lunar New Year celebration? Check out an interdisciplinary unit of study that includes lessons in counting, calligraphy, culture, geography, literature, art, and music. Kung-hsi Fa-ts' ai! (May you become rich!)
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Brushstrokes From West to East
Students meld their ideas about art with the philosophy of the Chinese. They discuss each art project, discover the history and culture of each project in China. They create a tea ceremony and various Chinese art projects.
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Traditional Values vs. Modern Culture in the Asian Community
Students examine Chinese culture and values. They research the teachings of Confucius, create posters, write short stories, and analyze the history of and present state of gang culture through research, discussion, and writing.
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Orville and Wilbur Wong and the Fantastic Flying Machines
Upper elementary and middle schoolers examine the role of Chinese immigrants in America. They investigate literature, history and cultures of Chinese-Americans. This ambitious plan takes two weeks to complete, and it brings in elements...
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Dynastic Explorations
Students complete a unit of lessons on medieval Chinese dynasties. They examine the impact the Chinese culture has had on their own lives, label maps, conduct research, read stories, create bamboo stick sentences, write poems, and make...
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Storytelling: Using the Arts to Enrich the Curriculum...
Students explore the art of storytelling and stories from various cultures. Students experience Japanese and Chinese culture as well as Greek mythology. Students create and present their own Greek mythology topic to the class.
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Research Project
Students explore Chinese New Year, complete a cyber hunt, and write a report which includes pictures, using the information they found.
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Public Speaking and Persuasion - Improve Your School!
Present vital information and persuade your audience. The class views and discusses two video segments regarding a Chinese school government election. They prepare and deliver persuasive speeches that require them to describe how they...
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Day of the Dragon King
Second graders explore various cultures to compare them to their own culture. They read Mary Pope Osborne's Day of the Dragon King and identify the Chinese New Year, Chinese Zodiac, and how the zodiac differs from ours. After reading,...
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The Year of the Rabbit
Students explore a portion of the Chinese Zodiac with projects centered around the year of the rabbit. Students research types of rabbits, actual and fictional. Working in groups, they create a written or multimedia presentation.
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Aluminum Can Drive
Second graders complete a recycling project to clean-up their school. In this service project lesson, 2nd graders assess their campus for litter, set up a recycling project, clean up their campus, and recycle the trash. Students also...
Museum of Tolerance
Disenfranchised People of the New Nation
Why are some immigrant groups in the United States embraced while others become disenfranchised? To answer this question, teams investigate why groups emigrated to the US, why some of these these peoples were disenfranchised, and their...
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Sports in China: What And Why They Play?
Students study several different types of Chinese sports played throughout history in China. They examine the historical perspective of the importance of sports in Chinese culture and create a final project using information about three...
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"Taming the Bicycle"
Eighth graders discuss invention of bicycle and early obstacles to riding, listen to and discuss short story "Taming the Bicycle" by Mark Twain, define vocabulary words from story, and create and present humorous "how to" project to...
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Writing a Historical Poem
Students work together to research a historical event. They create their own poems based on their research. They share their poems with the class and discuss the historical event further.
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Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China
Students complete an Internet search to locate sources relating to Jung Chang's Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China. In this literary analysis lesson, students visit the website to research topics related to the reading. Students...
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Social Studies: Ancient China
Seventh graders examine the contributions and influences of dynasties on Chinese history. They role-play as citizens during selected dynasties and write daily autobiographical entries. Students complete projects on the geography,...
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Xinjiang: A Bi-Cultural Perspective
Twelfth graders research the affects the Chinese Nuclear Program has had on the environment and the health of the Uighur minority.
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The Role of Monuments And Memorials
Students investigate the use of monuments and memorials in various cultures in this three day Language Arts or Social Studies instructional activity. Emphasis is placed on in-class discussions, research, and individual creative projects.
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What Death Brings to Life - English Component
Students are introduced to the characteristics of ancient Indian, Chinese and Aztec cultures. They consider what was valued by these cultures and compare the cultures' values to their own. They write an essay on their reflections.
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Asian-American History
Students explore aspects of Asian-American culture. In this lesson plan, students use the internet to research American history and the Asian American experience, complete Asian inspired art and read a biography. This instructional...
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Designing for the Future
Students analyze the architecture of the United Architects and Ken Yeang. In this architecture analysis lesson, students explore architecture design for its sustainability, safety, and purpose. Students write an article about one of the...
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Sharing Beliefs and Ideas
Students examine how cultural ideas and thought were exchanged as travelers and traders of the Silk Road met, interacted, and traded with different peoples from different regions and cultures along the Silk Road.
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Heroes, Legends and Folktales
Fourth graders read classic stories including "The Magic Brocade" and "St. George and the Dragon". They complete a series of lessons in which they compare stories and produce original narrative legends.