Classroom Activities / Lesson Plans In Progress
Presented here are 3 sample lesson plans to be used in this unit. Teachers can use the ideas for a single a single lesson or plan an entire integrated unit based upon the objectives and strategies aforementioned.
Sample Lesson Plan 1
Title: Traditional Fu Mu Lan versus Disney Mulan?
Grade Range: 6th — 8th Grade
Subjects: Social Studies and Literacy (Reading and Writing):
Standard(s): Pennsylvania
Reading, Speaking # 1 & 2, Writing # 1, # 2 & 3: Asks relevant questions, and respond to questions; write in a variety forms; write for variety of purposes; and speak using effective communication skills. Social Studies Standard(s): culture, time continuity & change, people, places and environment.
Specific Standards
Demonstrate the understanding of ancient history, as well as cohesion, within and across groups.
Describe the ways family, religion, gender, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, and other group and cultural influences contribute to the development of a sense of self.
Examine the interactions of ethnic, national, or cultural influences in specific situations or events.
Identify the many forms of diversity found in societies, e.g. racial, religious, gender, and ethnicity.
Describe conflicts that have arisen from changing woman roles in society.
Duration of Lesson: 2-4 Class Periods of at Least 45 Minutes.
Description:
Students will learn about ancient Chinese history and compare the traditional version of the Fu Mu Lan myth with the Disney's animation version of Mulan.
Essential Question:
Does Disney's version of Mulan fairly represent the traditional Chinese version of the tale of the Lady Warrior?
Warm Up Activity — Text Rendering — Ode of Mulan
Students will read an "Ode of Mulan" from the book The Flowering Plum and the Palace Lady: Interpretations of Chinese Poetry. After reading students will write down one line, one phrase and one word that stands out in the ode. As a whole class students will each recite their selected lines, phrases and words.
Students will share aloud one word that summarizes their feelings after reading the Ode to Mulan. After students share their text rendering, the teacher will provide some background about the Han Dynasty and the Wall of China which dates backs over 4000 years ago.
Mini Lesson Read Aloud Picture Book of Fu Mulan —
Teacher will read aloud San Souci picture book version of Fu Mu Lan illustrated by Jean & Mou Sien-Tseng. Students will recall what they remember or know about Disney's version of Mulan and make a venn diagram to compare and contrast the traditional tale with that of Disney. To assist with the Venn diagram, the teacher will not read aloud, but show Disney's Mulan picture book compiled by Lisa A Marsoli and illustrated by Clarke Judith H. Ford B. et al. Students should be able to point out the differences in images used in the traditional picture book with those used from the Disney's Mouse Work Book.
Activities —
Response to Disney's Animated Film:
Students will do a close viewing of the entire Disney animation film. Students will pay close attention to how the Disney's version departs from the original Chinese Myth. Discussion questions relating to gender issues students can address include:
- Mulan was not what the Chinese society thought a girl should be. What did this have to do with her decision to substitute for her father? -Why was it a crime for a woman to enlist in the army?
- At the beginning of the film Mulan was reciting a litany of what a good daughter should be: "quiet, demure, graceful, polite, delicate, refined, poised and punctual" Are those goals that girls aspire to today? Should they?
(www.Teachwithmovies.com, July 26, 2006)
After completing the discussion questions students will form debate teams to persuade an audience that the Disney animation film does or does not matches the reality of the traditional Fu Mu Lan Chinese myth. Finally, students will write persuasive letters to a Disney executive asking in the future that Disney try harder to maintain the traditional reality of Chinese myths.
Wrap up or Extension — View Classic Hua Mu Lan — Lady General — Venn Diagram Illustrations.
As an extension and follow up students and teachers may view Feng Yuek's 1964 version of Lady General Hua Mu Lan. This film may be more difficult to procure, but if it is available, it would offer an excellent opportunity to compare and contrast how Chinese film directors of that time period tell their own Chinese stories as compared to how Americans (Disney) retold a Chinese story. Students could create venn diagrams comparing the 1964 version with the Disney version. Students could also be introduced to Chinese calligraphy, which they could include on their Venn diagram illustrations. For mini lessons on introducing students to Chinese calligraphy teachers may use the following web site: http://www.chinapage.com/mulan.html
Sample Lesson Plan 2
Title: Interpreting Boys and Girls Roles in Society?
Grade Range: 6th — 8th Grade
Subjects: Social Studies and Literacy (Reading and Writing):
Standard(s): Pennsylvania
Reading, Speaking # 1 & 2, Writing # 1, # 2 & 3: Asks relevant questions, and respond to questions; write in a variety forms; write for variety of purposes; and speak using effective communication skills. Social Studies Standard(s): culture, time continuity & change, people, places and environment.
Specific Standards
Demonstrate the value of cultural diversity, as well as cohesion, within and across groups.
Describe the ways family, religion, gender, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, and other group and cultural influences contribute to the development of a sense of self. Examine the interactions of ethnic, national, or cultural influences in specific situations or events.
Identify the many forms of diversity found in societies, e.g. racial, religious, gender, ethnic.
Describe conflicts that have arisen from changing woman roles in society.
Duration of Lesson: 1-2 Class Periods of at Least 45 Minutes.
Description:
Students will learn the impact that gender roles have on society.
Essential Question:
Does gender influence inheritance customs and traditions in China?
Warm Up Activity — KWL- What do you know about the role gender plays in education, jobs and sports in the USA? What do you know about gender in China?
Students will describe what they know about gender roles in China. Students will describe what new things they would like to learn about Chinese culture and gender roles. After completing the lesson students will complete the chart describing what they really learned about gender roles in China.
Students will share in small groups what they know and what they want to learn about know about Chinese culture gender roles. After students share their KWL charts, teacher will provide some base line information about US and China population statistics.
Mini Lesson Projective Picture —
Teacher will facilitate interpreting a projective picture. Teacher will use an ambiguous picture or sketch of an unspecified group of people doing an unspecified activity (Pederson 58-59). Students will share aloud and teacher will record students' response to questions such as who are the people? What is the sex of each person and what is each person doing? What clues did you use to come to your conclusion?
Activities —
Response to Film Clips of King of Masks
Students will do a close viewing of selected scenes from the film King of Masks. Students will describe what methods the film makers used to lead the viewer to think the little girl (Doggie) is a boy. What changes does the film maker make the girl's character undergo once it was discovered she was a girl? What film techniques in particular were used, i.e. lighting, customs, camera angles, movements, actions, etc. Students will than write a short 2-3 paragraph response, stating how they feel about gender issues addressed in the film the King of Masks. Students should also address how they feel about gender influencing inheritance customs in China.
Wrap up or Extension — Revisit KWL Char — Brainstorm for I Search Project
Students will form teams of revisit their KWL chart. Student will add any new things they learned about Chinese culture or gender issues by reviewing the film the King of Mask. In groups Students will share brainstorm ideas for their individual I Search projects.
Sample Lesson Plan 3
Title: Not One Less - Using the Education and the Media to Solve Social Problems.
Grade Range: 6th — 8th Grade
Subjects: Social Studies and Literacy (Reading and Writing):
Standard(s): Pennsylvania
Reading, Speaking # 1 & 2, Writing # 1, # 2 & 3: Asks relevant questions, and respond to questions; write in a variety forms; write for variety of purposes; and speak using effective communication skills. Social Studies Standard(s): culture, time continuity & change, people, places and environment.
Specific Standards
Demonstrate the role education and the media play within and across groups.
Describe the ways family, religion, gender, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, and other group and cultural influences contribute to the development of a sense of self. Examine the interactions of ethnic, national, or cultural influences in specific situations or events.
Identify the many forms of diversity found in societies, e.g. racial, religious, gender and ethnicity.
Describe the role media plays in rural and urban China.
Duration of Lesson: 2-4 Class Periods of at Least 45 Minutes.
Description:
Students will learn the impact that education and the media has on society.
Essential Question:
Does education and the media influence the way rural and urban communities see themselves?
Warm Up Activity — Vocabulary Squares Media Warm Up.
Students will use definition and context clues to create vocabulary squares for various key film and media vocabulary terms. Students will be provided a short definition chart of the following key terms: story, plot, frame, shot, sound track, pan, zoom in, zoom out, camera angle, diegesis, actor, actress, audio, cast, climax, crane shot, dialogue, exposition, fade, close up, frame, genre, long take, mise-en-scene, monologue, dialogue, motif, point of view, scan, producer, director, props, scene, musical score, set, stereotyping, story board, treatment, voice over, costume, wardrobe, and wide angle shot. Students will be familiar with some of the terms from a literature and drama context. Seeing some the words in a film and media context will help reinforce their understanding of many of the terms.
Students will select 8 interesting or difficult words from the list to vocabulary squares. Next students will create vocabulary graphic organizers to demonstrate their comprehension of key words selected from the film and media vocabulary terms list. A vocabulary square is graphic organizer divided into four quadrants that provides the origin or part of speech or a word, synonym or antonym for the word, a logo or icon of the word, and a formal brief definition of the word (Burke, 178). Students will exchange their vocabulary squares with a partner to assess for completeness and comprehension of difficult or interesting words. A layout of a vocabulary square can be found on the following link: http://englishseven.com/toolsforthought/VocabSquares.pdf .
Mini Lesson Storyboard / Power Point —
Teacher will provide a mini lesson on the use of storyboard by presenting a brief story board layout of the movie Not One Less using Power Point Slides. Teacher will highlight major events (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution) from the film using captions, images and animations that will be seen in the movie. Students and teacher will discuss the benefits of using a story boards.
Activities —
Change the Ending of the Movie:
Students will do a close viewing of selected scenes from the film No One Less. Students will describe what methods the film makers used to depict rural and urban life in China. Students will describe what the film maker was trying to tell us about the role education and the media plays in society. What useful props did the film maker use? What did the chalk in the film represent? What did the news station in the film represent? Students working in groups of fours will than change and write their own ending the film. Students make depict their new ending using a storyboard or script format.
Wrap up or Extension — Brain Storm — Story Board For I- Search Presentation about Chinese Culture and Gender Issues.
Students will form teams of brainstorm ideas for their own story boards for the I-Search presentations about their discoveries about Chinese culture and Gender Issues.
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