Asia Education Foundation

China

Unit of work for download

Image: Dance Unit: Brush Strokes

 

Dance unit: Brush strokes (secondary)

Explore the gestural aspects of line and movement created by Chinese calligraphy. In researching the art of calligraphy, students will investigate the potential of interpreting the brush strokes through whole and isolated body movement, stylistic differences and concepts of energy or chi.

‘Virtual tour of China’ downloads

Image: Life in a Yi Village

Life in a Yi village (lower primary)

Explore contemporary life in a rural Yunnan village through images of daily activities.
Chopsticks_Image

Chopsticks (lower primary)

Students focus on the purpose and history of chopsticks and their use as a way of eating.


Learning about markets in Asia (upper primary)

Students describe markets they have been to and discuss bargaining. They make comparisons with the ways that people shop locally.

Image: A Chinese Folk story

A Chinese folk story (upper primary)

Read the Chinese folk story 'Fifteen honest coins' and discuss the place of honesty and truthfulness.
Chinese paper cuts

Chinese paper cuts and the zodiac (upper primary)

Students observe and discuss examples of Chinese paper cuts. They compare Chinese and Western zodiac signs.

Image: Promenade on Beijing Lu

Promenade on Beijing Lu (middle secondary)

Experience the street life of Kunming, Yunnan through this evocative first person narrative.
Image: Jackie Chan vs James Bond

Jackie Chan vs James Bond (middle secondary)

How does the Jackie Chan film tradition compare to that of James Bond? Explore differences and similarities in narrative development and characterisation.
Image: Rural Yunnan into the 21st century

Rural Yunnan in the 21st century (middle secondary)

‘With China undergoing rapid change, how will rural areas of Yunnan face the 21st century?’

Australia's Trade links with Asia (lower secondary)

This set of activities complements other studies of Australia’s trading patterns over time.

 		Image: Mirrors of the soul: Beijing Opera

Mirrors of the soul: Beijing Opera (lower secondary)

Experiment with design and technical elements such as symbol, colour and character appropriate to the style of make-up used in the Beijing Opera.

Image: The angry kettle

The angry kettle (middle secondary)

Read a contemporary short story by Chinese Australian writer Ding Xiaoqi which features characters who could be described as eccentric.

Chinese door guards (middle secondary)

Students focus on Chinese door guards and compare this aspect of historical Chinese culture with aspects of their own culture. They then sculpt an example of a door guard.

Shan Yi bio-gas farm (middle secondary)

This unit utilises an extract from Michael Caudle’s Business in Asia about a Chinese village where standards of living have improved after the introduction of the simple technology used to generate bio-gas (methane).

Dai courtship dance (lower secondary)

Students learn about traditional courtship rituals among the Dai people of south-west China and are introduced to a Dai courtship dance.

Resources for purchase

Image: Snapshots of Asia: China

Snapshots of Asia: China

Food, celebrations, the environment and many more aspects of life in China form the focus of this big book.

 

 

 

 

The river

The River

The River deals with the continuity of life as represented by the river, which provides a guide for a young Chinese girl, Xian, on her journey to her  grandparents’ home.

 

In your school library

Image: Voices and Visions from China CD-ROM

Voices and Visions from China CD-ROM (senior English)

Access authentic, topical materials from China. This CD-ROM was sent out to all schools in 2004 – Check your school library!		  

  Student activities (based on Snapshots series)

  1. Forms of Transport
    This sheet asks students to list the forms of transport they wish to survey in class. They are asked to display their results on the graph provided. The graph is a horizontal bar graph, similar to the one on the website.

    The website graph can be printed when on screen. It is a measure of the total choices submitted by users visiting the forms of transport page and provides relative value only.

  2. Quiz Activity Page
    This activity sheet should be given to students after they have completed the online quiz. The sheet restates the quiz fact file information and provides activities which require them to write and draw answers. The activities focus on developing comparative information and data about Australia and China.

  3. Visiting China
    This activity sheet should be completed by students who are very familiar with the contents of the 'Snapshots of China' big book. You may wish to encourage students to include forms of writing they have encountered recently, for example, rhymes, rebus, recounts or reports.

The River

The River is a picture story book that explores life in 1950s China along with contemporary issues. Designed for use with middle school students, there are some simple teaching activities here and a comprehensive professional learning program. This program includes some great teaching and learning activities for critical literacy or for learning more about China.