|
|
|
|
|
|
Lesson #2 Revolutionary Chinese Family
Values
Estimated Teaching Time
= Fifteen 45 minute periods
Objectives
¤
Students will read
to identify the three main characters of the memoir, Wild Swans, and
describe each one's roles within her family. (Chang, Jung. Wild Swans: Three
Daughters of China. New York: Anchor Books, 1991.**)
¤
Students will view
to identify the four main characters of the movie, To Live, and describe each one's roles within their family.
(Directed by Zhang Yimou. Produced by Era International Ltd. Shanghai Film
Studios, 1994.**)
¤
Students will
analyze the Marriage Law of the People's
Republic of China, May 1, 1950 and note changes from the traditional
hierarchal organization of the family to the Communist ideal of the equality of
men and women within the family. (The Marriage Law was reprinted in The
Search for Modern China: A Documentary Collection. Ed. Pei-Kai Cheng and
Michael Lestz with Jonathan D Spence. New York: W.W. Norton, 1999. 360-366.**)
¤
Students will trace
the political, economic, and cultural changes within China in the twentieth century
on an illustrated timeline, specifically from 1911-1976.
¤
Students will
continue a written reflection journal, taking particular note of changes in
ritual behaviors at marriages, births, and deaths within Chinese families.
** Available in the Primary
Source library.
Activities
1.
LINGUISTIC/LOGICAL/INTRAPERSONAL
¤
Distribute copies of
Wild Swans and Wild Swans Assignment Sheet (see below). Assign Part One reading. Students should complete written
assignment in reflection journal.
¤
Remind students of the
directions for completing an illustrated timeline (see Lesson 1). Students should complete each section
of the timeline as they complete each chapter of the memoir.
2.
INTERPERSONAL/LOGICAL
- Form small discussion groups of no more than
four students. Allow fifteen
minutes of discussion each day on the previous day's reading
assignment. Engage each group
with a different focus question and/or ask them to contribute a part that
most surprised or intrigued them.
- Conduct a whole class discussion on the tie between
the political history of one period in China and its impact on the
individual. For example, the
Warlord Period and her grandmother's"marriage" as a concubine to a local
warlord.
3.
LINGUISTIC/LOGICAL/INTERPERSONAL
- At the end of Chapter 6 distribute copies of
the 1950 Marriage Law (see citation above) and ask students to find and
rank order examples of changes instituted by this law to the traditional
values of Chinese families.
- Conduct a discussion on the rituals practiced
and avoided in the revolutionary marriage between the author's mother and
father. Have students
speculate on real changes to marriage that the law brought about. Discussion should include the
significant increase in divorces, especially those initiated by women.
4.
LINGUISTIC/SPATIAL
/INTRAPERSONAL
- Continue reading Wild Swans through
Chapter 20.
- Begin viewing the movie, To Live (see citation above). Students should add to their reflection journals and to
their timelines as the movie portrays a different family's experience in
Chinese history.
- At the beginning or end of each day
(whichever time restraints permit) discuss the symbolism utilized by the
director in reference to marriage, birth, and death. For example, Chairman Mao and his
Little Red Book dominate Fengxia's wedding.
5.
LINGUISTIC/LOGICAL/INTERPERSONAL
- Finish reading Chapters 21-28 in Wild
Swans following the same reading, reflection journal, and class
discussions as described above in steps 1 & 2.
6.
LINGUISTIC/SPATIAL
Before moving on to the
next lesson, check for student understanding of the new values of Chinese
families. This can be done orally
or in writing or by asking students to draw a representation of each aspect and
displaying these on a bulletin board under a banner heading,"Revolutionary
Chinese Family Values."
Wild Swans
The reading assignments
are broken into groups of chapters. As you read, keep content notes and
reflections in your "Twentieth Century Chinese Families" journal
section of your notebook. Pay
particular attention to marriages, births, and deaths. How does each family member react to
these events?
Lesson Two Assignments and Worksheets
