Goals and Objectives
Students will learn about the spoken and written language of China. Students will decipher and write traditional Chinese characters.
CA Content Standard/Common Core Standard
7.3 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the civilizations of China in the Middle Ages.
Vocabulary
The students will create a word wall to demonstrate the important words in the lesson. On the word wall, students (in groups) will post the key terms, a definition and an image for each word. The key terms include:
- Ideogram
- Pictogram
- Codify
- Calligraphy
- Abstract
- Character
Lesson Introduction
The teacher will ask the class what makes up a written word in English (letters from the alphabet). The teacher will briefly discuss how each letter represents a sound(s) in the English language and that nonsense words are readable because we can sound them out (use Dr. Seuss books as an example).
Content Delivery
The teacher will discuss how Chinese characters represent
entire words or ideas rather than sounds (which make them understandable to
people who speak different Chinese dialects or even different Asian languages
such as Japanese). The teacher will conduct a short presentation on the concept
of pictographs and early forms of written communication. As part of the
presentation, the teacher will display a set of simplistic pictures that
represent concrete entities (such as a house, the sun, a flower, a mountain, a
gate) and abstract entities (such as love, warmth, and frustration).
Student Engagement
After the presentation, the students will engage in an
online interactive that shows the proper brush strokes used in Chinese writing.
The students will practice these brush strokes with the interactive.
After students have completed the interactive, the teacher will hand out envelopes to pairs of students that contain both traditional Chinese characters and their English translations.
The students will attempt to match the Chinese characters with their meanings. After each character has been identified the teacher will ask members of the class why and how they believe the chosen character represents the word.
The students will follow this activity by working with another online interactive that randomly chooses a Chinese character and the students has to choose the English translation of the character. Chinese Writing Challenge. Then, students will check their understanding with a Quizlet flashcard set and play the Scatter game.
After students have completed the interactive, the teacher will hand out envelopes to pairs of students that contain both traditional Chinese characters and their English translations.
The students will attempt to match the Chinese characters with their meanings. After each character has been identified the teacher will ask members of the class why and how they believe the chosen character represents the word.
The students will follow this activity by working with another online interactive that randomly chooses a Chinese character and the students has to choose the English translation of the character. Chinese Writing Challenge. Then, students will check their understanding with a Quizlet flashcard set and play the Scatter game.
Lesson Closure
The students will draw a pictograph that represents themselves using standard Chinese brushstrokes. The students will write a short explanation of how their pictograph represents them.
Assessment
Formative – The teacher will check for understanding during the introductory presentation by asking comprehension questions. The students will check their own understanding as they complete the digital interactives and flashcards.
Summative – The teacher will assess the personal pictographs the students create and their explanations.
Summative – The teacher will assess the personal pictographs the students create and their explanations.
Accommodations for English Learners, Striving Readers and Students with Special Needs
The many visuals and interactives in this lesson provide support for English Learners and students with special needs. The word wall will be a resource to which the students can refer during the student engagement activities.