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[Anonymous]

Overview of Curriculum Project

US-China Institute Lesson Plan
Evaluating Historical Influences on Maxine Hong-Kingston’s Woman Warrior

Learning Objectives: To examine the ways in which historical context informs a novel’s content and style.
Standards: Literary Response and Analysis: 3.5 c) Evaluate the philosophical, political, religious, ethical, and social influences of the historical period that shaped the characters, plots, and settings.
Evidence: Students will be assessed through small-group and class discussions, an outline of a research paper, the presentation of this material, and a multiple-choice exam.

The lesson will take place over six classes, and will include the following elements:

1) Students will listen to NPR segment, “Chinese Immigrants' Kids Play Balancing Role” (see attachment). Class discussion.
Overview Chinese history and culture through visual images, including the following topics:
Confucianism, warriors, footbinding, women’s rights, slave girls, Mao, land reform, rural village life, American involvement in China. Throughout the overview, preview documents that will pertain to each issue

2) Divide class into groups of three. Within each group, the students will divide up the following documents (each student will be in charge of two docs):
A) “Confucian Teachings: Selections from the Analects” (72-76); “99 Article Testament” (96-98)
B) “Antifootbinding,” “An Address,” “On Freeing” (129-134); “Quotations from Mao: Society” (151)
C) “Oral Histories” (165-169): “American Views of… China” (140-144)

3) Discuss reading strategies for primary source material. Discuss expectations for reading and subsequently presenting material to assigned group. Students are expected to: write a paragraph summary of each document; select three quotes to discuss with group the following class (be able to explain how each quote illuminates central themes of the document); annotate the ways in which the document provides context for the philosophical, political, religious, ethical, and social influences of the historical period.

4) Students reformulate groups of three. Each student takes turns summarizing documents and discussing significant quotes. Other group members take notes and participate in discussing significance and asking questions of the presenter.

5) Introduce Woman Warrior, including notes on: Author and historical context; Character, plot, setting, and style.

6) Analyze the ways in which the philosophical, political, religious, ethical, and social influences of the historical period are revealed through the character, plot, setting, and style of each chapter.

7) Over the course of the reading, students individually will write a paragraph in which they select one type of historical influence and analyze how it is revealed by one literary element. This paragraph will include at least one quote from an historical document and one quote from Woman Warrior.

8) The final assessment requires students to: Develop a research question that explores the ways in which the philosophical, political, religious, ethical, and social influences of the historical period are revealed through the character, plot, setting, and style of this second chapter; Craft a thesis statement in response to this question; Outline a research paper that supports this thesis. The outline should include topic sentences, quotes, and main ideas; Convert outline into a presentation for the class.

9) The unit will conclude by reading “Gilded Age, Gilded Cage” (235-239); compare the pressures on a Chinese-American student in America, and a Chinese student in China. How might Hong-Kingston’s life have changed if her mother had not immigrated to America?