pre-2011 web resources

[Anonymous]

While doing research on the Silk Road and the cultural diffusion unit I am doing I came across this great INTERACTIVE website about the ancient art of Shadow Puppets. It is really fun and would be great for anyone sharing the culture of China (or for anyone who wants a moment of respite). The site has it all: music, background, art and it lets you choose and drag your characters, setting, props, and location onto the "stage" and it performs your creation. In addition, it talks about the Tang and Song dynaties and their contributions although shadow puppetry dates back to BCE. This is so popular in southeast Asia which is discussed. There is a great lesson plan on the site as well called "Puppets on the Move: China and the Silk Road" for anyone able to take the time in their classroom. It might be a great extension on a folktales unit.

Here are the links: http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/shadowpuppets/ Interactive shadow puppets link

http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/3887/ for the lesson plan

[Anonymous]

Just a P.S. to my last note, there is a great lesson plan which deals with Visual Arts and fireworks called: "Oxidation & Combustion: Chemical Reactions in Fire" at http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/3887/

This connects which China because of the fireworks but more importantly, the pyrotechnic artist, Cai Guo-Qiang and his projects which he "displays" (www.caiguoqiang.com)

[Anonymous]

If you have not been to this teacher resource it is time! The following link takes you directly to the "Key Points and Central themes" section for China which provides an excellent source for info on geography, timelines and dynasties. What I particularly liked about the time line section is that it organizes history in two ways: by patterns, such as "cultural continuity" and "political unity" as well as through dynastic cycles, the latter a little deficient in telling the story.

http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/webcourse/index.html

If you go to the home page you will find links to primary sources broken down by subject categories. The Japan section is very good as well. The Korea section is located under Asia (general) and appears to be fairly comprehensive.

[Anonymous]

At the link below is a 10 minute audio and photo overview of a "Journey down the Yellow River" today with National Public Radio commentator Andrea Hsu. (I have Amanda Ronan and Clay Dube to thank for the NPR lead that was given in our monthly newsletter.) Rob Gifford was also part of this trip with Ms. Hsu in December 2007. It begins at the source at lakes in the area north of Tibet and the journey highlights people along the river and the problems the river has had with pollution and flooding. There are more photos and sound bites from Rob Gifford as he reports on such things as "zipping" across the Yellow River and his conversations with different people along the way.

When teaching about China's geography and its rivers this will be a good segue and illustration of part of China's geography for my students, especially when making connections between present day, ancient and medieval history.

NPR : Yellow River Reveals Complexities of Modern China
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17098207&sc=emaf [Edit by="eamador on Jan 6, 4:47:25 PM"][/Edit]

[clay dube]

Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in December 2007. She had twice been elected prime minister of Pakistan and was in the process of rallying support for another campaign. In August, marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of Pakistan, she spoke to a Council on Foreign Relations audience . A transcript of the conversation as well as video and audio of it are available from the CFR website.

Click here for the Bhutto conversation.

Incidentally, the CFR site is a terrific resource for educators. There are many speeches as well as background papers available there on Asian issues and on US-Asian relations.

[Edit by="Clay Dube on Jan 11, 4:27:34 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

Thank you Clay for this post. I have read the entire transcript of the CFR press conference and had to view the video however quickly. It's hard for me as a journalist not to be drawn to such a hot item. I still write a regular weekly column in a Filipino community newspaper iun English here in California, aside from my teaching job and the duties and responsibilities that go with the latter profession. I am reserving my comments on the issues raised by the late former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and her replies to the questions for my column. I am commenting on the developments and the issues raised therein as a Middle School teacher of Social Studies and History. Firstly, I can use this resource as interesting examples in my lesson about government forms and political beliefs and ideologies, e.g. democracy, authoritarianism, dictatorships, etc. Secondly, I can make an analogy between one of the reasons of the Fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of private armies in Pakistan that is a major source of support for the existing military dictatorship in that country. One of the reasons for the Fall of the Roman Empire (West) was the failure of the political leaders to follow a democratic way of putting a leader when the emperor died. The selection of successor to the throne was done through fighting between and among the pretenders to the throne. It was the survival of the fittest and elimination of the unfit. In order to sustain its hold on the seat of power, the succeeding leader had to increase his private army and paid the members tidy sums that eventually drained the coffers of the government. On the other hand, the soldiers often changed loyalty depending on the highest bidder. Because of this, assassinations became commonplace in the greatest empire that ever existed on this planet.
Economics was a paramount reason to enlist in the private army of the would be emperor. In more ways than one, the increase in the private armies in Pakistan as raised by Mrs. Bhutto offers a good analogy in giving this lesson. Finally, for my 8 graders, I think the diplomatic relationship between US and Pakistan, especially, in the sensitive issue of security in the region, the CFR guesting of the former Pakistani Prime Minister offers a very interesting lesson idea.

Noel

[Anonymous]

I have visited this site and found it very informative and well organized (as what have been said). I plan to use this resource for my lesson in China's geography and history. I have particularly chosen geography and demographics for my student population as part of my lessons in History and Social Studies because they are mostly visual-oriented. By presenting them with visuals, my students are better able to access understanding and learning. Fortunately, the web resources in our Asia in my Classroom forums offer a virtual endless list of useful materials that I now avail of in designing my lessons for my special needs students.

[Anonymous]

The Rob Gifford article and the accompanying 5.18-minute slide show photographed and voiced by Andrea Hsu is a fantastic resource when teaching the China rivers, most especially, the Yellow River. Thanks to Clay and those who made the postings on this resource. The Yellow River is known to Chinese as the Mother River. The NPR slide show has a terrific appeal, most especially when compared to the past glories of this great natural landmark of China. I have found another website that is, also, very useful in designing lesson plan about the Yellow River. Here's the website add: http://www.cis.umassd.edu/~gleung/. This will bring you to the Yellow River Home Page. Just click on any of the listed topics, food, wedding procession, waist drum dancers, river lantern festival, Chinese New Year, cave dwellings and water cellars, which are some of those I found really interestingly informative. If you like to have a background music while teaching about the Yellow River (which I find useful for my special needs students) you might want to try Christie-Yellow River by going to this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?V=did2PTV3UTE. This site features a band singing aboard a boat sailing on the river.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info on this website. I enjoyed playing with my name. My Chinese name based on my personal character and skill is Shi (last name) Nai Li. Since Chinese names go with surnames first it is read the way it's written on this message box. The first character in my given name indicates endurance and patience, resistance and bearing. The second character (Li) means gain, advantage, profit or merit. I think this will be an interesting site for my students of special needs, as it offers a lot of fun activities. Perhaps I can bring them here first as a motivational activity before we go to any lesson about China.

[Anonymous]

This is a wonderful web resource for students (and adults alike) who are looking for information on various female heroes throughout history. The heroes are divided into three broad categories--female heroes of Asia, female heroes from the time of the Crusades, and Rulers. The site is easy to navigate, given the easy-access buttons with the names of the female heroes. There are lesson plans and essays students can explore concerning each heroin. It's a great site for resources on history, particularly 6th grade. However, the site can be utilize to adjust to any grade level; a biography project is a prime example. Moreover, links are provided for the student who wish to venture further into the topic of interest. Some of the names of the female heroes of Asia are Empress Wu Zetian (Tang Dynasty, China), Lady Murasaki (Heian, Japan), Queen Sondok (Silla Dynasty, Korea), The Trung Sisters (Vietnam), Sorghaghtani Beki (Mongolia), and Nur Jahan (India).

The website is: http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/heroine.html

[Anonymous]

A great resource for primary teachers who want to teach calligraphy and counting to students. Students get a chance to try their calligraphy skills as well as make a small book of numbers from 1-10 in Japanese writing system (Kanji). I have done something similar to this with my students, both in Korean and Japanese, and they really enjoyed the cross-cultural comparison between English, Hangul, and Kanji. Following the model of this book, I would make a Korean version of it for my students so that they can have it in both Korean and Japanese. What I like about the website is that you can download the instruction blue-print book for free and reproduce it for each of your students. Students can learn to count in a different language and have fun making a book that they can take home!

The website:

http://teacher.scholastic.com/ilp/view.asp?SubjectID=2&SubheadID=6&TopicID=6&GradeID=&
PageURL=%2Flessonrepro%2Flessonplans%2Fprofbooks%2Fcalligraphy%2Epdf

[Anonymous]

This is a wonderful trove of Asia-related information for teachers, students, and kids. The site is simple in design and quite easy to navigate. I like the way information is divided into the three section mentioned above. I explored the ones for teachers and the site gives you suggestions on lesson plans from K-12, each with links and visuals that are incredible. For example, there is a button called Maps--the political, relief maps are wonderful in their quality and vivid. There's even a section called Background essays where different topics, such as Silk Roads or Indian Values, are discussed via writings. The kids section is very colorful and interactive, with prints and pictures from around the world. The print is very kid-friendly, with real photos of students from different parts of Asia that students would find fascinating. It's a particularly great site for language arts.

The website:

http://www.askasia.org/

[Anonymous]

This is one of the best resource for educators and non-educators to gain access to information about Korea. It is possible to view the site, both in English and Korean. The website is divided into several categories: What the Korean Cultural Center is about, Korean Cinema, Korea, Group Tours, KCC Classes, Related Sites, and the like. I use this site to look for upcoming tours to the Korean museum--the bus transportation to and from the place is free for educators, upon advance notice. There are artifacts and free information about Korean related things. All grades levels from K-12, can utilize this website to do class projects on history, language, and the like. If you live close to Los Angeles, it is a great way to look up upcoming events to attend--for example, the cinema nights are wonderful for viewing the most current Korean movies (both political and commercial). I give this site a two thumbs up!

The website:

http://www.kccla.org/

[Anonymous]

This is a resource website, dedicated to anything Hapa (biracial, eurasian and the like). There are a myriad of Hapa-related topics, including the history of the word Hapa, different segments of hapa communities, and projects that are going on all over the world related to Hapas. A friend of my sister is currently spearheading one of the project called the Hapa Project, which became a web-forum for many bi-racial individuals who were interested in exploring issues of identity, politics, and the like.

The Website:

http://www.hapas.com

[Anonymous]

I'm doing part of my lesson on the Chinese Zodiac and googled the word "Chinese Zodiac" and came upon the Chinese Cultural Center website -- (http://www.c-c-c.org/chineseculture/zodiac/zodiac.html)

The website is a great source for anyone interested in information and events pertaining to China. Like the Korean Cultural Center website, the CCC offers information about classes and upcoming events worth attending. There is a section, called Zodiac, that tells you information about how each animal came to be known in the lunar cycle as well as the characteristic of each animal and what sort of a year you will have according to the animal you are born under.

Wikipedia.org is another websource that I love and that I found information about the Chinese Zodiac --

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_astrology).

What I like about this site is the easy access to information and the various links that it leads to me concerning the topic of my interest. The reading can be a bit' scholarly so I recommend teachers to search this website in order to find the appropriate information for students who are interested in finding information about the Chinese Zodiac. With the Wiki's help, teachers can find student-friendly website with fun print-face that will help information seekers find sources to help them with their Chinese Animal projects.

[Author]

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