Websites

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

One of the websites that I find very helpful with the 7th grade World History curriculum is http://www.mrdonns.org. It has tons of lesson plans, activities and good ideas for Asia as well as other topics in world history, ancient history, US history and geography.

[Anonymous]

A great website for viewing Chinese artifacts through the ages is http://www.npm.gov.tw which is the National Palace Museum of Taiwan. Many people and treasures left China during the Communist takeover and went to Taiwan. This website has excellent examples of the many mediums/forms of Chinese art. I would love to go there in person someday.

[Anonymous]

http://www.learningenrichment is an awesome site for country studies. It has study unites, terms, reseources, discussion questions, and enrichment/extended information. The teacher pages, student pages and maps are also great resources for a teacher.

[Anonymous]

http://www.chinapage.com has informative pages on art, calligraphy, science and contemporary issues like the 3 Gorges Dam

[Anonymous]

http://www.fi.edu/fellows/fellow1/apr99 has information on Chinese letters, numbers, calender and the "ABCs" It also has a fun "Test Your Knowledge" quiz

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info. I enjoyed the online quizzes!

[Anonymous]

Great up to date site for news and also for current book reviews about China.
Check it out!
-Susan

China Digital Times is a collaborative news website covering China’s social and political transition and its emerging role in the world. CDT collects the most up-to-the-minute news and analysis about China from around the Web, while providing independent reporting, translations from Chinese cyberspace, and perspectives from across the geographical, political and social spectrum. More than 100 countries around the globe participate in this web site for current educational information regarding our Eastern neighbors.

Some exerpts from news today, February 20, 2008:

Booming Northern Port Has Hi-tech Designs for China’s Financial Future
Earlier this month The Times ran a profile of Tianjin and its aspirations to become an economic powerhouse in the model of Shenzhen: Leaders say that this once-sleepy city of 11 million can deliver the sort of spur to the national economy that the development of Shenzhen and the Pudong area of Shanghai provided in the [...] Read more »

February 20, 2008 10:37 PM Kunming to Generate Power with Silt Under Lake
Another out-of-the-box idea, from Kunming, Yunnan Province. Farmers who burn silt from a lake inspired a power station to study a commercial run, reports CRI Online: Yang Fulin (杨富林) works for Kunming City’s power plant but he’s enthusiastic about the prospects of his city generating power using silt from Lake Dianchi in the not-so-distant future. He [...] Read more »

February 20, 2008 9:35 PM Why China Should Not Fear Open Debate
Victor Mallet, a Hong Kong based Asia editor of the Financial Times, published following OP-ED on the Financial Times: Every writer on China knows that even mild public criticism of the middle kingdom generates vitriolic and sometimes deranged responses from Chinese nationalists. Among the more printable reactions to my previous column was an e-mail suggesting that [...] Read more »

February 20, 2008 9:29 PM Politicizing Beijing Olympics Unacceptable
Ding Gang, a senior desk editor at People’s Daily published an op-ed in the paper, via Chinaelections.org: A Western film director is so “naive and simple-minded” that he has made an inopportune move on the issue of Beijing’s 2008 Olympic Games by linking it to Darfur issue in Sudan, and this perhaps exhibited the “unique” [...] Read more »

February 20, 2008 9:18 PM ‘Chaos’ of China’s Music Industry
In China, illegal music downloading from internet and pirated CDs make it hard for pop stars to earn money. That’s also a key reason why they “rely heavily on commercial performances, which make up more than half of their income.” From BBC: Beijing-born singer Agi knows her music carries a different price tag in the [...] Read more »

[clay dube]

Thanks for the terrific web site suggestions. Because these will be of interest to teachers beyond our seminar, please post such reviews in the web resources section of the Asia in My Classroom forum.

web resources

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the link to the chinapage.com website. I was particularly interested in the South to North Water Transfer Project (http://www.chinapage.com/main2.html). 3rd grade studies the interaction of living things and their environment (science), as well as how communties grow and change (social studies). This fits in nicely and brings the China component in as well. Next year when we study the LA Aqueduct in social studies, I will be sure to use some of this information to compare/contrast with the LA Aqueduct.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the website posting for the National Museum in Taiwan. I went to it and found that they have good photos of artifacts along with a description of what they were used for. I recently had a student asking how we know so much about the Native American tribes that are no longer living in their native areas...this was a natural lead-in to artifacts. By going to this website (http://www.npm.gov.tw/exh97/masterpiece/index1_en.html) and putting it on my document camera, I can show the students a bit about artifacts and how scientist use them to learn about past cultures. Then they can then research and include an artifact from their tribe as part of their report.

Thanks for the tip!

[Anonymous]

Are you looking to expand the number of books about China in your collection? An interesting website to review is PaperBackSwap.com. This is a free website that allows users to list books they are willing to swap with others. All books are free; but you do need a valid e-mail address and USPS mailing address. I haven't tried it - but it looks easy to establish an account and the site video shot through a national news organization gives the process credibility.
Briefly, you are asked to:
- Register
- List books you are willing to swap; you are given 2 book credits for joining the club
- Browse the "swap library"
- When you find a book you are looking for, submit an order request. The person who has the book is then notified by "Book Swap" and asked to mail it to you. You download a paperback swap book cover and drop it in the mail - usually the cost for mailing a book under 13 ounces is $2.13. When the book is received, your account is credited. This allows you to order more books.

When I entered "China" in the search box, I previewed 10 pages of books about China that would be available for swap! This might be a good way to increase your Middle School or High School Classroom Library Collection.

[Anonymous]

I visited this website at your suggestion. Wow! What a resource for lessons in history. There are great power point presentations about every area in Asia. The on-line worksheets are appealing and to the point. I like that the site is divided into both a teacher and student section. Check the address - I logged on using only "MrDonn" - no "s" needed at the end.

[Anonymous]

This website is very user-friendly for elementary aged children:
http://www.atozkidstuff.com/china.html
It provides a comprehensive history of Chinese dynasties, and information about Asia that is easy to manage, "take in" and understand if you are asking students to work independently. On the web-site side bars, there are links to other web sites that are very game orientated and appealing to students. For example, there is a quick study of Taoism, and the abacus.

[Anonymous]

This is not a China specific website, but it's a good place to find current events for teens. The New York Times Upfront magazine usually has a piece in each month's edition that connects to East Asia in some way. Last month's had an article on the increased censorship of internet sites in China. On the website, you can access the past 20 or so issues:

http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/upfront/index.asp

[Anonymous]

I know that someone has mentioned this before, but China Daily at http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/ is a website that is a publication of the state but written in English so we can experience the propaganda first hand. I was particularly interested in the numerous articles of the west's unknowledgeable and biased attitude towards China and human rights. I cut and pasted it but internet went down and can't find article now - but basically that China is "too important" and that we have biased views of "unfortunate circumstances" that have taken place. This website can be searched for hours and days upon end with so much information to browse ranging from Olympics and entertainment, to human rights.

[Author]

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