Introductory Mandarin Chinese Grade 11: Understanding Culture and Society

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES

• identify elements of their own and their classmates' cultural backgrounds
• describe their school and community traditions, and compare them with those of Chinese cultures
• identify characteristics of Chinese cultures in the classroom, community, British Columbia, Canada, the United States, and the world
• identify cultural content in Chinese-language resources

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

• Survey the number of languages spoken in class. Encourage students to explore their cultural backgrounds by talking about the origins and meaning of their names.
• Have students research a Chinese-Canadian community and share their information by giving oral or visual presentations, holding class discussions, or taking field trips to cultural sites such as the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Chinese Classical Garden in Vancouver.
• As a class, sample and collect popular northern Chinese foods and recipes. Consider organizing a field trip to a Chinese restaurant that serves northern Chinese foods, then inviting students to learn how to make and cook jivaozi.
• Introduce students to Chinese customs associated with festivals and then ask them to bring to class related pictures or other items. Invite students to create items for a particular festival (e.g., lanterns for Mid-Autumn Festival). As a class, discuss and compare similar Chinese and Canadian holidays.
• Using a map, conduct a class discussion on the various routes by which Chinese people came in contact with other cultures around the world (e.g., the Silk Road).
• Invite a guest speaker to talk to the class about his or her experience growing up, working, or travelling in China, Hong Kong, or Taiwan. Encourage students to ask questions.

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

• When students develop cultural comparisons, look for evidence that they:
  • respect and value diversity
  • are interested in cultures other than their own
  • recognize similarities and differences
  • go beyond surface features to deal with subtle and complex aspects
  • avoid stereotyping or overgeneralizing
• Develop criteria for teacher, self-, and peer assessment of participation in cultural events or field trips. Criteria might include:
  • participates with enthusiasm and commitment
  • uses appropriate language related to the cultural event
  • accurately interprets relevant cultural features
  • responds appropriately to questions about the significance of specific aspects of the activity
  • offers useful feedback to peers about plans and activities
  Students might use this criteria for rating their own or classmates' participation on a scale of 0 to 5 (5 indicates "outstanding," 0 indicates "not observed").
• Provide prompts such as the following to encourage students to reflect on what they have learned about culture:
  • Three features, elements, or values that seem common to many cultures are ____________ .
  • One feature, element, or value that often varies from culture to culture is ____________ .
  • Two views I have that are strongly influenced by my culture are ____________ .

• Coming to Gum San
• Favourite Folktales of China
• A Little Tiger in the Chinese Night
• Long is a Dragon
• Mooncakes and Hungry Ghosts
• Notes on Things Chinese
• Old Tales of China

• Childhood of Wang Mian
• The Dragon's Tongue Series
• Pandas in the Wild

• Chinese Folk Songs
• Chinese Mandarin Resource Book - Volumes 1, 2, and 3
• The Chinese People
• Hanyu (Revised Edition)
• Out of the East Horizon
• Zhongguotong

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