Grade 10: Understanding Culture and Society

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES

• identify and discuss similarities and differences between their own customs and those of Chinese cultures
• identify cultural content in Chinese-language resources

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Understanding Culture and Society in other grades click on an icon below.

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

• Have students interview and collect stories from older family members about social and moral codes in effect when they were young. In preparation, brainstorm key questions as a class. Students then present their findings orally and visually, comparing results to present-day rules and codes.
• Present a video depicting aspects of Chinese family, school, or social life or cultural activities. Ask students to compare what they observe with Canadian life and discuss differences and similarities. Then have them write brief paragraphs on the differences, including personal reactions. Students should record any idiomatic expressions noted.
• Suggest that students research the clothing and transportation available when their parents and grandparents were young. Invite them to bring pictures and samples of clothing from home. Students and the teacher could dress up to portray students and a teacher from 30 and 50 years ago.
• Invite a Chinese-speaking guest to talk about his or her language and cultural experiences. Have students prepare questions in Chinese to ask the guest. To help them better understand the guest's responses, ask students to brainstorm some possible answers the day before.
• Invite students to use local resources to research aspects of Chinese and First Nations cultures, then report their findings. Students could compare:
  • traditions of respect for elders
  • legends of dragons and thunderbirds
  • embroidery of the Cree and Algonquin peoples and Chinese embroidery

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

• After students have heard several stories based on interviews with older family members, ask them to summarize:
  • features that appear in many of the stories
  • differences among the stories
  • some of the purposes the stories serve (e.g., teaching a lesson, creating a tradition, preserving a memory)
  Look for evidence that students are developing increasing understanding of and sensitivity to cultural influences.
• When students make 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
• Have students keep sections of their notebooks for recording and commenting on their participation in cultural activities. Before they begin their records, work with them to brainstorm a varied list of cultural activities, then develop a shared definition they can use. (Students should understand, for example, that watching a hockey game is a cultural activity.) Their records should include written or visual descriptions of activities, labels indicating which cultures were involved, and personal reactions or comments.

• Coming to Gum San
• Favourite Folktales of China
• A Little Tiger in the Chinese Night
• 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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