Grade 11: Understanding Culture and Society

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES

• identify customs and traditions from various cultures in the Canadian mosaic, and compare them with those of Chinese cultures
• examine 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

• Suggest that students construct detailed family trees dating back three or more generations and share them with the class. Ask them to cite relationships, jobs, locations, ages, and so on.
• Have students participate in a guided tour of Victoria's Chinatown or local Chinese facilities and communities. Then invite students to share information with classmates in oral, written, or visual form (e.g., comic strip, poster, report).
• Conduct a survey of common cultural practices encountered in everyday life in China and have students identify some of the similarities with those in Canada.
• Arrange a visit to a Buddhist temple, then discuss with the class the influence of Buddhism on Chinese culture.
• Invite students in pairs or small groups to compare Chinese cuisine with that of Canada. Then have students present their findings in oral, visual, or written form.
• Invite students to interview new students from other countries or provinces to find out what it is like to be a newcomer in a BC school.
• Challenge students to research and report on historical and recent trends in Chinese immigration to British Columbia. Have students use a variety of resources in their research (e.g., vertical files, videos, electronic magazine indices). Discuss how various events are portrayed in the media.

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

• Assign research projects in which students investigate and report on aspects of early Chinese immigration to British Columbia. Students might consider incentives for immigration, impact on families in China, contributions, comparisons with other immigrant groups of the time, and changes in immigration laws. Encourage students to use Chinese as much as possible in their research and reporting, but recognize that most of them will need to use English for large parts of their work. Before they begin their projects, discuss criteria such as:
  • shows effective use of multimedia resources and personal contacts
  • includes thorough, relevant, and accurate information
  • demonstrates respect for and sensitivity toward cultural beliefs and practices
  • compares similarities and differences in the experiences of immigrants from other cultures
  • makes connections to own family experiences
  • concludes by summarizing own feelings and understanding
• Work with students to develop assessment criteria for comparing customs and traditions in various cultures. For example:
  • focusses on thoughtful questions about culture and lifestyle
  • clearly identifies the specific cultures and regions being compared
  • relies on valid and credible information, rather than stereotyping
  • information about each culture is relevant, accurate, and detailed
  • classification of information into similarities and differences is logical
  • comparisons go beyond surface features to deal with subtle and complex aspects

• 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
• China's Cosmopolitan Age
• 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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