Curated OER
Tomb Guardians
Students practice using compasses to find cardinal directions in this cross-curricular lesson about the Chinese art of tomb sculptures. The lesson also includes a creative lesson extension.
Curated OER
The Three Perfections
Students discover the various styles, form, beauty, and grace of Chinese calligraphy by examining works of art from different eras in China's history. This lesson includes two possible enrichment activities.
Curated OER
The Flights Of The Phoenix
Students investigate the use of the Phoenix in Japanese and Chinese art while making connections to the use of the Phoenix in the book Fahrenheit 451. This instructional activity can be adapted for grades 8 through 11 but was originally...
Curated OER
"The Story of Miss Li" by Po Hsing-chien
Fourth graders explore a classic, well-regarded tale of traditional Chinese literature and gain a rudimentary understanding of Confucius values.
Curated OER
Role of "Outsiders" And Traders in Society
Learners examine the Chinese and Japanese conceptions of "insiders" and "outsiders" and how this affects the attitude toward foreign traders from the 6th to the 16th centuries. Lesson extensions are included.
Curated OER
Feng Shui for the Budding Interior Decorator
Young scholars examine the uses and beliefs associated with the Chinese art of Feng Shui. The class reads about the traditional uses of Feng Shui. Individually, each student creates a room makeover using Feng Shui principles.
Curated OER
Natural Enemies
Fourth graders engage in the reading of an ancient Chinese fairy tale. The goal of the lesson is for them to become creative in the use of writing. The story creates a context for student's writing and ideas for future drafts.
Curated OER
Bronze Bells
Students explore an amazing technological advancement in ancient China, zhong
bells, as an example of the use of natural resources and human ingenuity to meet a need and to add value to the quality of life in an ancient time.
Curated OER
Trade in the Indian Ocean: Should China End Zheng He's Treasure Voyages?
Students examine the amount of trade that occurs in the Indian Ocean. Using China as an example, they discuss the reasons why it ended its treasure voyages in the area and predict what would have happened if the voyages continued. They...
Curated OER
Create Your Own Classroom Olympic Games
Students create their own version of the Olympic Games. They compete in the games of their choice and keep score.
Curated OER
Kites of Japan
Students perform research into the designs of Japanese kites in order to appreciate them for their aerodynamic designs. The appreciation builds student interest in order to produce their own similar designs.
Curated OER
Making a Basic Clay Animal Sculpture In-The-Round
Students create a three dimensional animal sculpture. In this sculpting lesson, students use white art clay, gloss glaze, brushes, and wooden tools to create an animal sculpture.
Curated OER
Feudal Powers in Japan
A traditional textbook chapter focuses on feudal powers in Japan, and includes vocabulary, note-taking tips in the sidebar, main ideas, and follow-up assessment questions. It also incorporates opportunities for art analysis and geography...
Curated OER
The Physics of Flight
Students discuss how the invention of flight changed the way people live today. In groups, they compare and contrast the differences between weight, lift, thrust and drag. Using these principles, they create a glider and propeller with...
Curated OER
Finding Meaning in the Badge
Children who are three to five years old study two rank badges from the Qing dynasty to develop an understanding of social rank, language skills, and symbolism. The lesson is discussion-based and requires learners to compare and contrast...
American Museum of Natural History
Sounds of the Silk Road
Young explorers may not be able to travel the Silk Road but they can listen to music that was played on instruments of the time and create their own songs with the help of an interesting interactive resource.
Curated OER
Exploring China: One Educator's Experience
Visiting new places can inspire a wide range of teaching activities.
American Museum of Natural History
Silk Road Fables
Talk about rabbit holes! With just this one resource, learners can travel the Silk Road listening to fables, meet a scientist who studies poisons (and whose favorite book is Alice in Wonderland), and listen to a video interview of an...
Curated OER
The See Family
Third graders examine photographs as primary source documents. Students are broken into groups and are given photographs of the See Family.
Student Handouts
What Year Is It?
This page includes a space to write in the date, but what does the date even mean? And where does it come from? Inform your class about the various calendars and how the Western calendar came into widespread use with an informational...
Curated OER
Tanabata: The Japanese "Wish Upon a Star"Festival
Students research the legend of Tanabata in order to explain some of the astronomical findings in the night sky. The Japanese tell the story in order to explain the origin of celestial bodies.
Curated OER
Korea's Literary Tradition
Students read a text about Korea's literary tradition. In this literary tradition instructional activity, students read the multiple page text to learn about Korea's literary tradition.
Curated OER
Mapping Perceptions of China
Pupils discuss what types of things are included on a map. They compare and contrast maps of China with a map they create and practice using different types of maps. They write analysis of their classmates maps.
Curated OER
Gazebos and Other Worlds
Design a simple structure such as the gazebo. Work with your class to identify the six faces of a cube pattern and name other uses of patterns in industry. They draft, cut out, and assemble a cube pattern. They draw out and assemble two...