China and Its Neighbors: History and Its Influence, Part 2


China and Its Neighbors: History and Its Influence, Part 2
Students begin by comparing a Chinese propaganda poster from the Great Leap Forward with an actual photo of the time. Then they move into an exploration of Chinese history starting in 1912. In small groups, they research specific events and present their findings to the group. Next, small groups consider how the modern history of Taiwan and Mongolia are connected to China. Finally, they create an infographic that depicts important elements of Chinese, Taiwanese, and Mongolian history.

This learning experience is designed for device-enabled classrooms. The teacher guides the lesson, and students use embedded resources, social media skills, and critical thinking skills to actively participate. To get access to a free version of the complete lesson, sign up for an exploros account.

1:1 Devices
Teacher Pack

The Pack contains associated resources for the learning experience, typically in the form of articles and videos. There is a teacher Pack (with only teacher information) and a student Pack (which contains only student information). As a teacher, you can toggle between both to see everything.

Here are the teacher pack items for China and Its Neighbors: History and Its Influence, Part 2:

Preview - Scene 1
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Overview

In this experience, students begin by comparing a Chinese propaganda poster from the Great Leap Forward with an actual photo of the time. Then they move into an exploration of Chinese history starting in 1912. In small groups, they research specific events and present their findings to the group. Next, small groups consider how the modern history of Taiwan and Mongolia are connected to China. Finally, they create an infographic that depicts important elements of Chinese, Taiwanese, and Mongolian history.

In scenes 2 and 3, students will work in small groups. In scene 2, you will assign each small group one of five time periods to explore.

Objectives:

  • Explain the communist rise to power in China.
  • Describe significant events in Chinese history since 1912.
  • Describe the modern history of Mongolia and Taiwan, including their connection to China.


In today’s experience, you will learn about how the last century has created the China that exists today.

Objectives:

  • Explain the communist rise to power in China.
  • Describe significant events in Chinese history since 1912.
  • Describe the modern history of Mongolia and Taiwan, including their connection to China.

 

Take a look at this Chinese poster from 1959.


girl kneels amongst vegetables

The characters on the top of this poster say: “The vegetables are green, the cucumbers plump, the yield is abundant.”


What impression does this poster give you?



Students might notice that the girl looks happy and healthy, that there is lots of food, that there is lots of color, and so on. In other words, they will have a positive impression.


Now look at several actual photos from China during the same time period.


How are these photos different from the poster? What do you think explains the difference?

Post your answer

Discuss student responses. Explain to them that the poster is a form of propaganda—information that is given to create a certain impression of something, either positive or negative. Discuss why someone would use propaganda like the poster when the reality was the photo. Tell students that they will learn more about the context for the poster and the photo in the rest of this experience.


Students will collaborate in small groups for scenes 2 and 3. Divide students into their groups and assign each group an event:

  • The Overthrow of Imperial Rule
  • 1949: Communist Revolution
  • 1958: Great Leap Forward
  • 1966: Cultural Revolution
  • 1989: Tiananmen Square

 

Assign a reporter to upload the result for each group, or tell the students to choose their own reporter.

When everyone is ready to continue, unlock the next scene.


End of Preview
The Complete List of Learning Experiences in East and Southeast Asia Unit.
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