Overview
This unit was designed as an exploration and celebration of Chinese
history across three millenniums and two continents. This year-long
project will involve 4th, 5th, and 6th grade accelerated students
in a variety of activities that will take them beyond the State
Standards and Frameworks - and beyond the walls of the classroom.
Objectives
4th Grade Project
After the students have read and discussed the Gold Rush unit
in their textbook, they will create a scene and story line about
the challenges faced by the Chinese who came to Gold Mountain
seeking a better future. Each student will assume the identity
of a character who could have lived in a California mining town
during this exciting - but often lawless - time in our nation's
history.
Handouts: Character Development Sheet, Rubric
Sources
In Print:
Dicker, Laverne Mau. The Chinese in San Francisco: A Pictorial
History. New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 1979.
Hoobler, Dorothy, and Thomas Hoobler, The Chinese American
Family Album. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.
Sheafer, Silvia Anne. Chinese and the Gold Rush. Glendale:
Historical California Journal Publications, 1992.
5th Grade Project
After students have finished reading and discussing the chapter
on immigration in their textbook, they will research the role
the Angel Island Immigration Station played in our nation's immigration
story. Their task is to recreate a scene from the immigration
station. Each student will become a character who could have passed
through or worked on Angel Island.
Handouts: Character Development Sheet, Rubric
Sources
In Print:
Hoobler, Dorothy, and Thomas Hoobler, The Chinese American
Family Album. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.
Lai, Mark. Genny Lim, and Judy Yung. Island: Poetry and History
of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island, 1910-1940. Seattle:
University of Washington Press, 1991.
Takaki, Ronald, and Rebecca Stefoff. Journey to Gold Mountain:
The Chinese in 19th Century America. New York: Chelsea House
Publishers, 1994.
Online:
Angel Island (be sure to read the section on "paper sons")
-
http://www.sandiego-online.com/forums/chinese/htmls/angel.html
Living Conditions on Angel Island - http://www.itp.berkeley.edu/~jsu/asam/angelcond.html
Poetry of Angel Island -
http://www.itp.berkeley.edu/~asam121/poems.html
Samples of Angel Island Poetry -
http://www.itp.berkeley.edu/~asam121/samplepoems.html
Newspaper Clippings About the Chinese after the 1906 Earthquake
-
http://www.sfmuseum.org:80/press/clip.html
Stories from Those Who Were There (Angel Island) - http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/special/angelisland/intro.html
Live Camera of Angel Island - http://angelisland.org/angelcam/
Chinese American History Timeline: http://www.itp.berkeley.edu/~asam121/timeline.html
Angel Island - http://www.paperson.com/angel.htm
Discovering the Poetry - http://www.itp.berkeley.edu/~atsai/term.html
6th Grade Project
After students have finished reading and discussing the chapter
on the Han Dynasty in their textbook, they will research the importance
of the Silk Road in the story of how East meets West. Their task
is to create a caravansary tour across the Silk Road. Each student
will play the part of a character who could have explored, traveled,
attacked, and/or conquered along the ancient trade route.
Handouts: Character Development Sheet, Rubric
Sources
In Print:
"Along the Silk Road." National Geographic Magazine,
Vol. 189, No 3, March 1996.
Brownstone, David, and Irene Frank. The Silk Road: A History.
(This invaluable resource is now out of print, but is available
at most UC libraries)
Online:
Silk Road to China - http://www.chinapage.com/silksite.html
Pam Logan's Journal - http://www.alumni.caltech.edu/~pamlogan/silkroad/index.html
Xi'an and the Silk Road - http://zinnia.umfacad.maine.edu/~mshea/China/xian.html
Seven Days on the Silk Road - http://www.speakeasy.org/~nastaliq/silkroad.html
Oliver Wild's Silk Road Photos - http://www.ess.uci.edu/~oliver/silk2.html
Tarim Basin Mummies - http://www.chat.carleton.ca/~jmkirby/tbm.html
Great Links on China - http://history.evansville.net/china.html
Community Resources/Activities
Schedule
Extensions
Unit History/Social Science Content Standards
Grade 4
California: A Changing State
4.3 Students explain the economic, social, and political life of California from the establishment of the Bear Flag Republic through the Mexican-American War, the Gold Rush and California statehood, in terms of:
2. comparisons of how and why people traveled to California and the routes they traveled
3. the effect of the Gold Rush on settlements, daily life, policies, and the physical environment
4. the immigration and migration to California between 1850 and 1900; its diverse composition, the countries of origin and their relative locations, and the conflicts and accords among divers groups (e.g., the 1882 Exclusion Act)
Grade 5
United States History and Geography: Making a New Nation
5.7 Students relate the narrative of the people and events associated with the development of the U.S. Constitution and analyze its significance as the foundation of the American republic, in terms of:
3. the fundamental principles of American constitutional democracy including how the government derives its power from the people and the primacy of individual liberty
4. how the Constitution is designed to secure our liberty by both empowering and limiting central government; the powers granted to the citizens, Congress, the President, the Supreme Court, those reserved to the states
Grade 6
World History and Geography: Ancient Civilizations
6.6 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the early civilizations of China, in terms of:
6. the political contributions of the Han dynasty to the development of the imperial bureaucratic state and the expansion of the empire
7. the significance of the trans-Eurasian "silk roads" in the period of the Han and Roman empires and their locations
Differentiation for Advanced Learners
Acceleration:
Students will used advanced resources to enhance their understanding
of Chinese history
Depth:
Students will look for patterns and trends in the history of Chinese
immigration
Complexity:
Students will use multiple perspectives to view challenges faced
by Chinese
Novelty:
Students will interpret how events of the past affect the present
- and perhaps the future
Note: This unit was developed by Gail Desler for the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade accelerated classes at Barbara Comstock Morse Elementary School, Elk Grove Unified School District. For comments, questions, or suggestions, please contact Gail Desler.