China Historical Skills Assessment Review

Part 1: Identifications Identifications are a short paragraph that explains what a term is and why it is significant to the topic of study. Identifications test both your content knowledge and your critical thinking.

Example: Confucianism Confucianism is a traditional Chinese ethical system developed around the ideas and writings of Chinese philosopher Confucius in the 6th century BCE. His ideas focus on social harmony through the valuing of human relationships. Confucianism is socially significant because it was the justification for the social hierarchy of dynastic China. Despite the Communists government’s desire to make China egalitarian, Confucianism still has a cultural legacy in modern China, influencing gender and social expectations.

Terms to Study Mandate of Heaven Confucianism Capitalism Communism Propaganda The Chinese Communist Party The Long March Hundred Flowers Campaign The Great Leap Forward The Cultural Revolution

Part 2: Cause and Effect This skill ask you to identify key causes and effects of major historical events. You want try to discuss at least two causes and two effects of each event, all linked to the SPICE elements of China.

Events to Study The Opening of China by the West The 1911 Revolution The Chinese Civil War Mao Zedong’s Rule (1949-1976) Deng Xiaoping’s Rule (1978-1992) and The 4 Modernizations

Part 3: Change and Continuity In this skill you are evaluating historical change over time. You are going to be asked to evaluate themes in China History (think SPICE elements) that have changed as China has modernized and what themes have remained the same. Focus on China under Mao Zedong and China today. Think back to what your learned about modern China in preparation for our argumentative essay.

Part 4: OPVL In this section you are going to be given an historical source to analyze. With reference to the origin, purpose and content of the source, you are going to have to make evaluative statements about the source’s reliability as evidence about the past. Your response should be one developed paragraph that makes specific reference to the source’s value and limitations. Our focus source type is a newspaper article. Since these sources are longer, we have selected one that you have seen before.

Things to Remember for OPVL Use the terms value and limitation for historians studying the topic of the article. Support claims of value and limitation with specific examples from the origin, purpose and/or the content of the source Try to present three total evaluations of the source, i.e. two values and one limitation or one value and two limitations, in order to meet the expectation