1.  Intro and prep week for your China research presentation

2.  The spread of Chinese written language throughout East Asia is more pertinent to the next several topics of the course (China, Korea, Japan).  By way of background, the article “What is ‘East Asia’?” discusses the importance of the Chinese written script and classical Chinese that went with it in creating cultural unity both within what is today “China” and throughout East Asia. o It is important to reflect on what is being said here, namely:

3. A. There are, in fact, only a small number of written scripts in the world, whereas there are myriad spoken languages. B. Early societies which had not developed their own writing systems usually adopted the first writing system they encountered – for the peoples of East Asia, this was the Chinese writing system. C. Knowledge of the Chinese writing system gave access to political and religious texts in classical Chinese and the traditions these imparted (Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism, etc.).

4. D. The elite officialdom (educated) of China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam communicated with one another in classical Chinese. E. The spoken languages of Japan, Korea, and Vietnam were, however, quite different from spoken Chinese. Japanese and Korean belong to an entirely different language family.  All three countries began by using Chinese characters to write their own languages. This proved cumbersome, however, and eventually Japan, Korea, and Vietnam developed writing systems of their own to fit their own spoken languages.

5.  Think about and focus on the big picture, key concepts, and important terms.  Understanding the scope and sequence of China’s history and culture is your objective.  Memorizing dates, dynasties, specific facts, and/or details should not be your goal.  What made Chinese civilization and dynasties successful? Achievements? Failures? What caused dynasties to decline or fall? Rise and develop?

6.  Journey Across Time (JAT): o Chapter 7 – “Early China” (p. 220-51) o Chapter 12 – “China in the Middle Ages” (p. 404-39) o “Nationalism in China” (p. 771-76), o “The Cold War Spreads to Asia” (p. 837-8)  Timeline/Chronological Outline/“Dynasties Song” Timeline/Chronological Outline/“Dynasties Song”  ABC-CLIO: World Geography (hutch, honeybee) – “China: History”“China: History”  ABC-CLIO: Ancient and Medieval Eras (hutch, honeybee) – “China”“China”  ABC-CLIO: Modern Era (hutch, honeybee) – “China”“China”  Facts on File  Modern World History + Ancient & Medieval HistoryModern World HistoryAncient & Medieval History  World Book Online – “China”“China”  Maps101 (hutchison, maps101) Maps101  Classroom Video On Demand (hutch, honeybee) – China searchChina search  Britannica Image Quest (hutch, honeybee) Britannica Image Quest  Brain Pop (hutchison, honeybee) Brain Pop

7.  What do you know/think you know? What do you want to know/learn about? Topic ideas for your research paper? 1. What makes a civilization/culture successful? Fail/decline? List big ideas/concepts. 2. Why is China called the “Middle Kingdom/Country”? Explain 中国. See “Intro: Theme 1” and “I. Physical/Historical Setting of China #2” and World Book ArticleSee “Intro: Theme 1” and “I. Physical/Historical Setting of China #2”World Book Article 3. How has Chinese civilization lasted “continuously” for 3000+ years?  Read “China’s Geography” p. 225-6 + Study Several Physical Maps 4. What effect did rivers have on China’s history? 5. What effect did mountains and deserts have on China’s history? 6. List 5 geographic features that helped isolate ancient China from the outside world. How do you think this impacted China throughout its history?  Population density maps (DE Tech Book, National Geographic, nighttime satellite images, and/or accurate/reliable ones from Google Images):DE Tech BookNational GeographicGoogle Images 7. Using cardinal/intermediate directions (north, south, northeast, southeast, etc.) explain what part of China has the LEAST amount of population and why? 8. Using cardinal/intermediate directions (north, south, northeast, southeast, etc.) explain what part of China has the LARGEST amount of population and why?

8.  BBC video: Wild China - A Land of History, Mystery, and Extraordinary Diversity  Maps (political, physical, special purpose), Graphs, & Charts  Label, Color, Research & Share (population density, languages, ethnicities, etc.) o Political (use your list of 48 countries, # accordingly on the map) o Physical (create list of major Mountains, Rivers, Bodies of Water, Deserts, and Other physical features, label or # on the map)  Timeline/Outline Notes (wiki on Haiku)  Timeline Design/Classroom Display

9.  Choose a topic (list will be provided)  ~400-500 words of text/2.5 – 3 minutes o JAT or DE Tech Book + o 1 online source + o 1 library book source  One quote with in-text citation  One paraphrase with in-text citation  Bibliography page