Here is my curriculum project covering the New Imperialism in Asia. Thi lesson series is in three parts: 1) Introduction to the New Imperialism and the motives behind colonization; 2) Analyzing primary sources and photographs and connecting them to the motives behind imperialism; 3) Researching four historical events/case studies addressed in our USCI-UTLA Fall 2011 class: the Opium Wars, the Boxer Rebellion, the colonization of the Philippines, and the Meiji Restoration.
Bdeleon excellent 4 day lesson on Imperialism in Asia. Great use of the lecture notes and images you gathered from our class lectures with Prof. Dube. The activities you have planned seem to cover all the different types of learning needs that are necessary to engage students. For day 4, I would suggest perhaps having students do their presentations in a gallery walk format whereby each group has two students presenting their information while the other two members circulate listening and taking notes on the other presentations. After a full rotation, those members of each group who were taking notes can then present while those previously presenting can circulate the room taking down notes and listen to the other group presentations.
Bdeleon great lesson all around. I must admit that I too am guilty of placing greater emphasis on Africa when teaching imperialism than on Asia. Your lesson helps bridge these two continents. I enjoyed the fact that you factored in research for your students on the third day. Any chance you might bring in some Lipton tea for your students to try while they are analyzing the 1890’s Lipton tea advertisement? I think it will provide students with another way to connect with the lesson through another sensory and will definitely help them see how (pardon the cliché) alive history is. I will definitely be using the lesson. Lets talk after we have taught this unit and exchange notes. We should also see if other folks at our school are interested in this unit (which I can not imagine why they would not be) and perhaps we can draw a common writing assignment. Thanks!
Mr. De Leon I think you do a good job of introducing imperialism in Asia with this unit. The unit stands on its own, but I would offer a few suggestions. You mention how Western powers carved up Africa, but I'm not sure if your lectures discuss how these imperialist powers divided China and other parts of Asia into spheres of influence. I would be sure to cover this to give students a broad overview of imperialism in Asia. I have done an assignment with my students where I start out by carving up contemporary Asia into four separate parts. I also divide my students into four separate groups and have them play jeopardy, with Asian imperialism as the theme. The team with the highest score gets to choose which of the four parts of Asia they want first, and so on. Each team must evaluate their selection based on an economic, political, and cultural justification. Students usually come away with a deeper understanding of some of the themes you mention in your case studies (Opium Wars, Boxer Rebellion, and Meiji Restoration) while strengthening their base knowledge of contemporary Asian countries, including some of their economic, political, and cultural strengths. For many students, this exercise serves as a geography refresher on Asia today. You might try incorporating this piece into this unit on Asian imperialism.
Elopez, thank you for the gallery walk recommendation. I agree, this would be a great way to engage my students in learning the content from peer presentations, especially my kinesthetic learners. Glopez, what a marvelous idea! I absolutely love the idea of bringing in Lipton tea to drink while completing the assignment. Perhaps we'll snack on some Dole fruit cocktail and wash our hands with Pear's soap if our hands get sticky. But seriously, sipping on tea while working on this project will be an unforgettable experience for many students (they'll never be able to drink tea without thinking about imperialism again!). I would be totally interested in creating a common writing assignment out of this lesson. Mcovarrubias has some pretty solid end-of-unit assessments for 10th grade imperialism and I think that we can generate a common one that focuses on a writing component. Let me know when we can get together and brainstorm ideas. Straylor, I would love to see how you introduce the dividing of the Asian continent - and China, specifically - into spheres of influence. I have plenty of resources on the partition of Africa (including more maps than I could ever use) and can teach that very well, but my focus is on Asia this year and I would like to perfect this. I would also love to see your Jeopardy-style game especially if it contains a strong geography component. Are you free to meet this week?
I am free to meet and continue discussing these ideas. You must allow me to pick your brain for ideas you recently accumulated on your trips to both China and the Philippines. I'm somewhat intrigued by the educational system in the Philippines, partly because I know very little about it. What comparisons can you draw between Filipino and Chinese culture based on your travels and first-hand experiences?
These are great ideas for lesson plans. I think that the gallery walk is definitely a good addition to the learning content in their presentations in class. I think that using all of the senses are a definite plus! I have my students tasting green tea in my lesson plan. I believe it will make a lasting impression on these students. I know I'm definitely a kinesthetic learner and I like to have hands on instruction with my students, as well. Is there a way to break this down into smaller units so that they students can have a little more direction? I'm not sure what your students are capable of coming up with on their own, but do they have any prior experience with presentations? Are they able to comprehend things on their own, enough to give a cohesive presentation to the class?