Curriculum links
Asia and Australia's Engagement with Asia is one of the cross-curriculum priorities. Use the link to explore some of the following questions.
Some key questions might be:
- What do my students learn about Chinese history or geography outside of my classroom?
- What (if any) Chinese texts are used by other teachers in teaching literacy or English? What images do they present of China? Are students getting a wide range of perspectives?
- What do my students learn of the traditional and contemporary arts of China? Of music, film, visual arts etc?
- Are there topics or approaches (e.g., to literacy) that could be shared?
- How are other teachers teaching about Intercultural Understandings?
- What’s the best way to generate change?
Implementing change
Start small. Teachers are dealing with a lot of change. The introduction of a great new picture story book for primary students, or a film set in China for secondary students might be a good starting point. You could give the history teacher a set of useful resources or provide the art teacher with a great website.
Find out what your colleagues’ interests are. Many teachers have been to China or have a specific cultural interest. At one Australian secondary school, a survey of teachers’ connections with China elicited the following:
- 12% of teachers had been to mainland China or Hong Kong
- Individuals had separate interests in Chinese cooking, garden architecture, Chinese film, tai chi and Chinese literature.
- Two teachers had taken students to China while at a previous school.
- These teachers became strong supporters of the school’s language program.
Building confidence in teaching about China
Many teachers have had little experience in their own education of learning about China or other countries in Asia. Many lack confidence that they know enough about Chinese society or history and feel they may make mistakes. Sometimes the subject matter feels very foreign or ‘political’. How can you help with this?
- Ensure that the school has a range of high quality resources about China.
- Consider developing a sister school partnership so that relationships can build.
- Nothing beats personal experience. Study tours and/or visits to China have been a real catalyst for changing attitudes and curriculum in many schools. See Getting the most you can from your school’s China trip for some ideas.
Teaching resources
Some regularly updated websites include the Asia Education Foundation: China Resources and Education about Asia. The US-based National Consortium for Teaching about Asia supports primary and secondary teachers in teaching about East Asia.
English
- Years 7 and 8: Suggested texts
- Years 9 and 10: Suggested texts
- Growing up Asian in Australia
- Chinese Cinderella Adeline Yen Mah
- Teaching the Asia priority through the novel
- Single Asian Female
- Kath Walker in China includes teaching activities by Reading Australia
- Peril is an online site devoted to work by Asian Australian writers.
History
- Ancient China Explore the resources that one Australian school uses to teach about ancient China. Find recommendations about useful books, podcasts and digital resources. It includes topics such as Everyday life, Social classes, Terracotta Warriors and The Great Wall.
- History Stage 4 depth study 3 – The Asian world (China) This resource contains four learning sequences focusing on:
- the physical features of ancient China and how they influenced the Chinese civilisation
- roles of key groups in the Ancient China (such as kings, emperors, priests, merchants, craftsmen, scholars, peasants, women)
- the three main religions or belief systems of ancient China
- contacts and conflicts within and/or with other societies.
- History - stage 4 – Ancient China This resource contains learning sequences focusing on the geographical setting and natural features of ancient China and how this influenced development of Chinese society.
- Guide to using picture books in History K–10
- Teaching China with the Smithsonian includes lesson plans, videos, and interactives for topics such as Power and privilege, Daily life and folk ways, and Traditions and belief systems. The Getting Started Guide: How to Look at Objects and stand-alone graphic organizers featured on this website can be used as tools to examine any work of art.
- Emperor Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army Museum This collection of images provides an opportunity to virtually explore artefacts from Emperor Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum Complex. Use it with China's Terracotta Army: Information and Teaching Resources
- Syllabus Bytes: Ancient China This resource outlines the geography, social structure and daily life of Ancient China. Includes links to interactive web resources and quizzes.
- The Yellow River's Role in China's History
- River Valley Civilisations: Ancient Chinese civilisation
- China: Interactive Exploration This resource consists of selected objects from Ancient China. The activities explore the themes of daily life, trade, religion, and writing.
- History KS3 / GCSE: The Story of China A series of short films exploring the stories, people and landscapes that have helped create China's distinctive character and genius over four thousand years.
- Teacher Resource Guide Chinese Art and Culture Outreach Kit uses art objects as a springboard for learning about history.
- Arts of China includes lesson sequences that use art works to explore themes of Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism and Trade along the Silk Road.
- Teaching Chinese History and Culture through Film
- Harvest of Endurance This interactive scroll covers the history of Chinese people in Australia from 1788 to 1988.
- Chinese Museum: Education Resource
- Chinese Anzacs Stories of being an Australian soldier of Chinese ancestry in the Australian army.
- Movement of peoples Defining Moments, 1750–1901includes a focus on Chinese migration during the Australian gold rushes.
- Collecting Chinese Australian stories Find links to oral histories provided by Chinese immigrants to Australia.
- Sample Assessment Task Letter: Life in Ancient China
Geography
- AGTA's GeogSpace website includes core units such as Internal Migration in China; and Changing nations which focuses on the impacts of population redistribution on the human geography in a country such as China.
- China Today This module focuses on the topics of Trade, Migration and Population with associated classroom resources.
- Arts of China includes lesson sequences that use art works to explore themes of Urbanisation and over-development, Trade along the Silk Road and Immigration.
- Geography KS3: In My Shoes is a series of engaging child-led short films about the geography and culture of China and Germany as seen through the eyes of local children.
- Shanghai – a city on the move
Economy and business
- Australia’s Trade through Time is an interactive website that organises significant events and agreements into decades. Australia’s Trade through Time Teacher Guide provides support for use of the website.
- Asian export case studies
- Australia's wheat exports to Asia
The Arts
- Art of China Teacher Resources
- Teaching Modern and Contemporary Asian Art Find classroom activities and information about artists from China, Japan and other Asian countries.
- Asian Art Museum Download free teacher packets with lesson plans by geographical region or choose museum highlights.
- NGV: Asian Art Resource
- Online Educational Units in Asian Art
- the art of now: teaching chinese art This blog includes resources and case studies for teachers and students learning about contemporary art in China, interviews with artists, questions and readings.
- Teaching Modern and Contemporary Asian Art explores themes of Community, Identity, Materials and Process, Narrative, Nature, Place and Symbols.
- GOMA: The China Project includes an education resource and teacher notes.
- Teaching Chinese Art Facebook page
What can I do with this information?
Spread the word. You don’t have to work in isolation and you don’t have to do all the work. Teachers appreciate high-quality resources that are linked to the curriculum. Share these ideas with other teachers in your school. Talk to your school librarian. Look at ways to integrate the learning, being mindful that every teacher feels that they have too much to fit into their existing curriculum.