From the Legend of Mulan to Gender Stereotypes in US and China Unit Plan: High School Level One

Fan Zheng TE 843 December 11, 2011

Table of Contents About the New Unit-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3 Previous Unit---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4 New Unit-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7

About the New Unit Plan:

The Legend of Mulan is a well-known story in China. I have delivered the original unit to my level one student last year. They liked watching the story and they still remembered the book they made. However, after the taking of this course, I try hard to think more about how to prepare lessons that can help my kids to think more critically. At the same time, after the lesson they might do something to make some change in their lives. This new unit got most influence from the chapter Where Im from: inviting students lives into the classroom in the book Reading, Writing, and Rising Up1. I started thinking about how to invite my students own lives to my Mandarin class. Then I think of my students, half of whom are Hmong students. I decided to combine their culture to our ancient Chinese culture. Moreover, the previous unit did have a critical question how the women were expected to behave in the ancient china. However, it has comparison between different gendersmen and women and no compare and contrast between US and Chinese Culture. So the comparison and contrast part are also what I am going to cover in this new unit. Last, the ultimate goal of the unit is helping kids not only think critically, but also motivated to take a move and do things differently in their own community. Naturally, the unit ends with the question Do you think it necessary to change peoples belief of the gender stereotypes? If so, how can you make a change in your community?

Previous Unit
Standards:

C1.1 (Communication): Interpersonal Communication: Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions and exchange opinions. C1.3 (Communication): Students present information, concepts and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics. C2.1 (Culture): Practices and perspectives: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the culture studied. C2.2 (Culture): Products and perspectives: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of the culture studied. C3.2 (Connections): Point of view: Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the world language and its cultures

Unit Overview:
This unit includes three lessons that help students get familiar to the Chinese legend storyMulan and answer the following essential questions:

How should Ancient Chinese behave 2000 years ago? What does Mulan do to help his father? If you were Mulan, what will you do? Why?

Lessons 1-3:
Lesson 1: Introduces students to the legendary Chinese story of Mulan and discuss the expectation for women in the ancient time. Lesson 2: Students will have Chinese input of the story and complete a blank filling of the film clip. Lesson 3: Students will finish watching the film and make a mini book of the story in Chinese to deepen their understanding of the language and the story.

Lesson 1
Grade Level: High School Mandarin Level One Subject: Chinese legendary Story- Legend of Mulan Time: 60 minutes Material needed: TV, Notebook

Part One: Play the Film Clip of Fa Mulan from 000to 4100

Part Two In groups, discuss the following questions in groups after watching the movie: How should Ancient Chinese behave 2000 years ago? What does Mulan do to help his father? If you were Mulan, what will you do? Why?

Lesson 2
Grade Level: High School Mandarin Level One Subject: Chinese legendary Story- Legend of Mulan Time: 60 minutes Material needed: whiteboard, marker, TV, laptops

Part One: Play the Film Clip of Fa Mulan from 4100 to 6140

Part Two Blank filling According to the words provided, please fill in the blank in the paragraph.

Lesson 3
Grade Level: High School Mandarin Level One Subject: Chinese legendary Story- Legend of Mulan Time: 60 minutes Material needed: TV, Mini-book page(from the book Chinese Treasure Chest)

Part One: Play the Film Clip of Fa Mulan from 4100 to 8100(the end) Divide students into groups. Students in each group put the sentences into order according to the Legend. (Chinese Treasure Chest-Volume 2 P217)

Part Two Students fill in the blanks, color the pages and make a mini book of Hua Mulan. (Chinese Treasure Chest-Volume 2 P218-221) If they dont finish in the class, they can do it as homework.

New Unit
Standards:

C1.1 (Communication): Interpersonal Communication: Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions and exchange opinions. C1.3 (Communication): Students present information, concepts and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics. C2.1 (Culture): Practices and perspectives: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the culture studied. C3.1 (Connections): Knowledge: Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the world language. C3.2 (Connections): Point of view: Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the world language and its cultures C4.1 (Comparisons): Comparing Languages: Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the language studied and their own.

Unit Overview:
This unit focus on the gender stereotype and corperate the Chinese language as well. The following are the essential questions:

What is a gender stereotype? What are common American gender stereotypes? What are common Chinese gender stereotypes (current and ancient) If someone went against gender stereotypes, what would happen? Do you know anyone who went against gender stereotypes? If so, what happened to him/her? Can people be affected by gender stereotypes? If so, how? Do you think it necessary to change peoples belief of the gender stereotypes? If so, what will you do to make a change in your community?

Lessons 1-4:
Lesson 1: Students will be introduced to the term gender stereotype and find ou the common American gender stereotypes. Lesson 2: Students will use the lyrics to find out the gender stereotypes in the Ancient China(2000 years ago). Lesson 3: Students will use the resources in internet to find out the gender stereotypes in current China. Lesson 4: Students will compare the gender stereotypes in China and US.

The following charts will be used through all four days lessons.

What I like to do (Chart 1)

Girls Boys

Gender Stereotypes (Chart 2)

US (in general)Current Women How are they expected to behave? What do they like to do? Men US (Hmong people)Current Women Men Ancient China 2000 years ago China -current

Women

Men

Women

Men

Lesson 1
Grade Level: High School Mandarin Level One Subject: Mandarin Chinese Time: 60 minutes Topic: Gender Stereotypes in Current US Sentence pattern: I like Verb: like Material needed: Whiteboard, markers, two large pieces of white paper for charts, sticky notes.

Part One: Teach of the sentence pattern I like and the verb like in Chinese. Each student will be given a sticky note and jot down what they like to do using the sentence pattern in Chinese (I like) Ask students to place the sticky note under the proper column according to their gender on chart 1. Students read I like in Chinese and share the activity they like to do in English in turns. Part Two: According to chart 1 they made, I will ask students what they think the term gender stereotype is. Also, we will brainstorm together on the white board some categories that are commonly stereotyped, e.g. colors, careers, toys, activities, etc. Therefore, they will be inductively introduced to the term gender stereotype. State the purpose of the lesson to compare the gender stereotypes in China and US. Each student will be given two sticky notes. On one sticky note, they will be asked to write down answers to how are women expected to behave in your community? and how are men expected to behave in your community. On another sticky note, they will be asked to write down what do women like to do in your community? And what do men like to do in your community? Show students the chart 2 on which the sticky notes they are going to put on. Explain to students why there is a column for Hmong people because half of the class are consisted of Hmong students and they have historical connection with Chinese/Asian culture, and we want to compare if their stereotypes have anything to do with the their historical background. Note: Hmong students can choose to write either the note for US (in general) or US (Hmong people) column. While they are writing, they can discuss with their assigned study partners. When they finish, they will place the sticky note under the proper column. They can to go to the chart in turns, read aloud the notes and share the ideas they jot down.

Lesson 2
Grade Level: High School Mandarin Level One Subject: Mandarin Chinese Time: 60 minutes Topic: Gender Stereotypes in Ancient China (2000 years ago) New word: woman, man Review: Sentence pattern- Subject + like Material needed: Whiteboard, markers, two large pieces of white paper for charts, sticky notes, lyrics(Honor to Us All and Ill Make a Man Out of You)

Part One: State the purpose of todays lessonto compare the gender stereotypes in current and Ancient China. Teach the new word (man)and (women), asking two students to write the Chinese word next to the English word chart 2. Part Two: Play the film clip Honor to Us All ( 000-1400) The teacher gives out a sticky note for each group and the lyrics of the song Honor to Us All to each student. Students in groups make a list of what behavior should a honorable woman possess and stick them to the proper column on chart 2. Play the song Ill Make a Man Out of You (3500-4107) in the film. The teacher gives out the lyrics to the song and students in groups make a list of what behavior should an honorable man possess. The teacher gives out a sticky note for each group and the lyrics of the song Ill Make a Man Out of You to each student. Students in groups make a list of what behavior should a honorable woman possess and stick them to the proper column on chart 2.

Lesson 3
Grade Level: High School Mandarin Level One Subject: Mandarin Chinese Time: 60 minutes Topic: Gender Stereotypes in current China (Compare the ancient and current China) New word: woman, man Review: Sentence pattern- Subject + like Material needed: whiteboard, marker, TV, laptops

Part One: Play the movie Mulan from 1330to 3500

Part Two Discuss the following questions in groups after watching the movie: What does Mulan do to help his father? Does she go against gender stereotypes in her time? How? If you were Mulan, what will you do? Why? Part Three: In the same group from yesterday, using internet, students try to find out how men and women are expected to behave and what do men and women like to do in the current China. Students place the sticky note under the proper column. Part Four: Ask students to read the notes out loud under the column (Hmong people)-current and Ancient China-2000 years ago and make a van diagram to compare and contrast on the white board.

Lesson 4
Grade Level: High School Mandarin Level One Subject: Mandarin Chinese Time: 60 minutes Topic: Gender Stereotypes in China and US New word: woman, man Review: Sentence pattern- Subject + like Material needed: whiteboard, marker, TV, worksheet.

Part One Play the rest of the movie of Mulan from 6400 to 8100. Part Two Ask students to recall what they noted down on chart 2. Ask students to think about the following question: What do they really say about men and women? Part Three In groups, discuss the following questions after watching the movie: How can people be affected by gender stereotypes? What happens when people go against gender stereotypes? Can you give an example? Do you think the expectations are fair to people in their culture respectively? Why? Should men and women be treated the same? Why? Is it good to treat men and women differently in some way? If so, how? Do you think it necessary to change peoples belief of the gender stereotypes? If so, how can you make a change in your community? Part Four (If they dont finish in class, it can be a homework) Please put the sentences in Chinese into the correct order according to Mulans story.

Reference:
1. Christensen, L, (2000), Reading, Writing and Rising Up, 2nd edition, New York: Teachers College Press. 2. World Language Standard and Benchmarks. Retrieved December 11, 2011, from http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/WLSB_206824_7.pdf