China
III: Culture
Part 3: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, and Shamanism Children’s Stories
Introduction:
China is a country rich in belief systems. Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and shamanism have all directly and concretely affected China’s history and its people. Although ancient in origin, these philosophies continue to play a vital role in Chinese culture today. Because of their influence and impact on China, these philosophies should be understood by citizens of a world in which China plays such an important role.
Overview:
After being introduced to the elements of some or all of the following philosophies—Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Shamanism—this project gives students an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding in a more creative way than the usual tests or papers, and teachers will have the chance both to determine how well the information has been retained and, perhaps, to discover students' talents they would not otherwise know. In the process of creating a children's story meant to introduce young readers to one of the Chinese philosophies, students will review and identify major concepts, synthesize and apply their knowledge in a creative way, and work to communicate complex concepts in a simple manner. All of these tasks will foster greater retention of the material. The children's stories can be read to the class or shared with students in younger grades.
Objectives:
Students will gain a broader understanding of Chinese philosophy and culture.
Students will synthesize and apply their knowledge of Chinese philosophies.
Students will create a children's story that reflects elements of a Chinese philosophy.
Students will develop the ability to communicate complex ideas clearly and simply.
Students will have the opportunity to use artistic and creative talents.
Grade Level:
Middle school through high school
Time Required:
One to three class periods or one week minimum to complete project outside of class
Materials:
 Children's Story Assignment Sheet
Children's Story Grading Rubric
Access to the Web sites listed below
Students will need access to paper and art supplies in class or at home
Teachers may direct students to the Student Resources Pages where they can follow relevant links without having access to lesson plans.
Procedure:
- Begin by teaching students the elements of one, several or all of the following Chinese philosophies: Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and shamanism. See the Resources Section below for lesson plans, background essays, and other teaching resources to facilitate your study.
- After students have been introduced to the main concepts of the philosophies, distribute the assignment sheet. If you plan to dedicate class time to the creation of these books, you could have students work in groups to create one book. If the project will be completed outside of class, then each student will need to create his or her own book. If you taught multiple philosophies, you may want to devise a way to divide the philosophies so that students will not all choose the same philosophy for this project.
- Encourage students to review their notes or handouts on the philosophy they choose, and identify 3-5 main concepts that they plan to incorporate into their story. Logical next steps might be to create the characters, then determine the setting, and then create a conflict. These elements will inform the plot of their story. You may also want to suggest that students story board their ideas to plan how they will connect text and illustrations. This could be reviewed by you to insure that students are on the right track.
- Once students have completed their stories, they could read them aloud to the class or share them with students in younger grades.
- A rubric for this assignment can be found in the Resources Section below. It is predicated on the assignment being worth 100 points, but the points possible can be adjusted for other point totals.
Extensions:
Depending on time and age level, students could:
- Study other philosophies from other parts of the world
- Relate elements from Chinese philosophies to Western philosophies
- Design a Taoist, Buddhist or Confucian temple or a shaman shrine
- Read the major texts of the philosophies
- Create murals that represent the main elements of the philosophies
Resources:
(Links will open in new windows.)
Teaching Resources on Chinese Philosophies
A background essay on the three major Chinese philosophies from Ask Asia.
An essay comparing thematic excerpts of the major world religions, including Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism and others.
An essay that explores “Religion in a State Society: China”
Central Asian / Mongolian Shamanism
The Silk Road : Connecting Culture, Creating Trust Web site on shamanism
The Silk Road Project's teacher resources include a set of lesson plans and sourcebook for teachers called “Belief Systems Along the Silk Roads.”
Sacred Text's website includes many full text articles about shamanism and animism.
Shamanism in Mongolia and Tibet
FAQs on general shamanism
Confucianism
"China 's Great Sage” is a lesson plan from Ask Asia in which students analyze Confucian analects.
Two background essays from Ask Asia that explore Confucius and Confucianism.
Asia for Educators multimedia lesson plan on Teaching Three Confucian Values
Asia for Educators multimedia lesson plan on Confucius and the impact of his teachings.
A third Asia for Educators lesson plan that introduces to Confucian Thought through the Analects.
“Confucian Influence on Life in China” is a lesson plan from The China Project.
Five Confucian Relationships explains the five basic relationships within Confucianism, the importance of the family and state and the effect that Confucianism has had on China
Buddhism
An essay on the origins of Buddhism from Ask Asia.
The BBC Schools Web site offers an introduction to Buddhism as well as definitions for major Buddhist terminology.
An unit plan that introduces students to Buddha, Buddhism, its beliefs and its practitioners.
“Fojiao: the Teaching of Buddha, the Enlightened One” provides a brief introduction to Buddhism in China from Ask Asia.
“Xuanzang: The Monk who brought Buddhism East” relates the story of the monk who brings Buddhism from India to China.
This essay on the migrations of Buddhism outlines “how the spread of ideas combine of new beliefs with existing thoughts and practices.”
Extensive list of Buddhist Web resources
Taoism
“Teaching about Taoism through the Tao Te Ching” utilizes the Monkey King stories from China to teach about Taoism.
A background essay from Ask Asia on Taoism.
“The Importance of The Way” explores how Taoism influences Chinese life.
An introduction to Taoism, with links to electronic texts: Tao Te Ching or Dao De Jing; Chuang-tzu or Zhuang-zi; I Ching or Yi Jing; Sun-tzu, The Art of War.
"The Center for Daoist Studies is a North American organization dedicated to research and education on the Daoist tradition. Our principal activities include (1) Research on the history of Daoism, with particular attention to the diverse methods and contextual nuances of Daoist practice; (2) Education about Daoism as a Chinese religious tradition; (3) Translation of classical and contemporary Daoist literature into English; (4) Collection and archiving of historically significant materials related to Daoism; and (5) Dissemination of accurate and relevant information on Daoism in digital and media formats. The Center also aims at facilitating dialogue and networking among Daoist scholars, practitioners and communities both in North America and throughout the world."
|
