Introduction
What's the
truth and who says so? In
the old days (say just before you were born), people could read books, study,
and feel pretty sure they knew what was going on. Then things started changing.
We realized everyone had an opinion and if we listened, we could learn something.
We also found that a lot of topics weren't separate, but connected to each
other. So thinking in little boxes didn't work so well. Then along came
the Web. Ah-oh... Because anyone can publish a Web page and passionate people
tend to want to get their ideas out there, almost any interest, concern
or issue has its online community.
Guess what: you're going to use the Web for learning. And grabbing someone
else's ideas without giving them a close look is worse than silly. Think
of it as intellectual slavery. So let's break the chains.
As a group you're going to explore the topic of the Chinese
Cultural Revolution. Each member of your team will become an
expert in one individual/family's experience during this time in Chinese
history. Then you'll have to come back together to answer a question that
gets to the heart of 'what's the truth and who says so?'' We want you to
do a good job, so why not read the evaluation
rubric for this WebQuest?
Top of page
The
Question
The main question you will
be asked to find an answer for is:
How
did Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution affect the lives of ordinary Chinese
- at home and abroad?
Top of page
Background
Information
Before becoming an expert on
one aspect of this topic, we'd better make sure that everyone on your WebQuest
team knows the basics. Use the links below to answer the six general questions:
who? what? where? when? why? and how? and so what? Make sure everyone on
your team can answer all the questions before moving into your individual
roles.
Background
reading Click on the image for the site to enter.
Top of page
Individual
Roles
Now that you have some overall
background knowledge, it's time to return to the main
question for this WebQuest. Questions this big and important are
better answered when a few people are working on it at one time. Things
work even better when a group of you decide to look at the question from
different perspectives. This way team members can become experts on different
aspects of the question and then come together to poll their learning. This
is where team work pays off. So are you ready to divide and conquer this
question?
Student
Use the links below to learn
more about your role. Specifically, look for answers to the following questions:
1) Why was Lou Ning discriminated against during the Cultural Revolution?
2) What was the purpose of joining the Red Guards?
3) Read the second letter from Lou Ning and consider why the young people
were on the train and why the conductors did not ask them for their tickets?
4) How do you think you would have reacted if you had been a fellow traveller
on the train? Justify your response.
- Childhood
memories of the Cultural Revolution
Help Page: Strategy
for Analyzing the People's Opinions on the Topic
Top of page
Politician
Use the links below to learn
more about your role. Specifically, look for answers to the following questions:
1) Who does the author consider to have been involved in the class struggle?
2) What were the economic and national security factors involved with the
Cultural Revolution?
3) How did the 'Tiananmen Square riots' represent the struggles involved
in the Cultural Revolution?
4) Which side of the class struggle would you have taken and why?
- Cultural
Revolution as a class struggle
Help Page: Strategy for Analyzing the People's Opinions on the Topic
Top of page
Dissident
Use the links below to learn
more about your role. Specifically, look for answers to the following questions:
1) How did the government justify sending the author and his father to Laogai?
2) What was the purpose of this institution?
3) What effect did it have on his family?
4) Did the 're-education through work' program achieve its goals with this
person?
5) What does this report say about human rights issues in China during the
Cultural Revolution?
- Son
of the Counter Revolution
Help Page: Strategy for Analyzing the People's Opinions on the Topic
Top of page
Red
Guard
Use the links below to learn
more about your role. Specifically, look for answers to the following questions:
1) What did Mao Zedong expect of these young people in terms of helping
China achieve its goals?
2) Why were other Chinese people afraid of the Red Guards?
3) How were the Red Guards expected to spread the revolutionary ideas apart
from their studies?
4) This author considers that the Red Guards 'dared to throw out convention
and, bravely defending the revolutionary line of Mao Tsetung, they carried
the spirit and essential content of the Cultural Revolution to every part
of the country.' Do you agree? Why/why not?
- The
Red Guards
Help Page:
Strategy for Analyzing the People's Opinions on the Topic
Top of Page
Propagandist
Use the link below to learn
more about your role. Assume that you have created the posters on the site.
Provide your justifications in answer to the following questions:
1) Explain what you consider to be the purpose of these posters? Intended
audience?
2) Who would have ordered these to be created and why?
3) What imagery was used to achieve the purpose and why?
4) How would the success of your creative efforts be judged?
- Cultural
Revolution Posters
- Click on: 'Gallery: Cultural
Revolution Posters'
Help Page: Strategy for Analyzing the People's Opinions on the Topic
Top of page
Housewife
Use the links below to learn
more about your role. Specifically, look for answers to the following questions:
1) What were this housewife's expectations of the Communists when they came
to rule? Were these realised?
2) How did her role in society radically change during the early days of
the People's Republic of China?
3) What happened to this family during the Cultural Revolution?
4) Does this person feel that she benefit from the Cultural Revolution?
Do you agree? Why/why not?
- Changes
from Post Civil War to Cultural Revolution
Help Page: Strategy for Analyzing the People's Opinions on the Topic
Top of page
Group
Synthesis
Congratulations! Your team is
now full of expertise. Each person (or pair) on your team have become experts
on the topic of Chinese Cultural Revolution. You've all learned a lot of
information. But guess what, gathering useful information isn't the same
as truly understanding a topic. What experts in the field of learning suggest
is that you now use that information in a new and challenging way. Then
you'll really know about this topic.
So with you team members all gathered together, carefully read and try answering
the main
question for this WebQuest. See where you all agree and where differences
arise.
Use information, pictures, movies, facts, opinions, etc you explored to
convince your teammates that your viewpoint is important and should be part
of your team's answer to the Task / Quest(ion). Your WebQuest team should
write out an answer that everyone on the team can live with.
Revolution's
Children
Two
Views: What's to Celebrate?
Real
World Feedback:
Submit
your groups final synthesis to the page creator
Top of page
Conclusion
At the beginning of this activity,
you were asked about the truth. Did you discover it? Was there
only one? Did everyone on your team think so? How did you answer the
main question for this WebQuest? Have you checked the evaluation rubric
to guide what you did?
You deserve a lot of praise for all the work you've done. And so does your
brain. You've sure put that gray stuff to the test. You gained background
information, developed expertise in one particular area and got into some
pretty expert analysis. At times, you must have felt confused with ideas
spinning every which way. That's normal when you're building new mental
connections. It's funny, with each link between what you already knew and
the new learning going on, you broke another different kind of link, remember
the intellectual slavery we spoke about earlier? You're
free! How will you use these ideas and
strategies as you continue to grow and learn? It's all up to you. Good luck!
Top
of page
|
China
Home | Semester 2 Readings|
China Recommended Links |
China Assessment |
|Modern History Home | History
Skills | IT Skills |
Copyright | Contact
the Teacher |
This Week's Messages|
