Grade+3+Mandarin+Language+and+Traditional+Arts+Unit

Mandarin Language and Chinese Traditional Arts with Grade 3
In April 2010, Guiteras Teacher-Librarian Ms. Galipeau participated in a China Study Tour program from the Five College Center for East Asian Studies. While in China, Ms. Galipeau admired the way Chinese artists use the intersection of language and writing to create art and thought that this would be a prime concept to explore with her students. In Library Class, all units are based on the AmericanAssociation of School Librarian's S//tandards for the 21st-Century Learner,// which align with the //Common Core Standards.// Therefore, a unit that demanded students to acquire new knowledge in Library Class then apply this knowledge to express themselves creatively in Art Class was designed by Ms. Galipeau and Art Teacher Ms. Jacobs. Ms. Galipeau introduced the topic by showing the students pictures from her China Study Tour. The pictures piqued students' curiosity. They developed essential questions: 1. What are characters? 2. Why do people in China use characters instead of letters? 3. What is Chinese calligraphy?
 * [[image:DSCN0423.JPG width="296" height="328" caption="Calligraphy in People's Park, Beijing "]] || [[image:pp2.JPG width="279" height="332" caption="It is common to see people practicing calligraphy."]] ||
 * [[image:pp3.JPG width="300" height="278" caption="See the "brush"? It's a shaped sponge!"]] || [[image:pp4.JPG width="294" height="281" caption="Is it ink? No, it's water!"]] ||

To answer the first and second essential questions, students had to learn about the evolution of written language that led to Chinese characters. (representing tangible, "things you can touch", items) and ideographs (complex ideas, "things you cannot touch"). || Students used different strategies to make decisions: taking turns, voting and reaching consensus. || and ideographs under the ELMO to share with the entire class. || The entire class was tasked with trying to figure out the meanings of the pictographs and ideographs. || || Use the process the students used. Q.: Is it a pictograph or an ideograph? A.: It is a pictograph. Ok, it's a pictograph. That means it represents a tangible object. What does it look like? If you guessed "broom," you're right! ||
 * [[image:PIC_1127.JPG width="320" height="240" caption="Do you know what this pictograph is representing? "Boat""]] || [[image:PIC_1121.JPG width="320" height="240" caption="Do you know what this ideograph is representing? "Creativity""]] ||
 * Students worked in small groups to create a variety of pictographs
 * Next, the student groups took turns putting their pictographs
 * Try it! Here's one:

Students quickly learned that if their groups each spoke another language and were trying to communicate, simple pictographs and ideographs were the most successful. || Looking at the image on the left, even knowing that it is supposed to be a pictograph, it is difficult to figure out what is being represented. Clouds? Lightning? Rain? After creating and interpreting their own pictographs and ideographs, students were ready to see how modern Mandarin and Chinese characters evolved. For an introduction to Mandarin, the students used the BBC's Chinese Mandarin Guide at: @http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/chinese/real_chinese/start/ || (from the BBC's Characters Mini-Guide) To see better, click on the image above and it will take you directly to the Character Mini-Guide. || ======Students also used the:======
 * [[image:PIC_1133.JPG width="272" height="202"]]
 * Here's an example of how characters evolved

Tones Mini-Guide
@http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/chinese/real_chinese/mini_guides/tones/

@http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/chinese/games/
|| Now students were ready to explore the third essential question - What is calligraphy? with Ms. Jacobs. Ms. Jacobs focused on teaching the students about Chinese landscapes. || In Library Class, students examined each of the Four Treasures. Students recorded their observations, questions and connections related to each treasure. ||
 * Students had some background knowledge to apply to their Art Class
 * [[image:PIC_1152.JPG width="256" height="192" caption="Ink stick"]] || [[image:PIC_1156.JPG width="256" height="192" caption="Ink stone"]] ||

To answer some of the specific questions the students had about how the Four Treasures are made, students made predictions and then watched videos demonstrating how the Four Treasures are crafted. media type="custom" key="9605746" Making of a "Wishing" Brush || media type="custom" key="9606044" Making of an ink stone. || as an introduction to seals. media type="custom" key="9605230" || media type="custom" key="9605232" This video shows how the bottom of the seals are carved. ||
 * [[image:ptc2.JPG width="320" height="240" caption="Example of student observations, questions and connections."]] || [[image:ptc10.JPG width="320" height="240" caption="Example of student observations, questions and connections."]] ||
 * [[image:ptc9.JPG width="320" height="240" caption="Example of student observations, questions and connections."]] || [[image:ptc8.JPG width="320" height="240" caption="Example of student observations, questions and connections."]] ||
 * media type="custom" key="9605116"
 * In Library Class, students watched these videos

In Art Class students were painting landscapes and creating their own seals with a phoentic translation of their first names. Here is Mercedes with her finished landscape and seal.
 * [[image:mer1.JPG]] || [[image:mer2.JPG]] ||