Exploring Chinese Mythology!

Online resources:

Ashliman, D.L. (2007). Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts. Retrieved September 30, 2007 from http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/folktexts.html

Xindeco Business Information Company (1998). Selected Chinese Myths and Fantasies. Retrieved September 30, 2007 from http://www.chinavista.com/experience/story/story.html


Purpose:

This is to be used as an activity for grade 6 English Language Arts. It also incorporates themes from Topic C of the Social Studies curriculum.

Students would be required to use the above websites (or approved sites from an internet search) to find a Chinese folktale which they enjoy. After reading the folktale, students would then have to compare the chosen tale either to either a personal experience or another folktale that they are familiar with. This activity would be used to emphasize similarities and differences across cultures and serve as a writing activity. Students would have to type up their response using a word processor.


General learner outcomes from the English Language Arts Program of Study:

GLO 1: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to explore thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences.

GLO 2: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to comprehend and respond personally and critically to oral, print and other media texts.

GLO 3: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to manage ideas and
information.

GLO 5: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to respect, support and collaborate with others.


Specific learner outcomes from the English Language Arts Program of Studies:

As a result of the pervasive nature of the English Language Arts curriculum, most SLOs from this PoS could be incorporated into this activity. However, I chose to highlight the ones that related to exploring the media form and interpreting the information.

SLO 1.1: Discover and Explore

• Express ideas and develop understanding: read, write, represent and talk to explore and explain connections between prior knowledge and new information in oral, print and other media texts
• Engage in exploratory communication to share personal responses and develop own interpretations

SLO 1.2: Clarify and Extend

• Combine ideas: use talk, notes, personal writing and representing, together with texts and the ideas of others, to clarify and shape understanding

SLO 2.2: Respond to Texts

• Experience various texts: experience oral, print and other media texts from a variety of cultural traditions and genres, such as autobiographies, travelogues, comics, short films, myths, legends and dramatic performances
• Discuss common topics or themes in a variety of oral, print and other media texts

SLO 3.2: Select and Process

• Use a variety of sources: locate information to answer research questions, using a variety of sources, such as printed texts, bulletin boards, biographies, art, music, community resource people, CDROMs and the Internet

SLO 5.1: Respect Others and Strengthen Community

• Appreciate Diversity: compare personal challenges and situations encountered in daily life with those experienced by people or characters in other times, places and cultures portrayed in oral, print and other media texts … share and discuss ideas and experiences that contribute to different responses to oral, print and other media texts

Relevant ICT outcomes:

C.1 - Students will access, use and communicate information from a variety of technologies.

• 2.1 - access and retrieve appropriate information from the Internet by using a specific search path or from given uniform resource locations (URLs)
  

C.3 - Students will critically assess information accessed through the use of a variety of technologies.

• 2.1 - identify and distinguish points of view expressed in electronic sources on a particular topic
• 2.2 - recognize that information serves different purposes and that data from electronic sources may need to be verified to determine accuracy or relevance for the purpose used
  

P.1 - Students will compose, revise and edit text.

• 2.1 - create and revise original text to communicate and demonstrate understanding of forms and techniques
• 2.2 - edit and format text to clarify and enhance meaning, using such word processing features as the thesaurus, find/change, text alignment, font size and font style
  

Rationale for computer integration:

By using these internet resources, the students are able to access many different viewpoints which may not be readily accessible otherwise. It also teaches the students to be able to locate information (rather than just handing them a book), which provides a certain ownership of the project – it will be more meaningful and they will gain more from the experience.