1.
Content:
Big
Picture and Essential Questions
Food is an essential part of the learning of Chinese
culture. It is unique from the cooking materials to the cooking methods.
Students had laid a foundation on some common cooking materials last year, in
this unit, we will experience different kinds of cooking methods, so students
will understand how Chinese dishes are prepared. In turn,
they will have the concept of Chinese people’s eating habits. Then, they will
have the opportunity to “create” some dishes by themselves. Afterwards, they
will learn how to order in a Chinese restaurant, as well as the Chinese table
etiquettes.
Challenging
Areas:
There are many different
cooking methods in Chinese. Students might have a hard time understanding them
since they rarely cook Chinese food at home. Therefore I will provide the
instruction with authentic pictures and video clips to assist my students.
2.
Pedagogy:
Project-Centered
Learning: In this unit, students are asked to accomplish various tasks
through cooperating with one another. For example, the role-play of going to a
restaurant. There are also individual tasks that required students to organize
the knowledge that they learned and create a handcraft project, such as: My
Chinese Placement. Students will accomplish learning through task solving
activities. These activities are designed to develop students’ independent and
group working ability.
Utilizing
the Technology: Students can organize information, collect resource,
create their own product and communicate one another with technology.
3.
Content &
Pedagogy:
The reason I choose project-centered
pedagogy is because I want my students to develop the ability of problem
solving, to practice on collecting and organizing the useful materials as well
as to make connection between new knowledge to the old ones. For language
learning, project-centered learning can motivate students’ interests. As they
use the language to do things and accomplish tasks, they gain the sense of
accomplishment. Last but not least, if students learn in an authentic
problem-solving classroom, they will be able to use the language after they
master it. However in the traditional language-learning classroom, students
have a hard time transfer the language content into real life from the
classroom.
4.
Technology:
Varies technology
tools will be applied as we learn the Chinese Food unit.
1. To start the
unit, I am going to show students a short video about Beijing Roast Duck. So
they can have a impression on Chinese restaurants, utensils, the duck cooking
methods and so on, in order to rise their interest in Chinese food. The video
is more authentic and vivid than teacher’s introduction therefore it is
necessary.
2. As we learn new
vocabulary, I will upload a Jing video on our Edmodo profile so students can
watch the video to review what we have been learning. Students need to answer
certain questions to show that they had accomplished the work. This method is
very efficient on helping students review since it provides them with their
teacher’s pronunciation as well as the PowerPoint they learned in class. It
cannot be replaced by other methods.
3. For the final
project, students need to create a conversation about going to the restaurant.
For this project, students can achieve in different ways. They may create a
script and do a traditional skit, or using GoAnimate to create a cartoon clip
or producing an IMovie. The technology for this part is optional.
5.
Technology & Pedagogy:
The main reason
for me to select the technology I mentioned is to support students’ learning
with the most authentic, convenient and real-life
content.
In this unit,
technology not only is a tool to accomplish the goal to communicate (Imovie,
Goanimate and etc) but also the content and the reference that facilitate
students’ learning. Students are learning with technology so even though the
technology is not available they can still use mandarin to solve daily
problems. In the process of achieving this goal, technology makes it convenient
for students’ reviewing. It is very important because in order to help them
accomplish the task, teacher has to give access to sufficient materials.
6.
Technology & Content:
First, technology
makes the content authentic and vivid. Students can experience the food making
closely.
Second, technology
provides different content, which divergent from the same big idea. Therefore,
it benefits students, who have different learning styles.
Third, technology
allows students to work with one another more conveniently.
7.
Assessment:
There are informal assessments such
as: Class worksheets; Games and Activities; Question answering
Formal Assessments: Chinese Placemat (for new vocabulary wrap
up); Menu Creation (Putting food and cooking methods together);Role-play (To
order food in a restaurant)
Other than learning mandarin,
students are learning to make connection between new learning with what
they have learned before; to develop self-learning skills with given materials;
to cooperate in role-play; to work with one another in projects and make
contribution to the team; to create opportunities to speak Chinese in their
daily life.
