Lesson plan of Chinese Communist Revolution

Objectives (5-7 minutes)

1. Global Understanding of Chinese Communist Revolution: The teacher should ensure that students have a clear and comprehensive understanding of the events and factors that led to the Chinese Communist Revolution. This includes the political and social situation in China at the beginning of the 20th century, the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the Chinese Civil War, and the rise of the Communists.

2. Identification of Key Involved Leaders and Ideologies: Students should be able to identify the key leaders and ideologies involved in the Chinese Communist Revolution, such as Mao Zedong and Maoism. They should understand the ideas and policies of these leaders and how they influenced the Revolution.

3. Analysis of Revolution Consequences: The teacher should help students analyze the consequences of the Chinese Communist Revolution both for China and for the world. This includes the formation of the People’s Republic of China, the Great Leap Forward, the Great Famine, and China’s influence on the global stage.

Secondary Objectives

1. Development of Researching Skills: During their preparation for the class, students should be encouraged to use different sources of research, such as books, articles, documentaries, and reliable websites, to gain a deeper understanding of the Chinese Communist Revolution.

2. Stimulation of Critical Thinking: Students should be encouraged to critically think about the events and ideologies of the Chinese Communist Revolution. They should be able to question, analyze, and evaluate the information they receive, forming their own opinions and interpretations.

3. Promotion of Classroom Discussion and Debate: Through the study of the Chinese Communist Revolution, students should be encouraged to actively participate in classroom discussions and debates, promoting respect for differing opinions and the ability to argue a point.

Introduction (10-15 minutes)

1. Review of Prior Knowledge: The teacher should start the class by reminding students of the key events that occurred in China in the early 20th century, such as the fall of the Qing dynasty and the Chinese Civil War. This will help to build a strong foundation for the new content that will be presented. (3-5 minutes)

2. Essential Questions: The teacher can propose two essential questions that encourage students to think about the topic of the lesson. The first could be: “How do you think China would be like today if the Communist Revolution had not happened?” The second could be: “What were the main challenges faced by Chinese Communists during the Revolution?” This will help to arouse students’ interest in the topic and prepare them for the content that will be presented. (3-4 minutes)

3. Contextualization: The teacher should explain the importance of the Chinese Communist Revolution, not only for China, but for the world. They could mention how the Revolution influenced the Cold War, the formation of the People’s Republic of China, and global politics and economy. This will help students to understand the relevance of the topic. (2-3 minutes)

4. Grabbing Students’ Attention: To grab students' attention, the teacher can share some fun facts about the Chinese Communist Revolution. For example, they could mention how Mao Zedong, the leader of the Revolution, used the “Long March” strategy to strengthen his army and gain support from the people. Another fun fact is the “Cultural Revolution,” a movement led by Mao that had a significant impact on Chinese culture. (2-3 minutes)

Development (20-25 minutes)

1. Simulation Game - "Building the Communist Revolution" (10-12 minutes)

   • Game Preparation: The teacher should divide the class into small groups of 4-5 students. Each group will be given a large piece of paper, color pens and a list of events related to the Chinese Communist Revolution. The teacher should also provide a 10-year timeline, which starts in 1911 (the fall of the Qing Dynasty) and ends in 1949 (the formation of the People's Republic of China). Students will be tasked to "build" the Communist Revolution in China.

   • Game Execution: Each group will select an event from the list and represent it on their large paper, using the color pens. The events must be put in chronological order. After completing their visual representation, each group will present their work to the class, explaining the event that they chose and why they think it was important for the Revolution.

   • Discussion and Reflection: After all presentations are done, the teacher should facilitate a discussion about the events of the Communist Revolution. They can ask students to identify patterns, turning points and challenges that the Communists faced. This will help to solidify students' knowledge about the topic and develop their analysis and synthesis skills.

2. Hands-on Activity - "Revolutionary Newspaper" (10-13 minutes)

   • Activity Preparation: The teacher should tell the students that they will be journalists during the Chinese Communist Revolution. Each group will be assigned a date during the revolutionary period and they will have to create a newspaper page representing the news and sentiments of that time. The teacher should provide students with paper, pencils, and crayons for this activity.

   • Activity Execution: Each group will select an important event that took place on their assigned date and turn it into a newspaper headline. They can also include articles, images, cartoons, etc. representing other events and feelings of the time. The students will have to work together to create their newspaper page.

   • Presentation and Discussion: After completing the activity, each group will present their newspaper page to the class. They will explain the event that they chose and why they think it was important. The teacher should facilitate a discussion about the different perspectives that were presented and how they relate to the Communist Revolution.

3. Debate - "The Chinese Communist Revolution: Necessity or Consequence?" (5-7 minutes)

   • Debate Preparation: The teacher should divide the class into two groups. One group will argue that the Communist Revolution was a necessity for China while the other group will argue that it was an inevitable consequence of the circumstances at that time. Each group will have a limited amount of time to prepare their arguments.

   • Debate Execution: Each group will present their arguments, followed by a question-and-answer round. The teacher should act as the moderator, ensuring that the debate is respectful and productive.

   • Final Reflection: After the debate, the teacher should lead a short reflection, asking the students to share what they learned from the activity. They can discuss how their thoughts and opinions changed (or not) after hearing the arguments of the opposite group.

These fun and engaging activities will help the students better understand the Chinese Communist Revolution, develop their research, critical thinking, and argumentation skills, and become active participants in the learning process.

Closure (8-10 minutes)

1. Group Discussion (3-4 minutes): After the activities have been completed, the teacher should bring all the students together for a group discussion. Each group will have 2-3 minutes to share the main takeaways and reflections that came out of their presentations, revolutionary newspaper and the debate. The teacher should ensure that all groups have a chance to speak and that the discussion is respectful and productive.

2. Connecting to Theory (2-3 minutes): The teacher should then connect the activities that were done to the theory that was introduced in the beginning of the class. They can highlight how building the timeline and the newspaper helped to visualize and better understand the events of the Chinese Communist Revolution. Also, the teacher can emphasize how the debate promoted the application of the ideas and concepts that were learned and the development of argumentation and critical thinking skills.

3. Individual Reflection (3-4 minutes): To finalize, the teacher should ask the students to individually reflect on what they learned in class. They can do this by using guiding questions such as:

   1. Which was the most important concept you learned today?
   2. What questions are still unanswered?
   3. How do you feel about the class topic?
   4. Which skills do you think you developed during the activities?
   5. Which skills would you like to develop more?

   Students will be given one minute to think about each question. After the reflection time, the teacher can ask a few students to share their answers if they feel comfortable. This will help the teacher assess the effectiveness of the lesson and plan future activities according to the students’ needs and interests.

4. Feedback and Closure (1 minute): The teacher should thank everyone for participating and encourage students to continue exploring and questioning the topic of the lesson. They can also take this moment to provide general feedback about the class’ performance and to clarify any doubts that may still be lingering.

Conclusion (5-7 minutes)

1. Summary (1-2 minutes): The teacher should begin the conclusion by recapitulating the main points of the class. They should remind the students about the situation of China in the early 20th century, the major events of the Chinese Communist Revolution and the consequences that this movement brought to China and to the world. Also, the teacher should highlight the involved leaders and ideologies of the Revolution, such as Mao Zedong and Maoism.

2. Connecting Theory with Practice (1-2 minutes): Next, the teacher should explain how the class connected theory with practice. They should mention how the “Building the Communist Revolution” and the “Revolutionary Newspaper” activities helped the students visualize and better understand the events of the Revolution. Also, the teacher should emphasize how the debate promoted the application of the ideas and concepts that were learned and the development of argumentation and critical thinking skills.

3. Suggestion of Further Materials (1-2 minutes): The teacher should then suggest some extra materials for students who are interested in deepening their knowledge of the Chinese Communist Revolution. This could include books, documentaries, movies and reliable websites. For example, the teacher can suggest the book “The History of the People's Republic of China” by J. A. G. Roberts, the documentary “The Promise” by Michael Caine or the website “China Power” from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

4. Relevance of the Topic (1 minute): Finally, the teacher should emphasize the importance that the topic of the class has in the students’ lives. They can mention how the Chinese Communist Revolution shaped the world we live in today, affecting geopolitics, the global economy, and international relations. Also, the teacher can highlight the relevance of understanding these events for comprehending the political and social system of contemporary China.

5. Closure (1 minute): The teacher should end the lesson by thanking the students for their participation and reinforcing the importance of continuous learning and critical thinking.