Acquiring Background Knowledge
The purpose behind this strategy is to assist students in connecting and better understanding the time period of historical documents. I believe my students need to improve in better understanding the historical background of the historical topics and people discussed in class. If the student's improve their comprehension of the historical background they will be able to analyze the primary sources used in the activities. Throughout this section of the unit, students will be exposed to various images and explanations about the time period through the use of Power Point technology and a graphic organizer titled "What's going on in this era".
The graphic organizer will assist the students in separate their assumptions about the time period and culture with the facts learned throughout the lesson. The use of the Power Point program will aid students in recording and organizing information. The Power Point program will also offer students visual images of the two cultures. The Power Point creates a clear picture of the eras in order for students to answer knowledge and comprehension questions based upon Bloom's Taxonomy.
Finally, students will be required to analyze the images and information for better participation in the classroom discussions. The use of the visual images will paint a picture of the historical figures and the times, in which they lived, thus giving the student's an improved sense of the examined cultures. Once the students have obtained the appropriate background knowledge they will be able to analyze the primary source documents.
Examining Primary Resources
The students will read seven different primary documents, four from Heloise's letters to Peter Abelard, and Li Qingzhao's memoir and a selection of her poems. In order for students to understand what is expected, they will engage in a whole group instruction discussing various aspects of the letter/poem. To best understand the main ideas contained within the letters/poems, students will work within small groups to answer questions pertaining to the primary sources. The questions will help the students organize their thoughts on the sources. Rather than just reading the sources and understanding the material at a superficial level, the questions will also provide students with an opportunity to understand the historical people and culture at a deeper level.
A Selection of Readings for the Students:
-
1 "Hou Hsu" ~ Li Qingzhao
-
2 "Shengshengman: Yin Dirge for Fairy Flute" ~ Li Qingzhao
-
3 "Rumengling: Curiosity" ~ Li Qingzhao
-
4 "A Fisherman's Tale" ~ Li Qingzhao
-
5 "Contemplating a Journey" ~ Li Qingzhao
-
6 "Double Nine" ~ Li Qingzhao
-
7 "Wuling Spring" ~ Li Qingzhao
-
8 "Historia Calamitatum" ~ Peter Abelard
-
9 "Letter 1 Heloise to Abelard" ~ Heloise (see student source # 13)
-
10 "Letter 2 Peter Abelard to Heloise" ~ Peter Abelard (see student source # 13)
-
11 "Letter 3 Heloise to Peter Abelard" ~ Heloise (see student source #13)
-
12 "Letter 4 Peter Abelard to Heloise" ~ Peter Abelard (see student source #13)
Students will synthesize and evaluate the letter/poems in order to present and defend opinions about the information when asked to regroup to discuss. Various questions may include:
-
1 Based upon your reading, what is your opinion of the author?
-
2 What would you cite to defend the actions of the authors?
-
3 What choice would you have made if you were in the authors' position?
-
4 What judgment would you make about the actions of the authors?
-
5 Based on what you know, how would you explain the actions of the author based on society?
-
6 How would you adapt Li Qingzhao's views on marriage to create a different perspective for Heloise?
-
7 Can you formulate a theory for the authors' view on marriage?
-
8 Can you think of an original way for the authors to write during present day?
To assist students in organizing information, they will use a teacher created graphic organizer. The graphic organizer will ask them to record direct quotations, the questions in which the quotation answers and their explanation as to how this quote supports the answer.
I believe that when students understand the primary source they will obtain greater comprehension and appreciation for the historical figures and the time periods in which these people lived.
Connecting History to Students' Lives
The students may assume that because the historical people reside in a different time period and place then themselves, the students will not have anything in common with the historical figures. I believe that after closely examining the primary source documents the students will acknowledge, in their own letters and class discussions, the authors were in emotional situations that were similar to the emotions felt by many teenage students in present-day America.
Connecting the content to my students' lives is the best way to enable that the students' appreciate and understand the historical information. Throughout the unit, students will create journals. Within these journals, they will record their daily interactions/relationships with others. Students will be required to discuss various feelings, values and attitudes of each interaction. Through a class discussion, these intrapersonal ideas will be connected to the feelings, values and attitudes discussed in Heloise's letters and Li Qingzhao's poems. By doing this, the students are placing value on the historical content as a result of the connections developed.
In addition, students will use their linguistic and rhythmic skills to illustrate their understanding of Li's poems. The students will interpret a selection of Li's poems, examining the content and tone. The students will take the emotions and feelings within her poems and compose their own utilizing the interactions within their journals. The students will do the same in regards to Peter Abelard and Heloise's letters.
Assuming the Voice of Character
After the students have obtained background knowledge of the historical time period, and the lives and writings of the Peter Abelard, Heloise and Li Qingzhao, the students will be asked to complete three letters. Although it appears to be a traditional assessment, these letters will require the students to use creativity and intelligence in order assume the role of two characters.
First, students must take the historical content and Heloise's opinions on marriage to compose a letter to Li as Heloise discussing her opposition. In order to understand multiple perspectives, the students will write a letter from Li to counter Heloise's position on marriage. The final letter will ask the students to use their own opinions and thoughts to write a letter to Heloise, Li or Peter Abelard to discuss their opinions on marriage. Using the "voice" of the specific historical figures will hopefully enable the students to learn specific qualities about the people they have studied. Qualities I would like the students to understand would be the struggles that both couples dealt with throughout their relationships.
In order to ensure that students are engaged in a meaningful process, they will actually be writing and responding to each other's letters, but writing in the tone as if they were Heloise, Li Qingzhao themselves. Using the voice of Heloise and Li Qingzhao in their letters, I hope that the students will gain insight into the emotions these women were feeling about the situations of their relationships and consequences of their actions. While reading, writing, and discussing what the historical characters went through emotionally in their relationships, students will be doing the same with their personal relationships. Once the students analyze how the historical figures dealt with their situations the students will hopefully have a better way to evaluate their own relationships.
Once the students connect to the historical figures on an emotional level they will make a personal connection to similar situations that are occurring in their own lives. In the end, the students will understand that although Heloise and Li Qingzhao resided in different places and time then themselves, the situations and emotions are similar to their own. Overall, the students will come away with a greater appreciation for history, the importance of primary sources, improved reading comprehension skills, and a better sense about their own relationships.
