K20 LEARN | When Conflict Creates Countries

Summary

In this lesson, students will learn about China’s Civil War from 1945-1949. Participating in a discussion about why people rebel against their governments, they will analyze an excerpt from an article about the life of peasants in China prior to the conflict under the Kuomintang rule and an article about the two competing sides. To conclude, students will examine the conflict between the Chinese Communist Party and the Kuomintang and analyze the outcomes of the war. As a culminating activity, they will write a response about the Civil War in China and share their opinions about the outcomes. This is a multimodality lesson, which means it includes face-to-face, online, and hybrid versions of the lesson. The attachments also include a downloadable Common Cartridge file, which can be imported into a Learning Management System (LMS) such as Canvas or eKadence. The cartridge includes interactive student activities and teacher's notes.

Essential Question(s)

Why do people rebel against their governments?

Snapshot

Engage

Students participate in a discussion about why people rebel against their governments.

Explore

Students analyze an excerpt about the life of peasants in China under Kuomintang rule prior to the conflict to understand the issues they faced.

Explain

Students read an article about the conflict and outcomes of the Civil War.

Extend

Students reflect on the Chinese Civil War by writing a Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) response.

Evaluate

Students present their responses.

Instructional Formats

The term "Multimodality" refers to the ability of a lesson to be offered in more than one modality (i.e. face-to-face, online, blended). This lesson has been designed to be offered in multiple formats, while still meeting the same standards and learning objectives. Though fundamentally the same lesson, you will notice that the different modalities may require the lesson to be approached differently. Select the modality that you are interested in to be taken to the section of the course designed for that form of instruction.

Face-to-Face

Materials

Lesson Slides (attached)
Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) Template (attached; one per student)
How Did China Become a Communist Country? (article attached; one per student)
Why-Lighting: China's Peasants (article attached; one per student)
3-2-1 Response (attached; one per student)
Sample 3-2-1 Response (attached; optional)
Sample Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) Response (attached; optional)
Highlighters

Online

Materials

Common Cartridge (attached)
Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) Template (attached; one per student)
How Did China Become a Communist Country? (article attached; one per student)
Why-Lighting: China's Peasants (article attached; one per student)
3-2-1 Template (attached; one per student)
Sample 3-2-1 Response (attached; optional)
Sample Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) Response (attached; optional)

Hybrid

Materials

Common Cartridge (attached)
Lesson Slides (attached)
Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) Template (attached; one per student)
How Did China Become a Communist Country? (article attached; one per student)
Why-Lighting: China's Peasants (article attached; one per student)
3-2-1 Response Template (attached; one per student)
Sample 3-2-1 Response (attached; optional)
Sample Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) Response (attached; optional)

Hybrid

Engage (Online)

10 Minute(s)

In this activity, students participate in a Tell Me Everything activity on a Padlet board. Instruct students to list everything they already know about why people rebel against their governments. Tell students to think about conditions in a country that might lead to dissatisfaction with a government. What are some of the major reasons explaining why a civil war would break out in a country?

Teacher's Note: Padlet

To prepare for this activity, create a Padlet board that allows students to post and reply to one another.

Format: Wall
Title: Tell Me Everything
Description: Add a response and list everything you can think of about the word communism.

If the attribution options are not enabled in the Padlet settings, instruct students to enter their name as the title of their post. Also, enable comments in the Padlet settings. This will enable students to comment on posts made by their peers.

Once the Padlet has been created, share the Padlet with students in your Learning Management System (LMS) or by sharing the link.

For information about facilitating an effective online discussion, visit the following link: K20's Best Practices for Facilitating Online Discussions

After giving students time to post, tell students they will learn how China became a communist country and that in general communism is a form of government that aims to create a classless society that does not have private property.

For more information on how to set up Padlet, see the K20 Center's Padlet Tech Tool card.

Online

Engage

10 Minute(s)

In this activity, assign students to participate in a Tell Me Everything activity on a Padlet board. Instruct students to list everything they already know about why people in general are likely to rebel against their governments. Tell students to think about conditions in a country that might lead to dissatisfaction with a government. Ask students to think about some of the major reasons why a civil war would break out in a country.

Teacher's Note: Padlet

To prepare for this activity, create a Padlet board that allows students to post and reply to one another.

Format: Wall
Title: Tell Me Everything
Description: Add a response and list reasons why citizens might rebel against their governments.

If the attribution options is not enabled in the Padlet settings, instruct students to enter their names as the title of their post. Enable comments in the Padlet settings. This will allow students to comment on posts made by their peers.

Once the Padlet has been created, share the Padlet with students in your Learning Management System (LMS) or share the link.

For information about facilitating an effective online discussion, visit the following link: K20's Best Practices for Facilitating Online Discussions.

After giving students time to post, explain to students they will learn about the conditions in China that led to a civil war and the outcome of that conflict.

For more information on how to set up Padlet, see the K20 Center's Padlet Tech Tool card.

Face-to-Face

Engage

10 Minute(s)

Use the attached Lesson Slides to guide the lesson.

Display slide 3 to introduce the essential question: Why do people rebel against their governments?

Display slide 4 to introduce the lesson objective: Analyze China's Communist Revolution in an effort to understand why people rebel against their governments.

Display slide 5. Have students take out a piece of notebook paper. Introduce them to the Tell Me Everything strategy where, in a short period of time, they brainstorm everything they know about why people might rebel against their governments. Tell students to write down reasons people have in general for rebelling against their governments.

Ask each student to select one fact or idea about the topic to create a class list. Read over the list as a class and decide which reasons best explain why civil wars occur in countries.

Face-to-Face

Explore

25 Minute(s)

After discussing why people rebel against their governments, introduce the lesson topic by describing the living conditions of peasants in China prior to the Civil War of 1945-1949. Peasants were the majority of the population in China, and the issues they faced contributed deeply to their unhappiness with the Kuomintang government that controlled China at this time.

Display slide 6. Introduce students to the Why-Lighting strategy. Distribute the article from attachments: Why-Lighting: China's Peasants.

Have them to read the excerpt using Why-Lighting to identify the issues the peasants faced, writing in the margins why they highlighted that content.

As students highlight, monitor by moving about the classroom. Allow students to partner up to discuss and compare what they have highlighted.

Discuss as a class what issues peasants faced in China during this time. Explore how these issues could have led to a rebellion against the existing Kuomintang government that controlled China.

Online

Explore

20 Minute(s)

After discussing why people rebel against their governments, tell students they will now learn about the conditions of peasants in China prior to the Civil War of 1945-1949. Explain to students that peasants were the majority of the population in China, and the issues faced by peasants contributed deeply to the unhappiness with the Kuomintang government.

Introduce students to the Why-Lighting strategy. Distribute digital copies of the attached article Why-Lighting: China's Peasants. Have students use this strategy as they read about the lives of peasants in China before the Civil War. Students should highlight in the passage the issues the peasants faced, writing in the margins why they highlighted that content. Have students submit their completed highlighted passage in your LMS.

Hybrid

Explore (Online)

20 Minute(s)

After discussing why people rebel against their governments, tell students they will now learn about the conditions of peasants in China prior to the civil war of 1945-1949. The peasants were the majority of the population in China and the issues faced by peasants contributed deeply to the unhappiness with the Kuomintang government.

Distribute digital copies of the attached article Why-Lighting: China's Peasants. Introduce students to the Why-Lighting strategy. Have students use this strategy as they read about the lives of peasants in China before the Civil War. Students should highlight in the passage what issues the peasants faced, writing in the margins why they highlighted that content. Have students submit their completed highlighted passage in your LMS.

Hybrid

Explain (Face-to-Face)

20 Minute(s)

When meeting as a class, discuss what issues peasants faced in China during this time and describe how could these issues led to a rebellion against the existing Kuomintang government that controlled China at the time.

After discussing the issues, tell students that they will learn more about the two sides that fought for control of China. Pass out the attached article How did China Become a Communist Country?

Show slide 7. Introduce the 3-2-1 strategy, and have students read the article independently using the strategy. Students should identify three reasons communism gained popularity in China. Once they have identified the reasons, have them describe two problems the Kuomintang faced as a government. Have them finally draft one question they still have about the rise of communism in China. Students can use notebook paper or the attached 3-2-1 Handout.

Partner students up to discuss their responses to the article. After giving students time to discuss, have a class discussion about the civil war in China.

Ask students to explain why communism was a popular ideology for Chinese peasants and discuss the challenges the Kuomintang had while governing.

Reinforce the information from the article about the Kuomintang flight to Taiwan to make their own government. Explain that even today China and Taiwan remain divided. Use the attached Sample 3-2-1 Response for reference.

Online

Explain

20 Minute(s)

After discussing the conditions of peasants in China as a class, ask students how could these issues have led to a rebellion against the existing Kuomintang government that controlled China?

Explain to students about the two opposing sides that fought for control of China. To begin this activity, share a digital version of the How Did China Become a Communist Country? article and the 3-2-1 template, both found in the attachments.

Introduce the 3-2-1 Strategy for students to use as they read. Have them identify three reasons communism gained popularity in China. Have them identify two problems the Kuomintang faced as a government. And have them draft one question they still have about the rise of communism in China.

If possible, allow students to partner up virtually to complete the 3-2-1 handout. Students should submit their completed 3-2-1 digitally within your LMS. Use the attached Sample 3-2-1 Response for reference.

Face-to-Face

Explain

25 Minute(s)

After discussing the conditions of peasants in China, have students examine the two sides that fought each other for control of China.

Display slide 7. Have students independently read the article How Did China Become a Communist Country? As students read, they should use the 3-2-1 strategy. Ask them to identify three reasons communism gained popularity in China. Have them identify two problems the Kuomintang faced as a government. Finally, have them draft one question they still have about the rise of communism in China. Students can use notebook paper or the attached 3-2-1 handout.

Partner students up to discuss their responses to the article. After giving students time to discuss, have a class discussion about the China's Civil War.

Ask students to explain why communism was a popular ideology for Chinese peasants and discuss the challenges the Kuomintang had while governing. Reinforce the information from the article that the Kuomintang fled to Taiwan to make their own government, and today China and Taiwan remain divided. Use the attached Sample 3-2-1 Response for your reference.

Face-to-Face

Extend

20 Minute(s)

After having a class discussion about the student's responses to the 3-2-1 activity, display slide 8. Pass out a copy of the attached Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) Template to each student.

Ask students to respond to the question, Why did the communists win the civil war? Have them use the Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) strategy to respond.

Allow students to work with their partners when writing their C-E-R. Advise students to use the previous documents they have read (Why-Lighting: China's Peasants reading and How Did China Become a Communist Country?) as sources of evidence for the CER. Use the attached Sample Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) Response for reference.

Online

Extend

25 Minute(s)

After students have read the article and completed the 3-2-1, ask them to think about why the communists were able to take control in China and what advantages the communists had over the Kuomintang.

Distribute a digital copy of the attached Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) Template to each student. Ask them to respond to the question, Why did the communists win the civil war? and introduce the Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) strategy. Allow students to work with their partners when writing their CER. Advise students to use the previous documents they have read (the Why-Lighting: China's Peasants reading and How Did China Become a Communist Country? article) as sources of evidence for the CER. Use the attached Sample Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) Response for your reference.

Hybrid

Extend (Face-to-Face)

25 Minute(s)

After students have read the article and completed the 3-2-1, ask them to think about why the communists were able to take control in China and what advantages the communists had over the Kuomintang.

Pass out a copy of the attached Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) Template to each student. Ask students to respond to the question, Why did the communists win the civil war? and introduce the Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) strategy, using this strategy to respond. Allow students to work with their partners when writing their CER.

Advise students to use the previous documents they have read (Why-Lighting: China's Peasants and How Did China Become a Communist Country?) as sources of evidence for the CER. Use the attached Sample Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) Response for reference.

Hybrid

Evaluate (Face-to-Face)

15 Minute(s)

Students will work with their partners to present their completed CER to the class. Ask for volunteers or choose partners to present and have students explain their thinking by reading the CER the students have written out.

Online

Evaluate

10 Minute(s)

Have students present their completed CER. Explain to them that this work will enable them to show their thinking about how the communists were able to take control of China. If possible, use virtual class time to have students present their CER, or assign students to create a Flipgrid to present their CER.

Face-to-Face

Evaluate

30 Minute(s)

Students should work with their partners to present their completed CERs to the class. Ask for volunteers or choose partners to present their findings. Have students explain their thinking by reading the CER the students have written out.

Resources

Chen, J. (2020, Sept 29). What is Communism? Investopedia. Retrieved February 5, 2021, from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/communism.asp
Constitutional Rights Foundation. (2016). Why Did the Communists Win the Chinese Revolution? https://www.crf-usa.org/images/t2t/pdf/WhyDidCommunistsWinChineseRevolution.pdf

Khan Academy. (n.d.). READ: Chinese communist revolution (article). World history project. Retrieved February 5, 2021, https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/whp-1750/xcabef9ed3fc7da7b:unit-8-end-of-empire-and-cold-war/xcabef9ed3fc7da7b:8-2-end-of-empire/a/chinese-communist-revolution-beta

Kublin, H. [Ed.] (1972). China: Selected readings (World regional studies). Houghton Mifflin.
K20 Center. (n.d.). Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER). Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/156
K20 Center. (n.d.). Flipgrid. Tech Tools. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/1075

K20 Center. (n.d.). Tell Me Everything. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/107
K20 Center. (n.d.). Padlet. Tech Tools. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/1077

K20 Center. (n.d.). Why-Lighting. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/128

K20 Center. (n.d.). 3-2-1. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/117
K20 Center. (n.d.). Virtual learning: Tech integration. Pedagogy. https://sites.google.com/ou.edu/k20-virtual-learning/pedagogy?authuser=0#h.z8dwo5f3csa4

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster.Com Dictionary. Retrieved February 5, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/communism

US Department of State. (2018, August 31). U.S. Relations with Taiwan. Bilateral relations fact sheet. Retrieved March 26, 2021, from https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-taiwan/
Wikimedia Commons. (2007, April 21).
China-Taiwan.png. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File :China-taiwan.png

Authentic Lessons for 21st Century Learning

When Conflict Creates Countries

China's Civil War

Summary

Essential Question(s)

Snapshot

Instructional Formats

Materials

Materials

Materials

Engage (Online)

Engage

Engage

Explore

Explore

Explore (Online)

Explain (Face-to-Face)

Explain

Explain

Extend

Extend

Extend (Face-to-Face)

Evaluate (Face-to-Face)

Evaluate

Evaluate

Resources

Publisher

Downloads

Standards

Facilitator Resources

Learner Handouts