• Essential Question
  How does the past influence the future?
• Unit Question
  How do the contributions of the Chinese civilisation impact your life today?
• Content Questions
  Describe the characteristics of the Chinese society.
  What were the important occupations of the ancient Chinese?
  Who built the Great Wall of China?
  Why was it built?
  What were some of the important inventions of the Chinese civilisation?

Assessment Processes
View how a variety of student-centered assessments are used in the Unit Plan. These assessments help students and teachers set goals; monitor student progress; provide feedback; assess thinking, processes, performances, and products; and reflect on learning throughout the learning cycle.

Instructional Procedures
Prior to Instruction:

• Prepare a Visualisation Exercise sheet as a start-up to the unit
• Prepare the “Back into Past” discussion sheet
• Prepare a Research Guide which is relevant for the study
• Prepare a Presentation Research Worksheet to foster equal participation and collaboration among students
• Prepare Multimedia Presentation and Brochure Rubrics
• Arrange for the English language teacher to introduce creative writing to students
• Collaborate with the art and craft teacher for making paintings, models, artefacts etc. on Chinese civilisation
• Create Virtual Tour Websites handout to facilitate students
• Prepare a Brochure template to share the expectations with the students

Week 1 : 40 minute periods, 5 times a week
Start-up Activity: (Period 1)
Start the class with a visualisation exercise. Inform students that they will undergo a visualisation exercise – they have to listen and visualise the narrated scenario. Tell students to sit back, fold their arms and close their eyes. Tell them to relax and breathe slowly. Narrate the visualisation exercise (DOC 27.5KB) scenario to the students. Tell students to open their eyes slowly and relax. Give them a few minutes to reflect on the visualisation experience.

For discussion, organise the class into groups with 5-6 students in each group. Instruct students to appoint a group leader who will facilitate the discussion, a recorder who will note down the points of each group member and a presenter who will share the group’s responses in the large group sharing. Distribute handouts of back into the past (DOC 42KB) discussion sheet to each group. Make students write about their visualisation experience in the sheet. Initiate a whole class discussion about the visualisation experience and encourage students to share their experience. Get the students to discuss about the various things that they saw while they undertook the trip with Harry Potter. Talk about the ancient inventions and about their existence in the present day. Following this facilitate the students to reflect on question: Does an ancient invention influence the present day world? and encourage them to share their reflections with the larger group.

Doing the Ground Work – Preparing Multimedia Presentation: (Period 2 - 3)
Ask students to maintain the same groups and discuss about the ancient inventions which have influenced India. Remind students that the discussion is on ancient inventions. Moderate the discussions and make a list. Circle the Chinese inventions and explain to students that they will study the Chinese Civilisation in detail. Ask students to gather information about the Chinese civilisation through books, internet research. Instruct students that they will remain in the same groups and work in collaboration with other team members. Orient students that after gathering information, the group will make a multimedia presentation to share their learning. Distribute handouts of the research guide (DOC 38.5KB) and presentation research worksheet (DOC 48KB) to each group. Emphasize the need for every student to contribute towards the study. Introduce the multimedia evaluation rubric (DOC 47KB). Review the different criteria such as content, design and layout, collaboration, presentation in class and copyright. Highlight the key points of each criterion and stress the importance of using the rubric as a scaffold to help students benefit maximum while making the multimedia presentation. Give time for students to gather information using the scaffolds.

Creating Multimedia Presentation: (Period 4 - 5)
Make students sit in their respective groups and discuss their multimedia presentation layout. Help students during the discussions to focus on their learning and include different aspects on slides instead of focusing on only one aspect. Guide students as they complete the multimedia presentation and clarify any doubts. Assess the students individually and in groups by asking questions related to their multimedia presentation, to determine what they have learned. Give time for students to complete their multimedia presentation.

Week 2:40 minute periods, 5 times a week
Sharing Multimedia Presentation: (Period 1 - 2)
Encourage students to be creative while presenting their learning, make each group pick up a different style of presentation. Some students may dress in Chinese attire and present their learning while some may take up roles of tourist guides and take their peers to a virtual tour of china emphasising the inventions. Discuss with each group and let them come out with their own style of presentation. Ask students from each group to showcase their multimedia presentations (PPT 1.76MB). After the showcasing instruct each group to complete the peer evaluation in the multimedia evaluation rubric and to handover the rubrics. Discuss the outcome of each presentation as a whole class.

Project Introduction: (Period 3)
Now, the students have the basic knowledge of Chinese civilisation and its time for students to apply their knowledge in real life situation. Set the stage for the project using a multimedia presentation – past present future (PPT 2.28MB). 

Ask students to make a list of questions about the project that they would like to ask. Divide the class in 4-5 different groups and make them sit in their respective groups. Explain to students that they will ask questions about the project to other groups. The questions will be asked in order of the group numbers – group 1 will ask group 2, group 2 will ask group 3 and so on. Explain an important rule that if any group does not know the answer, they can pass the question to other groups but if no group is able to answer, then the group that passed the question will be responsible for doing the research and find the answer to the question and sharing it with others. Provide clarifications if required.

Some questions that might be asked:

• Why do we need a museum?
• Which are some famous museums?
• Which things find a place in museums?
• Who is a curator and what does he do?
• How can we make a model of Chinese museum?
• Why make a brochure?
• What do we include in a brochure?

Explain to students that they will be given brochure template and brochure evaluation rubric. Regarding the model, tell students that they will have their art teacher guiding them to make models, drawings, etc. of their Chinese museums.

For some questions like - Which are some famous museums? Who is a curator and what does he do? the students might have to do some research. If the students are not able to answer the question, provide some time for the group responsible to get the answer and give them the opportunity to explain to the class using specific information and quoting the source of the information. Instruct students to note down their learning in their journal books.

Virtual Tour to a Museum: (Period 4)
During the discussion about the role of curators, emphasise the fact that - curators direct the acquisition, storage, and exhibition of collections, including negotiating and authorising the purchase, sale, exchange, or loan of collections. They are also responsible for authenticating, evaluating, and categorising the specimens in a collection. But in this project the students as curators will just focus on exhibition of collections of ancient Chinese civilisation items. The students are free to select anything from ancient Chinese civilisation for their museum. Provide time for students to go on a virtual tour of museums using the virtual tour websites handout (DOC 30KB). Make students sit in their groups and ask them to note down their points in their journal books.

Have a discussion with students on some of the museums they have visited and narrow down the discussion to the display of the collections. Emphasise about the different categories, the arrangements for display, the facilities needed in a museum, the display boards, the markings on the collection items, the details written on the display boards of each item.

Young Curators at Work: (Period 5)
Make students sit in their respective groups and plan their museum. Remind students that they are curators and are responsible for exhibition of their collection. Ask students to imagine the ancient paintings, coins, ceramic pots, etc. lying with them and they have to think about the displaying it in the best possible manner. Arrange for sessions with the art teacher and guide students to make paintings; models, artefacts etc. for their museum.

Ask students to write the details of each object on an index card. Ask students to mark their collection items as per the codes decided by them.

Week 3 : 40 minute periods, 5 times a week
Setting up Chinese Museum: (Period 1)
Provide some space with tables to students and ask them to start arranging their collection. Try to provide space with shelves to facilitate students in arranging their collections. Urge students to be innovative in their display of items. Provide time for students to arrange their collection items in their museums.

Planning Brochures: (Period 2)
Students as curators have made a model of their museum. Now, orient students that each group will prepare a brochure on their museum. Invite the English language teacher to share with the students the important points to be kept in mind while creating the brochure from creative writing perspective. Ask students to use the brochure template (PDF 30.8KB) as support. Discuss the procedure for completing the brochure by distributing handouts of planning a brochure form (DOC 39.5KB), and a brochure evaluation rubric (DOC 41KB). Explain the different handouts and the details about expectations from students, highlighting the criteria given in the evaluation rubric. Give time for students to plan their brochure and also provide opportunity for doing Internet research.

Creating Brochure: (Period 3)
Guide students as they complete the brochure and clarify any doubts. Make students click some photographs of their museum and insert in the brochure. Assess the students individually and in groups to determine what they have learned. Remind students to refer the rubric and template for support while making the brochure. Provide time for students to make their brochure. Get students to share their brochures (PDF 327KB) with the English language teacher and obtain feedback about their creative writing skills.

Final Showcasing - The Return of the Dragon: (Period 4)
Invite principal and other teachers for the culmination activity - The Return of the Dragon. Make students create posters for the showcasing and display on the bulletin boards. Have students prepare a short persuasive writing paragraph about their museum and give them the opportunity for making announcements in the school assembly and invite other class students to join them for their show. Make students put up the brochures on the bulletin boards.

On the showcasing day, have students divide their work – presenters, guides, volunteers for distributing the brochures etc. and arrange for student to take turns to present and explain their museum.

Reflection – Revisiting Essential Question: (Period 5)
Have students reflect on their learning of the project and write an essay on - How does the past influence the future?

Prerequisite Skills 

• Basic knowledge of ancient civilisations
• Fundamental skills of basic computer operations and ability to use word processing, presentation, and publisher software.

Differentiated Instruction
Resource Student

• Modify work requirements while maintaining depth.
• Provide more support by helping student make a daily “to do” list.
• Provide extra time to complete activities.
• Assign a well-defined task the student can do well, and which contributes to overall group project.

Gifted Student

• Will ensure that the rubrics and other support materials are clearly explained and understood by their team. 
• They will ensure active participation of each team member.
• They will play a lead role in the development of brochure, preparation of multimedia presentation, and planning the final event.

Credits
This project idea has been developed by Ms. Deborah Misao and Ms. Bharti Naik. A team of teachers expanded the plan into the example you see here.