Procedures

• SET UP

  This lesson offers several options for you to use with your students whether you are teaching in class, using a hybrid model, or engaging through distance learning. It can be completed in steps as a class or students can move at their own pace and complete the activities independently.

  You can post links to the videos in the lesson along with the related handout and engage in discussion to share responses on a discussion board or learning management system.

  You can also save and share the following Google resource for students to use with this lesson.

  Handout: Choice Board (Google Slides).

  In Google, choose "File" then "Make a Copy" to get your own copy. You can make any needed adjustments in the instructions such as which activities students need to complete, when it is due, etc. and then make it available to them via Google.

• WARM UP

  Pose the following questions to your students, directing them to record their responses on a sheet of paper, share with a partner, and then with the class if they choose.

  • Detail what you know about China's form of government.
  • In what ways is the telling of history altered? Why?

• VOCABULARY

  The vocabulary terms that will appear in the lesson are listed to the right on this webpage. Consider which terms your students may need to preview before beginning the lesson.

  Depending on time and resources, you may consider having your students engage in a Frayer's Model activity, where each student is responsible for completing one or two items. Students can then post their models around the room for reference throughout the lesson.

  Note: this is not an all-encompassing list of terms included in each video. We recommend you preview the video clips to determine any necessary additions/subtractions to this list for your specific students.

• INTRODUCTION

  Have your students access their Google Slide document, review the directions on the second slide, and proceed to the introduction section. Direct your students to first review the linked article and respond to the questions on the slide. Then, have your students proceed to view the three linked introductory video clips, answer the related questions on the respective slides, and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

• Article: The Cultural Revolution: all you need to know about China's political convulsion (The Guardian).

  • What was the Cultural Revolution, and why is it difficult to “make sense” of the era?
  • Summarize the “aim” of the Revolution and how it began.
  • How did Mao Zedong “rein in the violence,” and how many victims were there from the events?
  • Based on the article, how did the Cultural Revolution affect China?

• Clip #1: Basic Facts (5:23).

  • Based on the clip, when did Mao Zedong rule China? How and why was Mao able to hold onto power?
  • Summarize the “ideology” that was described in Mao’s “Little Red Book.”
  • Describe the intent of the “Great Leap Forward.” What were its effects?
  • For what two reasons did Mao “launch” China’s Cultural Revolution?

• Clip #2: “A Defining Moment” (3:27).

  • When and where did a “defining moment” occur? What “opening shots” had already occurred before the rally?
  • According to Tania Branigan, what lit the ‘fuse’ on China’s Cultural Revolution?
  • Who was at the rally, and what was said? Summarize Mao Zedong’s interaction with Song Binbin and what it “signaled.”
  • Describe the growth and eventual demise of the Red Guard, as discussed in the clip.

• Clip #3: Current Leader (5:46).

  • What was current Chinese President Xi Jinping’s family “caught up in?” How so?
  • Based on the clip, how many youth were sent to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution? Summarize their experiences.
  • According to Tania Branigan, how is this era described today, including by Xi himself?
  • What was a “typical experience” for these youth? Describe the challenges, rationale, and reality.

• CASE STUDY

  Direct students to the case study section of their Google Slide document. Instruct your students to select one of the four individuals listed on the slide. Have your students view their selected video clip and answer the related questions on the respective slide.

  After your students are finished with their selection, have them prepare to share their findings with the class. As students share with the class, make sure that they record the information from their peers’ sections as well. This share-out portion of the lesson could be completed via a jigsaw activity.

• Clip #4: Yu Xiangzhen (4:32).

  • Based on the clip, how old was Yu Xiangzhen during the Cultural Revolution?
  • According to Tania Branigan, what was Yu’s background?
  • What were Yu’s “roles,” beliefs, and expectations during the Cultural Revolution?
  • Describe the “horrors” Yu witnessed and how she reflects on them. What was “Red August?”
  • How is Yu currently “processing” her role from the era? Why is the era hard to understand?

• Clip #5: Wang Xilin (6:52).

  • Describe the music excerpt in the clip.
  • According to Tania Branigan, what was Wang Xilin’s background?
  • What “disastrous mistake” did Wang make, and how did this affect his life and career?
  • Based on the clip, how and why was Wang rescued? Describe his later career.
  • Summarize what insights and lessons about the Cultural Revolution era can be gained from Wang’s “story.”

• Clip #6: Bian Zhongyun (8:04).

  • Who was Bian Zhongyun and what happened to her, according to Tania Braniga?
  • What does this event “capture” about the Cultural Revolution?
  • What did her husband, Wang Jingyao, “insist” upon doing? Describe his motivation for doing so.
  • Summarize what you see and hear in the documentary excerpt played in the clip. What does the story teach about the “Cultural Revolution?”
  • Is it “dangerous” to discuss the story in contemporary times in China? Explain.

• Clip #7: Zhang Hongbing (4:48).

  • Who did Zhang Hongbing “denounce?”
  • How was Zhang’s family “fragile?” Of what was Hongbing “a true believer?”
  • Based on the clip, what happened to Zhang’s mother? Why has he recently started talking about his mother’s case?
  • According to Tania Branigan, what is hard for people to do in contemporary times? Why?
  • Summarize the quote read in the clip. How was the Cultural Revolution “devastating” and traumatic?

• CLOSURE

  After your students finish sharing their findings from the case study section, direct them to the closure section in their Google Slide document. Direct your students to view the linked video clip, answer the related questions on the slide, and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

  Clip #8: “Official Verdict?” (6:03).

  • What did China’s communist party “turn toward” after the Cultural Revolution?
  • Why does Mao Zedong remain a “cultural touchpoint” in China?
  • According to Tania Branigan, how is the Cultural Revolution story told today? Why?
  • Based on the clip, how has China’s president Xi Jinping told the story of the Cultural Revolution?

• WRITING PROMPT

  After your students are finished sharing their findings from the lesson, direct them to complete the final culminating writing on the last slide of their Google Slide document, and have students share their responses, comparing their perspectives with their classmates' perspectives: Assess the impact of the Chinese Cultural Revolution of 1966-76. Be sure to include evidence from the video clips in the lesson to support your response.