California State Content Standards
10.9.4: Analyze the Chinese Civil War, the rise of Mao
Tse-tung, and the subsequent political and economic upheavals in China (e.g.,
the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, and the Tiananmen Square
uprising).
Common Core State Standards
Reading
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.6 Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.7 Integrate quantitative or technical analysis (e.g., charts, research data) with qualitative analysis in print or digital text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.8 Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author’s claims.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.9 Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2b Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2c Use varied transitions and sentence structures to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2d Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic and convey a style appropriate to the discipline and context as well as to the expertise of likely readers.
Essential Historical Questions
- What events led to the Chinese Civil War?
- How did the Chinese Civil War affect Mao Tse-tung's rise to power?
- How did communism affect economic, social, and political change in China?
Big Ideas
- The events leading up to the Chinese Civil War and its aftermath
- The reasons for conflict within China
- How geographical and political boundaries affected the Chinese Civil War
- Mao Tse-tung
- Rise of Communism within China
- China's involvement in the Cold War and as an ally to the U.S.S.R
- Effects of the political and economic revolutions during 20th Century China, and their effects today
- China as an emerging world power
Assessment Plan
- Quickwrite describing the Chinese Civil War and the ideologies of its belligerents.
- Jeopardy review simulation on Mao Tse-tung's influence and policies during his time as Chairman.
- "Save the Last Word for Me" discussion on the pros and cons of China becoming a Communist state.
- Analysis and "Making Connections" activity on the background and consequences of the Tiananmen Square Massacre
- Document analysis on China's current censorship and one-birth policies, as well as predictions on the future impact those policies will have on China as a whole.