Destination: South Korea

Social Studies Online

TEACHER Diana Caird

TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Select and adapt these learning activities to best meet the needs of your students, and to fit the time available:

Make contact
Before the unit starts, students send emails to Korean schools asking about family life, life at school and life outside school in Korea. Make sure that the students frame some questions about education in Korea.

Collect the replies in preparation for the unit. Think about resources in your own community. Do you have Korean students at your school? Are there Korean families in your community? It is really useful to have a guest speaker or hold an audio conference with someone.

1. Venn Diagram
   Diagnostic assessment
   Before take off, make up a Venn Diagram on New Zealand and Korea. When children have completed the Venn Diagram, ask them to highlight five things on the diagram they think they will learn more about as they study Korea.

2. Take off!
   Prepare yourselves for a Learning Journey! We're off to South Korea...

   The classroom is set up as a mock aeroplane (chairs become seats, etc). Issue children with tickets with their destination printed on them. Flight attendant shows the class where South Korea is on the map of Asia, announces the groups' destinations and shows them on the map of South Korea. Use this as a grouping activity.

3. In flight Entertainment - sights, sounds and smells
   Show an inflight video of Korea, play Korean music and serve Korean food. You can make this scenario as complex or simple as you wish.

   In flight Education: Introducing Confucius
   Confucius Page

4. Picture Dictation
   This picture dictation introduces the teachings of Confucius.

5. Comparison Chart
   For homework, find out more about Confucius.

   Draw up a comparison chart.

   Choose one of these alternatives:

   1. In groups, children work through all the headings, putting the information onto the chart or into their books.

   2. Each group takes two headings and fills in a sheet of paper. Groups report back to whole class and information is collated onto a mural.

6. Values Exploration Role Play
   In small groups read through the list of Korean Values. Choose four or five actions to develop into a role play. Students role play this first as Koreans and then as Kiwis.

   Encourage discussion about different values during the role plays. Follow up with a class discussion that reflects on the different values people hold, the reasons for this, and explain ways people deal with differences.

7. Mubbles
   Self Assessment
   Using the notes made during the Picture Dictation and other activities, students discuss in pairs which Confuciuan ideas they think are important.

   Each student selects three, and writes three Mubbles that show Confucian ideas that Korean people think are important.

   Mubbles allow students to explore values by imagining what people might say or think. Mubble + Might + Bubble.

8. Inside King Sejong's Gate
   Begin reading Inside King Sejong's Gate.

9. Virtual Tour: South Korea
   Virtual Journey

   Gathering Information
   On arrival children proceed to their Virtual Tour Destinations. Following reading and discussion, the group selects five or six important pieces of information about their destination, then each group member fills out and signs an information box.

   Setting up your classroom for this activity
   Managing this activity will depend on the number of computers you have available in your classroom. If you are restricted, set up stations with other resources (for example books, videos, music, games and pamphlets) and activities on Korea, so groups can take turns with their virtual tour.

10. Inside King Sejong's Gate
    Finish reading Inside King Sejong's Gate.

11. Presenting and recording
    As students listen to each group's presentation, they note down two important facts about each destination.

12. Going to School in Korea and New Zealand
    Choices, Settling In. You can order this book and tape from Learning Media, or phone 0800 800 565.

    Listen to the tape as a class. Follow with discussion about the similarities and differences between New Zealand and South Korea.

    Compile a chart that shows the similarities and differences.

13. Email Info
    Children reread the emails received from Korean schools to the class and continue to build the Comparison Chart.

14. Digging Deeper
    Assessment Activity
    Conduct an Inquiry that describes the importance of education to Korean people.
    Assessment Schedule
    

15. Six Thinking Hats
    Conduct a Six Thinking Hats discussion. Divide the class into six groups and assign each group one hat. Using the perspective of their group's hat, students discuss and write down their ideas about these statements:

    Education is the most important thing in New Zealand.

    Education is the most important thing in Korea.

    Set a deadline. Groups report findings to the class.

16. Return Journey
    Design an airline meal of Korean food and serve on the journey home. (This could be a job for a small group of fast finishers). Students rejoin travelling groups and present their Kid Pix to the passengers on the flight.

RESOURCES

Print

• Ainsworth, G. & Fraser, J. (1999) Exploring Korea Australia: Curriculum Corporation and University of Melbourne
• Ainsworth, G. & Fraser, J. (1999) Inside King Sejong's Gate Australia: Curriculum Corporation and University of Melbourne
• (1997) Settling In New Zealand: Learning Media (Phone 0800 800 565)

Electronic

• Access Asia
• Good map of Asia
• Korea in East Asian and World History - A guide for teachers

Other

• People in your community from Korea.