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You are traveling to a faraway land, in a faraway time. You are entering the world of Ancient China. Here you will find the beauty and grandeur that rose from the power and fortune of many kings. You will also find common people who worked hard to live their simple lives well. To do this, they often listened to the wisdom of the elders in their villages. This wisdom often came in the form of **proverbs**.

You will get to spend time in this land and learn about the culture, the people, and these words of wisdom. You will get to gather facts about life in Ancient China and mold them into an original story. This story will help teach others about a proverb - a wise saying that will help them in life. You will be a researcher, an author, and a teacher. Let's begin...

 __**Task:**__ You will be able to incorporate information about ancient China with your understanding of a fiction genre – folktale. You will work with a partner to write an original story that will use an ancient Chinese proverb as its theme, while the characters, settings and events will show the information you have gathered from research. =PROCESS= 1. Introduction to Ancient China


 * geography exploration
 * explore the genre of folktale with Chinese tales
 * vocabulary research and Frayer Model creation

2. Exploring Proverbs


 * What is a proverb? How do I understand a proverb?
 * Tableau creation - explaining the proverb using a frozen scene
 * a proverb can become the plot or theme of a story

3. Research and Discovery

• research the culture of China with a partner • take notes about food, clothing, homes, entertainment, etc • meet with a teacher to review notes, sources

4. Plan Your Own Folktale

• choose a story map with partner • plan a story with characters, setting, and plot that can teach the wisdom of the chosen proverb • plan the three main events and conclusion of the story; include research in all aspects of the plan

5. Draft, Revise, Edit

• using the story map and notes, create a first draft of the folktale with partner • meet with a teacher to conference about the content of the story • make revisions and meet again with a teacher and peer • edit the revised draft – spelling, capitalization, punctuation

6. Publish!

• choose an appropriate publishing tool • create the final copy (and illustrate if time permits) • rehearse the oral reading of the tale

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Created by: Theresa Deckebach & Colleen Meulstee (2009)