Wide Angle. Global Classroom. Lesson Plans

Purchase DVD or VHS

Most WIDE ANGLE episodes may be purchased for educational and non-theatric use, and occasionally for home video use from Films Media Group. Go

PBS TeacherSource

Visit PBS TeacherSource to find 3,000+ free lesson plans and activities. Go

		Inside this section: Prep for Teachers \| Introductory Activity: Day 1 \| Day 2 Learning Activity: Day 3 \| Culminating Activity: Day 4 \| Day 5 Cross-Curricular Extensions \| Community Connections Prep for Teachers Bookmark all of the Web sites used in the lesson. Preview the sites before class begins to insure the information contained on the site has not changed and is appropriate for your students. Be sure to load Shockwave and RealPlayer plug-ins so the interactive components of the Web sites work appropriately. Duplicate the three activity sheets for students. You may also want to acquire additional print resources about Korea for use during research activities to supplement the information found on the Web sites. When using media, provide students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites or other multimedia elements. Introductory Activity Day 1 Provide students with a clear understanding of the geographical area they are studying in this lesson about Korea. This activity will familiarize them with the geographical features of North and South Korea, as well as the surrounding countries that are mentioned as they study more about Korean history. Begin class by asking students where Korea is on a large wall map. Ask a student to point it out for the class. After students have a general understanding of where Korea is, log on to CNN's Web site at http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2000/korea/. Select the Maps/At a Glance section on the right hand side to view political and physical maps of North and South Korea. At this point you are just reviewing the general location of the countries and you will use this site in more detail later to review the history of the two countries. Provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction, asking them to look at the initial map that comes up on the screen. What are the things that they notice? Allow a few minutes for students to observe the map. Check for comprehension. (Students may mention that Korea seems to be divided into a northern and southern section. Some may understand that historically Korea was one country that split over political and economic differences. Students should also point out that the capital of North Korea is Pyongyang and the capital of South Korea is Seoul.) Ask students to identify the bodies of water surrounding North and South Korea. (The Yellow Sea, East China Sea, Korea Strait, and the Sea of Japan.) Select North Korea and provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction, asking them to study both the political and physical maps and complete the attached worksheet for Activity #1. Students will investigate the following information: What is the official name of North Korea? Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPR) When was North Korea formed? 1948 Capital: Pyongyang Describe the terrain of North Korea: (Has mountains at elevations to 10,000 feet in the northern areas) What type of government does North Korea have? (Communist dictatorship) Who is their leader? (Kim Jong Il) How does North Korea's military rank when compared to other nations? (It ranks 5th) After students have completed the section on North Korea, select South Korea and provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction, asking them to study both the political and physical maps and complete Section 2 of Activity #1. Students will investigate the following information: What is the official name of South Korea? (Republic of Korea) When was South Korea formed? (1948) Describe the terrain of South Korea. (Large area of lower elevations with higher elevations along the north eastern coast) What type of government does South Korea have? (Republic with powers shared between the president and legislature) Who is their leader? (Head of state is the President and the head of government is the Prime Minister) How does South Korea's military rank when compared to other nations? (It ranks 6th internationally) After students have completed Section 1 and 2, check for understanding. Review each of the questions with the class and insure that they all have the correct answers. Review until students understand that for relatively small countries, North and South Korea have large and strong militaries, they report a high literacy rate, and they have differing political and economic systems. Students will not yet understand why these similarities and differences exist, but they will provide a frame on which to build understanding. Day 2: Go back to the home page of the Korea Site: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2000/korea/. Select the Geography Game. Provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction, asking them to play the game and record some general information on Section 3 of the Activity #1 worksheet about the location of the countries surrounding Korea and their relationship with Korea. As students complete this section, they should begin to develop questions in their mind about Korea and the cause of the division between the North and South. The Geography Game allows students to select the name of a country and drag the name over the appropriate geographic location on the map. When a name is appropriately placed, information about that country appears to the right. Students will gather information about Indonesia, Philippines, China, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Russia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore, and Thailand. Learning Activity Day 3: General Korean History: From the http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2000/korea/, click on the timeline. Provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction, asking them to move through the timeline and read and outline a general history of Korea. Students may take notes on the Activity #2 worksheet recording the main idea of each section. Through this activity students will begin to understand the long history of Korea and the challenges that have recently faced the land. Students may need assistance determining the main idea, so it may be helpful to complete one or two examples together. After students have completed the notes from the timeline, check for understanding. Specifically, focus on the more current era to begin to prepare students for the research they will be conducting. Ask students what happened to Korea following WWII. (Korea was divided at the 38th parallel with the U.S.S.R. occupying the north and the U.S. the south) What type of government was formed in the north? (Communist) What type of government was formed in the south? (Capitalist democracy) What was the relationship between the Chinese and Soviets and North Korea? (The Chinese defended North Korea against aggression and both nations supported North Korea militarily and economically) Continue questioning students until you feel like they have a basic understanding of the division of the two countries. For more information, refer to the BBC News Country Profile North Korea: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1131421.stm and BBC News Country Profile South Korea: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1123668.stm. Culminating Activity Day 4: Ask students how they often hear about Korea in the news today. (Students may focus on recent news events concerning military, nuclear weapons, axis of evil, starvation, or products made in South Korea ... although they may not identify any of these issues.) Accept all responses and explain to students that in the culminating activity, they will work in small groups to investigate various current issues in North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPR). To frame the research students will be conducting, begin by showing a video. Log on to the Jim Lehrer News Hour Web site at http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/international/july-dec00/albright_10-30.html and select the Madeline Albright interview. This interview was conducted after Madeline Albright returned from North Korea as the first U.S official to visit the communist nation. Provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction, asking them to listen for the major talking points and issues identified by Ms. Albright and Mr. Lehrer. What words come to mind? PLAY the video. PAUSE for clarification if needed. Also note that the transcript for the interview is available on the Web site. After viewing the video, discuss the main topics with your class. (Students should have identified the economy, military, food shortages, and weapon development as the main topics.) Ask students what the general tone of Albright's description of the visit seemed to be. (Guarded but positive. She was surprised with Kim Jong Il's willingness to meet and openness, understanding that much still went unstated.) Clarify with students that that visit occurred in 2000 -- several years ago, and since then there have been significant changes in North Korea 's willingness to continue cooperating with other nations and an increase of tensions over nuclear arms. In order to understand more about the current issues in North Korea, students will spend more time investigating and learning about Korea through a variety of sources. Break the class into groups of 4-5 students, and allow them to choose a topic to investigate more about North Korea. They may choose one of the topics highlighted in the Albright interview, or another that they have seen mentioned in earlier research. To conduct the research, several Web sites are organized below and should be bookmarked on the computers students will use. Additional print resources should also be made available to students, including newspapers, magazines, and books. Distribute Activity #3 Worksheet to each student. Although students may work in groups to find information about their topics, they should keep notes independently. Review the worksheet with students. Make sure they record their topic, the conflict involved, the parties involved, and the significant issues. Students should also discover what steps are being taken by those parties to resolve the conflict or reach compromise. World Food Program http://www.wfp.org/country_brief/index.asp?region=5 The United Nations World Food Programme provides food recovery and relief as well as food-for-work projects for people in need. This Web site provides information on the relief efforts and food security issues of North Korea (DPR). Korea: States of War CNN.com In Depth Special http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2000/korea/ This Web site provides information about the geography, history, and current events in Korea. There is a wealth of information presented interactively with audio clips, streamed video, and interactive maps and timelines. Hidden Korea http://www.pbs.org/hiddenkorea/geography.htm This Web site provides general information about Korea, including culture, religion, and food. It is more focused on the daily lives of Koreans than some of the other hard, news-heavy sites. FRONTLINE -- Suspicious Minds http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/northkorea/ FRONTLINE/WORLD focuses on a journalist's tour into North Korea and his discoveries there. There is a great deal of historical and political information provided, as well as an interview highlighting the journalist's experience in this very closed society. BBC News -- Country Profile North Korea http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1131421.stm BBC News -- Country Profile South Korea http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1123668.stm The BBC News sites are a great starting point for student research. There are a wide range of news articles available, many with interactive maps, audio, and video files. AsiaInt.Com http://www.asiaint.com/arl/arl1527.asp#top This is a great resource for political, business, and economic information on Asia. NTI North Korea Profile http://www.nti.org/e_research/profiles/NK/index.html Nuclear Threat Initiative's (NTI) mission is to strengthen global security by reducing the risk of use and preventing the spread of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. This site provides maps, statistics, and other information about global nuclear threats to inform the public. This site is best used with more advanced students. Day 5: After students have had time to conduct their research, ask them to come together as a large group. Ask each group to present their findings to the class. This activity allows them time to verbalize and share their learning. As each group presents, ask the rest of the class to note inconsistencies in the information they discover and to try and identify the cause of the inconsistencies. (Inconsistencies can be from outdated resources, the perspective the information provides, mistakes, etc. Students should be made aware of the inconsistent information to increase their media awareness and question resources.) This activity will help students retain what they have learned as they explain their research to others, explore various topics, and develop a more well rounded understanding of Korea. As a final paper, students will choose either the topic they researched or another one presented by the class. Explain that they will write an essay outlining one issue. In the essay they should clearly identify and explain the conflict, parties involved, issues faced by those parties and the steps that have already been taken. Students may also suggest solutions, compromises, or next steps for resolving the conflict backing up those suggestions with specific details. Cross Curricular Extensions Media Awareness/Language Arts North Korea's Official Web site http://www.korea-dpr.com/ Visit this site and compare and contrast the descriptions of North Korea's history between the previously used sites and this one. This is a great example of differing views/perspectives of historical events as well as how the choice of language affects the message sent. Visual and Performing Arts Research and learn more about the rich artistic culture of Korea. Students can learn traditional dance, martial arts, or create craft projects. Two resources are: Korean Arts and Culture, http://www.gergo.com/webconnections/korea/arts.htm, which has links to many resources for art information. Community Connections Often students believe that hunger is an issue that only occurs in far off places. Research a community food bank or soup kitchen in your area and help students begin a food drive. Food drives often occur during the holidays, but the food is needed year round. Students often develop strong opinions about issues during research projects. Encourage students to write to the political representatives of your community to express their opinions and provide their own suggestions.