I teach English to Chinese kids, and my boss has tasked me with creating a 30 minute history lesson about America from the Colonies to Independence. I haven't been in a history class in 4 years - you could say my history is very, very rusty. What are the major points I should touch on in class? Bullet points to research would be more than helpful.
Thanks!
http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100014597/1100100014637
A Canadian example, but I think it covers some important themes on the relationship between European settlers and First Nations Peoples.
They argue there were 4 stages, but in your example you can cover the first 2.
Stage 1: Separate Worlds
Stage 2: Nation-to-Nation Relations
I taught Canadian social studies in China for 3 years and we covered the American revolution, although slightly. PM me if you want some PPTs to adapt.
I think your main focus should first be on why the New World was colonized in the first place. For some it was a punishment to be shipped off to an unknown land. For others, it was a new start, an escape from religious persecution. This may be a difficult concept to grasp for Chinese students so I would go into a little detail here about religions in general and why the colonists thought this was so important. Then I would talk about their relations with the natives. You can bring up the issue of taking over an already inhabited land and try to explain what colonization means. I would then follow up with the Seven Years War (or the French and Indain War), which would be a good preface to the American Revolution. Why did the war start? It might be hard to describe the nuances in very basic english, but basically the colonies were being taxed by the British government yet the American colonists didn't have a representative in the British Parliament to speak on their behalf. This is where we get the famous quote, "No taxation without representation". Which is probably a bit much for your students…But I would come full circle and tie this in with how American colonists were seeking sanctuary in a new land, and how this overstretch of authority would upset them.
I taught English in China for a year, and when trying to handle lessons like these I would always create a worksheet or vocabulary sheet to pass out before class. If they're in the primary grades they might not even know the Chinese characters to translate the English words into, in which case pictures would really help you. The more visual aids the better. If you can create a PowerPoint presentation, I think that would help immensely. This might help you. I know my students loved it whenever we watched clips or movies, though 30 minutes isn't much time to do anything.
I would defiantly talk about everything that lead up to the cry for independence and focus on explaining the ideology behind it. My reasons for this over just an info filled history lesson is because this is a short 30 min lesson, and not to mention China has their view of the world and its history.
Why start with the colonists? Is that the curriculum, it seems a shame to start with the arrival of Europeans, like nothing worthwhile happened here before they showed up.