Draw On Culture©
China: Colors Lesson
Teacher Suggestions K-12
The following lesson suggestions are only a few ideas that you might use to teach your students. We suggest that you simplify them or make them more complex according to your studentsÕ grade level and your subject area. These suggestions can be modified for social studies, art, history, and language arts. Or better yet, approach the activities from a holistic point of view and combine subject area suggestions.
1. Activity:
the Color of Marriage
Trace the double happiness characters on red paper. Cut the characters out leaving little tabs to hold the sections together. Post them on the wall or bulletin board.
Discuss:
1. Why is the color
red used for weddings and marriages in China?
2. Why are there two
happiness characters to symbolize marriage?
3. Why are the double happiness characters red?
Compare and Contrast:
1. What is the color
of marriage/weddings in America?
2. What is the
significance of this color?
3. How does this
differ from China?
4. Has this color
always been used in America/the West?
5. Do other countries
use different colors for marriages?
6. What are some
symbols used in America for weddings?
7. What color are
they? What do those colors mean?
Subject suggestions:
Social Studies—research four different countries and compare and contrast the colors used in marriage and weddings. Compare and contrast with ChinaÕs system.
Art—create your own wedding colors. Draw special wedding clothes using your colors and explain how these are like or different from ChinaÕs system.
History—research the history of weddings in China and America. Compare and contrast.
Language Arts—write a story about colors and weddings comparing them with ChinaÕs system.
2. Activity: Olympic Colors
Draw and color in the rings used for the 2008 Beijing Olympics
Discuss:
1. What is the meaning
of each color?
2. Can you think of
some reasons why these colors were used? Why not purple, orange, black and
pink?
Compare and Contrast
1. What colors were
used in the previous summer Olympics?
2. Where were they
held?
3. Using the Chinese color system what is the meaning of those colors?
Subject suggestions:
Social Studies—research past Olympics use of colors. Compare and contrast with ChinaÕs color system.
Art—Create your own Olympic
colors
Design your own Olympic emblems and colors.
In your world, what do they mean?
Now explain what they mean using the Chinese system.
What do they mean using the American system?
How do the color messages change?
History—How did the Olympics begin? How do nations use the Olympics now? How are colors part of a national agenda?
Language Arts—Read some stories about Olympic champions. Analyze the national colors these athletes wore. Write your own story about your school colors. What do they mean?
3. Activity: Flag Colors
Draw and color in the America flag and the Chinese flag.
Teachers draw colored flags of China and America on your green, black or white board. If you have a smart board, project each flag side by side.
Discuss:
1. What are the
historical circumstances of the creation of each flag? Are there any
similarities?
2. What colors and
emblems do the flags share? What is different?
3. What is the color
symbolism in each flag using each countryÕs system to describe its own flag?
Compare and Contrast:
1. Now switch the
color meaning system and apply it to the other flag.
Use the American system for the Chinese
flag
Use the Chinese system for the American
flag.
How are they alike or different?
Further discussion:
1. How might misunderstandings
arise from differences in color meanings?
2. Can you think of
other ways colors are used in American?
Subject suggestions:
Social studies—research the expansion of national flags in the context of the rise of 20th century nationalism. How does China fit in that history?
Art—Create your own flag
Design your own flag using whatever colors and emblems you want.
Develop your own color symbol system and be prepared to discuss why you chose
your colors and what your flag means.
Discuss your flag using the Chinese color symbol system and the American color
system.
How do the three color systems change the meaning of
your flag?
History—research the first national flags? What countries were those and what did their flags mean in their own color systems?
Language Arts—Write a story in which the heroine is inspired by the colors of her national flag.