Korea: Lessons for High School Social Studies Courses

Korea – Lessons for High School Social Studies Courses
Reviewed by Shannon Crombie
12th Grade Social Studies: Contemporary American Democracy
Canon-McMillan High School
This curriculum unit provides a great deal of knowledge on a range of topics crossing multiple disciplines and teaching styles. For several reasons, I would highly recommend this unit to a colleague.
The Korea Society created the unit in 1999, and while it has not been updated since its initial publication, the materials remain relevant and useful today. The unit, in addition to many other resources, can be accessed for free on the website of the Korea Society, under the Publications link for K-12 materials (www.koreasociety.org). The publisher brings authenticity to the materials in a way that cannot be matched in a text book, and the unit provides the uninitiated with a literary tour of the territory and culture of Korea.
The unit consists of twelve separate lessons which focus on a variety of topics, and the subject matter of each lesson crosses several academic disciplines. It begins with cultural treasures and Korean history, followed by geography, economics, the Japanese occupation and the Korean War. The unit also examines the role of women in society, the two Koreas and the modernization of Seoul. Lessons include materials relevant to world history, literature, sociology, geography, economics, government and even mathematics.
The lessons also vary in methodology, allowing teachers to address students with multiple learning styles. For example, lesson materials include graphic organizers, poetry and literature, photos, small and large group discussion topics, statistical analysis, and primary source documents. The materials also include a range of information that can be used all together or reduced to accommodate shorter teaching time or adaptations for students with disabilities. While the lessons are intended for students in grades 9-12, a lot of the material could be used with middle school students. Also, the Korea Society web page has units named Korea: Lessons for Middle School, as well as Korea: Lessons for Elementary School.
The unit is ideal for a comprehensive review of Korea, but the lessons also work well individually as they do not build from one to the next. Since no prior knowledge is necessary for any of the lessons, teachers have a great deal of flexibility in how they incorporate the materials into their own classes. The materials would be of particular help to a new teacher or an experienced teacher who is new to the subject. The Korea Society seems to be in the best position to judge what is important to teach students about Korea, and this unit provides a great road map for educators.