Red Scarf Girl

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

What is a revolution? What are some examples of revolutions in history? Do they have anything in common? Why do they happen, and who is usually involved?

Teaching Suggestion: These questions are best used to pique interest before examining the following resource and completing the short activity. Note taking or annotation may increase retention of this contextual information. To help students generate ideas, consider asking them what they associate with the term “revolution” and whether they believe it carries a positive or negative connotation.

• This article from National Geographic provides historical and social context for the term “revolution.”

Short Activity

Research China’s Cultural Revolution, and then create a timeline of events that identifies and defines key related concepts. Consider the following questions as you begin: What was the Cultural Revolution, and why did it happen? Who could be considered the leader or “face” of the revolution? What were the original goals and final outcomes of this sociopolitical movement?

Teaching Suggestion: This activity can be done individually, in pairs, or in small groups. Depending on student familiarity with the topic and/or research skills, guided note templates and/or lists of key terms may increase focus and information retention.

• This Crash Course video discusses communists, nationalists, and revolutions in China. An overview of China’s Cultural Revolution from the 1960s begins at the 9:52 mark.
• This Britannica article offers an overview of Mao Zedong’s role as leader of the Communist Party and figurehead for the Cultural Revolution in China.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

Reflect on your own coming-of-age experience. How does the process of moving toward adulthood change your relationships with peers, family, and/or friends? How might your attitudes and beliefs shift, and why? Why do you think people often find this process difficult or uncomfortable?

Teaching Suggestion: Due to the sensitive nature of the topic, it may be beneficial to establish clear protocols for sharing within individual comfort levels before asking students to engage with the prompt. A general discussion of the questions as a class may give students an opportunity to share ideas without requiring them to divulge personal information.