Remember to letter or number the slips for envelopes so that you can go over answers!
Name: ______Do Now
March 14, 2006History -
Do Now #24
Objective:
3. I will be able to analyze the different basic beliefs of Taoism and use them to solve problems.
Essential Question: “How will you teach your children the difference between right and wrong?”
Are you MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE?
Earn your class the points they deserve!
1. The founder of Confucianism was a man named C______.
2. His teachings are recorded in the A______.
3. He taught that there are five basic r______.
4. The job of the elder person in each relationship is to teach the younger one by setting a good e______.
5. The job of the younger person in each relationship is to r______the elder.
6. Give an example of time when you learned from your own mistakes. Explain the lesson you learned in complete sentences.
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7. When have you spent time in nature (the woods, by a lake, by a river, etc…)? Describe this time in complete sentences.
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Vocabulary Review:
ConfucianismHierarchyTibetan Plateau
Above and Beyond: How would Confucius have answered our essential questions? Write your response in complete sentences, and use the back of extra room if you need it. BE NEAT!
Name: ______Classwork
March 14, 2006History -
Classwork #24
The Answers of Lao Tzu:
Nature, Balance, and Introspection
Lao Tzu:
Most of the ancient Chinese believed the founder of Taoism (pronounced “dow - ism”) to be a man named Lao Tzu. Like Confucius, Lao Tzu was saddened by the violence and corruption he saw around them. Rather than set forth a series of rules and beliefs about how to transform government, Lao Tzu turned to a life of solitude in nature. He turned away from government and society. He found true human happiness to exist in nature: in the mountains, in the woods, and by rivers.
Taoism and Nature:
While living by himself, surrounded by nature, Lao Tzu discovered what he called the Tao or the “way.” The Tao, he taught, was the all-powerful force that surrounds living things. The Tao, he argued, was something that had to be experienced and felt; it could not be taught. The best way to discover the Tao, according to Lao Tzu, was through deep contemplation of the beauties of nature. Taoists do not seek contact with other people. They enjoy time spent outdoors, by lakes, mountains, and other scenic spots in nature.
Taoism and Society:
Taoists believed that the perfect society is not one with lots of government, lots of rulers, and lots of laws. The ideal society was instead one in which people were allowed to spend their time in nature and basically “do their own thing.” Taoists value simplicity over complication and contemplation of nature of contemplation of laws and rules. People learn best from their own mistakes, not from following role models, Lao Tzu would have argued. They must be allowed to make their own mistakes and to learn from them.
Taoism and Education:
Confucius wanted his students to spend their time studying the words of wise men and the books in which those words were recorded. Lao Tzu wanted his students to spend time contemplating nature. While a follower of Confucius would have the most respect for scholar, a Taoist would probably have more respect for an artist, a poet, or someone who worked with wood, stone, or crops.
Yin and Yang:
The Yin and Yang were important symbols for Taoism. They represented the balance that Lao Tzu believed existed in nature. Happiness requires a balance between good and evil, life and death, male and female, night and day. Taoists later developed the practice of acupuncture. An acupuncturist tries to heal the body by restoring the balance of the body’s yin and yang. Acupuncturists try to accomplish this by sticking needles in to specific “pressure points” on the body.
Above and Beyond: Are you more of a Taoist or a Confucianist? Write out your answer below.
Part II: Complete the missing sections of today’s skeleton in the space below.
Part III: Inside your envelope are slips of paper. Decide whether each slip represents a Confucian, Taoist, or Legalist point idea. Legalism is the belief that the best way to teach people the difference between right and wrong is to create harsh punishments. Organize your strips of paper into three different piles.
(Above and beyond: are you more of Confucianist, a Daoist, or a Legalist?
Explain your response in the space below.)
Part IV: Get ready for our first ever DAOIST EXPERIMENT. We will travel to a “spot in nature.” Working alone and thinking about the nature around you, answer the questions below in complete sentences.
1. What is the central text of Taoism? ______
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2. Who was the founder of Taoism? ______
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3. In what ways were the backgrounds of the founders of Confucianism and Taoism similar?
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4. A good Taoist will spend most of her or his time in what kinds of locations? ______
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5. What does the ideal (perfect) society (group of people) look like in Taoism? ______
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Above and Beyond: Be a good Taoist, and create an illustration of nature on the back of an old Do Now.
Students who are struggling in math receive an older tutor for help with homework. / Students who are struggling in math are allowed to fail. They will learn from their own mistakes that they need to work harder. / Students who are struggling in math receive a week’s worth of homework detention every time they fail a trial.Students who struggle with organization have an older student who checks their binders at the beginning and end of each day. / Students who struggle with organization learn from the balance of nature that sometimes it’s ok to be unorganized while sometimes organization is necessary. / Students who struggle with organization receive three silent lunches every time there is a paper clipped in the wrong section.
This afternoon I will spend my time reading books in the library. / This afternoon I will go for a hike outside and then sit by the lake. / This afternoon I will look for people who are breaking laws and make sure that they are punished.
Fathers must teach their sons how to behave and how to respect their elders. Fathers must set a good example for their sons. / Father should take their sons on trips to the woods and give them time to sit and think by themselves. / Fathers should smack their children when they misbehave and when they are disrespectful.
Society can become perfect if leaders set a good example for their subjects. / Society will always have some problems. People are better off if they spend time by themselves and create beautiful things. / Society can become perfect when leaders punish anyone who misbehaves with harsh consequences.