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.