King Sejong and Hangul
GRADE LEVEL: 7-9 AUTHOR: Anneke Emerson
SUBJECT: World History
TIME REQUIRED: 3 class periods (45 min. each) Note: Some or all of lessons may be modified to fit in a shorter time frame.
OBJECTIVES:
- Appreciate the contributions King Sejong on Korean and world history.
- Understand the basic building blocks of Hangul
- Learn to write your name in Hangul.
MATERIALS REQUIRED: (Right click to download files)
- Reading on King Sejong
- "Eazy Korean" Hangul information sheet
- Hangul practice worksheet
- List of common names in Hangul
- Lesson plan
BACKGROUND:
These lessons are part of a lager unit titled “Asian Dynasties” in which students examine a variety of non-Western Empires, including the Ottoman Empire, the Mogul Dynasty, Ming China and Tokugawa Japan. These lessons are meant to give students an appreciation for the unique and distinctly Korean personalities and discoveries that developed on the Korean peninsula.
PROCEDURE:
Day 1: King Sejong and the Choson Dynasty
1. Ice breaker: With a map of Asia, begin with a discussion on the time period and location of the Choson Dynasty, what countries surround it and how this might effect the Choson Dynasty.
2. Read “Portrait #2” on King Sejong either as a group or individually.
3. In small groups, have students re-visit the reading, listing the major accomplishments of King Sejong. Encourage the use of a word web, or other visual note taking strategy.
4. If possible, have students compare these accomplishments to that of European monarchs already studied. In a class discussion, compare King Sejong’s reign to the Renaissance period in Europe.
Day 2: King Sejong and Hangul
- Ice breaker: Start the day with a quick (5-8 min.) and playful review game with info from the day before – the whole game should be oral, not written. A few minutes into the game ask students to begin writing their answers, but tell them they do not have a writing system, they can only write in a foreign language. (Pick one they are semi-familiar with, but not fluent in. In the case of my students, that would be Spanish.)
- As students begin to struggle, end the game and begin discussion about the disadvantages of not having your own writing system and being forced to use a foreign system - transition into Hangul lesson.
- Read “Eazy Korean” handout, either as a group or individuals.
- Introduce Hangul Character Chart (attached) and emphasize the simplicity of the system.
- In class or for homework, ask students to practice writing common vowels and consonant sounds in their names. (Use worksheets, or the websites below for practice.)
WEB RESOURCES FOR HANGUL PRACTICE:
http://www.aeriagloris.com/LearnKorean/
http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Language/korean.cfm?Subject=writing
Day 3:
- Ice breaker: Write a few consonants and/or vowel sounds on the board and ask students to volunteer sounding out the character, using their homework as a “crutch”.
- Return to the Hangul Character Chart handout and discuss how vowels and consonants are ordered in each syllable (CVC)
- Practice writing a few common student names together as a class, placing the characters in the correct order to create the sound.
- In class or for homework, ask students to try and write their own names in Hangul. R, as students to practice again at home, using the websites above.
EVALUATION:
These lessons are part of a larger unit on Asian Dynasties, for which there is a unit test. Homework suggestions are listed in PROCEDURE.
REFERENCES:
Mary Connor. Famous Koreans: Six Portraits. Education About Asia (Vol. 6:2), Fall 2001. Also available: http://www.socialstudies.com/pdf/Six_Famous_Koreans.pdf
Professor Chang Mi Kyun. Korean Language Seminar and PowerPoint. Korea
University, June 2006. mchang87@korea.ac.kr
Writing Hangul. Life in Korea. November 2007
<http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Language/>