The Chinese v. American Identity--Different But Not So Different

In history class here at Wahaha, I've been teaching my kids about the idea that 'identity' can be personal (i.e. Who is your family? Where do you come from? What are your beliefs, values, etc), but it can also be shared.  I asked them, "Is there a Chinese identity? What does it mean to be Chinese?" They thought for a moment and then began rattling off universal values. Below is a word web that I made of their responses.

  Afterwards, I sent them out to interview the American teachers about 'What it means to be an American.'  The responses were varied but when we sat down and culled through the interviews, we found that while the Chinese seem to value the 'Group' more than the individual, in America, the 'Individual' seems to outweigh the group.

Here is the word web for American values. Notice that there are still some common themes that we share, though--Patriotism and Family, for example.  Today, we will talk about how a shared identity is not just one that shares values, but also history, to some degree.  And yet, within those shared identities are a multitude of perspectives that react/respond to and interpret historical events differently.  I'm hoping we can make a video of our discoveries before the parents arrive on Friday, but we shall see. I've learned to keep my expectations low and to let the class lead me.