This curriculum unit aims to introduce students to the study of the future by teaching about some of the tools that futurists use. Through the small group activities in the unit, students will become familiar with and proficient in using the following tools: historical analogy, trend extrapolation, cross-impact matrix, and decision-maker's flowchart. Students will learn how to use these tools as applied to China, but can then be applied to almost any content area. The unit uses China as a case study of the future for a number of reasons: its sheer prominence as an emerging player in the international community calls for a deeper understanding of the country; the study of China embodies the interdisciplinary nature of futures studies itself; and how China's role in the world evolves during the 21st century will be of utmost importance to students' understanding of both domestic issues and international relations. Lesson 1 of this curriculum unit asks students to explore the concept of the future. Lesson 2 encourages students to consider historical analogy, (how studying the past can help in studying the future). Lesson 3 focuses on trend extrapolation from time series data representing population growth in China. Lesson 4 teaches students how to use a cross-impact matrix, a tool often used by futurists to determine how various trends may interact to produce certain outcomes. Lesson 5 introduces students to China's economy by examining the eight regions of China. Each of the five lessons in the guide has specific learning objectives. Contains handouts and transparencies. (BT)