James Madison University – College of Education

Social Studies Lesson Plan Format

Name: _Susan Grove______Date:__July 13, 2011__________

Subject/Class: _Honors World History & Geography IGrade Level: _9_ Topic: Dynasties of Ancient China

NCSS Theme #_6_ :Power, Authority and Governance

Subthemes: Knowledge : _Bullets 1 & 5______

Processes : __Bullets 1,2, & 4______

(Remember NCSS is focused on Knowledge, Process and Product—be specific)

Essential Questions/Big Ideas:

How did power change hands in Ancient China? How does the method then compare to the

change of power in the United States today? Are there any examples of power changing

hands due to violence in today’s world?

SOLs/Standards addressed:

WHI.3The student will demonstrate knowledge of ancient river valley civilizations, including those of Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus River Valley, and China and the civilizations of the Hebrews, Phoenicians, and Nubians, by

b)describing the development of social, political, and economic patterns, including

slavery

WHI.4The student will demonstrate knowledge of the civilizations of Persia, India, and China in terms of chronology, geography, social structures, government, economy, religion, and contributions to later civilizations by

e)describing China, with emphasis on the development of an empire and the construction

of the Great Wall

Learning Outcomes/Objectives:

SWBAT to compare and contrast the social, political, economic and religious patterns of the 4 ancient Chinese dynasties.

Assessment alignment chart: How will you know they know the objectives listed above?

Objective / Assessment (formative and summative)
U 1:SWBAT to compare and contrast the social, political, economic and religious patterns of the 4 ancient Chinese dynasties. / Formative – Teacher questioning during introduction and power point
Formative – Puzzle Activity Paragraphs
Formative – Silk Road Worksheet
Formative – Exit Ticket
Summative – Unit test on Ancient China

Background Content Outline:

I. Shang Dynasty

A. Government

1. Large palaces and tombs

2. Kings led warriors in to battle

3. Capital city – Anyang

4. Kings governed only small portion of land – princes and nobles loyal to Shang

governed most land

B. Social Classes

1. Royal family, nobles, warriors – owned land

2. Artisans and merchants

3. Peasants

a. Lived in small villages

b. Entire family worked the land

C. Religion

1. Shang Di

a. Major god

b. Believed king was link between people and Shang Di

2. Veneration of ancestors

a. Began with king’s ancestors

b. Later other classes joined in the practice

c. Left sacrifices of food and other essential items

3. Yin/Yang

a. Balance between 2 forces

b. Yin – Earth, darkness, female forces

c. Yang – Heaven, light, male forces

d. Had to have balance to maintain harmony

D. Writing

1. Ideographs – signs that expressed thoughts or ideas

2. Oracle bones – animal bones or turtle shells- priests wrote questions addresses to

the gods or spirit of an ancestor, heated bone until cracked and interpreted the

cracks

3. Calligraphy – fine handwriting, considered an art form, only done by scholars

II. Zhou Dynasty

A. Mandate of Heaven

1. Used to justify their rebellion against the Shang

2. Means divine right to rule – cruelty of last Shang king angered the gods and they

sent ruin on him and passed the Mandate of Heaven to Zhou

3. Dynastic Cycle

B. Feudal State

1. Rewarded supporters by giving them control of certain regions

2. Feudalism – a system of government in which local lords governed their own lands

but owed military service and other forms of support to the ruler – feudal lords

gained more power than kings

C. Economy

1. Iron working – helped improve farming tools

2. Trade increased – first time for use of coins, new roads, and canals

3. Increase in population as a result

D. Other Achievements

1. Silk making – cocoons of silkworms; strict measures of secrecy

2. Trade routes develop – silk road

3. First books – thin strips of wood or bamboo

III. Qin Dynasty – Shi Huangdi

A. Changes made

1. Abolished feudalism, went to military district

2. Standardized weights and measures and new coins

3. Called for uniformity

4. Improved transportation

B. Critics

1. Critics jailed, killed or tortured

2. Confucianism opposed Shi Huangdi

3. Book burning on all but books of medicine

C. Great Wall

1. Several pieces of wall were to be joined

2. Thousands worked regardless of weather or other conditions

D. Collapse

1. Shi Huangdi dies in 210 BCE

2. Revolt led by Liu Bang

a. Claimed the Mandate of Heaven

b. Founded Han dynasty

IV. Han Dynasty

A. Government and Economy

1. Strong Confucian ideas

2. Improved roads and canals

3. Built granaries

4. Created monopolies

B. Expansion by Wudi

1. Added outposts by fighting nomads and Chinese influence spread

2. Arranged marriages between nomad chiefs and noble women

C. Silk Road

1. Trade route that linked West and China

2. Traded new foods and other items for silk

3. Dangerous travel

4. Used relay system on Silk Road

D. Society

1. Official belief system was Confucianism

2. Civil service exams let officials get jobs based on merit

3. Obedience and submission were expected from women

E. Achievements

1. Science and astronomy

2. Paper making

3. Shipbuilding

4. Medicine

F. Collapse of Han Empire

1. Warlords had become too powerful

2. Peasants revolted due to harsh taxes

3. Han dynasty falls and China is divided into several kingdoms

4. New dynasty will emerge later

DEAN CHART

Concept word / D=define / E=examples / A=attributes / N=non-examples
Dynasty / Generations of rulers from a single family / Windsor family in Britain / Related
Power of long period of time / President of the United States

Instructional Plan:

What the Teacher Will Do / What the Students Will Do
Introduction/ Hook
5 minutes /
  1. Teacher will ask students “What do you think of when you hear the word dynasty?”
  2. Teacher will write student answers on the board.
  3. Teacher will give definition of dynasty and ask “What other river valley civilizations were ruled by dynasties?”
  4. Teacher will give the names and dates of 4 Chinese dynasties and the years in power and ask “What do you think happened in between the Zhou and Qin dynasties?”
/
  1. Students will answer teacher questions.
  2. Students will copy into notebooks what the teacher puts on the board.

Power Point
25 minutes /
  1. Teacher will lead a lecture/ discussion on the 4 Ancient Chinese dynasties with a power point presentation.
  2. Teacher will check for student understanding by questions during power point presentation.
/
  1. Students will copy notes into notebook.
  1. Students will answer teacher questions.

Puzzle Activity
30 minutes /
  1. Teacher will handout Puzzle Activity Kits as demonstrated by Roxane Edgerton at the JMU Content Committee. Each student will receive 2 puzzles. There are 4 possible puzzles – one for each of the dynasties.
  2. Teacher will direct students to assemble the puzzles.
  3. Teacher will direct students to assemble the puzzles. When they have finished they must write a paragraph connecting all of the pieces of the puzzle together to explain about that particular dynasties. Each student will complete 2 puzzles and paragraphs.
  4. Teacher will collect puzzles and paragraphs
/
  1. Students will assemble puzzles.
  2. Students will write paragraphs on dynasties as directed by teacher.
  3. Students will turn in puzzles and paragraphs.

Activity
20 minutes /
  1. Teacher will tell students that they are about travel on the Silk Road and explain they must follow directions on the paper to make the trip.
  2. Teacher hands out worksheet, wipe off map, china marker and paper towels to students
/
  1. Students will complete Silk Road Activity on their own.
  2. Students will turn in completed activity and materials.

Exit ticket
10 minutes /
  1. Teacher will give a cut out of Yin/Yang symbol for students to answer the following 2 questions: How does the method then compare to the change of power in the United States today? Are there any examples of power changing hands due to violence in today’s world?
  2. Teacher will collect Yin/Yang symbols as students leave class.
/
  1. Students will answer questions on Yin/Yang cutout.
  2. Students will turn in cutout as they leave the classroom.

Summative Evaluation /
  1. Teacher will give a unit test on Ancient China at end of unit.
/
  1. Students will take an end of unit test on Ancient China.

Materials Needed for the Lesson:

Puzzle Activity

Silk Road Activity

Wipe Off Maps of Asia

China Markers

Paper Towels

Power point

Computer

LCD

Bibliography/Resources Used (using APA):

Edgerton, Roxanne (6/30/11). Hands on History. Content Academy History K-12. Lecture conducted from James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

Adaption/Differentiation:

ELL/struggling readers / Have students create a foldable on the 4 dynasties to use as a study aide. Have students do puzzle activity in pairs and explain to their partner how each item relates to the dynasty instead of completing a paragraph.
ADHD / Have students create a foldable on the 4 dynasties instead of lecture/discussion.
Gifted / This lesson was created for an Honors class.

Explanation of Instructional Strategies Used:

Ancient China is the first place we discuss the concept of dynasty specifically so I wanted to open the lesson with a discussion on what one was and how they may have gained power. There is a good amount of material in this lesson so lecture and discussion is the most efficient way to present it. The power point allows me to include pictures and videos that can further aid in student understanding. The puzzle activity allows students to embed in their knowledge the connections within each dynasty. The Silk Road Activity gives them an understanding of the type of travel, time and hardship that was undertaken on the Silk Road. The Exit Activity allows the teacher to see if they can make connections between the past and present.

Dept. of Middle, Secondary, and Math Education

modified by Dr. Cude & Dr. Stern 8/10