Ancient China
Ancient China developed a rich culture which is still evident today.
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About
About
One of the oldest and longest-lasting civilizations in the world, ancient China was organized into dynasties - series of rulers from the family. Some dynasties are remembered for the contributions they made in technology and art, while other dynasties were marked by cruelty and hardship.
Essential Questions
Essential Questions
What were the many new advancements of this civilization?
What was life like in ancient China?
In what ways did ancient China contribute to the modern world?
Choose a Focus
Choose a Focus
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Use the Suggested Activity to learn about your chosen focus in a fun way. Or visit the Activity Library to pick another interactive activity.
Note: Britannica School, BrainPOP, and Kids Discover are provided by Prenda. Make sure you are logged in via Clever.
The Four Great Inventions 🔥 🕰 ⚒️
The Four Great Inventions 🔥 🕰 ⚒️
We have the ancient Chinese to thank for many cool inventions like paper, printing, gunpowder, and the compass.
Essential questions:
How was the compass first used?
Why are these called the “Four Great Inventions of China”?
What else did the ancient Chinese invent?
Suggested Activity: And the Winner Is...
The Great Wall 🔥
The Great Wall 🔥
This more than 13,000-mile-long wall was built to keep people out of China. Now it is a major reason tourists come in!
Essential questions:
Why is this wall so amazing?
Why was it built?
Why did it fail at its task . . . but become a popular tourist attraction?
Suggested Activity: Picture It!
Terracotta Warriors
Terracotta Warriors
A farmer in China accidentally dug up a life-sized, clay statue of an ancient warrior. Then, he found an entire army of clay soldiers buried with it.
Essential questions:
Who made this army?
Why do historians think these soldiers were made?
What can we learn from them?
Suggested Activity: A Different Point of View
Confucius ⚒️
Confucius ⚒️
Confucius was an influential teacher and thinker whose ideas shaped ancient Chinese society. His teachings encourage people to be kind and respectful, especially within a family.
Essential questions:
Who was Confucius and how did he become well-known?
What is Confucianism?
In what ways was Confucius a Changemaker?
Suggested Activity: Words to Live By
The Silk Road Changes Travel and Trade 🕰
The Silk Road Changes Travel and Trade 🕰
Global trade actually started thousands of years ago when a network of land and sea routes connected ancient China with civilizations in Europe. This network became known as the Silk Road.
Essential questions:
How did the Silk Road start?
In what ways did the Silk Road increase how goods and ideas were spread?
How did the Silk Road change the cities, towns, and civilizations it passed through?
Suggested Activity: Be The Teacher
Curricular Connections
Curricular Connections
Continue your learning by choosing one of these related activities.
Continue your learning by choosing one of these related activities.
Related Social Studies Topics
Timeline Challenge
Start a class timeline (or add to an existing timeline) showing important events from Ancient China.
Socratic Discussion
Discuss: How does power change from one ruler to the next?
Discuss: Would Confucius have valued truth or beauty more?
Debate
Statement: Modern American culture would not be the same without the influence of Ancient China.
Create
Count in Chinese (in Prenda World)
(Not sure what to do? Create a virtual tour of China using Google Maps!)
STEM
Try your hand at tangrams!
Just for fun
Image Attributions
Ancient China banner: Canva, Free Media LicenseThe Four Great Inventions image: See page for author, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
The Great Wall image: Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia CommonsTerracotta Warriors image: Gary Lee Todd, Ph.D., CC0, via Wikimedia CommonsConfucius: Juliethe,jaramillo, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia CommonsThe Silk Road Changes Travel and Trade: Whole_world_-_land_and_oceans_12000.jpg: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Centerderivative work: Splette (talk)NASA - Visible Earth, images combined and scaled down by HighInBC (20 megabyte upload limit) NASA VIsible Earth, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Great Wall image: Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia CommonsTerracotta Warriors image: Gary Lee Todd, Ph.D., CC0, via Wikimedia CommonsConfucius: Juliethe,jaramillo, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia CommonsThe Silk Road Changes Travel and Trade: Whole_world_-_land_and_oceans_12000.jpg: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Centerderivative work: Splette (talk)NASA - Visible Earth, images combined and scaled down by HighInBC (20 megabyte upload limit) NASA VIsible Earth, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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