Ancient Army Lexile Level 840; Guided Reading Level S

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1 PAGES 1 4 Earth Science Ancient Army Lexile Level 840; Guided Reading Level S OBJECTIVE Learn how a new technique is being used to preserve the true colors of China s terra-cotta soldiers. SET UP 1. Obtain two large apples, a bottle of lemon juice, two bowls, a knife, and blank pieces of paper. 2. Prepare apples no more than five hours before use. Cut each apple into 16 slices. In a bowl labeled A, coat 16 slices with ½ cup of lemon juice. Place remaining slices of apple into second bowl labeled B. Refrigerate if possible. between the two groups of slices. Then they should write a hypothesis explaining the difference. 3. Share observations. Read the words in Words to Know box on page 4. Ask: Which word best describes apple A? (preserved) Which word best describes apple B? (disintegrated) 4. Project the PDF of the article Ancient Army on a whiteboard and/or hand out to students copies of the article (available on the next four pages) to read individually or as a group. BEFORE READING 1. Give each pair of students two pieces of paper; have them label one apple A and the other apple B. Each pair should obtain two apple slices; one from bowl A and one from bowl B. Place slices on correct piece of paper. 2. Tell students all apple slices were prepared at the same time and placed in the same area. Have students write observations about the differences AFTER READING Explain how archaeologists preserved the soldiers paint color. (They sprayed the soldiers with a chemical called PEG and wrapped them in plastic.) RESOURCE To learn more about archaeology, visit: /index.htm. Reading and literacy connection Go to to download the skills sheet A Mighty Emperor (also attached). Students integrate information from two texts. Common Core State Standard Reading Informational Text: 9 SuperScience To order SuperScience, call SCHOLASTIC

2 New techniques show the true colors of China s army of 2,200-year-old statues Nearly 40 years ago, farmers digging a well in central China uncovered a surprise. Instead of water, they found a head made out of terracotta, a type of hard clay. More digging revealed that the strange piece of pottery was part of a life-size statue of a soldier. Archaeologists rushed to the scene and began excavating the area. The soldier wasn t alone. It was part of a massive army that had been buried in a tomb. Since 1974, roughly 2,000 terra-cotta soldiers have been discovered. They were made 2,200 years ago to guard a mighty emperor in the afterlife. BRIAN GIBBS/AGE FOTOSTOCK 1 TO ORDER SUPERSCIENCE, CALL SCHOLASTIC

3 How He First Looked This illustration shows what one of the statues looked like after it was painted long ago. Ancient artists decorated each warrior with paint made from minerals, metals, or bone. Unless preserved, the paint turns to dust when exposed to air. Details in a warrior s uniform, weapon, and hairstyle indicate his military rank. Each warrior has unique facial features. BLACK: Made from charcoal SUBSCRIBERS ONLY WATCH A VIDEO ONLINE /superscience BLUE: Made from the mineral azurite BONUS SKILLS SHEET PURE RENDEREING GMBH/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC STOCK (RENDERING); ROBERT CLARK/INSTITUTE (PIGMENTS) /superscience The size of this ancient army keeps growing. Archaeologists recently uncovered more than 100 new soldiers in the area. Armed with new preservation methods, scientists can now study flecks of bright paint on these soldiers. They look very different from the dull, rust-colored warriors dug up in the past. PURPLE: A combination of the metal ore cinnabar and a human-made purple pigment DARK RED: Produced with a rust-like chemical called iron oxide WHITE: Made from bones heated to a high temperature W W W. SCHOL A STIC.COM/SUPER SCIENCE 2

4 RUSSIA KAZAKHSTAN MONGOLIA Site of terra-cotta warriors INDIA Equator U.S. MYANMAR (BURMA) CHINA Beijing NORTH KOREA Xi an SOUTH KOREA Shanghai East China Sea JAPAN Hong Kong TAIWAN LAOS South China Sea VIETNAM Key National capital CHINA City Disappearing Colors When archaeologists unearthed the first statues in 1974, their colors quickly disappeared. Within minutes of being excavated, the paint peeled off and turned to dust. Ancient artists had applied the paint over two coats of lacquer. Lacquer is a protective coating made from the sap of the Chinese lacquer tree. Then the statues were sealed up for thousands of years. The problem is that the lacquer is exposed to sunlight and oxygen when you reveal the statues. This causes it China s first emperor built a sprawling tomb filled with thousands of clay soldiers. They were meant to guard the ruler in the afterlife. to disintegrate, explains archaeologist Kristin Romey. When the lacquer flaked off, it took the paint with it. In the 1970s, scientists didn t know how to solve the problem of the disappearing paint. Now we have Terra-cotta warriors the technology to were originally brightly preserve the paint colored. Scientists on the soldiers, says can now preserve any bits of paint on newly Romey. Scientists uncovered statues. use a chemical preservative called PEG. As soon as they uncover part of a soldier, they spray it with PEG. Then they wrap the soldier in plastic to lock in the chemical. As a result, the paint stays on the statues. We can see they had eyelashes, bright-purple robes, and flaming-red scarves, says Romey. Each hue is a hint of what life was like in another age (see How He First Looked, page 2). A Mighty Emperor Long ago, China was divided into seven states that were constantly fighting. In 221 b.c., a warrior chief united them all under his rule. He gave himself the title Qin Shi Huangdi (chin shuh whongdee), or first emperor. The emperor built a vast army to control and protect his empire. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: MAP: JIM MCMAHON; TAO IMAGES LIMITED/GETTY IMAGES; STR/AFP/GETTY IMAGES; O. LOUIS MAZZATENTA/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC STOCK 3 TO ORDER SUPERSCIENCE, CALL SCHOLASTIC

5 Soon after taking the throne, he ordered the construction of his tomb. It took about 700,000 workers more than 30 years to build. The tomb s centerpiece: a terra-cotta army modeled after the emperor s fighting force! Ancient Clues By studying the terra-cotta warriors, archaeologists have learned about the emperor and life in ancient China. Skilled artists fashioned the statues to look like the emperor s real-life army, complete with horses and chariots. The soldiers wear suits of armor. They carry weapons used at the time, like crossbows and bronze swords. They are lined up in rows according to their rank. Each stands about six feet tall and weighs about 600 pounds. No two statues are alike. Artists carved unique features for each soldier. Every one has a different hairstyle and facial expression. It is believed they were modeled after real people. Although 2,000 soldiers have been found so far, Romey estimates that about 7,000 to 8,000 were made. So far, only a tiny fraction of the tomb complex has been excavated. Most of it remains underground including the body of the emperor himself. Before digging into the royal tomb, archaeologists want to make sure they can preserve its contents properly. Countless more treasures could be waiting inside. Laura Modigliani Archaeologists work on a headless warrior. Some statues have been damaged over time. archaeologist scientists who study the past by digging up old buildings and objects excavate to dig into the earth to search for objects or remains lacquer a clear treatment painted on the surface of material such as clay or wood that hardens into a clear coating disintegrate to break up or fall apart preserve to maintain something in its original form or close to its original form 4

6 READING COMPREHENSION Name: Date: No-Sweat Bubble Test Directions: Read each question below, then use the article Ancient Army to determine the best answer. Completely fill in the bubble next to the best answer. 1. Which sentence describes how the terra-cotta warriors were discovered? A A mudslide uncovered the statues. B Farmers were digging for water. C Scientists found a map of the tomb site. D A hiker stumbled upon part of a statue. 2. What is another term for the word excavating? A exiting B unearthing C wrapping D disguising 3. Which of the following materials was used to create paint for the warriors? A bone B clay C tree sap D chalk 4. Which of the following items is NOT an indicator of a warrior s military rank? A uniform B weapon C hairstyle D hair color 5. What evidence suggests the warriors were modeled after real people? A Excavators recognized ancestors. B Statues resemble old photos of actual warriors. C Every statue has a different facial expression. D Every statue has a name painted on it. 6. About how many years did it take for workers to construct Qin Shi Huangdi s tomb? A 3 years C 15 years B 10 years D 30 years 7. Which of the following items was NOT discovered along with the warriors? A paintbrushes C horse statues B chariots D swords 8. What was the purpose of placing warriors in the emperor s tomb? A The large number of warriors was to show off the emperor s wealth. B The warriors were to guard the emperor in the afterlife. C The emperor offered the warriors as gifts to the gods. D It is Chinese tradition to bury emperors with warrior statues. 9. Prior to using the PEG preservative, what caused the warriors paint to disappear? A acid rain B rough use of digging equipment C exposure to sunlight and oxygen D use of cleaning chemicals 10. The BEST choice for an alternative title for this story would be? A Qin Shi Huangdi: An Evil Emperor B The Chemistry Behind Paint Color C The History of China s Seven Fighting States D Colors of China s Terra-cotta Soldiers PERMISSION GRANTED TO REPRODUCE FOR CLASSROOM USE ONLY BY SCHOLASTIC INC. To order SuperScience, call SCHOLASTIC SuperScience

7 INTEGRATING INFORMATION Name: A Mighty Emperor Date: DIRECTIONS: Read the story, Ancient Army, a nonfiction article about a major archaeological find. Next read the passage below, which is a biographical article about China s first emperor. Then write a paragraph about what you learned from both texts. The Tiger of Qin He was called the Tiger of Qin (chin). He was also called a tyrant. The man who became the first emperor of China created an empire from chaos. In doing so, he laid the basis for a society that has lasted thousands of years. Zhao Zheng (jhow jung) was born into a world of violence. There was no China in 259 b.c., only a collection of seven states that were constantly at war. By then, what historians call the Warring States Period had lasted for more than 200 years. Zheng s father was the king of the state of Qin. He died when Zheng was 13. Even though Zheng was still a boy, he became the new king. As a young man, he began a campaign to conquer his fellow kings. Finally, in 221 b.c., all the warring states were united under one ruler Zheng. To mark the occasion, the victor called himself Qin Shi Huangdi, the First Emperor. Our successors shall be known as the Second Emperor, Third Emperor, and so on, for endless generations, he proclaimed. Although the Tiger of Qin was among the boldest of people, he was also terrified of death. The Emperor forced thousands of scholars to search for herbs of deathlessness. He hoped to make a potion that would allow him to live forever. Zheng himself made many trips throughout his empire to seek out these herbs. In 210 b.c. the Emperor died on one such trip, possibly by accidental poisoning. Before his death, however, Zheng had a huge tomb built for himself. It covered an area of 22 square miles. The tomb may be the largest in history. As many as 8,000 clay soldiers were buried there too. They were created to accompany the emperor into the afterlife. The dynasties that came after Qin s built on the foundation of his empire. In a way, the First Emperor achieved immortality after all. He remains the leader who united the place we know as China. How does Ancient Army differ from The Tiger of Qin in focus? Using information from both articles, explain the factors that led China s first emperor to order the construction of a terra-cotta army for his tomb. PERMISSION GRANTED TO REPRODUCE FOR CLASSROOM USE ONLY BY SCHOLASTIC INC. Visit To order SuperScience, call SCHOLASTIC SuperScience

8 map skill Name: Date: Chinese Languages China s first emperor spoke an ancient version of Chinese that is no longer in use today. Modern Chinese is actually a family of languages, often called dialects. There are more than seven dialects of Chinese. The most common is Mandarin, which is spoken by nearly 1 billion people. The map below shows where in China some common dialects are primarily spoken. Beijing PLATEAU OF TIBET CHINA Lhasa Huang He (Yellow River) Xi an Chang Jiang (Yangtze River) Shanghai TAIWAN map: jim mcmahon Language Dialects Mandarin Wu Yue Other Southern Chinese dialects (includes Gan, Hakka, Min, and Xiang) Non-Chinese dialects Hong Kong Macao HAINAN 1. You re planning a visit to Beijing, the capital of China. Which dialect are you likely to hear? A Wu C Hakka B Mandarin D Min 2. Chinese dialects other than Mandarin are likely to be spoken in which portion of the country? A northwest C northeast B southwest D southeast 3. Wu is the major dialect spoken in Taiwan. A true B false SuperScience To order SuperScience, call SCHOLASTIC 4. According to the map, in which of these Chinese cities will you find the main language spoken to be something other than Chinese? A Xi an C Lhasa B Macao D Shanghai 5. Which dialect is spoken in Shanghai and the region south of this city? A Yue B Mandarin C Wu D non-chinese PERMISSION GRANTED TO REPRODUCE FOR CLASSROOM USE ONLY BY SCHOLASTIC INC.