Julia Oas Lesson #4: The First Emperor s Terracotta Army Audience: 2 nd Grade, Waller Mill Elementary School, CT: Elizabeth Hoffman SOL: 2.1 The student will explain how the contributions of ancient China and Egypt have influenced the present world in terms of architecture, inventions, the calendar, and written language. Materials: Excavation Kit, Book, Worksheets #1, #2, #3, #4 (see below), whiteboard, big chart paper Time/Space: This lesson is designed for a whole group classroom lesson, lasting for 50 minutes. The lesson is created for a class of 22 students. Objective and Its Purpose: Students will learn about Qin Shi Huang s Terracotta Army and be able to describe its key characteristics. This includes the large size of the army, the artistic significance of the statues, the manpower required to create them, and the reasons behind the emperor s decision to construct the army. Through the exploration of the Terracotta Army, students will learn about the unique historical standing of ancient Chinese emperors. Lesson Description: Introduction: Teacher will divide up class into groups (four groups for this class of 22 students) and give each one a Terracotta Warriors Excavation kit. Students will take turns digging up their soldiers, but will not be told by the teacher what the statues are. Each group will appoint a scribe to take notes about their observations and guesses on Worksheet #1. Students should be told that they do have some connection to ancient China. Content Focus: Teacher will then have each group announce their guesses, writing all of the ideas of the whiteboard. Without telling the students which idea is right, or giving them any clues about the Terracotta Soldiers, bring students to the carpet and read The Emperor s Silent Army: Terracotta Warriors of Ancient China by Jane O Connor. Let the students know that they should be coming up with ideas for their group about what the statues actually are, and that the group with that can remember the most information about the statues after the book will be the winner. Have students go back to their seats and finish completing Worksheet #1 in their groups. Then review as a class all the information on the Terracotta Army by writing their ideas on big chart paper. Get the students to think about specifically why the emperor chose to make the army, and what was required to make it. Students at this time can take their own notes on Worksheet #2. Closing: Teacher will direct all students to Worksheet #3, telling them to pretend that they were an emperor/empress and to draw what they would make for their own Terracotta Army. Ask if there are any questions. After they draw, students should be directed to individually complete Worksheet #4 and to focus on the facts that we learned about the Terracotta Army, and how theirs would be alike and similar to Qin Shi Huang s. Students may then keep this information to themselves, especially if they are feeling sensitive about
Julia Oas the topic, or share their Terracotta Army in front of the class, explaining their differences and similarities. Formative Assessment: Teacher will assess group participation, discussion, and presentation of ideas and facts during the first part of the lesson. Summative Assessment: Teacher will assess based on written reaction on Worksheet #4, participation and effort on Worksheet #3, and oral presentations if the student chooses to do so. Note: This lesson takes place on Day 6 of a ten- day unit on Ancient China. The students will have already discussed the significant contributions of major emperors/dynasties of Ancient China, and should therefore have an idea of the history of the Qin Dynasty and the First Emperor s major contributions. Background Information Qin Shi Huang ruled during the Qin Dynasty, lasting from 221-207 BCE. It was the first time that an ancient Chinese dynasty had seen the nation unified under such a strong ruler, and the emperor even called himself Shi Huang Di (The First Emperor). He is therefore often referred to as the First Emperor. Qin Shi Huang ruled by very harsh authoritarian measures, looked at favorably for all the advancements the Chinese made at this time. The writing system was standardized, coins were made to be copper, circular, and with a hole in the middle. The first compass was invented and standardized weights and measurements were created. In addition, Qin Shi Huang began to build the Great Wall, spearheading a project that would continue over multiple dynasties and remain a lasting significant symbol of China today. Though he ruled with extreme might and power in life, Qin Shi Huang possessed a strong fear of death. For that reason, he commissioned a clay army to be built for his tomb, known as the Terracotta Army. Over 8,000 life- sized soldiers and figures, each with individual markings and facial features, have been found guarding his grave. There have also been statues horses, government officials, and entertainers found in his grave. The emperor spent a huge amount of time, manpower, and resources creating these statues. The method of production was most likely an assembly line style, with molds used for many of the body parts. Terracotta is a kind of baked clay, which required the use of a kiln to completely harden the material. The absurdity and discipline of creating so many statues is also marked by the attention to detail and artistry of the soldiers. The discovery of the Terracotta Army has turned into a worldwide appreciation of the Terracotta soldiers as great cultural artifacts of a rich cultural time period in ancient Chinese history. This topic becomes sensitive when discussing death and tombs. Children who have experienced death on a personal level should be given special attention during this lesson, as they might be particularly sensitive to a discussion of the death process. There is also the matter of the burial, and the comparison that children might draw to the way in which humans are buried today. Questions might arise about the process of burial today, or even cremation. Sensitivity should also be given towards the idea of fearing death like Qin Shi Huang did, and religious answers to the afterlife might be voiced by students. The teacher should reinforce the fact that religions might give some people answers to these questions, and we must respect everyone s different beliefs. Students also might have difficulty
Julia Oas imagining their own tomb, and therefore they have been given the opportunity in this lesson to keep their own work private, without sharing their work with the class. The teacher should also be prepared for students not wanting to place themselves in the first- person position of describing their tomb, and should give the opportunity for students to draw it from a different emperor s/empress s perspective. Sources: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shaanxi/xian/terra_cotta_army/qin_shihuan g_1.htm http://wmpeople.wm.edu/asset/index/gamcea/ancientchina http://www.ducksters.com/history/china/emperor_qin_shi_huang.php http://video.pbs.org/video/1907176069/ http://www.amazon.com/the- Emperors- Silent- Army- Terracotta/dp/0670035122 http://www.indiana.edu/~easc/publications/k12/documents/classroomconnection_terr acottawarriors_chasidymiroff.pdf
Julia Oas Excavation Kit: Source: http://pearlriver.com/v3/product.asp?ipic=18443 These kits are $6.00 each. They need to be ordered online ahead of time. They come in four different types of statues. For this lesson that is designed for a class of 22 students, four kits will be used and students will take turns digging for their soldiers. Book Source: http://www.amazon.com/the- Emperors- Silent- Army- Terracotta/dp/0670035122 The Emperor s Silent Army: Terracotta Warriors of Ancient China by Jane O Connor. See Amazon website to flip through pages. The content is fairly dense for 2 nd graders, but the book is great for the lesson because it has a lot of information, and some information can always be skipped or paraphrased by the teacher as they see fit. The amount of reading should be judged based on the attention level of the students.
Worksheet #1 ARCHAELOGISTS: Julia Oas Describe what you found: What do you think it was used for? What do you KNOW it was used for?
Worksheet #2 Terracotta Army Facts: Julia Oas
Worksheet #3 Draw your own Terracotta Army: Julia Oas
Worksheet #4 What is the same as Qin Shi Huang s Terracotta Army? Julia Oas What is different?