Goals and Objectives
Students will learn about myriad discoveries, inventions, contributions and innovations made by the Chinese. Students will explain various Chinese inventions and describe their importance in modern-day society.
CA Content Standard/Common Core Standard
7.3 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the civilizations of China in the Middle Ages.
7.3.2. Describe agricultural, technological, and commercial developments during the Tang and Sung periods.
7.3.5 Trace the historic influence of such discoveries as tea, the manufacture of paper, wood-block printing, the compass, and gunpowder.
7.3.2. Describe agricultural, technological, and commercial developments during the Tang and Sung periods.
7.3.5 Trace the historic influence of such discoveries as tea, the manufacture of paper, wood-block printing, the compass, and gunpowder.
Vocabulary
Have students create virtual flashcards of the important words in the lesson.
Lesson Introduction
Ask a series of questions that assesses students’ prior knowledge of Chinese inventions. Ask questions that deal with common items used in our society that originated in China. Some questions may be:
· What kind of material do brides commonly wear on their wedding day?
· What do we ignite on the 4th of July to celebrate?
· When out in the wilderness what do you use to help you find the way?
· When you are young, what do you get from the doctor to help prevent disease?
· When you want to add several numbers, what do you use to help with the task?
· What kind of material do brides commonly wear on their wedding day?
· What do we ignite on the 4th of July to celebrate?
· When out in the wilderness what do you use to help you find the way?
· When you are young, what do you get from the doctor to help prevent disease?
· When you want to add several numbers, what do you use to help with the task?
Content Delivery
Provide students with information (both written and graphic) about several innovations and contributions of the Chinese. Topics may include: abacus, canals, gunpowder, magnetic compass, mechanical clock, moveable type print, music, paper money, porcelain, the Great Wall, ships, smallpox inoculations, and the spinning wheel.
Student Engagement
Assign a project where students collaboratively construct a slide presentation on Chinese innovations. Have students work in groups of two or three and assign each group a different Chinese innovation. Each group will explore and investigate their assigned topic and design a slide that will be added to the class-wide presentation. Each group will present their slide during a whole-class presentation.
Have students rank and illustrate the importance of the Chinese innovations they have studied on a chart. Technology Connection: Have students use an educational interactive tool such as Intel® Visual Ranking. Discuss the rankings as a whole group and then have students in groups decide which three innovations have been the most beneficial to society.
Have students rank and illustrate the importance of the Chinese innovations they have studied on a chart. Technology Connection: Have students use an educational interactive tool such as Intel® Visual Ranking. Discuss the rankings as a whole group and then have students in groups decide which three innovations have been the most beneficial to society.
Lesson Closure
Have students write a quickwrite on the impact of one of the Chinese inventions on modern society.