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The Great Wall of China: Teacher’s Guide
Grade Level: 6-8
Curriculum Focus: World History
Lesson Duration: Two class periods
Program Description
Stretching 1,500 miles from the Yellow Sea to the central Asian desert, the 2,000-year-old Great
Wall of China has shaped not only China's past, but all of Europe's as well. Meet a photographer
whose passion for the Great Wall has driven him to uncover thousands of forgotten miles of the
barrier built by China's dynasties.
Onscreen Questions and Activities
Segment 1, The Great Wall of China: Part One
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Pre-viewing questions:
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Think of walls in your town or neighborhood. What purpose do they serve?
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Why would the Chinese build a wall 4,000 miles long?
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During the program, consider the planning and time it took to construct the Great
Wall. Note the builders, the materials they used and the reasons why construction
lasted so many years.
Post-viewing questions:
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While Europe entered the Dark Ages, the Tang Dynasty flourished. Discuss the
impact of the Han Wall on both China and the West during this time. List ways that
the wall has influenced history.
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How might the world be different today if the Han Wall had never been built?
Activity: Consider how the tomb of Emperor Qin was constructed and what artifacts it
contained. Then design a tomb for the person you believe is the greatest leader in history. How
does the tomb you envision represent your leader’s legacy?
Segment 2, The Great Wall of China: Part Two
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Pre-viewing questions:
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What contributes to a leader’s greatness? Consider the qualities a person might need
to overthrow a powerful ruler.
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What do you know about the early Chinese dynasties such as the Tang and Ming?
The Great Wall of China: Teacher’s Guide
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As you watch the program, note the traits of the Chinese rulers and the Mongols that
overthrew them. What made them such accomplished leaders?
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Post-viewing question: The wall, built during the Ming dynasty, was constructed mostly by
convicts. If they died, they had to be replaced by family members until their sentences were
completed. Debate the fairness of this type of punishment. Is it just?
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Activity: Research more about Genghis and Kublai Khan. Using historical facts, create a Chinese
wanted poster, a Mongol hall-of-fame plaque, or a warrior-of-the-world trading card for each.
Lesson Plan
Student Objectives
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Understand the roles played by different dynasties in the construction of the great walls of
China.
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Understand varied contributions of the Qin, Han, Tang, and Ming dynasties to ancient Chinese
civilization.
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Recognize some of the events occurring in other parts of the world during the time of the early
Chinese dynasties.
Materials
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The Great Wall of China video and VCR, or DVD and DVD player
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Print and Internet resources related to the Qin, Han, Tang, and Ming dynasties
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Computers with Internet access (see Procedures for suggested Web sites)
Procedures
1. Share with the class this quotation from Confucius in 500 B.C.: “Learning without thinking is
labor lost; thinking without learning is perilous.” Talk about what Confucius meant by this.
Explain that you will be challenging your students to both learn and think as they investigate
the great walls and some of the great dynasties of China. Begin with a discussion of the
meaning of the word dynasty. Then ask your students to hypothesize why you used the plural,
walls, instead of just referring to the Great Wall of China.
2. Next explain that several different dynasties participated in the creation of the walls. List Qin
(pronounced “Chin”), Han, Tang, and Ming on the board. Explain that the primary architects of
the walls lived during the Qin, Han, and Ming dynasties. However, the golden age of China is
considered to have occurred during the Tang dynasty, when no walls were constructed.
3. Now divide the students into four groups. Each group will develop one segment of a television
news magazine show (which you could call 15 Minutes) featuring one of the dynasties listed on
the board. Give each student a copy of the following “preparation sheet” to help them prepare
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The Great Wall of China: Teacher’s Guide
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their segment. Review its elements with the class and explain that each group member will be
expected to present at least one part of the report for the class.
Preparation Sheet
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NAME OF DYNASTY
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GROUP MEMBERS
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SEGMENT TITLE: Should be catchy and engaging, yet also descriptive.
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SETTING THE STAGE: Provide an opening or introduction. It should give general
background about the time period.
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DYNASTY IN DEPTH: Briefly describe the main rulers of the dynasty and examine
the dynastic achievements of each. What is the dynasty known for? What did the
rulers accomplish that helped move China forward? You may want to prepare and
display a timeline.
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EMPEROR INTERVIEW: Develop questions for the leading emperor of the dynasty.
Using what you’ve learned about leader, provide responses to the questions in the
first person. In the case of the Qin, Han, and Ming dynasties, be sure your interview
focuses on wall-building activities.
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ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD: While this dynasty ruled in China, what was
happening in other places around the world? If other cultures and areas have
already been studied, be sure to include these. Focus on at least two other
locations/civilizations.
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CLOSING WITH A SEGUE INTO THE NEXT ERA: Summarize your dynasty and
lead into the next segment or dynasty. The Ming group will close the program.
4. Provide groups with appropriate resources print and Internet resources about to the Qin, Han,
Tang, and Ming dynasties. The following Web sites may be helpful:
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Condensed China: Chinese History for Beginners
http://condensedchina.com/
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History Timeline of China
http://www-chaos.umd.edu/history/time_line.html
5. Have students complete and hand in their Preparation Sheets. After you, as executive producer,
have approved the Preparation Sheets, give students time to practice their segments.
6. Have the groups present their segments to the class. If possible, use a camera to tape them and
share with parents, the PTA, or another class.
Discussion Questions
1. What is the purpose of walls? Why did the Chinese construct them? How important is it that
the Great Wall of China has survived through the centuries and remains standing today? To
what extent does it serve as an icon for China?
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The Great Wall of China: Teacher’s Guide
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2. The first Qin emperor built a huge and opulent tomb containing a life-sized army constructed of
terra-cotta soldiers. It took over 700,000 men 38 years to construct it. Why would he have done
this? Compare this to rulers’ tombs of other eras, such as the Egyptian pyramids.
3. How is archaeology important to the study of history? Compare archaeology and history. How
are they similar, and how are they different?
4. Genghis Khan is frequently credited with being the most legendary warrior the world has ever
known. Have your students debate the extent to which they agree or disagree with this
assertion. Challenge them to nominate others deserving of this title.
5. Analyze the impact of the Great Wall(s) of China on the course of western civilization. How
would the world be a different place if the Chinese had not constructed their walls?
6. The Chinese required ambassadors from other places to kowtow to the emperor. This involved
three bows with three acts of prostration (having the forehead touch the ground) each time.
Which world leaders throughout the course of history would you consider worthy of this act of
extreme respect?
Assessment
Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students' work during this lesson.
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3 points: Students groups worked cooperatively and each member contributed to the
Preparation Sheet and final presentation; researched and clearly reported on all the required
information; interview questions and answers were engaging, accurate; included information
about other events happening in at least two other civilizations in the world.
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2 points: Each member of the group contributed to the Preparation Sheet and final presentation;
researched and satisfactorily reported on most of the required information; interview questions
and answers were complete; included information about other events happening in two other
civilizations in the world.
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1 point: Students groups did not work cooperatively; not all members contributed to the
Preparation Sheet and final presentation; researched reported on little of the required
information; interview questions and answers were inaccurate or vague; included information
about other events happening in less than two other civilizations in the world.
Vocabulary
archaeology
Definition: The scientific study of the material remains of human life in the past.
Context: Archaeology has helped uncover a great deal of information about the history and
construction of the walls of China.
dynasty
Definition: A succession of rulers of the same line of descent.
Context: The rulers of the Tang dynasty, not known for building walls, led China during its
golden age.
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The Great Wall of China: Teacher’s Guide
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emperor
Definition: The supreme ruler of an empire.
Context: Emperor Qin is considered the first emperor of China and is the leader for whom the
country is named.
hordes
Definition: A tribal group of Mongolian nomads.
Context: Nomadic hordes terrified the Chinese as they attacked them and killed their animals.
icon
Definition: An emblem or symbol of something.
Context: Today the Great Wall of China is protected, as it serves as an icon for China.
omen
Definition: A sign foretelling a future event.
Context: The fact that Genghis Khan’s right hand was drenched in blood at birth was considered
an omen of his violent and warlike ways.
terra cotta
Definition: A fired clay, either glazed or unglazed, used for making statuettes and vases and for
architectural features such as roofs.
Context: The first Qin emperor’s massive tomb contained an army of terra cotta, with each
soldier having a different face, to protect the emperor’s body as in life.
Academic Standards
Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL)
McREL's Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education
addresses 14 content areas. To view the standards and benchmarks, visit
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/browse.asp.
This lesson plan addresses the following national standards:
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World History—Early Civilizations and the Rise of Pastoral Peoples: Understands major
trends in Eurasia and Africa from 4000 to 1000 BCE.
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World History—Expanding Zones of Exchange and Encounter: Understands major
developments in East Asia and Southeast Asia in the era of the Tang Dynasty from 600 to
900 CE.
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World History— Intensified Hemispheric Interactions: Understands major global trends
from 1000 to 1500 CE.
The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)
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The Great Wall of China: Teacher’s Guide
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The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) has developed national standards to provide
guidelines for teaching social studies. To view the standards online, go to
http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/strands/.
This lesson plan addresses the following thematic standards:
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Time, Continuity, and Change
Support Materials
Develop custom worksheets, educational puzzles, online quizzes, and more with the free teaching tools
offered on the Discoveryschool.com Web site. Create and print support materials, or save them to a
Custom Classroom account for future use. To learn more, visit
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http://school.discovery.com/teachingtools/teachingtools.html
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.