Download The Dynasty Cycle - Scarsdale Schools

Dynasty Cycle Notes
Culture Section
When we study the history of ancient China we hear a lot of names.
Historians refer to time periods in Chinese history as Shang, Zhou, Han,
Tang, etc.
These time periods in history are named for the dynasty that was in
charge during those years. A dynasty is:
_________________________________________________________
Many students of history have the same question – why do dynasties
change?? As we are discovering this year, although every culture and time
period are unique in their own ways, there are certain patterns of behavior
that we see time and time again. Therefore we are able to identify a
Dynastic Cycle in the history of ancient China. A Dynastic Cycle would
explain: _________________________________________________
Shang Dynasty (c.1700 – 1100 BCE)
The first dynasty that left written records was the Shang Dynasty.
This dynasty lasted for 600 years. They gained territory much in the same
way the Mesopotamian kings created empires. The power to rule was passed
down from brother to brother within the Shang family and then from
youngest brother to his oldest ___________.
Writing
Shang Dynasty Main Ideas
Oracle Bones
Bronze Metalworking
Zhou Dynasty
With the transition from Shang to Zhou we can begin to see the
development of the Dynastic Cycle. The Zhou kings also added the Mandate
of Heaven into the culture of ancient China. The Mandate of Heaven is:
_________________________________________________________
It is lost when:
_________________________________________________________
The Dynasty Cycle
Making Connections:
Connect the Dynasty Cycle to something you are familiar with in our society.
Explain the connection in detail.
_________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Dynastic Cycle Story
Directions: Use the information from the Dynasty Cycle chart and your
creativity to complete the story below.
Once, long ago in a beautiful and prosperous land far across the ocean
there was a king from a great family of rulers named Pophamsix. Most of the
people agreed that the king was a(n) ____________________________
ruler because he __________________________________________
and the country ___________________________________________.
As a result, the people lived good lives.
However many years later, when this great king’s grandson,
_______________________ started to rule, the family’s power began to
decline. It all started when ________________ years later people became
more upset when the king decided to
______________________________________________.
It wasn’t long after the King’s popularity started to decline that a
number of disasters struck the kingdom. First
_________________________________________________. This was
followed by ______________________________________________
and _______________________________________________.
It didn't seem that the king would be able to solve the country’s
problems, so the people began to say that the king and his family had lost
_______________________________.
After this many different groups _______________________
and there was general chaos through out the kingdom.
During this time of chaos there was one particularly strong group lead
by a man named __________________. For most of his years he was a
________________, but during the times of trouble he organized a group
of rebels to oppose the king. Many people supported this new energetic
leader and said he should be the ruler because
________________________________________. In the end
____________________________________ and people were then sure
that the old dynasty had lost the Mandate of Heaven.
Once the new dynasty came to power they helped to restore order by
__________________________________ and
__________________________. In general most of the people in the
country were ______________________________ with their new ruler
and they could be confident that he held the Mandate of Heaven.
TTJ#20
Margie has been elected SO president for Scarsdale
Middle School. She has many good ideas for SO contests
and spirit days. She even found a way to get rid of the
bamboo utensils in the dining rooms. Margie is very good
about listening to the students in all the houses of SMS.
Margie has moved on to the high school. Her sister
Katherine is now in 8th grade and wants to run for SO
president. Her speech at the assembly makes many of
the same points as Margie’s. She shares her friendly
demeanor. How would you feel about voting for
Katherine?
Katherine proved herself a dedicated SO president.
The following year, her cousin Beth runs for SO
president and is elected based on Margie and Katherine’s
good reputations. Beth pays a lot of attention to the
ideas given by the students from her house only. She
forgets to request the ordering of plastic utensils for
the dining rooms. Other than that she is a fairly good
SO president.
Beth’s younger brother Jimmy is elected SO
president the following year based on the fact that so
many students associate his family with being SO
president. He too forgets about requesting the plastic
utensils. He thinks that one spirit day a year is enough.
The only candy given out for prizes that year are
Smarties. He misses many SO meetings, but he makes a
shirt that says “Jimmy is the Best SO President” using
money from the last charity fundraiser.
The following year Beth and Jimmy’s younger
brother Louis is running for president. This family has
had members serve as president for the last four years!
Louis is up against Juli who is new to Scarsdale.
How do you feel about the election this year? Who
will you be voting for?