Lesson Plan on Qin Shi Huangdi
 
Teacher: Ms. Lisa Giannotti Subject: Social Studies
Grade Level: 4th Grade Date: March 10, 2004
I. Content: I want my students to understand the role Qin Shi Huangdi played in the building of The Great Wall of China.

II. Prerequisites: Students must be able to identify the country of China and its location on a world map. Students must have an understanding of why the Great Wall of China was built and when.

III. Instructional Objective: When requested the students will describe Qin Shi Huangdi’s role in the building of the Great Wall of China. Included in the description must be a reference to at least the following: 1) why the Great Wall of China was built; 2) what was Qin’s role in society; 3) the length of the Great Wall.

IV. Instructional Procedures:

Lesson Initiating Activity: The teacher will give the students a scenario. "Everyday after school, older kids come over to the school playground and leave garbage everywhere." The students will then be lead in a discussion by the teacher about how they feel and how they would handle this situation. The teacher asks, "What would you do to stop this? What about building a wall?" The teacher relates this situation to China during the Imperial Period and explains the wars between the states and the Northern and Southern regions. The teacher then explains that there were many walls built before the Great Wall to keep aggressive tribes out. The students are then asked to look at a picture of Qin Shi Huangdi and think about what kind of man he could have been.

Core Activity: The teacher explains that this is Qin Shi Huangdi and that he was the First Emperor of China. The teacher explains the following: During this time China was divided into states that were fighting against one another. Qin was responsible for the first Great Wall. This was his way of keeping the enemies out of his dynasty. When he became emperor, there were many walls built, but they were only hundred of miles long. Qin demanded a Great Wall that was 3,000 miles long. The teacher then shows the students a map of the United States and explains that if the Great Wall was in the United States, it would extend from Boston to San Francisco. The teacher shows this visual representation by taping a string on the map from Boston to San Francisco. The teacher explains that humans alone, no machines, built the entire wall! The students are asked why they think he decided to build a wall? Why a wall? The students are then put into groups of four and asked to pretend they are a news reporter during the Qin dynasty back in the Imperial Period. They are to write a report on the Great Wall of China being built. They are to include why it is being built, Qin’s role in society, and the length of the Great Wall.

Closure Activity: The students will then come up to the front of the room and present their news report. The teacher then reviews the key points of today’s lesson. Then the teacher leads a class discussion in which the following questions are addressed:
Who is Qin Shi Huangdi?
Why was the Great Wall built?
How long was the Great Wall?

ESOL Considerations: The teacher will provide a wide variety of activities addressing ESOL needs. The majority of the lesson is a class discussion in which the students participate in answering questions addressed. There are many visual aids used throughout the lesson including the picture of Qin Shi Huangdi and the United States map. During the map portion of the lesson the teacher visually shows the representation of the Great Wall from Boston to San Francisco with a string. At the end of the lesson the students work in cooperative groups on a news report and present it in front of the class.

V. Materials:
Map of the United States
World Map
Picture of Qin Shi Huangdi
Paper
Pencils

VI. Assessment:
At the end of the lesson he students are required to write a news report of the building of the Great Wall of China. In the report there must be reference made to at least the following: 1) why the Great Wall of China was built; 2) what was Qin’s role in society; 3) the length of the Great Wall. From this report the teacher will be able to see if the students have an understanding of Qin Shi Huangdi and the Great Wall of China.

VII. Follow-Up Activities:
Students will be put into groups of two to conduct a research project on Qin Shi Huangdi and his accomplishments while emperor in China. The students will use the computers for research purposes. As an art activity the students will draw their own Great Wall. As a math activity the students will measure the distance from Boston to San Francisco on the United States map, and compare it to the length of the Great Wall of China.

VIII. Self-Assessment: The teacher will know if the students have succeeding in learning the instructional objective of this lesson by reviewing the news reports for accurate facts and descriptions. In addition the teacher will answer the following questions constructively about the lesson delivery:
*Did the lesson go smoothly?
*Were the students interested in the information being taught?
*Did the students participate enthusiastically in-group discussions?
*Did they meet the goals of the instructional objective?
*Were the students able to follow the directions on the assignments given?
*Were there any discrepancies existing between the intended outcome and the actual lesson outcome?

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