Ancient China - Cyberhunt Activities

Instructor, Jan-Feb, 2003 by Gail Skroback Hennessey

Bring some of the history and accomplishments of this extraordinary culture into your classroom with these Internet-based activities, suitable for middle- and upper-graders. Before you begin, distribute the Reproducible on page 68.

Chip off the Old Block

The Ancient Chinese were the first humans to use paper, created by soaking the inner bark of a mulberry tree in chemicals, pressing it, and drying it. The Chinese also invented the first early form of printing; they carved words onto sheets of wood and pressed the words with ink. Share these inventions with your students with an exciting block-printing activity using homemade paper and potato stamps. For an easy-to-learn paper-making recipe, visit www.beakman.com/paper/paper.html, then divide the class into pairs or small groups. After your paper has dried, distribute one or more halved potatoes to each group, and invite students to choose simple shapes or designs for their stamps. Students can then use forks, spoons, plastic knives, or other tools to carefully carve around each shape so that it sticks up from the rest of the potato. Next, show students how to dip the carved parts of their potatoes into bright tempera or acrylic paints, and press--or "block"--onto paper in a pattern. Discuss with students the ir findings about the paper-making and printing processes. Why do they think the first printing press, invented in Europe around 1450, used separate, moveable letters to form words? Why do they think metal was later used for the stamps instead of wood?

Confucius Says...

The Ancient Chinese used a special ink called "lamp black' made out of the soot from the bottom of kettles mixed with tree sap. One important use for this ink was writing down the wisdom of philosophers, including that of Confucius, one of Ancient China's most famous teachers. Visit www.crystalinks.com/Confucius.html to introduce some of these teachings to your students, then invite them to write out and illustrate a few favorites on manila paper. To make your own lamp black ink for students, carefully cover a plate with soot by holding it upside down over a lighted candle. Add a bit of vegetable oil and stir together until it has the consistency of ink. Students can also try inventing their own original "wise" sayings and inserting them into fortune cookies to share with classmates. For fun, sample fortune-cookie sayings to inspire your students, visit www.new-year.co.uk/chinese/cookie.cfm

A Day in the Life

In the 1980s, wonderfully preserved mummies, known as the Takla Makan mummies, were found in western China. Although they date back more than 3,000 years, the mummies were representative of an ancient society that had knowledge of weaving and the art of tattooing, and used horses. To show photographs to your students, visit www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/china mum/taklamakan.html and www.discovery.com/stories/history/desert mummies/desertmummies.html Challenge students to imagine they are the archaeologists who unearthed the Takla Makan mummies, and to each write a diary entry about their findings. What do they think is remarkable about the mummies?

Virtual Visit

After completing the CyberHunt, invite students to write a postcard to a friend or family member, imagining that they have been traveling through Ancient China. Begin by distributing a blank postcard to each student. Ask students to draw and color a picture on one side of the card, or they can cut and paste imagery from some of the related Web sites found on these pages. What have they seen on their adventures? On the opposite side of their cards, students should include several sentences naming facts they've learned about Ancient China from their "travels," historic figures they've "met," or special souvenirs that they plan to bring home.

MORE ANCIENT CHINA SITES

* Historical China resources: www.crystalinks.com/China.html

* Chinese names: www.mandarintools.com/chinesename.html

* Stories: http://chinavista.com/experience/story/story.html

* Inventions: http://library.thinkquest.org/10662/normal_inv.htm

* Explorers: http://china-inc.com/education/history/ming.html3

* Music: www.musicfromchina.org

* Zodiac: www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Haskell_EL/calendar%20past% 20events/chinesenew%20year% 20gifs/chinesenewyear.htm

* Photos: www.discovery.com/stories/history/greatwall/satphoto.html

* Monument: www.chinavista.com/travel/terracotta/warrior05.html

ANCIENT CHINA

Learn about the extraordinary accomplishments of a fascinating ancient culture. Start at www.scholastic.com/cyberhuntkids Write your answers below, or use a sheet of paper.

1. The Ancient Chinese created many important inventions that are now used around the world, such as paper money and gunpowder. They were also the first to harvest silk. Name three uses for it. _____ www.crystalinks.com/chinainventions html

2. Another invention, the compass, had a religious use. What was it? _____ What was an abacus used for? _____ www.crystalinks.com/chinainventions.html

3. Chinese writing developed more than 3,500 years ago. Each character, or symbol, stands for a word. What word do you get when you combine the symbols for fire and mountain? _____ Woman and child? _____ http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/3614/drawing2.htm