LESSON PLANS
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Confucianism and DaoismIn the 5th century BCE, China was thrown into a period of intense warfare among rival states. The conflict created a need for new political models to solve the crisis. As a result, this period led to the development of many new philosophies. Two of the most influential of these philosophies were Confucianism and Daoism. In this lesson, students read from Confucian and Daoist texts to answer the question: What did ancient Chinese philosophers think was the ideal form of government?
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Chinese innovationThis inquiry provides students with an opportunity to examine nine of China’s most impactful innovations and their contributions to the modern world. These innovations and inventions fall into three categories: 1) Communication innovations including, written language, paper, and printing; 2) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) innovations including the compass, the Great Wall of China, gunpowder and fireworks, and; 3) Economic innovations including, common currency, silk, and the Silk Road. The Communication innovations were the widest ranging chronologically with written language appearing in the Shang Dynasty (1,600-1,046 BCE) and paper-making not happening until 100 BCE in the Wu Dynasty and then printing in the Tang Dynasty in the 7th and 8th century CE. STEM innovations unfolded first with early fireworks and the parts of the Great Wall of China in the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE). The compass was invented in China during the Han Dynasty between the 2nd century BC and 1st century AD. Gunpowder was developed in the Tang dynasty (9th century) and began to be used in rockets in the 13th century. Economic innovations go all the way back to 3,000 BCE with the development of silk. Three thousand years later the Silk Road begins to open up and common currency appears with the Qin in 3rd century BCE.
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Ancient HebrewsThis 2016 Inquiry Challenge winner leads students through an investigation of ancient Hebrew history and Judaism by using various sources that consider the historical and theological foundations, as well as issues related to geography and place. By investigating the compelling question, students examine the history of the ancient Hebrew people, the principles that form the foundation of Judaic thought, the connection of history and religion to Israel, and the geographic variance in religious practices. By completing this inquiry, students begin to understand issues revolving around the factors that help to form a people’s identity, as well as the fluidity of defining a group within any predetermined criteria
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Assyrian Siege of JerusalemCorroborating different accounts is central to what historians do when trying to determine what happened in the past. Corroboration is often difficult for events in ancient history because of the incomplete nature of artifacts. In this lesson, students corroborate an excerpt from a cuneiform tablet and a passage from the Book of Kings about Sennacherib’s siege of Jerusalem in 701 BCE.
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