ES Literacy Reading Grade 3: Ancient China

We believe that students need a base of knowledge, often referred to by scholars and education experts as “core knowledge,” to learn and explore topics at a more sophisticated level. For example, if you do not know anything about the Bible or Greek Mythology, it is nearly impossible to understand anything about the history of Western Art.

An increasing number of kids today have extreme deficits in core knowledge which impede their further acquisition of knowledge and understanding. They do not know anything about the Founding Fathers and the key debates of the Revolutionary War period; therefore, it is very difficult for them to understand the Civil War.

We address the challenges of core knowledge deficits primarily through reading (which is why it is so imperative that your kids read voraciously at home and at school), but we also address them through deliberate efforts to give our scholars quick hits of background knowledge, through what we call core knowledge units.

China was one of the great ancient civilizations, and today it is the most populous country on Earth! It is a thriving center of economic activity. Today, most things used around the world are made in China. This study is an exciting opportunity to dive deep into the social organization, technological innovations, and cultural elements that characterized everyday life in ancient China.

If you do your job well, your scholars will understand:

• What everyday life was like for people in ancient China.
• How the Chinese used and developed tools and new technologies.
• What monuments and artifacts from ancient China teach us about Chinese culture and history.

As in all reading units, your job as a teacher is to ensure that your students are reading at home and at school. Meet with the parents of scholars who are falling short on their at-home reading. If you cannot convince parents to ensure that their children are keeping up with their homework, you need to manage up to leadership.

It is your responsibility to ensure that ALL of your scholars are reading 6 days a week at home!

Scholars will explore and learn about ancient China through three exciting projects.

• Interview the Ancient Chinese
  • Each scholar poses as a member of a particular social class and does mock interviews with classmates to demonstrate understanding of what life was like for members of that social class. Scholars take turns being interviewed and posing questions as the interviewer. Film the interviews to share at the museum!
• Create an Invention
  • The ancient Chinese solved many of their problems by inventing new things. Each scholar will choose one of these inventions and create a 3D model of it, accompanied by a plaque explaining the invention’s significance.
• A Letter to the Emperor
  • Each scholar will write a letter to Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi to convince him that he should—or should not—build the Great Wall of China.

On days 1-9, you will have 90 minutes for your scholars to become investigators of ancient China.

On days 10 and beyond, you will have 75 minutes for your scholars to become investigators of ancient China.

Some days the focus is on investigating and studying to learn more, while other days center around project work.

Your day might include:

• Launch: This is brief. You need to quickly set your scholars up for success, without unnecessary teacher talk. Your purpose here is to allow your scholars to start working independently, as quickly as possible. If you can do it in 5 minutes, do so!
• Read to Learn: Through Read Alouds and Shared Texts, you will model how to research and develop expertise about a topic.
• Writing: Through writing, scholars will further develop their expertise by recording the details and big ideas they have learned.
• Independent Reading: Scholars will have time to both explore the topic through core knowledge-related texts and read their just-right books.
• Project Work: Scholars engage in the topic through hands-on, firsthand experiences and create projects to share and communicate what they have learned.

Facilitating meaningful learning through a core knowledge unit is challenging, because there are materials to manage and the work is open-ended. But this is the very reason why it is valuable and engaging for our scholars.

Your level of preparation and your clarity of purpose make all the difference. You also need a North Star. You need to know what excellent third-grade work for this unit looks like. Fortunately, we have many samples. Study them and know what you are shooting for. You need to know what the work should look like, and you need to be striving to get ALL your kids’ work there!

Guard against exploration without rigor! Scholars’ experiences should spark questions and further investigation about the topic.

Museum: The study culminates with an exhibition, or museum, showcasing scholars’ work, and most importantly, all that they’ve learned about ancient China. This is a great opportunity to get parents invested in their scholars’ academic work.

Before the unit begins, you must plan backwards from your museum. The work scholars do daily will be the crux of the exhibition.

Use project work time to check in with scholars to see that their work demonstrates what they have learned. Is their work accurate? Is it neat and detailed? Does it demonstrate their best effort?

Communicate with families early on about your museum so they can make plans in advance to attend and support it.

Make a plan to prepare scholars to present their museum to visitors, guiding guests on a tour of their projects and clearly demonstrating their excitement and expertise about the topic.

Effective Materials Management: Scholars will work with a variety of materials as they create their projects. Plan how you will manage the materials, but keep the focus on the content! Ask your Art teacher for advice on managing the materials and when working with any unfamiliar medium.

Scholars will use core knowledge journals and folders for their research and writing. Prepare these beforehand, making them special and exciting for scholars to use.

You will need lots of space! Make sure you have a plan for how to use your classroom, including wall space within and outside of your four walls, to display scholar work and a core knowledge word wall.

What was everyday life like for people in ancient China?

How did the Chinese use and develop tools and new technologies?

What do monuments and artifacts from ancient China teach us about Chinese culture and history?

How can we teach others what we’ve learned?

Below is a list of additional resources not included in the lessons, which you can use to build scholars’ content knowledge.

Read Alouds:

• Hidden Army: Clay Soldiers of Ancient China, by Jane O’Connor
• The Emperor’s Silent Army: Terracotta Warriors of Ancient China, by Jane O’Connor

What Does Success Look Like?

What was everyday life like for people in ancient China?

Success is when scholars can place ancient China geographically on a map and chronologically in its historical time frame.

Day 1 (90 minutes)
Engage — 1 minute

• Introduce scholars to the new unit of study by showing them the “Day 1 Inquiry Photos” from the Ancient China Resources. Have scholars turn and talk to describe their questions/observations.

Read to Learn — 10 minutes

• Read the Shared Text “Ancient China: When and Where” from Who Did What in Ancient China, Appleseeds Magazine by Elizabeth Phillips-Hershey, together as a class. Discuss how the text features help you understand the author’s purpose for writing the text.

Launch — 5 minutes

• Scholars will read “Chinese History” from Welcome to China by Caryn Jenner, independently. Have scholars think about what the author is teaching the reader in this text.

Read to Learn — 15 minutes

• Scholars read the Shared Text “Chinese History” from Welcome to China by Caryn Jenner.
• Call scholars back to the rug. As a class, discuss what the author is teaching in this text, and what this makes you think.

Writing/Targeted Teaching Time — 30 minutes

• Scholars each receive a pair of “Inquiry Photos,” comparing ancient China with modern China. Explain to scholars that now that we know some basic facts about ancient China, we are going to look at some photos and illustrations from ancient China and from our own time period.
• Give each partnership two photos to compare and contrast. Have each scholar create a Venn diagram in his or her study journal and then write a paragraph about the similarities and differences between ancient China and today’s China.
• Spend the first few minutes making sure all kids are on task. Narrate scholars who are following through on your expectations.
• Spend 2-3 minutes working individually with 5-6 scholars. Ask each scholar to identify his writing goal and what’s holding him back. Kids should know and articulate their goals!
• Have scholars tell you their big ideas. Can their big ideas be made stronger?
• Model for scholars and give them strategies to tackle their goals.
• Choose two scholars who have strong ideas to share their paragraphs. Give scholars time to go back, reread, and revise their writing.

Independent Reading/Targeted Teaching Time — 30 minutes

• Set the expectation that scholars have two eyes reading, two hands on the book, and two feet on the floor during Independent Reading.
• Scholars sustain focused reading for 25 minutes.
• Whether you are flying solo or teaching as part of a duo, start by making sure all kids are focused and the room has a hushed tone. Play classical or instrumental jazz music, but the volume should be low. Narrate scholars who are meeting your expectations or demonstrating strong reading habits.
• Spend 2–3 minutes working individually with 5–6 scholars. Ask each scholar to identify her reading level goal and what’s holding her back. Kids should know and articulate their goals!
• Listen to scholars read, assessing their struggles and level of understanding. Do they need to envision more? Do they need to stop after each paragraph and think about what the big idea is?
• Model for scholars and give them strategies to tackle their goals. Listen to scholars as they read, and hold them accountable for applying the strategies.

What Does Success Look Like?

What was everyday life like for people in ancient China?

Success is when scholars understand how ancient Chinese society was split into social groups, and what those groups were.

Day 2 (90 minutes)

Engage — 1 minute

• Engage scholars by telling them that just as they have chores and responsibilities at home, the ancient Chinese culture was split into different groups with specific tasks.

Read to Learn — 30 minutes

• Read the Shared Text “From Top to Bottom” from Ancient China Kids Discover Magazine.
• Scholars bring their journals to the carpet. Each scholar makes a chart that lists the social groups, and then the key facts about that group. Make a larger version on chart paper.
• Chart with scholars the various social groups that existed, and key facts about each.

Writing/Targeted Teaching Time — 30 minutes

• Scholars work with partners to read and respond to the Shared Text “Working on the Farm: Chinese Peasants” from Who Did What in Ancient China, Appleseeds Magazine by Kathiann M. Kowalski. Each scholar writes a paragraph about what life was like for farmers in ancient China.
• Spend the first few minutes making sure all kids are on task. Narrate scholars who are following through on your expectations.
• Spend 2–3 minutes working individually with 5–6 scholars. Ask each scholar to identify his writing goal and what’s holding him back. Kids should know and articulate their goals!
• Have scholars tell you their big ideas. Can their big ideas be made stronger? Do they support their ideas with evidence? Is their writing simple and clear? Do they reread their writing?
• Model for scholars and give them strategies to tackle their goals.
• Listen to scholars articulate and watch them write their ideas. Hold them accountable for applying the strategies.
• Choose two scholars who have strong ideas to share their paragraphs.
• Give scholars time to go back, reread, and revise their writing.

Independent Reading/Targeted Teaching Time — 30 minutes

• Set the expectation that scholars have two eyes reading, two hands on the book, and two feet on the floor during Independent Reading.
• It is critical that scholars sustain focused reading for 25 minutes.
• When kids are focused and the room has a hushed tone, spend 2–3 minutes working individually with 5–6 scholars. Ask each scholar to identify her reading level goal and what’s holding her back.
• Listen to scholars read, and assess their struggles and level of understanding.
• Model and give scholars strategies to tackle their goals. Listen to scholars read and hold them accountable for applying the strategies.

What Does Success Look Like?

What was everyday life like for people in ancient China?

Success is when scholars are able to describe what the lives of emperors, rich citizens, and skilled workers were like.

Day 3 (90 minutes)
Engage — 1 minute

• Tell scholars that today they’ll meet the emperor, the rich, and the skilled workers of ancient China.

Virtual Field Study — 15 minutes

• Scholars watch a video describing ancient China’s ruler and its upper class.
• Scholars add to the T-charts they created yesterday, listing each social class and key facts about members of that class.
• Stop the video at key points to discuss, and then add to the charts.
• Have a brief discussion with scholars, describing what life was like for emperors, including both the benefits and the drawbacks.

Read to Learn — 20 minutes

• Read the Shared Texts “Lives of the Rich” and “Lives of Skilled Workers”, both from
  Excavating the Past: Ancient China by Jane Shuter.
• Have scholars add to their T-charts.

Project Work — 25 minutes

• Show scholars the article “How to Conduct a Strong Interview,” from What Kids Can Do, Inc. Read over the “Designing Good Questions” and “In the Moment: Interview Dynamics” sections. Highlight that great interview questions are open-ended and specific.
• Scholars will each choose a social class they’d like to learn more about, and then split into groups based on interest. Then they will draft interview questions for members of this social class, including questions about their daily lives, roles, and responsibilities within the community. Have available the pictures, Read Alouds, and Shared Texts they’ve studied.
• Get your scholars focused and ensure that the room has a hushed tone. Narrate scholars who are meeting your expectations.
• Spend 2–3 minutes working with groups. Ask what questions they’re formulating and why.
• Choose two scholars who have strong interview questions to share, then give scholars time to go back and add to their questions.

Independent Reading/Targeted Teaching Time — 30 minutes

• Set the expectation that scholars have two eyes reading, two hands on the book, and two feet on the floor during Independent Reading.
• It is critical that scholars sustain focused reading for 25 minutes.
• When kids are focused and the room has a hushed tone, spend 2–3 minutes working individually with 5–6 scholars. Ask each scholar to identify his reading level goal and what’s holding him back.
• Listen to scholars read, and assess their struggles and level of understanding.
• Model and give scholars strategies to tackle their goals. Listen to scholars read and hold them accountable for applying the strategies.

What Does Success Look Like?

What was everyday life like for people in ancient China?
Success is when scholars are able to describe what life was like for members of each social class in ancient China.

Day 4 (90 minutes)

Engage — 1 minute

• Tell scholars that today they’ll have the chance to finalize their interview questions, pose as members of the social classes common in ancient China, and interview one another on film!

Launch — 5 minutes

• Have scholars review the charts in their journals that list key facts of each social group in ancient China, focusing on the group for which they formulated questions yesterday. Have them look over their questions to consider how they could be made stronger.
• Have scholars turn and talk to discuss with partners how they’ll make their questions even stronger as they complete them today.

Project Work — 55 minutes

• Scholars will complete their interview questions within their small groups, then study and prepare accurate responses to the questions. Group members should rotate through practicing the roles of interviewer posing questions, and of interviewee answering the questions accurately.
• Get your scholars focused and ensure that the room has a hushed tone. Narrate scholars who are meeting your expectations.
• Spend 2–3 minutes working with scholars in each small group to ensure that they have strong interview questions, and that the interviewees are answering the questions accurately.
• Have scholars tell you their big ideas about life in their specific social classes. Can their big ideas be made stronger? Model for scholars and give them strategies to tackle their goals.
• Listen to scholars articulate their ideas. Hold them accountable for answering completely and correctly.
• Choose two scholars who have strong interviews, and share their videos.

Independent Reading/Targeted Teaching Time — 30 minutes

• Set the expectation that scholars have two eyes reading, two hands on the book, and two feet on the floor during Independent Reading.
• It is critical that scholars sustain focused reading for 25 minutes.
• When kids are focused and the room has a hushed tone, spend 2–3 minutes working individually with 5–6 scholars. Ask each scholar to identify her reading level goal and what’s holding her back.
• Listen to scholars read, and assess their struggles and level of understanding.
• Model and give scholars strategies to tackle their goals. Listen to scholars read and hold them accountable for applying the strategies.

What Does Success Look Like?

What was everyday life like for people in ancient China?
Success is when scholars are able to describe what life was like for members of each social class in ancient China.

Day 5 (90 minutes)

Engage — 1 minute

• Tell scholars that today they’ll have the chance to work in their small groups, practice posing as members of the social classes common in ancient China, and interview one another on film!

Project Work — 45 minutes

• Scholars review their interview questions within their small groups. Then each group chooses one representative of the group to be interviewed, posing as a member of a social class common in ancient China. Small groups will film the interviews together.
• Get your scholars focused and ensure that the room has a hushed tone. Narrate scholars who are meeting your expectations.
• Spend 2–3 minutes working with members of each small group to ensure that they are practicing what will be filmed.
• Have scholars in each group tell you who will be interviewed and how the interviewee plans to answer the questions.
• Listen to scholars articulate their ideas. Hold them accountable for answering completely and correctly.
• Choose two scholars who have strong interviews, and share their videos.

Read to Learn — 15 minutes

• Read aloud The Great Wall, by Elizabeth Mann, pages 1–21.

Independent Reading/Targeted Teaching Time — 30 minutes

• Set the expectation that scholars have two eyes reading, two hands on the book, and two feet on the floor during Independent Reading.
• It is critical that scholars sustain focused reading for 25 minutes.
• When kids are focused and the room has a hushed tone, spend 2–3 minutes working individually with 5–6 scholars. Ask each scholar to identify her reading level goal and what’s holding her back.
• Listen to scholars read, and assess their struggles and level of understanding.
• Model and give scholars strategies to tackle their goals. Listen to scholars read and hold them accountable for applying the strategies.

What Does Success Look Like?

How did the Chinese use and develop tools and new technologies?

Success is when scholars are able to describe various inventions of the ancient Chinese and the importance of these inventions.

Day 6 (90 minutes)

Engage — 1 minute

• Tell scholars that just as Americans invented things we use every day—like Thomas Edison’s lightbulb—people in ancient China invented many things we still use today!

Launch — 5 minutes

• Scholars will watch a documentary over two days that describes many of the inventions the ancient Chinese thought of and created.
• Each scholar will create a chart in her journal that lists “Inventions” in one column, and “What We Learned” in the other column.

Virtual Field Study — 20 minutes

• Watch “Things Europe Never Invented: Ancient Chinese Inventions Pt1”.
• Stop the video after each invention is discussed, and have scholars add to their charts. Scholars turn and talk to partners to discuss which invention interested them the most, and why.

Read to Learn — 15 minutes

• Read the Shared Text “Amazing Inventions” from Life in Ancient China by Paul Challen, and have scholars add any inventions introduced in this text to their charts.

Writing/Targeted Teaching Time — 20 minutes

• Scholars each write a paragraph about one key invention and why it was important.
• Spend the first few minutes making sure all kids are on task. Narrate scholars who are following through on your expectations.
• Spend 2–3 minutes working individually with 5–6 scholars. Ask each scholar to identify his writing goal and what’s holding him back. Kids should know and articulate their goals!
• Have scholars tell you their big ideas. Can their big ideas be made stronger? Do they support their ideas with evidence? Is their writing simple and clear? Do they reread their writing?
• Model for scholars and give them strategies to tackle their goals.
• Listen to scholars articulate and watch them write their ideas. Hold them accountable for applying the strategies.
• Choose two scholars who have strong ideas to share their journal entries. Give scholars time to go back, reread, and revise their writing.

Independent Reading/Targeted Teaching Time — 30 minutes

• Set the expectation that scholars have two eyes reading, two hands on the book, and two feet on the floor during Independent Reading.
• It is critical that scholars sustain focused reading for 25 minutes.
• When kids are focused and the room has a hushed tone, spend 2–3 minutes working individually with 5–6 scholars. Ask each scholar to identify her reading level goal and what’s holding her back.
• Listen to scholars read, and assess their struggles and level of understanding. Model and give scholars strategies to tackle their goals. Listen to scholars read and hold them accountable for applying the strategies.

What Does Success Look Like?

How did the Chinese use and develop tools and new technologies?

Success is when scholars are able to describe various inventions of the ancient Chinese, and the importance of these inventions.

Day 7 (90 minutes)
Engage — 1 minute

• Tell scholars that today they’ll continue studying the inventions of the ancient Chinese, and continue watching the fascinating documentary they began yesterday.

Launch — 5 minutes

• Scholars will watch parts 2 and 3 of the documentary on ancient Chinese inventions, using their journals and adding to their “Inventions” charts from yesterday.

Virtual Field Study — 20 minutes

• Watch “Things Europe Never Invented: Ancient Chinese Inventions Pt2&3”.
• Stop the video after each invention is discussed, and have scholars add to their charts. At the end, scholars turn and talk to discuss which invention interested them the most, and why. They finish their charts by adding in any missed details.

Writing/Targeted Teaching Time — 20 minutes

• Scholars read and use the text “Tools” to write in their journals about one invention and why it was important.
• Spend the first few minutes making sure all kids are on task. Narrate scholars who are following through on your expectations.
• Spend 2–3 minutes working individually with 5–6 scholars. Ask each scholar to identify his writing goal and what’s holding him back. Kids should know and articulate their goals!
• Have scholars tell you their big ideas. Can their big ideas be made stronger? Do they support their ideas with evidence? Is their writing simple and clear? Do they reread their writing?
• Model for scholars and give them strategies to tackle their goals. Listen to scholars articulate and watch them write their ideas. Hold them accountable for applying the strategies.
• Choose two scholars who have strong ideas to share their text features and captions. Give scholars time to go back, reread, and revise their writing.

Read to Learn — 15 minutes

• Read aloud The Chinese Thought of It: Amazing Inventions, by Ting-xing Ye.

Independent Reading/Targeted Teaching Time — 30 minutes

• Set the expectation that scholars have two eyes reading, two hands on the book, and two feet on the floor during Independent Reading.
• It is critical that scholars sustain focused reading for 25 minutes.
• When kids are focused and the room has a hushed tone, spend 2–3 minutes working individually with 5–6 scholars.
• Ask each scholar to identify her reading level goal and what’s holding her back. Listen to scholars read, and assess their struggles and level of understanding.
• Model and give scholars strategies to tackle their goals. Listen to scholars read and hold them accountable for applying the strategies.

What Does Success Look Like?

How did the Chinese use and develop tools and new technologies?

Success is when scholars can think like ancient Chinese inventors by creating an invention to solve a problem.

Day 8 (90 minutes)
Engage — 1 minute

• Tell scholars that today they’ll have the chance to think like ancient Chinese inventors and create their own inventions!

Launch — 5 minutes

• Have scholars review their comprehensive “Inventions” charts, and the Shared Texts they have studied. Remind scholars that the Chinese invented things that helped them overcome problems they had.
• Have scholars turn and talk about the ancient Chinese inventions that interest them most and why they find them fascinating.

Project Work — 50 minutes

• Each scholar creates a 3D model of a Chinese invention. Scholars can use many media to bring their inventions to life, but the inventions must be 3D. Open a wide variety of resources to scholars, as they will likely need different supplies to help their ideas come to fruition. Scholars should have pipe cleaners, different-sized and/or broken-down cardboard boxes, clay and Play-Doh, cardstock and construction paper, extra math manipulatives such as pattern blocks, wooden geoblocks, pens, pencils, watercolors, and pastel crayons.
• Spend 2–3 minutes working individually with 5–6 scholars.
• Have scholars tell you about their inventions. Can the invention be portrayed more clearly with a different medium? Model for scholars and give them strategies to tackle their goals.
• Listen to scholars articulate and watch them bring their ideas to life in clay and paint. Hold them accountable for applying the strategies.

Independent Reading/Targeted Teaching Time — 30 minutes

• Set the expectation that scholars have two eyes reading, two hands on the book, and two feet on the floor during Independent Reading.
• It is critical that scholars sustain focused reading for 25 minutes.
• When kids are focused and the room has a hushed tone, spend 2–3 minutes working individually with 5–6 scholars. Ask each scholar to identify his reading level goal and what’s holding him back.
• Listen to scholars read, and assess their struggles and level of understanding.
• Model and give scholars strategies to tackle their goals. Listen to scholars read and hold them accountable for applying the strategies.

What Does Success Look Like?

How did the Chinese use and develop tools and new technologies?

Success is when scholars are able to describe why their inventions are important.

Day 9 (90 minutes)
Engage — 1 minute

• Tell scholars that today they’ll complete their projects by creating plaques for their inventions.

Launch — 5–7 minutes

• Have scholars review their inventions from yesterday, and tell them to look through their “Inventions” charts to consider what they want to include on their plaques. Remind them that the plaque should state what the invention is and why it’s important.
• Have scholars turn and talk to discuss with partners what they’re including on their plaques, and why.

Project Work — 45 minutes

• Scholars will use card stock and gold Sharpie pens, or other available materials, to create their plaques.
• Get your scholars focused and ensure that the room has a hushed tone. Narrate scholars who are meeting your expectations.
• Spend 2–3 minutes working individually with 5–6 scholars. Ask each scholar how he’s going to accurately describe his invention.
• Have scholars tell you about the plaques they’re creating. Do their plaques describe their inventions and why they’re important? Can their ideas be conveyed more clearly?
• Model for scholars and give them strategies to tackle their goals.
• Listen to scholars articulate their ideas. Hold them accountable for applying the strategies.
• Choose two scholars to share who have strong plaques to accompany their inventions.
• Then give scholars time to go back and revise their plaques.

Read to Learn — 20 minutes

• Continue reading The Chinese Thought of It: Amazing Inventions, by Ting-xing Ye.

Independent Reading/Targeted Teaching Time — 30 minutes

• Set the expectation that scholars have two eyes reading, two hands on the book, and two feet on the floor during Independent Reading.
• It is critical that scholars sustain focused reading for 25 minutes.
• When kids are focused and the room has a hushed tone, spend 2–3 minutes working individually with 5–6 scholars. Ask each scholar to identify her reading level goal and what’s holding her back.
• Listen to scholars read, and assess their struggles and level of understanding.
• Model and give scholars strategies to tackle their goals. Listen to scholars read and hold them accountable for applying the strategies.

What Does Success Look Like?

What do monuments and artifacts from ancient China teach us about Chinese culture and history?

Success is when scholars understand the significance of Qin Shi Huangdi, and what he teaches us about ancient China.

Day 10 (75 minutes)
Engage — 1 minute

• Remind scholars what they learned about Qin Shi Huangdi in The Great Wall, by Elizabeth Mann, and tell them they’ll be learning even more today by watching a documentary!

Launch — 5 minutes

• Scholars will watch the short documentary and take notes in their journals. They’ll each create a chart that has a column for “What We Learned” and a column for “What That Makes Us Think.” Create a whole-class version on chart paper.

Virtual Field Study — 20 minutes

• Stop the video after each important fact is shared, so scholars can add this to their charts, and you can add it to the whole-class chart.
• After you’ve watched the video, have scholars turn and talk to partners to share their charts and to ensure that they’ve captured the most important facts. Then finish the class chart together by adding any missing details.

Read to Learn — 20 minutes

• Continue reading The Great Wall, by Elizabeth Mann.

Independent Reading/Targeted Teaching Time — 30 minutes

• Set the expectation that scholars have two eyes reading, two hands on the book, and two feet on the floor during Independent Reading.
• It is critical that scholars sustain focused reading for 25 minutes.
• When kids are focused and the room has a hushed tone, spend 2–3 minutes working individually with 5–6 scholars. Ask each scholar to identify her reading level goal and what’s holding her back.
• Listen to scholars read, and assess their struggles and level of understanding.
• Model and give scholars strategies to tackle their goals. Listen to scholars read and hold them accountable for applying the strategies.

What Does Success Look Like?

What do monuments and artifacts from ancient China teach us about Chinese culture and history?

Success is when scholars understand what the terracotta warriors are, and what they teach us about ancient China.

Day 11 (75 minutes)
Engage — 1 minute

• Scholars, today we are going to learn about the terracotta warriors and their importance as cultural artifacts from ancient China.

Read to Learn — 15 minutes

• Read the Shared Text “Works of Art” from Hidden Army: Clay Soldiers of Ancient China by Jane O’Connor, and have scholars add any new information to their charts.

Writing/Targeted Teaching Time — 20 minutes

• Scholars each write a paragraph describing what the terracotta warriors teach us about ancient China.
• Spend the first few minutes making sure all kids are on task. Narrate scholars who are following through on your expectations.
• Spend 2–3 minutes working individually with 5–6 scholars. Ask each scholar to identify his writing goal and what’s holding him back. Kids should know and articulate their goals!
• Have scholars tell you their big ideas. Can their big ideas be made stronger? Do they support their ideas with evidence? Is their writing simple and clear? Do they reread their writing?
• Model for scholars and give them strategies to tackle their goals.
• Listen to scholars articulate and watch them write their ideas. Hold them accountable for applying the strategies.
• Choose two scholars who have strong ideas to share their text features and captions. Give scholars time to go back, reread, and revise their writing.

Read to Learn — 10 minutes

• Finish reading Elizabeth Mann’s The Great Wall.

Independent Reading/Targeted Teaching Time — 30 minutes

• Set the expectation that scholars have two eyes reading, two hands on the book, and two feet on the floor during Independent Reading.
• It is critical that scholars sustain focused reading for 25 minutes.
• When kids are focused and the room has a hushed tone, spend 2–3 minutes working individually with 5–6 scholars. Ask each scholar to identify her reading level goal and what’s holding her back.
• Listen to scholars read, and assess their struggles and level of understanding.
• Model and give scholars strategies to tackle their goals. Listen to scholars read and hold them accountable for applying the strategies.

What Does Success Look Like?

What do monuments and artifacts from ancient China teach us about Chinese culture and history? Success is when scholars understand why and how the Great Wall of China was built.

Day 12 (75 minutes)
Engage — 1 minute

• Review the illustrations of the Great Wall of China from The Great Wall, by Elizabeth Mann. Tell scholars they’ll continue to learn even more about the Great Wall of China, and how it was built!

Launch — 5–7 minutes

• Show scholars “The Many Walls of China” map, so they have a geographical sense of where the Great Wall is. Then scholars will watch the short documentary and take notes in their journals.
• Scholars each create a chart that has a column for “What We Learned” and a column for “What That Makes Us Think.”

Virtual Field Study — 30 minutes

• Stop the video after each important fact is shared, so scholars can add this to their charts, and you can add it to the whole-class chart.
• After you’ve watched the video, scholars turn and talk to partners to share their charts and to ensure that they’ve captured every fact. Then finish the class chart together by adding any missing details.

Independent Reading/Targeted Teaching Time — 30 minutes

• Set the expectation that scholars have two eyes reading, two hands on the book, and two feet on the floor during Independent Reading.
• It is critical that scholars sustain focused reading for 25 minutes.
• When kids are focused and the room has a hushed tone, spend 2–3 minutes working individually with 5–6 scholars. Ask each scholar to identify her reading level goal and what’s holding her back.
• Listen to scholars read, and assess their struggles and level of understanding.
• Model and give scholars strategies to tackle their goals. Listen to scholars read and hold them accountable for applying the strategies.

What Does Success Look Like?

What do monuments and artifacts from ancient China teach us about Chinese culture and history? Success is when scholars understand why and how the Great Wall of China was built.

Day 13 (75 minutes)
Engage — 1 minute

• Quickly have scholars share out what they learned in the documentary about the Great Wall of China. Tell scholars that today they will learn more about how people worked together to build the wall.

Read to Learn — 15 minutes

• Read the Shared Text “Everyone to Work! Building the Great Wall of China” from Who Did What in Ancient China, Appleseeds Magazine by Mary Meinking, and have scholars add any new information to their charts.

Writing/Targeted Teaching Time — 30 minutes

• Scholars each write a paragraph explaining why the Great Wall of China was built.
• Spend the first few minutes making sure all kids are on task. Narrate scholars who are following through on your expectations.
• Spend 2–3 minutes working individually with 5–6 scholars. Ask each scholar to identify his writing goal and what’s holding him back. Kids should know and articulate their goals!
• Have scholars tell you their big ideas. Can their big ideas be made stronger? Do they support their ideas with evidence? Is their writing simple and clear? Do they reread their writing?
• Listen to scholars articulate and watch them write their ideas. Hold them accountable for applying the strategies.
• Choose two scholars who have strong ideas to share their responses. Give scholars time to go back, reread, and revise their writing.

Independent Reading/Targeted Teaching Time — 30 minutes

• Set the expectation that scholars have two eyes reading, two hands on the book, and two feet on the floor during Independent Reading.
• It is critical that scholars sustain focused reading for 25 minutes.
• When kids are focused and the room has a hushed tone, spend 2–3 minutes working individually with 5–6 scholars. Ask each scholar to identify her reading level goal and what’s holding her back.
• Listen to scholars read, and assess their struggles and level of understanding.
• Model and give scholars strategies to tackle their goals. Listen to scholars read and hold them accountable for applying the strategies.

What Does Success Look Like?

• What do monuments and artifacts from ancient China teach us about Chinese culture and history?
• Success is when scholars can use their knowledge of the benefits and drawbacks of the Great Wall of China to form their own opinions and to write letters to convince the first emperor why it should—or should not—be built.

Day 14 (75 minutes)
Engage — 1 minute

• Tell scholars that today they’ll have the opportunity to go back in time and write a letter to the first emperor of China!

Launch — 5 minutes

• Explain that scholars will use all the information they know about the benefits and hardships of building the Great Wall of China to write a letter to Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi. They can choose to either try to convince him that he should build the wall, or try to convince him not to! Scholars must cite facts to explain their positions.
• Have scholars turn and talk to discuss with partners which positions they’re going to take, and what facts they’ll use to support their arguments.

Project Work — 40 minutes

• Scholars draft letters to Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi, convincing him that he should or should not build the Great Wall of China. Letters should include specific reasons and details supporting scholars’ positions!
• Spend 2–3 minutes working individually with 5–6 scholars. Ask each scholar how she’s going to convince the emperor.
• Have scholars tell you about the letters they’re writing. Does the letter offer a convincing argument for why the emperor should or should not build the wall? Does it give valid and logical facts? Can the scholar’s ideas be conveyed more clearly?
• Model for scholars and give them strategies to tackle their goals.
• Listen to scholars articulate their ideas. Hold them accountable for applying the strategies.
• Choose two scholars who have strong examples of convincing letters and have them share their letters.
• Then give scholars time to go back and revise their own letters.

Independent Reading/Targeted Teaching Time — 30 minutes

• Set the expectation that scholars have two eyes reading, two hands on the book, and two feet on the floor during Independent Reading.
• It is critical that scholars sustain focused reading for 25 minutes.
• When kids are focused and the room has a hushed tone, spend 2–3 minutes working individually with 5–6 scholars. Ask each scholar to identify his reading level goal and what’s holding him back.
• Listen to scholars read, and assess their struggles and level of understanding.
• Model and give scholars strategies to tackle their goals. Listen to scholars read and hold them accountable for applying the strategies.

What Does Success Look Like?

What do monuments and artifacts from ancient China teach us about Chinese culture and history?

Success is when scholars can use their knowledge of the benefits and drawbacks of the Great Wall of China to form their own opinions and write letters to convince the first emperor why it should—or should not—be built.

Day 15 (75 minutes)
Engage — 1 minute

• Tell scholars that today they will continue working on their letters to the emperor.

Project Work — 45 minutes

• Scholars edit, revise, and publish letters to Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi. Scholars use the feedback from peers and their teacher to improve the clarity of their writing.
• Spend 2–3 minutes working individually with 5–6 scholars. Ask each scholar how she’s going to convince the emperor.
• Have scholars tell you about the letters they’re writing. Does the letter offer a convincing argument for why the emperor should or should not build the wall? Does it give valid and logical facts? Can the scholar’s ideas be conveyed more clearly?
• Listen to scholars articulate their ideas. Hold them accountable for applying the strategies.
• Choose two scholars who have strong examples of convincing letters and have them share their letters.
• Then give scholars time to go back and revise their own letters.

Independent Reading/Targeted Teaching Time — 30 minutes

• Set the expectation that scholars have two eyes reading, two hands on the book, and two feet on the floor during Independent Reading.
• It is critical that scholars sustain focused reading for 25 minutes.
• When kids are focused and the room has a hushed tone, spend 2–3 minutes working individually with 5–6 scholars. Ask each scholar to identify his reading level goal and what’s holding him back.
• Listen to scholars read, and assess their struggles and level of understanding.
• Model and give scholars strategies to tackle their goals. Listen to scholars read and hold them accountable for applying the strategies.

What Does Success Look Like?

How can we teach others what we’ve learned?

Success is when scholars are able to teach others key information about ancient China.

Days 16–18 (75 minutes)
Project Work — 30 minutes

• Provide scholars with work time to polish their projects and to prepare the museum. Ensure that they’ve completed all three projects:
  • Interview the Ancient Chinese
  • Create an Invention
  • A Letter to the Emperor
• Display and label all project work.
• Plan and practice the format of the exhibition. What role will each scholar play? How will the museum flow?

Read to Learn — 15 minutes

• Finish reading the Read Alouds The Great Wall, by Elizabeth Mann, and The Chinese Thought of It: Amazing Inventions, by Ting-xing Ye.

Independent Reading/Targeted Teaching Time — 30 minutes

• Set the expectation that scholars have two eyes reading, two hands on the book, and two feet on the floor during Independent Reading.
• It is critical that scholars sustain focused reading for 25 minutes or more.
• When kids are focused and the room has a hushed tone, spend 2–3 minutes working individually with 5–6 scholars. Ask each scholar to identify her reading level goal and what’s holding her back.
• Listen to scholars read, and assess their struggles and level of understanding.
• Model and give scholars strategies to tackle their goals. Listen to scholars read and hold them accountable for applying the strategies.

Congratulations! You’ve reached the end of Unit 6: Ancient China.

As a result of teaching this unit, you, as the teacher, have:

• Immersed your scholars in the exciting world of ancient China through reading, writing, and project work.

Your scholars can:

• Understand what everyday life was like for people in ancient China.
• Describe how the Chinese used and developed tools and new technologies.
• Understand what monuments and artifacts from ancient China teach us about Chinese culture and history.

Celebrate your scholars by acknowledging the expertise they now have about ancient China and explaining what they can now do as readers and writers as a result of the study. For example, scholars know how to read nonfiction texts, using the author’s choices—such as text features, imagery, or word choice—to understand the big idea.

Invite scholars to share what was most intriguing to them over the course of the study—and what they’re going to keep investigating on their own!

Reflect on your successes and stretches, as well as those of your scholars. Look at your informal F&P results. Have your scholars grown as readers over the last month?

Scholars must read at home, as well as in school. Are 100% of your kids reading 6 days a week at home? Make sure at-home reading is happening, and meet with families who are falling short to recommit them to this team effort.

Are 100% of your kids reading fluently? Are they using all of the tools at their disposal to figure out the meaning of what they are reading?

Are 100% doing their literacy homework?

Going into the summer, make specific reading goals for scholars. Set a goal for children who are not reading at home. Who will you get to consistently read at home? Set a goal for moving any scholars who are stuck. Why are they stuck? Do they read most or all words correctly? What is their struggle with decoding? Do they understand what they’re reading? Do they understand the big idea? How will you partner with parents to support their growth?

If you are having trouble meeting your goals, do not wait until you have NOT succeeded. Consult your colleagues. Consult your leaders. ASK FOR HELP so you can meet your goals!