Using a G.R.A.P.E.S. Chart to organize information about ancient Civilizations is a useful tool to enhance students' analysis of the characteristics and contributions of a society. Going further and including visuals helps students to better retain the details of each category.
When learning about ancient Civilizations, students may need teachers to provide a variety of resources. The use of diverse resources such as primary sources, videos, songs, readings from textbooks, encyclopedias and literature can be helpful for students to gain an accurate and complete picture of the time period. Students can use graphic organizers to write notes about the different categories as they learn.
Teachers may wish for students to work together on this lesson which is possible with Storyboard That's Real Time Collaboration feature! With Real Time Collaboration, students can work on the same storyboard at the same time which is perfect for this lesson! As teachers know, collaborating on assignments allows students to think on a deeper level while increasing their communication and problem-solving skills. Collaboration can also help cut down on the time it takes to complete a storyboard. While there is no set limit to the number of users who can work on a storyboard at once, we recommend five users or fewer for optimal performance. All of our assignments default to individual. To make this lesson collaborative, teachers must enable collaboration for the assignment within the "Edit Assignment" tab.
Students will then create a spider map that focuses on achievements of ancient China in art, architecture, technologies, writing, etc. They should be sure to create illustrations and add descriptions to demonstrate what they’ve learned.
By focusing on just one category, students are encouraged to include more information and should complete 3-6 cells. Students can come together after they’ve created their storyboards to share what they’ve learned. The full G.R.A.P.E.S. Chart can be used as a post assessment after students have presented.
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Due Date:
Objective: Create a spider map focusing on the different achievements of ancient China in art, architecture, technology and/or writing.
Student Instructions:
Requirements: Minimum of 3-6 cells showcasing the various achievements of ancient China. Appropriate scenes to illustrate each cell. 1-3 sentence description for each cell demonstrating your understanding.
There are an overwhelming number of resources for students when it comes to the achievements of Ancient China. Collecting age-appropriate resources to use at the beginning of the project will help your students to flourish.
Reading sources together and teaching students how to highlight inventions and achievements that are important is invaluable to the success of the project. Especially at the beginning, this will help them feel less overwhelmed with all there is to learn.
To organize and explain the various achievements, students should write descriptions that are 1-3 sentences in length. They will need various degrees of help, so scaffolding is a great idea.
A spider map is the perfect way to lay out the highlighted achievements. Students should add headlines and illustrations to supplement their words, as this leads to increased learning.
Ancient China certainly has a great many inventions they are known for. Printing and papermaking are extremely important early inventions, and paved the way for literacy throughout the world. Other important inventions include gunpowder and the compass.
The Great Wall of China was created as a form of protection for Ancient Chinese empires. It is nearly 2,500 years old and has stood the test of time.
Even in Ancient China, farmers and scientists were able to harness the power of the rivers to irrigate the land and create fertile growing areas. Their agricultural techniques formed the basis for modern farming.