Lesson Plan: The Great Wall of China Part

1
Date: April 18, 2016

Time: 11:35 am - 12:05 pm

Subjects
Social Studies and Language Arts

Objectives
VBOs: Social Studies
2.3.1 Identify the location and physical features of ancient China
2.3.2 Describe how people of ancient China used their environment
2.3.3 Describe the relationship between resources and economic activities in
ancient China
2.3.4 Describe the contributions of ancient China
VBOs: Language Arts
2.4.6 Read and comprehension nonfiction
2.5.7 Ask and answer questions based on text
2.5.8 Draw conclusions
2.7.3 Write in a variety of forms

Materials
Teacher Materials:
Maps of the world and of China to point out location: world maps are on the
wall, globe, and student maps: Nystrom laminated world maps as well as copies
of map of China students keep.
Resource Books
Second Grade Social Studies Text, Teachers Edition: Ancient China
Ancient China: A Virginia SOL Activity Book by Barbara Spillman Lawson pp.
4-6
Imperial China by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen pp. 26-29
You Wouldnt Want to Work on the Great Wall of China! By Jacqueline Morley
Sticky note pads-2 colors
Prepared sheets of construction paper for student sticky notes with headings
The Great Wall of
The Great Wall of
Ancient China
and
Ancient China
I Know:
Our Questions:
Student Materials
2 sticky notes to write What I Know and Questions about Ancient China.
Organizer to bullet important details about The Great Wall as teacher models
and Exit Ticket on back
Copies of maps of China to show political boundaries, bodies of water, and
geographic features like mountain ranges and sites of large cities

Procedure
1. Teacher will say that in todays lesson well be learning more about the Great
Wall of China!
2. Go to whiteboard and point out the I CAN statements in Social Studies about
China as postedthese are objectives that will be included as we delve into
our study of the Great Wall.
3. Give Sticky Notes: What do you know about The Great Wall of China?
What questions do you have about the Great Wall?
4. Under the Lumens light, show model of sticky note with
Name
Name
Ancient China
Ancient China
I know that
Question:
Give students 3 minutes to complete and give to you to post on prepared
sheet of construction paper on the whiteboard.
5. Technology clip to show the Great Wall today: Show part of:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmIFEWFNhII
Alternative clips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds58ryR61s&ebc=ANyPxKoxVE6It7ujAzE8VvfMOtBXToJcHFsmlU8KaySnaRvR8MzJtsHkrcr6RJOz7WSxRakEyRZKc7
JvaluFVZtEv2ona8PzQ
6. Give out sheet with maps of China to each student. Put page under Lumens.
7. Ask students to find the Huang He River in the NE (using Compass Rose skills)
and the river to the south, now the Yangtze River. Teacher points to each
place as she talks.
Trace finger around the outside boundaries of China. To the North, Mongolia
and Russia.
To the East: the two Koreas and islands of Japan.
To the South: Burma, Thailand, Vietnam
To the Southeast: Philippines (Nikkis Mom is from the Philippines.)
Look to the Southwest for India: (Sreepadha is from India.)
Look at the star for the city of Beijing. Near there and to the East and
West, moving in a jagged line is The Great Wall of China! Well learn some
facts next.
8. Ask students to put those maps inside their desk NOW until later in the day.
Stand quickly for a stretch, and then sit and get out your pencil as we learn
and take notes about the Great Wall.
9. Give each student an organizer sheet. Tell students they will be gathering
important details about The Great Wall and that the teacher will be modeling
under the Lumens on an organizer. Remind them that weve gathered details
from many nonfiction passages and that they can do this well when they
focus.
10.The teacher will use the Lumens to discuss and show selected pages and
pictures from
You Wouldnt Want to Work on the Great Wall of China! by Jacqueline Morley
and/or
Ancient China, A Virginia SOL Activity Book by Barbara S. Lawson
11.Remind students that they will use bullets to write important details about
the Great Wall. Teacher models for three boxes. Students will vary in their
notetaking skill.
Ask June, Ike, Emily, Gia, and Nolan to come closer and use laptop areas
during this time.
Pull crates back from wall area so students can see to copy more efficiently.

The teacher will keep moving with the lesson. Those students can catch up
with notes another time to accommodate their pace.
12.Teacher asks students to all stop and reread their own notes for 1 minute and
think about the Great Wall facts.
13.Have students brainstorm in table groups about a possible SUMMARY
sentence.
14.Call on a student from each group to give a possible summary sentence,
reminding students that the one sentence begins with the subject we have
been reading about (can have adjectives!) and should include why it was/is
important and factual information, not opinions.
15.Students will be given 3 minutes to write their own summary sentence.
16.Students will put papers in the middle of each table group and not touch.
17.Next, the teacher will write a summary sentence on her organizer and ask if
students have any comments or additions theyd like to make.
Possible summary sentence:
The 4,000 mile long Great Wall of China was built thousands of years ago by
the Emperors slaves in order to keep out northern invaders, and some of The
Wall still stand today.

Closing
On the back of your organizer: (If its time for PE, this Exit Ticket can be completed
after PE.)
Tell the students, You can do this part very quickly and neatly, I know.
Place a copy of the Exit Ticket under Lumens lamp.
Read l. and give a minute for thinking and writing
Read 2 and give a minute for thinking and writing
Read 3 and give a minute for thinking and writing
Take up papers as students complete. Praise.
Tell students that on Wednesday they will be working cooperatively to build a Great
Wall!
Pencils put in pencil boxes.
Desks cleared.
12:05 Line up by table groups for P.E.