Inside Out

e-lesson Week starting: 15th November 2004

1. The Great Wall of China

More than 2,000 years ago Emperor Shi Huang decided to join together lots of smaller walls
in the northern part of China to make what would become the Great Wall of China. Over the
following 1,500 years modifications were made to the wall and then around 500 years ago,
in the Ming Dynasty, the wall was substantially reinforced. What remains of the wall today
is just a shadow of its former glory, but it is still a breathtaking testament to the engineering
prowess of the ancient Chinese.

Level
Elementary upwards

How to use the lesson

1. Brainstorm what your students know about the Great Wall of China. Give each student in
the class a copy of Worksheet A. Ask them to look at the statements and decide, in pairs,
which they think are true (T) and which they think are false (F).

2. After all students have made their guesses, check their ideas in open class. Dont offer any
answers at this point.

3. Give each student in the class a copy of Worksheet B. Ask students to read the text, check
their answers and then compare with their partner.

4. Check answers in open class.

Answers
1. False. It was started more than 2,000 years ago
2. False. Construction took 10 years.
3. True.
4. False. Many were prisoners.
5. False. The name means The 10,000-Li Long Wall.
6. True
7. False. On average the wall is 7.5 m high.
8. False. Only 30% of the wall is still standing.
9. True
10. False. It was widely believed to be true until last year (see link below).

2. Related Websites
Send your students to these websites, or just take a look yourself.

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/
A very authoritative account of the history of the Great Wall
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3505040.stm
Shocking news that the wall is not visible from space after all
http://www-chaos.umd.edu/history/imperial.html
For a closer look at the Chinese dynasties

This page has been downloaded from www.insideout.net.

It is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages. Copyright Macmillan Publishers Limited 2004.