China Day 5 The Shang Dynasty

Transcription

1 China Day 5 The Shang Dynasty AIMS: SWBAT describe the Chinese practice of ancestor worship. SWBAT explain the concept of oracle bones and how they connected writing and religion. Do Now a home shrine honoring ancestors Today is a binder check day. That means you will complete a longer Do Now silently while I grade your binder organization. Read and annotate the article below. Ancestor Worship: Ancestor worship was very important to the early Shang kings and nobles. It was a way of life. When a man died, the ancient Chinese believed his spirit lived on in the afterworld. They believed their ancestors had magical powers. These magical powers allowed their ancestors to punish them or to help them. To keep their ancestors (relatives from long ago) happy, they brought gifts of food and wine to special places or temples. They held many celebrations to honor their ancestors. Oracle Bones: To communicate with their ancestors, the Shang kings used oracle bones (sometimes called dragon bones). Here's how it worked: The king or emperor would ask a question, for example, will it rain tomorrow? The priest would carve the king's question on an oracle bone, which was just an animal bone or turtle shell. (Will it rain tomorrow?) Then, the priest would heat a bronze pin and hold the hot pin to the bone. This created a pattern of cracks over the bone. The priest (who was usually a woman) would study the cracks to find the answer to the question. Archaeologists have found over 100,000 oracle bones. Since many questions were asked about daily life, we know something about this civilization. The thing is, they didn't exactly ask "Will it rain tomorrow?" Oracle bones say things like: "If we sacrifice 10 men or 5 oxen, will it rain tomorrow?" The Shang kings sacrificed a great number of people to talk to their ancestors. Some of those sacrificed were enemies, captured in war. Some were slaves or people who were sick or deformed. Some were merchants, craftsmen, or farmers who had upset the nobles. Some were nobles who had upset the king. 1

2 Use information from the reading to answer the following questions. 1. Describe the Chinese belief in ancestor worship. 2. What are oracle bones? 3. Describe the process of how a priest would use oracle bones. 4. Based on what we know today about science, do you think the priest was actually communicating with anyone? Support your opinion with details. 5. Compare and contrast early Chinese and Egyptian writing. 2

3 Shang Video Notes Vocabulary to Know archaeologist (n) a scientist who studies the distant past, especially by digging up artifacts ancestor (n) long-ago relative of your family 1. What are the dates of the Shang dynasty? Other Notes: 2. Find at least three ideas about the Shang dynasty in the video that we learned about in class or in homework. 3. Stop and Jot (after the video) Explain the importance of family and ancestors in ancient China, using evidence from your notes and reading. 3

4 China Day 5 Homework Part 1 Review and memorize the four dynasties (What are then, when were they, and what happened?) We will use this for a game and you will also be tested on it. Go back and study your notes and complete the chart using your memory. Include a minimum of three points per dynasty, with more for the Shang. Tell the dates each happened. Draw a picture that supports events from each dynasty. 4

5 Part 2 Vocabulary Make a story about ancient China that shows your understanding of ALL of the following concepts. Try to use other advanced vocabulary also. Use extra paper if needed. dynasty social class population Mandate of Heaven ancestor oracle bone civilization Your story can be fictional or non-fiction and can be written from any point of view (perspective) you choose. Underline each word when you use it. Check your spelling and that your sentences are complete and well-supported. Checklist Go back to every answer right now and check that you did these things: I made sure that I followed all DIRECTIONS (number of sentences, vocabulary, etc.) I checked the SPELLING of vocabulary and other words and fixed them when there were mistakes I made sure that all of my ideas are clear and have SUPPORT I made sure that all of my sentences start with a capital, end with a period, and are COMPLETE with a noun and verb x 5 Score: