The Terra Cotta Army and Qin Culture
Overview
This inquiry asked students to answer the compelling question: What does the terra cotta army teach us about Qin culture? In order to answer the compelling questions students will analyze China's terra cotta warriors. Students will first formulate their own definitions of the terms: culture, artifact, afterlife, primary source, and secondary source. Once a working definition is found students will conduct an analysis of the terra cotta warriors. While analyzing the warriors and other sources, students will to question what was important to the Chinese during the Qin dynasty, what skills they valued, and what beliefs they had. While students work, they will also question the sources. Who wrote/made the source, why was it create, who is was/is the audience of the source, and if the source is biased. This mixture of looking over artifacts, reading texts, and questioning source material are all things good historians do.
Description
This inquiry asked students to answer the compelling question: What does the terra cotta army teach us about Qin culture? In order to answer the compelling questions students will analyze China's terra cotta warriors. Students will first formulate their own definitions of the terms: culture, artifact, afterlife, primary source, and secondary source. Once a working definition is found students will conduct an analysis of the terra cotta warriors. While analyzing the warriors and other sources, students will to question what was important to the Chinese during the Qin dynasty, what skills they valued, and what beliefs they had. While students work, they will also question the sources. Who wrote/made the source, why was it create, who is was/is the audience of the source, and if the source is biased. This mixture of looking over artifacts, reading texts, and questioning source material are all things good historians do.