Public learning track
Unification and Empire: The Qin and Han Dynasties
11 lessons
Goal
Examine Qin Shi Huang's unification of China, massive state infrastructure, the Terracotta Army, and the Han golden age of civil service and trade.
11 lessons
0 of 11 done
- Qin Shi Huang and the Unification of Warring StatesUp next
- Centralizing Power: Administrative Command and Legalist RuleNot started yet
- Standardization Under the Qin: Script, Currency, and MeasurementsNot started yet
- Massive State Building Projects and Forced Labor Under QinNot started yet
- Connecting the Great Wall: Defense and BordersNot started yet
- The Terracotta Army and the First Emperor's TombNot started yet
- The Fall of the Qin Dynasty and the Rise of HanNot started yet
- Emperor Wu and the Expansion of the Han EmpireNot started yet
- The Confucian Civil Service System and Imperial AcademyNot started yet
- Scientific and Technological Inventions of the Han EraNot started yet
- Early Gunpowder and Chemical Experimentation in Ancient ChinaNot started yet
Standards Covered
- 7.T2b.2.cMassachusetts Social Studies Standards · Social Studies · Grade 5 (target) · Grade 5the First Emperor’s unification of China in the short Qin Dynasty (221–206 BCE) by subduing warring factions, seizing land, centralizing government, imposing strict rules, and creating, with the use of slave labor, large state building projects for irrigation, transportation, and defense (e.g., the Great Wall) and his own tomb with life-size terracotta warriors
- 7.T2b.2.dMassachusetts Social Studies Standards · Social Studies · Grade 5 (target) · Grade 5the Chinese ideographic writing system (characters, which are symbols for concepts/ideas) and how it differs from an alphabetic writing system
- 7.T2b.2Massachusetts Social Studies Standards · Social Studies · Grade 5 (target) · Grade 5Describe important economic, political, and religious developments in early Chinese history and evaluate the ways in which they are similar to or different from the characteristics of societies in other regions of the world.
- 7.T2b.2.fMassachusetts Social Studies Standards · Social Studies · Grade 5 (target) · Grade 5China’s role in trade across Asia and to and from Africa and Europe along the Silk Roads and the introduction of Buddhism in China starting c. 1st century CE.
- 7.T2b.2.bMassachusetts Social Studies Standards · Social Studies · Grade 5 (target) · Grade 5the teachings of Confucius (551–479 BCE), including writings on ethics and good government, codes of proper conduct, and relationships between parent and child, friend and friend, husband and wife, and subject and ruler and the philosophy/religion of Taoism, emphasizing harmony of humanity and nature
- 7.T2b.2.eMassachusetts Social Studies Standards · Social Studies · Grade 5 (target) · Grade 5important technologies of China such as bronze casting, silk and gunpowder manufacture.
Curriculum Framework
6th Grade · Social Studies · US-MA-SS
1
11 lessons
Physical and Political Geography of East and South Asia
Use geographic tools, coordinates, and thematic maps to analyze how landforms, river systems, and climates shaped human settlements and economies across Asia.
2
11 lessons
Ancient South Asia: The Indus Valley and Vedic Society
Analyze the urban planning, technological innovations, social structures, and economic networks of the Indus Valley civilization and early Vedic society.
3
11 lessons
Religions of Ancient India: Hinduism and Buddhism
Examine the philosophical foundations, core teachings, sacred texts, and social impacts of Hinduism and Buddhism in ancient South Asia.
4
11 lessons
Classical Indian Empires: Mauryan and Gupta
Analyze imperial unification, Ashoka's moral governance, Buddhist diplomacy, and the golden age cultural achievements of the Gupta Empire.
5
11 lessons
Ancient China: Shang and Zhou Dynasties and Early Culture
Analyze early Chinese dynastic continuity, oracle bone writing, the Mandate of Heaven, bronze metallurgy, and agricultural innovations.
6
11 lessons
Classical Chinese Thought: Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism
Analyze the core principles, ethical frameworks, views on governance, and lasting impacts of Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism.
7
11 lessons
Unification and Empire: The Qin and Han Dynasties
Examine Qin Shi Huang's unification of China, massive state infrastructure, the Terracotta Army, and the Han golden age of civil service and trade.
8
11 lessons
The Silk Road and Trans-Eurasian Trade Networks
Analyze overland and maritime Silk Road routes, trade commodities, geographic obstacles, and the diffusion of Buddhism across Eurasia.
9
11 lessons
Ancient and Medieval Korea and Japan: Culture, Exchange, and Buddhism
Analyze cultural exchange between China, Korea, and Japan, the development of Japanese Buddhism, Shinto traditions, and classical architecture.
10
6 lessons
Ancient Greece: The Rise of the Polis and Athenian Democracy
Examine how Greek geography fostered independent city-states and how Athens developed core democratic institutions such as the Ecclesia and Boule.
11
6 lessons
Classical Athens: Civic Life, Philosophy, and Democratic Legacy
Analyze Athenian civic institutions, social exclusions, comparisons with Sparta, and the enduring philosophical and practical legacy of Greek democracy.
12
7 lessons
Ancient Greece: Society, Politics, and Warfare
Examine the political structures, social hierarchies, and major military conflicts that shaped ancient Greek city-states and the Hellenistic world.
13
6 lessons
Ancient Greek Culture, Science, and the Arts
Explore the foundational intellectual, scientific, literary, and artistic achievements of classical Greece and their enduring legacy.
14
11 lessons
The Roman Republic: Geography, Institutions, and Society
Explain how Rome's Mediterranean location, Republican governance, and social structure supported its rise and regional power.
15
11 lessons
The Roman Empire: Expansion, Pax Romana, and Disintegration
Trace the transition from Republic to Empire, the mechanisms of imperial governance and prosperity, and the internal and external causes of Rome's eventual decline.
16
10 lessons
Roman Engineering, Language, and Cultural Diffusion
Evaluate Roman achievements in architecture, engineering, and infrastructure, the global legacy of Latin and Greek, and the diffusion of ideas across Afro-Eurasia.
17
8 lessons
Analyzing Sources, Perspectives, and Historical Evidence
Evaluate the purpose, point of view, credibility, accuracy, and relevance of historical sources to investigate social science questions.
18
8 lessons
Evidence-Based Historical Argumentation and Civic Action
Construct logical, evidence-supported arguments about historical questions and apply historical insights to informed civic action.