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by David Jeffrey
L A
SOCIAL STUDIES
OBJECTIVES
Explain Author’s Use of Evidence
World History
Ancient Civilizations
Acquire Social Studies Vocabulary
Summary
The Great Wall of China explores two of ancient China’s
most amazing cultural treasures—the Great Wall and the terracotta
army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di. In “China’s Great Wall,” students
discover that, although it is one of the wonders of the world, little is
known about the history of the wall. Tracing its roots from ancient
times, author David Jeffrey explains how the wall was built and rebuilt
many times to protect China from northern invaders. Today, the wall is a
reminder of China’s great history and a tourist attraction for people from
around the world. “A Standing Army” describes the clay army of more
than 7,000 soldiers unearthed from the hidden tomb of the Emperor
Qin Shi Huang Di. The detailed figures reveal much about how ancient
battles were fought.
Activate Prior Knowledge
Display the front cover and read the
title aloud. Ask: Why do people build walls? (for privacy; for protection)
Build Background
Use the locator globe on page 4 to show
where China is located. Then point out the map of China on pages
8–9. Have a volunteer identify the Great Wall’s location. (along China’s
northern border)
PROGRAM RESOURCES
The Great Wall of China, Pioneer Edition
The Great Wall of China, Pathfinder Edition
La Gran Muralla China, Edición Pathfinder
My Vocabulary Notebook
Mini Lesson
Explain Author’s Use of Evidence
Explain: Evidence is information or facts that help prove something
or make you believe it is true. Point out that good writers use
evidence to support the points they make in their writing.
Read aloud the following text from page 4 of the Pioneer
Edition of The Great Wall of China as students listen.
Not-So-Nice Neighbors
Long ago, China had a problem.
It wanted to keep out nomads,
or wanderers. Nomads lived to
the north. They often raided, or
stole from, the Chinese.
The Chinese tried being tough.
They sent armies to attack the
nomads. They also tried being nice.
They traded with the nomads.
Nothing worked. The nomads
kept stealing from Chinese farms
and towns.
CCRA.R.8; RI.4.8; RI.5.8
CCRA.R.10; RI.3.10; RI.4.10;
RI.5.10; RI.6.10
Language
Acquire and Use Domain-Specific Words
CCRA.L.6; L.3.6; L.4.6; L.5.6; L.6.6
Speaking and Listening
Engage in Collaborative Discussions
CCRA.SL.1; SL.3.1; SL.4.1; SL.5.1; SL.6.1
The Great Wall of China
* Also available in Spanish
Have students explain how the evidence supports the author’s
point. (Possible response: The evidence shows me that the
nomads were not very neighborly at all.)
C O L E C C I Ó N
La
Gran
Muralla
CHINA
Por David Jeffery
Social Studies Vocabulary
Social Studies Vocabulary
Use Wordwise on page 6 to introduce new words:
Use Wordwise on page 6 to introduce new words:
emperor
invader
nomad
raid
dynasty
emperor
endangered
nomad
rebellion
steppe
Have students add new words to My Vocabulary Notebook.
Have students add new words to My Vocabulary Notebook.
Build Comprehension
Build Comprehension
After reading, use the Concept Check on page 12. Remind
students to use details and examples to support each answer.
1. Main Idea Why did the Chinese build the Great Wall? (They
built the wall to keep out nomads and invaders from the north.)
2. Details Who were the Mongols? (The Mongols were invaders
from the north.)
3. Make Inferences Why is China proud of the Great Wall?
(The Chinese are proud that they were able to build such an
amazing structure. They are proud of its history, the story it tells
of many raids, and the different emperors who built portions of
the wall.)
4. Details What is the wall like today? (Today the wall is old and
crumbling. People are working to protect it.)
5. Author’s Use of Evidence What can we learn from the clay
army found in 1974? (We can learn how ancient battles were
fought by the way the soldiers look and stand.)
After reading, use the Concept Check on page 12. Remind
students to use details and examples to support each answer.
1. Main Idea Why did the Chinese build the Great Wall? (First,
they built a wall to keep out nomads. Later, the wall was
expanded to keep out other invaders.)
2. Make Inferences Why is the Great Wall often referred to
as a series of walls? (It was built and rebuilt many times. It was
made by joining sections of smaller walls together.)
3. Details How did the Mongols change Chinese history? (The
Mongols invaded from the north just as China had always
feared. The Mongols ruled China for almost a century.)
4. Main Idea Why is the Great Wall a success? (The wall is
a success because it has survived for thousands of years. It
has outlasted many dynasties and many rebellions .) How
was it a failure? (The wall was a failure because it did not
keep out invaders.)
5. Author’s Use of Evidence What can people learn from the
tomb of Qin Shi Huang Di? (People can learn how battles were
fought in ancient China. The soldiers pose as if they are ready
for an attack from any direction.)
Then, think aloud to model how to identify supporting evidence
in the text. The section heading tells us that China’s northern
neighbors were not so nice. Then the author provides information
as evidence:
• The nomads often raided, or stole from, the Chinese.
• Chinese armies tried to fight them.
Even though the Chinese tried being friends, nothing worked!
Use the assessment on pages 278–279 to evaluate students’ progress with
this skill.
102
LEXILE: 600L | GR: R
LEXILE: 400L | GR: P
dynasty
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PATHFINDER
EDITION
PIONEER
EDITION
Text from Pioneer Edition
COMMON CORE STANDARDS
Reading
Explain How an Author Uses Reasons
and Evidence
Read and Comprehend Informational Text
g
a
ri l D E R
to ia IN
is d F
H un P A T H
m N
The Great Wall of China
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Check & Reteach
OBJECTIVE: Explain Author’s Use of Evidence
Have partners take turns explaining how the author uses evidence to support specific points in the text.
For students who do not identify the author’s use of evidence, reteach with the section “Wall for Nothing” on page 6. Say: The section heading
tells us that the wall did not work. What evidence does the author use to show this? Have student scan the text for examples. Then list each piece of
evidence they identify. (The wall did not keep out invaders; the Manchu invaded in the 1600s; the Manchu stayed and ruled China until 1912.)
The Great Wall of China
103