Materials

• Resource materials that feature Chinese inventions
• Art supplies and materials to make kites
• Various examples of inventions, including silk, kite, compass, picture of fireworks, a piece of bronze

Instructional Activities

1. Review the word contribution. Explain that the ancient Chinese made many valuable contributions to the lives of people today.
   
   
2. Use resource materials to show various examples of the contributions.
   
   
3. Show the class a piece of silk, and discuss the process that went into making it (Show the lifecycle of a silk worm.). Emphasize that we still use silk today, and ask for or give examples.
   
   
4. Ask the class if they would enjoy the Fourth of July without fireworks. Use resources to show the early use of fireworks.
   
   
5. Review the many uses of a compass. Use resources to show the early uses of the compass. Using Internet sites and scientific materials, find ways to make a compass. Have students design their own compass.
   
   
6. Bring various kites to class. Read books about the early uses of kites. Have students make their own kites.
   
   
7. Explain that another contribution of the ancient Chinese was bronze. Show a piece of bronze, and discuss the importance and modern uses of bronze.
   
   
8. Using resource materials, research other important discoveries of the Chinese people. The following Web sites may be helpful:
   Chinese Remedies and Inventions.
   <http://www.crystalinks.com/chinainventions.html>
   Passport to the Silk Road: Connecting Cultures, Creating Trust. <http://www.silkroadproject.org/smithsonian/passport.pdf>
   Silk [a history of silk for young students].
   <http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/clothing/silk.htm>
    
   
9. Have the students complete the information they have learned and a student-drawn picture in these sessions on the “Contributions of Ancient China” chart.