Starting a unit or lesson with the key vocabulary that students will see in their readings or presentations aids in overall comprehension and retention. Vocabulary is the foundation of language. Becoming acquainted with new terms, concepts and other unfamiliar ancient China vocabulary is crucial for students to have a thorough understanding of the unit. By studying, illustrating and using ancient Chinese words and their definitions students' will increase their understanding of Chinese culture, history, achievements, and geography. In this activity, students will create a storyboard that defines and illustrates vocabulary words related to the study of ancient China.
Students will preview the ancient China definitions and use whole class or small group discussion to demonstrate their understanding of each with this vocabulary builder activity on early China. Then, students will create a spider map of 3-5 terms (or more!) at the teacher's discretion. Each cell will contain a term related to ancient China, its definition, and an illustration that depicts the meaning. When students define and illustrate each term, they will master the application of it and retain it as part of their lexicon.
As an extension to this activity, teachers can have students create their own ancient China word search, crossword puzzle, or even ancient China interactive games! Additionally, check out our other ancient China lesson plans and ancient China activities, including an ancient China geography lesson. Teachers can create an ancient China vocabulary worksheets by copying one of our several worksheet templates.
The ancient China vocabulary words below are a sampling of important terms that students can use in their visual vocabulary spider maps. Students can define logograph and other vocabulary crucial to their understanding of ancient Chinese culture and achievements by creating a spider map that contains the term, its definition and an illustration. These can be printed out or displayed digitally and used as a helpful reference throughout the unit!
The vocabulary builder activity for early China below can be copied into your account and used with your students today! Remember every aspect of this activity can be customized to meet the needs of your students.
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Due Date:
Objective: To learn the meanings of words relating to our lesson you will preview the vocabulary and create a storyboard that demonstrates your understanding of different words.
Student Instructions:
Requirements: Must have 3 terms, correct definitions and appropriate illustrations for each that demonstrate your understanding of the words.
Before they begin their spider map, provide students with a list of vocabulary terms to choose from. This will save time when it comes to deciding which terminology to include.
Some students will benefit from having the words already chosen for them. Teachers can include the words in the premade template, and the students will define and illustrate.
For students who struggle with reading, providing the definition and having them illustrate only is a great option. This allows them to show their understanding without in a visual manner.
For those students who want or need an extra challenge, add a template with more cells! The more words they can define, the more they learn and retain.
When learning about new places, people and historical events in social studies, such as ancient China, students are bound to encounter many new and unfamiliar words. Learning new vocabulary is key to increasing reading comprehension. Students cannot understand what they are reading or learning about if they do not know what most of the words mean. Explicit instruction surrounding vocabulary is essential for developing a thorough understanding of new social studies concepts.
Vocabulary development is a foundation for all subjects and especially important in social studies. Students acquire new vocabulary through exposure to the language from a range of reading materials, discussions and presentations. It is also beneficial to preview new terms and concepts that students will encounter and explicitly teach their definitions. Most students are visual learners and using visual vocabulary storyboards will help them retain the information for future applications.