Shang Dynasty Resources and Lessons KS2
The focus of the unit is the fact that the Shang dynasty made astonishing advances in writing, bronze technology, art and warfare. Some bronze work was the best in the world at that time.
Our study starts with pupils interpreting clues to form some early ideas about this little-known society. This is a deliberate attempt to replicate what historians were faced with. Only in the last 100 years have they been able to find sufficient evidence to build a picture of a society many felt might not have existed. Time is given over to the material culture as well as spiritual beliefs that underpinned society.
Throughout comparisons are made with other contemporary societies so that pupils can place the Shang dynasty in relation to say Stonehenge or the pyramids and can see the similarities differences and the way society operated and the Shang’s belief systems.
Planner and knowledge organiser
| All Shang Dynasty Key Questions | Historical focus |
|---|---|
| KQ1 – Why do YOU think the Shang Dynasty MIGHT be important? | Historical significance |
| KQ2 – How different was Shang society to other civilisations at the time? | Similarity and difference |
| KQ3 – What can we tell about the Shang Dynasty from the objects that have survived? | Artefacts and evidence |
| KQ4 – Why has our understanding of the Shang Dynasty changed so much in the last 100 years? | Archaeology and changing interpretations |
| KQ5 – What was distinctive about the Shang people’s beliefs? | Beliefs and religion |
| KQ6 – If the Shang Dynasty was so well organised, why did it come to an end after just 600 years and what makes it so special today? | Causation and significance |
Shang dynasty knowledge organiser – KS2
You are studying the Shang dynasty because it was the first Chinese civilization in ancient times and one for which we now have detailed evidence. This topic not only shows…
Read MoreShang dynasty – KQ1 – Why do YOU think the Shang dynasty MIGHT be important?
Lively introductory session which creatively gets pupils to find things out for themselves and check their understanding using bells and whistles! before consolidating using short video. As this is a…
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Shang dynasty – KQ2 – How different was the Shang society to other civilizations at the time?
Using the expert/envoy technique to research and disseminate information from dossiers on a range of different aspects of Shang society, pupils have to show how good a teacher they are…
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Shang dynasty – KQ3 – What can we tell about the Shang dynasty from the objects that have survived?
Here the focus is on developing enquiry-led learning which is as much about asking valid historical questions as it is about finding answers . From trying to generate 12 killer…
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Shang dynasty – KQ4 – Why has our understanding of the Shang dynasty changed so much in the last 100 years?
Opening up the tricky concept of interpretations of the past, this session enables pupils to grasp that history is always having to be rewritten in the light of new evidence….
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Shang dynasty – KQ5 – What was distinctive about the Shang people’s beliefs?
Having used a fast-paced Information Run activity to acquire the key points about Shang religion pupils are set the task of evaluating a made-for-schools TV program showing their real understanding…
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Shang dynasty – KQ6 – If the Shang dynasty was so well organised why did come to an end after just 600 years and what makes it so special for people today?
Pupils compare 5 different simple textbook explanations, which they colour code, before building their own explanation, based on what seems most plausible to them, which they then write up. Most…
Read MoreWritten by Neil Thompson
All content on Keystage history is written and quality assured by Neil Thompson, a former history teacher, county history adviser and Ofsted inspector with more than 30 years’ experience in history education.