Oracle bones and writing
I can explain why oracle bones are such an important source of evidence for people who study the Shang Dynasty.
Oracle bones and writing
I can explain why oracle bones are such an important source of evidence for people who study the Shang Dynasty.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- The Shang Dynasty created the first form of Chinese writing in which characters were used to represent words and ideas.
- The most detailed examples of this writing exist on oracle bones because they have survived longer than silk or bamboo.
- Questions were carved into them and then the bones were heated, causing cracks which diviners would interpret.
- Oracle bones were carved with questions about many subjects such as the weather, harvests, and Shang Dynasty rulers.
- The oracle bones have provided a wealth of evidence for historians about many aspects of the Shang Dynasty.
Keywords
Silk - silk is a fine, soft, shiny fibre produced by silkworms
Oracle bones - oracle bones were pieces of ox bone or turtle shell that were used by the Shang Dynasty to try to predict the future
Diviner - a diviner is someone who tries to find out things about the future
Common misconception
Some may think that the Shang Dynasty symbols are exactly the same as the modern Chinese written symbols.
There are lots of similarities between them but they are different. Lots of the modern Chinese symbols are clearly based on the ancient Shang Dynasty ones.
To help you plan your year 3 history lesson on: Oracle bones and writing, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 3 history lesson on: Oracle bones and writing, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
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Explore more key stage 2 history lessons from the The Shang: What have archaeologists found out about them? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
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Adult supervision recommended
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