Giraffes@taddy

In History, we learnt that Oracle bones are pieces of turtle shell, cow bone or sheep bone from the Shang Dynasty. Diviners carved these bones with questions about the future and the cracks that formed on the bones after they had been heated would give them an answer, called a “prophecy”.  We created our own Oracle bones using clay. We carved in an inscription of a question using Chinese writing. We had to concentrate as it was trickier than English writing. The finished Oracle bones

 In Art, we learnt that a Taotie is an ancient Chinese motif often found on objects such as masks and ritual vessels called dings. The forms were made with bronze using an ancient technique of piece mould casting. We discussed the range of visual elements ised. The Taotie is easily recognised by its characteristic use of lines, patterns and forms. After that, we spent time carefully looking at some Taotie designs and completed a detailed line drawing of our favourite.

Many historians debate whether the Yellow Emperor, and the later Xia Dynasty,  ever existed. Some believe that their stories are legends that paint a picture of the  perfect king, warn against corrupt leadership and explain the origins of the Chinese  dynasties. Others believe that they actually existed and archaeological finds could  provide the proof.  We explored these ancient legends together through drama. Over 4700 years ago, a tribal system existed in prehistoric China. These tribes  would often fight each other over land and resources.