Writing Wed

​Writing Lesson

By Kira Lewis

​Fixing Our Shang & Zhou Writing: How to Earn a 4/7 or Higher

​Using Evidence + Reasoning Like a Historian

Open Ended

“Fix the Claim!”
Rewrite the correct claim:
Two achievements from the Shang and Zhou dynasties were _________ and _________.

Shang: writing system, oracle bones, bronze
Zhou: Mandate of Heaven, Daoism, philosophy

C – CLAIM (2 achievements)

What I Want: C–E–R Structure

​Explain how two different achievements during the Shang and Zhou dynasties helped the development of ancient China.

EVIDENCE (from Source 1 & Source 3)

R – REASONING (how it helped China)

EXEMPLAR PARAGRAPH

Two achievements that helped ancient China develop were the Shang writing system and the Zhou Mandate of Heaven. According to Source 1, the Shang carved symbols onto oracle bones, which helped them record information and communicate clearly. This helped China because better record-keeping made the government stronger and more organized. According to Source 3, the Zhou created the Mandate of Heaven, which explained that rulers only kept power if they ruled fairly. This helped China because it created stability and encouraged responsible leadership.

Multiple Choice

What is the CLAIM in this exemplar?

• The Shang wrote on oracle bones…

• According to Source 1…

• Two achievements that helped ancient China develop were…

• This helped China because…

Open Ended

Two achievements that helped ancient China develop were the Shang writing system and the Zhou Mandate of Heaven. According to Source 1, the Shang carved symbols onto oracle bones, which helped them record information and communicate clearly. This helped China because better record-keeping made the government stronger and more organized. According to Source 3, the Zhou created the Mandate of Heaven, which explained that rulers only kept power if they ruled fairly. This helped China because it created stability and encouraged responsible leadership

In your own words, write one sentence from the exemplar that shows reasoning — the part that explains how the achievement helped China

Multiple Select

What is one thing this writer did WELL?

Two achievements that helped ancient China develop were oracle bones and the Mandate of Heaven. Oracle bones helped the Shang record information and seek answers. The Mandate of Heaven helped the Zhou keep rulers fair. Both achievements supported government and leadership.

• They named two real achievements.

• They copied the whole source

• They talked only about dates

• They didn’t explain anything

Multiple Select

What is this writer MISSING?
Two achievements were Daoism and oracle bones. Daoism taught people to follow nature, and oracle bones helped tell the future. These achievements helped ancient China.

• A title

• More facts from the sources

• Reasoning that explains HOW these helped China

• . A drawin

Poll

What is the BIGGEST problem with this response?

The Shang rose to power in 1766 BCE. Most people lived in the countryside. The Zhou ruled for 800 years.

• No achievements

• Not a paragraph

• Only facts, no explanation

• Off topic

Sentence Starters (Content Only)

Evidence Starters:

• According to Source 1…

• Source 3 shows…

Reasoning Starters:

• This helped China because…

• This improved China by…

Rewrite Directions

Rewrite Your Paragraph

Your revision MUST include:
✔ A correct claim
✔ One Shang achievement
✔ One Zhou achievement
✔ Evidence from two sources
✔ Reasoning explaining how each achievement helped China
✔ A full paragraph

Source1
The Shang Dynasty

The Shang rose to power around 1766 BCE. According to tradition, the Shang dynasty was founded by King Tang, who ruled the kingdom of Shang in northeastern China. Tang is said to have overthrown the Xia and taken over the realm the Xia had ruled. For more than seven hundred years, the Shang ruled over the area.  Shang society was likely organized into city-states. Kings, a noble class, and a merchant and artisan class lived within cities, while most of the population lived in the countryside and farmed. 


The Chinese writing system began prior to the Shang period but continued to develop during this time. Some of the oldest known writing in the world was done by making carvings on animal bones. These bones (sometimes called Oracle Bones) were used for divination, the practice of trying to tell things about the future using rituals and magic. In ancient China, only the king had the privilege of trying to learn the future. A message was scratched onto the bones using a system of thousands of symbols. A priest would then apply heat to the bones and interpret the future from the way the bones cracked

​Source 3
The Zhou Dynasty
The Zhou dynasty took power in 1046 BCE and ruled for the next eight hundred years. Zhou kings promoted the idea of divine right, or that a king’s right to rule comes from the supreme power of the universe. In China, this idea was framed as a right that came from heaven. The ruler was seen as having the mandate of heaven—that is, heaven’s blessing or endorsement—to rule. Called the Son of Heaven, the king was considered heaven’s representative on Earth with a duty to rule in accordance with heaven’s wishes. If the king neglected his duty to heaven and his subjects, the mandate of heaven could pass to another ruler—one who would rule justly and care for the people. The first Zhou king, Wen, used these ideas to attack the last ruler of the Shang dynasty, who was accused of abandoning his people to spend his time living in luxury rather than ruling. Wen led a rebellion and started a new dynasty that lasted for centuries. The idea of the mandate of heaven lasted even longer, the idea was used by Chinese rulers long after the Zhou themselves had been replaced. At first, the Zhou period was marked by peace and prosperity. The Zhou continued to build on the wealth and culture of the Shang. Advancements were made in the writing system and the creation of bronze vessels and weapons. Over time, the nobility in each of the kingdoms grew more powerful, with their own armies and their own systems of administration and taxation. As long as the kingdoms paid taxes and remained loyal to the Zhou, the Zhou rulers felt that their system was working. But some of the local rulers grew increasingly independent.

Open Ended

Write a well-organized paragraph in response to the following prompt: Explain how two different achievements during the Shang and Zhou dynasties helped the development of ancient China. 

Then support your claim with evidence from  your knowledge of social studies and the 3 sources. (4.5.a, 4.5.b, 4.5.c, 4.5.d, 4.8, 4.18)

*Please do not only quote what is in the sources,  use our discussions from class to make your point. 

* Think about what each dynasty discovered and created

Poll

What did you include in your revision today?

• Claim

• Full paragraph

• Two achievements

• Reasoning

• Evidence