Qin dynasty, China · 221-210 BC

Qin Shi Huang: the First Emperor unites China

In 221 BC the king of Qin conquered the last rival state and called himself the First Emperor. In eleven years he made China one country with one script, one coin and one law. Students weigh up his achievements against the price his people paid.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
11–14
On the map
3 steps, 300 BC to 221 BC
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

In 221 BC the king of Qin conquered the last rival state and called himself the First Emperor. In eleven years he made China one country with one script, one coin and one law. Students weigh up his achievements against the price his people paid.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain how Qin unified China in 221 BC and what title its king took.
  • Give three examples of standardization and explain why each mattered.
  • Weigh the achievements of the First Emperor against the costs for his people.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

300 BC

Before unification

Open the map in 300 BC. Find Qin in the west and the Zhou states (spelled "Zhow") to the east. How much land does Qin still have to conquer?

Open this view on the map
b

200 BC

One empire

Jump to 200 BC. China now shows as one empire. The map labels it Han, the dynasty that took over the Qin lands in 202 BC. Follow its northern edge: who lives beyond it?

Open this view on the map
c

221 BC

The First Emperor

Open Stories (top left) and play Rise of Imperial China. Pause on the first step and list everything the First Emperor made the same across his empire.

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. The First Emperor made one script, one coin and one set of weights for all of China. Why did this matter for trade and government?
  2. He replaced noble families with governors he could appoint and dismiss. What did he gain, and whom did he anger?
  3. Hundreds of thousands of people worked on roads, canals and walls. What did these projects cost ordinary families?
  4. His dynasty fell just four years after his death. Was his empire built to last?
  5. The name "China" probably comes from Qin. Should a ruler be remembered for unity if he ruled harshly?
4

Game round

10 min

Play Qin Shi Huang in Rule History. Let students take turns making his rulings. After each one, ask: would Li Si, his Legalist chancellor, approve? Would a Confucian scholar? Discuss which choices might have made the Qin dynasty last longer.

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

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