Unified Silla · 660-935

Silla unites Korea

Silla, the smallest of Korea's three kingdoms, allied with Tang China, defeated its rivals and then drove out the Tang itself. Students follow the wars on the map and explore Silla's Buddhist capital, Gyeongju.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
45 minutes
Ages
11–14
On the map
3 steps, AD 600 to AD 751
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

Silla, the smallest of Korea's three kingdoms, allied with Tang China, defeated its rivals and then drove out the Tang itself. Students follow the wars on the map and explore Silla's Buddhist capital, Gyeongju.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Describe how Silla defeated Baekje and Goguryeo and drove out the Tang by 676.
  • Locate Silla, Balhae and Gyeongju on the map.
  • Describe Silla's Buddhist culture, using Bulguksa and Seokguram as examples.
2

Explore the map

12 min

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

a

AD 600

Three kingdoms

Open the map in 600 and find the three Korean kingdoms: Goguryeo and Baekje (spelled Koguryo and Paekche on the map) and Silla. Which one looks least likely to win?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 800

Silla and Balhae

Drag the slider to 800. Silla now rules the south and the centre of the peninsula. Which kingdom lies to its north?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 751

Gyeongju

Zoom in on Gyeongju, the Silla capital. Turn on Spreads > Buddhism: when did Buddhism reach the Korean kingdoms? Bulguksa temple was begun in the hills nearby in 751.

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

14 min

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

  1. Silla was the smallest and most distant of the three kingdoms. How did it end up the winner?
  2. Was it wise for Silla to ally with Tang China? What were the risks?
  3. Silla ranked people by birth in a "bone rank" system. How might that have frustrated talented people?
  4. Bulguksa and Seokguram were built with great skill. What do they tell us about Silla?
  5. Some historians call this period "Unified Silla", others "the North-South States", because of Balhae in the north. Which name do you think is fairer?
4

Game round

9 min

Play Rule History as Wu Zetian, who was empress of Tang China when Tang and Silla conquered Baekje and Goguryeo. Let students take turns ruling. Then switch sides: how would King Munmu of Silla have answered each Tang decision?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.