What's included in The Shang Dynasty History at Home resource and why is it useful?

The Shang Dynasty History at Home is a one-page activity sheet to send home to parents and carers at the start of the topic. It includes what children will be learning, great conversation starters, ideas to try at home, famous figures to explore and places to find out more, covering one of the earliest recorded civilisations and how oracle bones help historians understand it.

What's on the sheet?

Learning: the Shang dynasty of China (1600–1046 BCE), one of the earliest recorded civilisations, its kings and significant individuals, the social hierarchy, beliefs and everyday life, and how discoveries such as oracle bones help historians understand the period.

Conversation starters: questions such as "What are oracle bones and why were they used?" and "What made a good leader during the Shang dynasty?"

Ideas to try at home: designing an oracle bone from cardboard, choosing everyday objects for future historians and finding the Yellow River on a map.

Famous figures: Fu Hao, Zheng Zhenxiang, King Cheng Tang and Wen Wang, with dates and a line on each.

Books and websites: Ancient China (DK Eyewitness), the British Museum website and BBC Bitesize KS2 History.

How do our History at Home resources work?

Our History at Home resources sit alongside our history scheme. Send them home to parents and carers at the start of each topic to promote learning at home without it being a taxing homework-style resource. They also help parents build their own knowledge of the topic, so they can connect with what their child is learning in school.

Teach the full unit with our six Shang Dynasty lessons.