Amazing Race - Day 3 : Origami
December 5th, 2006 by stolisano
Welcome to Day three of the Amazing Race.
ORIGAMI
Today you will demonstrate your ability in an ancient Chinese Art form. As you know, paper was invented in China. It is only natural that the Chinese started to “play” with the paper.
Your Race Coordinators will show you the final product and guide your through the instructions on how to properly fold one piece of paper into a little box. You will receive a printout of the instructions.
Each student will create their own Origami box.
Your Race Coordinators will time you and record the fastest time. The Origami will also be judged on accuracy and overall appearance of final box.
Race Coordinators: Please take pictures and forward to Mr. Barry for upload of the best origami per class.
Points will be awarded : 100/80/60
In order to continue on to the next challenge every team member will need to complete the following in their own time.
Research Terra Cotta Warriors
Using Resources on the China Blog , Encyclopedia Britannica and other resources, you will familiarize yourself with the Terra Cotta Warrior Army.
Write one paragraph about what you find out and come up with three questions that you would like to know more about these Warriors.
Race Coordinators:
Once students return with their paragraphs, the class will respond on the blog and will come up with the best content for their “class paragraph”, incorporating facts they found out. They will also decide and post the best three questions from the pool they generated.
5 Responses to “Amazing Race - Day 3 : Origami”
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What a day!! It is very interesting doing origami with 53 students. We had some lovely creations. One looked like an Amish quilt and another like a french fry holder from a fast food place. We even had one that looked like a coffin. Fifth graders are very creative. The top three were from Anna, Taylor, and Roc. Winner to be announced today.
Mrs. Hayes and students
We love reading about your trip!
AL’s paragraph was the first one in for 6th grade:
The Terracotta Army is a collection of 8099 life-size figures found near the mausoleum of the first Qin emperor. They were buried with the emperor so they could protect him in the afterlife. They were discovered in March of 1974 by local farmers making a waterwell to the east of Mount Lishan. It took 200,000 workers and craftsman to complete it in 38 years! Each stone statue had a real weapon in their hands, and the builders got so detailed, they even had different hairstyles. The terracotta warriors were a very important historical find and they are still looking for more statues, which they are bound to find.
Mrs. Tolisano, here are the three paragraphs written by the 5th grade classes. In case you are judging, I will not identify which class wrote each paragraph!
Par. 1. The Terracotta warriors and horses are the most significant archeological excavation of the 20th century. The terracotta army is a man made army built to protect Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi in the afterlife. It is located near Xian on the side of Mt. Lishan. The warriors were found by local farmers drilling a waterwell in 1974. There are 8,099 horses and soldiers which once carried real weapons that added to the realistic look of the statues. Over time the weapons were stolen. The builders of the tomb were buried alive with the warriors to keep the secret of where the tomb was located. Those who were not buried alive were murdered by the emperor to further guard the secret. The tomb was also covered with mercury and sealed away to discourage unwanted visitors.
Par. 2. The terracotta warriors and horses are one of the most significant excavations of the 20th century. The terracotta figures were buried with the first emperor Qin Shi Huangdi in 210-209 B.C. They were discovered by farmers who were drilling a well for water near Xian in 1974. Terracotta has been used throughout history for sculpture and pottery, as well as shingles because it it waterproof. The terracotta warriors,life-like and life-sized, were buried in the emperor’s tomb with real weapons to guard him in the afterlife. The emporer’s pyramid was 76 meters long and sealed off by poison. There were 700,000 craftsmen and workers that made the army, and it took 38 years to complete. A few craftsmen have been found in the confines of the fake palace; they were locked there so they would not divulge any of the emperor’s secrets. This is a sight that cannot be missed if you are visiting China.
Par. 3. Imagine you are a farmer in China, digging a well to bring water closer to your house. Suddenly you discover miles and miles of soldiers buried deep below the earth. They are the Terracotta Warriors and Horses. Terracotta is literally “baked clay” which is kiln fired at low temperatures. Exposure to air quickly causes the finish to flake and chip off. The construction of these warriors is believed to have taken 700,000 workers and craftsmen 38 years to complete. So far, 8,099 figures have been discovered. These amazing figures were made to protect the emperor Qin Shi Huangdi in his afterlife. The figures were manufactured both in workshops by government laborers and also by local craftsmen. The terracotta figures, life-like and life-sized, were found on Mt. Lishan, the man made necropolis of the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty. The craftsmen that worked on the clay army were sealed inside the tomb to make sure the secret was kept. Today nearly two million people visit the site every year and almost one fifth are foreigners.
This is Mrs. McKnight now: this was an excellent learning experience, and as you can see, all of the classes did research, and everyone worked together to produce interesting parargraphs, each with its own unique perspective on this fascinating piece of Chinese history! Due to time constraints, we did not focus on our questions about the warriors; we have them, though, and will submit them to you if you’d like. That’s all from the writing classes of fifth grade! Bye!
5th Graders,
Great job on these paragraphs. We are sorry it has taken us so long in responding, but our Internet Connection at our last hotel had problems. In Beijing it is a little faster.
I hope you will enjoy the photos we took there