The remarkably preserved body of Lady Dai of Mawangdui provides many clues about daily life in ancient China. Use this discussion and activity guide to meet middle grade standards in literacy for history/social studies. Introduce students to archaeology and the Han Dynasty through pre-reading discussion. After reading, gauge students' understanding of the key ideas and details of the text. Students will research Chinese emperors, compare the Qin and the Han dynasties, and write a fictional story from the perspective of an archaeologist.
At Home in Her Tomb: Lady Dai and the Ancient Chinese Treasures of Mawangdui Discussion & Activity Guide
Excerpted from
At Home in Her Tomb: Lady Dai and the Ancient Chinese Treasures of Mawangdui
This middle-grade book unearths the mysteries of the Mawangdui tombs. Lady Dai's mummy was so remarkably preserved that scientists were able to perform an autopsy–more than two thousand years after Lady Dai's death. The tomb also protected hundreds of artifacts from the Han Dynasty. Miniature servants, mysterious silk paintings, and scrolls holding long-lost secrets gave invaluable clues to daily life in ancient China.
