What can we learn about Ancient China from architecture?

This 30-slide PowerPoint begins with a Starter Activity in which students are asked to close their eyes while the teacher reads out a story, taking them back in time to the Forbidden Palace. When they open their eyes, they are asked to work with a friend to create a quick sketch of what was described. The lesson title and graduated criteria (all will/most will/some will) are then introduced, followed by a few slides of background information to enable teacher exposition. This explains several aspects relating to feng shui, the importance of the number 9, symbolism of colours, and much more. The class then begins their main activity, which is to design a visual illustration with written explanations. The lesson aims are revisited, and the lesson concludes with a plenary in which students are asked to add a post-it note to one of three bins to show what can be learned about Ancient China in terms of power, culture, and education.

I created this lesson while teaching History in China, and so it means a lot to me to pass it on to other teachers. It is pitched at Key Stage 3 high school students but would work well with slightly younger classes too. It is written in UK English.