During this Waldorf-inspired main lesson block for  elementary/ primary students, we will look at a different ancient Chinese dynasty each week. Using folktales, stories, legends, fables, projects, music, and movement, we will make our way through the five dynasties as we explore history, geography, economics, and civics of each period. This will be learned primarily through legends and fables, bringing history alive through storytelling and the arts. The children will interact with the past by feeling the action and emotions of the stories, and will then use their wills to engage in writing and drawing, and finally thinking about ancient history as they ask big questions and engage in hands-on projects. Students should be confident in their writing skills when taking this class, as they will be copying parts of the stories in their main lesson books.

Classes will follow a predictable pattern each week, with room for the teacher to follow the children's interests. We will begin with an opening verse, followed by a check in to make sure everyone has the materials needed for class. This will be followed by a story which will include the background information needed for the class. After the story is told, children will engage in an active movement activity while the story rests in their brains. This will be followed by writing and drawing in their main lesson books, and class will finish with a hands-on project that may be completed during the week. Optional assignments will be placed in the online classroom, and learners will be invited to share them in the next class.

Week 1. We will hear a folktale from the Xia Dynasty (10,000 BCE - 1500 BCE) that has been passed down through the oral tradition, the story of Loawnu and the Fallen Sky. Learners will work with tangrams to bring order and wholeness from parts in a way that reflects the story. They will begin their main lesson book with drawing and writing, dance with silks, and begin to create a pinch pot from clay. We will also learn about Nian the Monster.

Week 2. As we continue to focus on ancient Chinese cultures, we will hear another Chinese folk tale, this one from the Shang Dynasty, and represent it in our main lesson book with words and pictures. We will also share our projects from last week, including our pots, and will move with silks as a response to music and our story about the River Dragon. We will also look at the Qin, a Chinese instrument like a zither. The earliest Chinese writing began during this dynasty and was found on tortoise shells.

Week 3. As we explore the Zhou Dynasty, not only will we look at the movement from pottery to baskets to bronzeware, but we will also explore the beginnings of Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism in ancient Chinese cultures as we copy some ancient proverbs into our main lesson books. We will also listen to the Legend of Confucius. During this dynasty, the Mandate of Heaven, or belief that emperors were chosen by the gods, came about.

Week 4. The Qin Dynasty. This dynasty united China, and there were many projects involving the citizenry, including standardized coins, a terracotta army, and The Great Wall of China. We will tell the sad myth of Meng Jiang's Tears and will write about it in our main lesson books. We will also plan our own models of The Great Wall, which learners will work on throughout the week.

Week 5. The Han Dynasty. As we wrap up our study of the five ancient Chinese dynasties, we will tell the fable of The Peach Blossom Spring and make a peach blossom scroll. Finally, we will look at the role of the moon in ancient China. This will be a final chance to share the work you are proud of-- your best main lesson book page, a song you learned, or a project you completed.