A good writer needs to be observant and have an imagination. Hone those creative writing skills with an activity inspired by a very old Chinese artifact. Learners examine the piece Mandarin Duck Rank Badge, and then write a story from the perspective of one of the animals depicted on the badge. To make their diary entries authentic, the kids first research what rank badges were used for and who would have worn them during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Additional Tags

english language arts

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Pros

• An excellent way to use art as the inspiration for a creative writing project
• Because research is incorporated, multiple standards are addressed
• The lesson would fit well into a social studies unit

Cons

• None