Seven Wonders of the World: Panoramic Views

Objective: Activate prior knowledge about the Great Wall of China and introduce the topic of world wonders.

• • Activity: Show students a teaser image or short video clip of the Great Wall of China without revealing its name.
    • The Great Wall of China - UAV Aerial Footage

Discussion Prompt: "What do you think this is? Where do you think it is located? Have you seen or heard of it before?"

• Have students discuss in pairs or small groups.   
• Elicit a few responses from the class.

Transition: After discussion, reveal the location as the Great Wall of China and briefly introduce the lesson.

Objective: Set the context for the lesson and explain the learning goals.

Explain:
"Today, we’ll take a virtual tour of the Great Wall of China using a panoramic view, explore its historical significance, and use research skills to learn more about this world wonder."
Learning Goals:

• Explore the Great Wall of China through a 360-degree virtual tour
• .Practice skimming, scanning, and research skills.
• Collaboratively create presentations or reports based on research findings.

Objective: Engage students with the panoramic tour and introduce key facts about the Great Wall.

• Activity: Share the AirPano panoramic view of the Great Wall on a large screen or ask students to explore it on their own devices.
• Guided Viewing Questions:
  • What do you notice about the landscape surrounding the Great Wall?
  • Can you identify how the structure is built? What materials are used?
  • How long do you think the Great Wall is?
    (Encourage observation and inference before providing facts.)
• Historical Introduction:
  Provide students with a short reading on the Great Wall (from the AirPano site or another resource), highlighting its construction, purpose, and significance in Chinese history. 
  • Other sites with information on the Great Wall
    • Unesco World Heritage Convention
    • Wikipedia: Great Wall of China
    • Study.com: The Great Wall of China/ History, Purpose & Facts

Objective: Research and answer questions related to the Great Wall to build understanding and critical thinking skills.

• Group Activity:
  Divide students into small groups and assign each group a specific focus (e.g., construction, historical significance, challenges faced during its building, modern-day tourism).
• Research Task:
  Each group uses online resources (provide a list or have them critically evaluate their sources) to research their assigned focus area. (See sites such as those in the Presentation section.
  Students answer the following sample questions:
• • Why was the Great Wall of China built?
  • What were the major challenges during its construction?
  • How does the Wall’s architecture reflect the culture and resources of ancient China?
• Interactive Research:
  Allow students to use devices to explore different angles of the panoramic view and gather more details for their research. Encourage them to take notes and prepare for group presentations.

Objective: Assess students' understanding of the Great Wall of China through presentations or written work.

• Activity:

Each group presents their research findings to the class using a format of their choice: a short slide presentation, a poster, or an oral report.

• • Encourage groups to incorporate visuals from the virtual tour or their research.
  • Provide feedback and ask follow-up questions to assess their understanding.
• Written Assessment (Optional):
  As an additional task, students can answer a series of comprehension questions based on their peers' presentations or submit a short research report.

Objective: Extend students' learning beyond the classroom and encourage further exploration of world wonders.

• Reflection Prompt:
  "The Great Wall of China is considered one of the 'Seven Wonders of the World'. What makes something a world wonder? What other world wonders are you curious about?"
• Extension Task (Homework or Project):
  Assign students to explore another world wonder (e.g., the Colosseum, Machu Picchu, etc.) from the AirPano website.
  
  • They will use the same research and presentation process to create a comparative study between the Great Wall and their chosen wonder.