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Sungnyemun Gate

The Sungnyemun gate is designated as the first national treasure of South Korea. Students will explore its history and collaborate to create a replica using recycled materials.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Heavy Paper
  • Recycled Cardboard
  • Recycled Cardboard Box

Steps

  • Step 1

    Sungnyemun is the official name of one of the Eight Gates in the Fortress Wall of Seoul, South Korea. "Sungnyemun" means "honoring propriety gate" in Korean. It is also commonly referred to as Namdaemun ("South Great Door"). Have students learn about its history, which dates back to the 14th century and is designated as the first "National Treasure of South Korea." What is it made of? What was it originally used for? What was the Battle of Namdaemun?

  • Step 2

    Have students work in small groups and collaboratively create a replica of Sungnyemun. They can use a recycled box as the gate's base. The wooden structure that sits atop the base can be made out of corrugated cardboard. Other embellishments can be created using Model Magic and paper cut-outs.

  • Step 3

    Have each group present their model structure and describe some of the facts they learned about the gate and about Seoul, South Korea.

Standards

SS: Culture: Create, learn, share, and adapt to culture. 

SS: Time, Continuity, and Change: Analyze the causes and consequences of past events and developments, and place these in the context of the institutions, values and beliefs of the period in which they took place. 

Adaptations

Have students learn about some of Korea's holidays and traditions, such as Chuseok (the traditional harvest festival), Gwangbokjeol (Independence Day), Seollal (Lunar New Year) and others. What are some traditional foods? What special clothing is worn?

Read a book such as "Danbi Leads the School Parade" by Anna Kim or "The Name Jar" by Yangsook Choi, both of which deal with children moving from Korea to the United States and starting school in a new country. Have a discussion about how it must feel to be in a new place with a new language. Talk about ways students can make newcomers feel welcome.