Activity 1:     Journal Entry/Brainstorming

You can have students do the following activity in their writing journals or logs, or you can use the Interactive Notebook of T.C.I. if you use that strategy.
 

1.  Ask students to write the two following questions in their journals.  Have them leave 10-12 lines for writing between each question.

  Why do people go on journeys?

  What are some things that people often bring back home from their travels?

2.  Have students write to these questions for approximately five minutes.

3.  Ask students to share what they have written.  Take responses to each question separately.  Write their responses on the chalkboard or on a large tablet.
For the first question most students will probably come up with responses as adventure, relaxation, see new things, discovery and hopefully, trade.  Try to highlight trade as an important reason for travel in the Middle Ages.

For the second question most students will probably list souvenir-type items.  Try to guide them to link those items - clothing for instance - with common trade items of the Middle Ages.

Students using the Interactive Notebook can continue writing the following material in their notebooks.  Others can record the material in their binders or where ever you have students keep class notes.

Write the following material on the board or overhead projector and have students copy it:
 

Afterwards, explain the comparison chart and ask students why they think Europeans would want to explore trade routes to Asia.  Explain (or remind if you've already taught this) that the Mongols' conquest of Asia opened the continent up to the European travel.

The following is a basic narrative of the Marco Polo story.  Also display this information on the board or overhead and have students copy it.

Marco Polo of Venice and Kublai Khan

Venice - a powerful trading city of Italy

Mongol Empire - the Chinese section of the Mongol Empire, ruled by Genghis Khan's grandson, Kublai Khan

1260 - Polos: father and uncle making a trading trip to China

1269 - Marco, father and uncle return to China to bring the Khan Christian missionaries

Marco becomes a government official for Kublai Khan and travels all through China, Southeast Asia and India.  He keeps a journal of everything he sees.

Polos return by sea to Venice after 20 years.

Marco is held prisoner during a war with the city of Genoa.

Writes "The Marvels of China" with a fellow prisoner.
 

New Ideas from China to Europe
 

1.  Coal
2.  Postal System
3.  Paper money

Results of Polo's Journey
 

1.  Increased interest in European travel and trade with China.

2.  Made Venice a powerful, rich city.

3.  Brought some Christian ideas to China.

4.  Italian trading posts in Asia brought the Black Plague.

Students may continue this activity in a journal or Interactive Handbook or you can have them make a small journal to be used only in this activity.  Students may do this activity individually or in groups of three to simulate the three Polos.

Set up stations around the room according to the following instructions:
Number each station and have students number the pages of their journals before they go to the stations so that information they record will be in the same sequence.  Assign one group per station and have them rotate stations about every five minutes until each group has visited all stations.

Station 1:  The Passport

Draw the oval shape pictured below in the cover of your travel journal.
Make it as large as possible.
Write these two sentences inside the oval: "By the strength of the eternal
Heaven, holy be the Khan's name.  Let him that pays him not reverence be
killed."

This will guarantee your safe travel through all the lands ruled by the
Khans.

Station 2:  The City of Tabriz

Read Marco's description of the city of Tabriz.

List all the specific items that you would expect to be able to buy in the city of Tabriz.  What kinds of fruit?  What kinds of precious stones?

Draw a picture of what you think Tabriz would look like based on Marco's description.

Read Marco's description of Mongol life.

List 15 facts about the Mongols.  Include facts on food, marriage, religion
and warfare.

Draw a picture of a Mongol house.

Station 4:  The Palace of Kublai Khan

Read Marco's description of Kublai Khan's palace and the "enchanters."

On the left side of your journal, list the things that Marco describes that
you believe are true.

On the right side of your journal, list the things that Marco describes that you not believe are true OR that you are not sure about.

Station 5:  The Creature

Read Marco's description of the "creature."

Draw a picture of the creature based on Marco's description.

Explain in three complete sentences how the "creature" is trapped.

Station 6:  Discoveries

Marco describes "stones that burn like logs."  What do you think he is writing about?

This is Marco's description of paper money:

"With these pieces of paper they can buy anything and pay for anything.  And I can tell you that the papers that reckon as ten bezants do not weigh one."

According to Marco, what is the advantage of paper money?  Glue a piece of paper money in your journal.

Read Marco's description of the Khan's postal system.
In what ways is the Khan's system like our U.S. Postal system?
In what ways is it different?
 

When all the students have gone through all the stations, have them return to their seats.  Lead the class through a discussion of each of the stations.  What did they learn about the Mongols?  What do they think the creature is?  What is believable or unbelievable about the description of Kublai Khan's palace?

Activity 4:     Writing Assignment

Students can use their travel journals to complete either or both of the following writing assignments.

  Expository Assignment:

Have students exchange their travel journal with a partner.  Using their partner's journal they are to write an account of the journey using ONLY what is written in their partner's journal and not what they remember or wrote.  They should organize the information in the order that the stations were numbered and write one paragraph per station.

  Creative Assignment:

Discuss with students how stories are often exaggerated when they are passed on from one person to another.  Explain how Rustichello, the man who wrote Marco's book, sometimes exaggerated to make his book more interesting- and more saleable.  As a class, brainstorm a list of adjectives that you would use - spectacular, enormous, gigantic - to exaggerate a description.  Using their travel journals, have students write an exaggerated account of the journey with a focus on the use of adjectives from the class list.  You could have students share their stories and vote on the one they feel does the best job of telling an exaggerated, but still somewhat believable story.

Caravan crossing the Silk Road. (detail of the map of Asia) The Catalan Atlas Spain, Majorca 14th century. http://www.bnf.fr/enluminures/manuscrits