silkroad

CHINA: The Exchange of Goods and Ideas Along the Silk Road
A Lesson for 7th Grade World History

by
Shelley Alton
Gordon Bernstein-Potter
Aimee Bohuchot
Sheryl Hott
Frank Pisi

Goals and Background	Context of Unit	Activity 1: Geography	Activity 2: Matrix
Activity 3: Advertisement	Activity 4: Oral Presentation	Homework	Assessment

Goal of Lesson: To show that the Silk Road was a means of transmitting ideas and inventions to other cultures.

Students will be able to:

Map the Silk Road and major geographic features on a blank map of China
Create a matrix comparing the exchange of major Chinese and European inventions along the Silk Road
Create an advertisement illustrating major Chinese and European inventions used in both cultures and in daily lives today
Orally present their advertisement and answer questions for the advertisement.

Skills taught:

Reading comprehension
Critical thinking (analysis and interpretation)
Mapping
Creating a new piece of information from other information
Writing (analysis and explanation)
Oral presentation

Standards addressed:

7.3.1	Describe the reunification of China under the Tang Dynasty and reasons for the spread of Buddhism in Tang China, Korea, and Japan
7.3.2.	Trace the historic influence of such discoveries as tea, the manufacture of paper, wood-block printing, the compass, and gunpowder.
7.3.5	Describe agricultural, technological, and commercial developments during the Tang and Sung periods.

Previous units taught may include:

Rome
Middle Ages in Europe
Renaissance and Reformation
Scientific Revolution
Islam
Africa

Scope of Lessons in this Unit:

Geography of China
Ancient Dynasties
Major achievements
The Great Wall
Information of the Silk Road (Lecture & Background information)
THIS LESSON
Outside influences on Chinese culture (especially fall of the Silk Road)
Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism
Transition lesson on China to Japan

Materials Needed:

Blank Map of China/Middle East and map instructions
Houghton Mifflin's Across the Centuries text
Colored pencils
Black pen
Matrix and transparency of Matrix
Overhead projector
Overhead pens
Supplementary readings on Silk road
Chart paper
Markers/Art supplies

LESSON

Anticipatory set: Students will choose one invention from a list and respond to the following prompts.

How is this invention important today?
How has this invention affected your life?

Activity 1: Geography of the Silk Road

In mixed ability pairs, using a blank map and their textbook, students will create a full color map containing:

The route of the Silk Road

Major geographical features along the Silk Road

Major cities along the Silk Road

Activity 2:Matrix (Adobe Acrobat document. If you do not have Adobe Reader you can download it from the web at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readermain.html)

Students will be assigned one invention that was exchanged along the Silk Road. In groups of three, looking at pages 206-207 in the Across the Centuries textbook (Houghton Mifflin, 1999) and on the handouts, students will find the information for their assigned invention and complete matrix for their invention.

Included in textbook:

100, Use of writing paper (European writing paper - 900, from Cairo)

200, Fishing reel (European fishing reel-1650)

400, Rudder (European rudder -c.1300)

577, Matches (European matches -1500s)

c8th century, paper money developed (European bank note issued - 1658)

976, Bicycle-type chain drive (European bicycle-type chain drive - 1770)

1041-1048, Movable type (European movable type -- 1450)

Discussion/Debrief Matrix Contents: Students will respond to the following prompts:

Compare/Contrast the dates of Chinese inventions and their use in Europe

Why do you think that it took so long for Chinese inventions to reach Europe? (Hint: use your map.)

Activity 3:Advertisements (Adobe Acrobat document. If you do not have Adobe Reader you can download it from the web at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readermain.html)

Groups will work to create an advertisement for their asigned invention to present to the rest of the class. Ads must answer the following questions: How do you market your product to different cultures? What about today?

Ads must include:
Name of invention
Purpose or uses
Picture/drawing of invention
Fully colored
8-10 sentences on back of poster about the significance of the invention both to Chinese and European society and to the modern world today
Catchy slogan or jingle
Fill up the entire paper given to you
Oral presentation

Activity 4: Oral Presentation of Activities 2 and 3

Groups will present the information they have gathered on their invention to the rest of the class, and fill in the information on an overhead transparency of the matrix. During the presentations, students will complete the information on their matrices for each invention.
Discussion/Debrief Advertisements and Matrix Contents: After each presentation, class will have 3 minutes to ask presenters questions to ensure the matrix contents are correct and understood.

Homework: Silk Road 2000

Go home and look at your surroundings. What inventions that we studied today do you still use in your everyday life? Make a list, and tell how your life would be different if each invention was not available today.

Students will respond to the following in writing:

Assessment for this lesson:

Authentic Assessment used: completed map, matrix, advertisement poster, presentations, and CFU (check for understanding) throughout the lesson

Formal Assessment used: short quiz the next day (10 sentences with a work bank)

Created during
ANCIENT ROOTS - MODERN STATES
A Summer Institute For Teachers
July 31 - August 4, 2000

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