| Materials Needed: Explore Geography
Picture Dictionary (one per student or student group) and Explore
the Ancient World Activity Sheet : "Why Did They Go There?" |
| Teacher Directions: Ask students
to think about ways people interact with other people around the world
(e.g., trade, conflict, emigration).
Choose a chapter students have been studying (e.g., Explore the
Ancient World Chapter 13, "The Chinese Empire"). Ask them to think
about the ways the people interacted with people from other places.
Students might mention such things as trade, conflicts with neighboring
people, the First Emperor's tour of his empire. Have students skim
the student text to find one or two people or groups covered in
the chapter and the reasons the people went from one place to another.
Record the names and reasons on the board.
| People |
Reason for Travelling |
| Postal workers |
To deliver mail |
| Soldiers |
To conquer neighboring people |
| The First Emperor |
To tour his empire |
| Traders |
To trade goods |
| Diplomats |
To make alliances |
|
| Ask students to think about the land these travelers must have covered.
Write some geographical terms on the board (e.g., foothill, river
basin, frontier, desert, shore, sea, mountain range). Ask students
to describe the geographical terms. Encourage them to use the Explore
Geography Picture Dictionary if they need assistance. |
| Hand out Explore the Ancient World Activity Sheet: "Why Did They
Go There?" Read the directions with students and make sure they understand
what they are to do. They will have to copy the list of geographical
terms you wrote on the board in the box on the activity sheet. |
 |
Make it Easier: As
a group, have students identify all the people they read about and
their reasons for traveling. Then have students work in pairs to complete
the activity sheet. |
 |
Make it Quicker: As
a group, have students make up sentences using the geographical terms. |
 |
Make it More Fun:
Have students make up a game of concentration about the people and
their reasons for traveling. Students match the person with their
reason for traveling. |
 |
Make it More Challenging:
Ask students to do additional reading and research to find out more
about the traders who used the Silk Road. |
