This learning module is intended to provide students with an overview of Ancient China and its culture within the context of a middle school ancient civilizations course.
Ancient China; Social Studies; World History; Ancient Civilizations; Middle School; Dynastic Cycle; Mandate of Heaven; Geography; Confucianism; Daoism; Legalism; Great Wall of China; Silk Road
The digital age has been largely responsible for transforming pedagogical practices across the educational landscape. One significant change involves how we as teachers ask our students to interpret, construct, and share knowledge. Traditionally, schools have emphasized reading and writing as the primary modes for meaning-making, and centered their curriculums around enhancing students' abilities to communicate through these mediums (Education at Illinois, 2016a). I graduated high school not that long ago in 2010, and my experience in the K-12 system predominately coincided with this language-based approach. However, many scholars and instructors are suggesting a paradigm shift toward multimodality, which involves consuming and creating knowledge through not only written language, but a total of seven different types of meaning, as illustrated in the chart below.
The Internet and evolving digital technologies have revolutionized the ways in which people exchange information today. The increased prevalence of media in society, such as images, video, and audio, makes the school's exclusive focus on written meanings obsolete. Students must become proficient at gathering information from a variety of sources, which will be exemplified in this learning module, and fusing multiple modes together to create new knowledge and understanding. This concept is known as synaesthesia, or the transfer of meaning between modes, which is the key to effective and powerful learning experiences (Education at Illinois, 2016b).
This learning module covers Ancient China and guides students on an exploration of this significant civilization from ancient history. As a middle school social studies teacher, the 2019-2020 school year marked my sixth time teaching the content explored throughout the module. While I have taught this material before, this will mark my first attempt to create a learning design that presents the content multimodally and intentionally encourages synaesthesia. Students will be exposed to the content through an organized assortment of media resources across six teacher updates, and produce knowledge alongside their classmates through peer-to-peer comment threads within each update.
The approach guiding the multiliteracies methods implemented in this learning module are supported by the Learning by Design pedagogy. Cope and Kalantzis (2015) argued that the multiliteracies method and multimodality are critical in modern education:
The Multiliteracies approach suggests bringing multimodal texts, and particularly those typical of the new, digital media, into the curriculum and classroom. This makes literacy pedagogy all the more relevant and engaging for its manifest connections with today's communications milieu. It also provides a powerful foundation for synesthesia, or learning that emerges from mode switching, moving backwards and forwards between representations in text, image, sound, gesture, object, and space. (p. 3)
An essential purpose of education is to prepare students for the types of experiences they might encounter in the real world. Therefore, schools must embrace the multiliteracies pedagogy and create templates, such as this learning module, that engage students across a variety of media to make new knowledge designs.
As mentioned in the previous section, this learning module provides learners with an overview of Ancient Chinese history and culture. Students will analyze how China's geography has impacted the daily lives of its people, examine competing Chinese philosophies on effective government, and discover the past and present significance of the famed Great Wall of China and Silk Road. The target audiences for this unit are 6th grade social studies classes that cover Ancient Civilizations. However, this content could be implemented within all middle school grade levels (6-8).
Ideally, this learning module would represent the sixth unit of an ancient civilizations course at the middle school level. Students should come into this learning module with a foundational understanding of the social sciences (civics, economics, geography, and history) and background knowledge of human lifestyles and behavior during prehistoric times. Furthermore, students should grasp the significance behind the contributions of early civilizations in Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, and Ancient India.
The length of time to complete the module will vary, depending on if the teacher chooses to use the following content exclusively, or provide students with supplemental materials and activities outside the learning module. Students' academic abilities, particularly when it comes to writing frequent comments, will also play a role. Consequently, the schedule could range between 3-4 weeks. Classes will need daily access to laptops or other digital devices at both school and home in order for all students to fully realize the potential of the learning module. It needs to be considered in advance how students without a reliable Internet connection at home will be able to engage with the material, especially if significant time is not allotted during the school day. Students should be made aware of options such as school libraries, school media centers, and public libraries.
Learning Objectives: The learning module hopes to help you achieve the following outcomes over the course of the unit:
1) I will be able to conceptualize the timeline of Ancient Chinese history, including the relationships between significant people, places, and ideas.
2) I will be able to analyze how the geography of China affected the development of civilization.
3) I will be able to compare and contrast differing viewpoints on running a government among the Chinese philosophies: Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism.
4) I will be able to evaluate if the benefits provided by the Great Wall of China were worth the costs of its construction.
5) I will be able to analyze how the Silk Road contributed to the rise of globalization in the ancient world and the present day.
6) I will be able to conduct scholarly research and produce a project that evaluates the legacy of Ancient China in modern times.
Learning Objectives: The learning module hopes to help students achieve the following outcomes over the course of the unit:
1) I will be able to conceptualize the timeline of Ancient Chinese history, including the relationships between significant people, places, and ideas.
2) I will be able to analyze how the geography of China affected the development of civilization.
3) I will be able to compare and contrast differing viewpoints on running a government among the Chinese philosophies: Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism.
4) I will be able to evaluate if the benefits provided by the Great Wall of China were worth the costs of its construction.
5) I will be able to analyze how the Silk Road contributed to the rise of globalization in the ancient world and the present day.
6) I will be able to conduct scholarly research and produce a project that evaluates the legacy of Ancient China in modern times.
Learning Standards: This module will be using the Illinois Learning Standards for Social Science 6-8. For more information on the standards as a whole, please reference the following PDF attachment. The selection of standards for the entire module are also listed below, while those that are specifically aligned with each lesson/update will be identified in the “For the Teacher” column.
Learning Objective: I will be able to conceptualize the timeline of Ancient Chinese history, including the relationships between significant people, places, and ideas.
Please complete the survey before proceeding to Update #1. The survey contains a series of questions to assess your prior knowledge of Ancient China before starting the learning module. On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being "Strongly Disagree" and 5 being "Strongly Agree," rate your level of understanding regarding each of the following statements. The data collected will be used to make future adjustments to the learning module. Click pre-survey to open the link.
China is the site of one of the oldest cultures in the world, with a history that spans approximately 4,000 years. Consequently, several of the civilization's achievements have helped shape the overall narrative of the human story, and continue to do so today. Several of China's most significant accomplishments are rooted back in ancient times circa 2000 BCE-220 CE. You are probably more familiar with this time period than you thought. The iconic Great Wall of China, with its famed barriers extending thousands of miles, originated in Ancient China. So did the game changing innovation of paper, which drastically improved the recording and storing of information, and is probably cluttering up your locker! You may have heard of China's beautiful silk fabric, which helped spark the greatest trading network throughout the ancient world. The civilization also was home to a well-known philosopher who shared a version of the universal Golden Rule, which states to treat others the way you want others to treat you. These are just a few of the ways in which China's past is connected to modern times.
Since Chinese history is quite extensive, historians typically divide the timeline according to dynasties. A dynasty is a single family that rules over a specific area, such as a country or empire, for a lengthy period of time. The following video from Khan Academy covers the earliest dynasties in Ancient China, including several notable events that occurred during each of these time periods, which will be discussed in future updates.
Khan Academy. (2017, February 7). Zhou, Qin and Han Dynasties | World History | Khan Academy [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L9jWmLkaS0
One significant concept addressed in the video explains why there was a consistent succession of dynasties across Chinese history, which is known as the Mandate of Heaven. The Mandate of Heaven is the idea that a person and his/her family claim that they have the approval of the gods to govern China. As stated in the video, this idea was established by the Zhou Dynasty to validate its takeover of China from the Shang Dynasty. The Mandate of Heaven was conditional to each dynasty, as it had to govern fairly, protect its people from threats, and take care of the people's overall happiness. If a dynasty failed to meet these conditions and became corrupt, then it would lose the Mandate of Heaven to another dynasty, which created a constant cycle of rising and falling governments throughout China's history. The following infographic illustrates how the Mandate of Heaven enabled the endless cycle of rising, failing, and replacing political dynasties.
Comment: The Zhou Dynasty, as well as subsequent dynasties, used the Mandate of Heaven as a religious explanation for maintaining control over China. Discuss another historical situation where an individual, country, or civilization used religion as a justification for their government. Think about other ancient civilizations, such as Egypt and India, that you have learned about in previous learning modules. Additionally, defend or challenge whether religion and government should be tied together in the first place. Your response should be at least 150 words and include at least one multimedia object (video, image, etc.) to support your findings.
Responses: After you have completed your comment, respond to at least three other students' comments. Compare and contrast the laws, tactics, and other trends between each peer's individual or group to your own. Explain why you agree or disagree with your peers' analysis, while providing a clear rationale supporting your own perspective.
Method: Start the module by having students complete the pre-survey. This should be informational, and not assessed for a grade. The data will be used to gauge the prior knowledge of the class, and possibly make adjustments to the learning module. Students can then proceed to read Update #1, view the attached videos, answer the comment, and respond to three other students' comments.
Each update will conclude with a comment that either directly reviews the material, or directs students into an entirely different discussion using the update as a reference point. Additionally, all students will be required to respond to three other peers' comments. The teacher can use student comments as a formative assessment, and feedback will be offered either directly to commenters themselves, or on a whole-group level during class discussion prior to the next update. All comments and responses will be posted using the “Post Student Content to a Community” button, so students and the teacher can access each other’s work in one area on the Learning Management System.
Pedagogy:
"Experiencing the Known & New:" The beginning of the update references places, concepts, and ideas (Great Wall of China, paper, silk, Golden Rule) that students have likely heard of prior to starting the module. The update provides scaffolds to new information by giving brief descriptions of new terminology, reinforcing those descriptions with embedded media, and asking students to create a comment that springs off the material.
"Conceptualize by Naming & with Theory:" The update offers explicit definitions for concepts that are likely unfamiliar to students, such as dynasty and the Mandate of Heaven. The Khan Academy video helps students visualize early Chinese history through a timeline with embedded historical images. The Mandate of Heaven graphic provides students with a conceptual model of how political dynasties gained and lost power in Ancient China.
"Analyzing Functionally & Critically:" The Comment prompts students to analyze the connection between religion and government that has repeated itself throughout history. The Responses allow students to recognize this pattern further by comparing the historical individuals/groups of their peers to their own. Additionally, students are expected to interact with their peers and provide thoughtful critiques of differing opinions, as well as rational explanations for their own.
"Applying Appropriately & Creatively:" The knowledge that students gain about Ancient Chinese history can be utilized in the peer review project at the end of the learning module. Additionally, students must apply their knowledge of the Mandate of Heaven into a new context by finding another example in history that shows the relationship between religion and government.
Standards:
IS2) Constructing Supporting Questions
IS5) Developing Claims & Using Evidence
IS6) Communicating Conclusions
IS7) Critiquing Conclusions
CV1 & CV2) Civic & Political Institutions
CV3) Participation & Deliberation: Applying Civic Virtues & Democratic Principles
G2) Human-Environment Interaction: Place, Regions, & Culture
G4) Global Interconnections: Changing Spatial Patterns
H1) Change, Continuity, & Context
H2) Perspectives
H4) Causation & Argumentation
Learning Objective: I will be able to analyze how the geography of China affected the development of civilization.
The diverse geography of China, which consists of nearly the same amount of land as the continental United States, has played an integral role in how its society has evolved over time. The earliest inhabitants made their settlements alongside the Yellow River and Yangtze River, similar to other river valley civilizations in Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, and Ancient India. The map below indicates that there were not many viable alternatives outside of the fertile river valleys, as China's landscape is covered by a variety of terrains that are unsuitable for the large scale agriculture required for building civilization. The northern and northwestern swaths of lands are covered by the dry Gobi Desert and Taklamakan Desert, while the southwestern portion is not much better due to the cold climate and rocky terrain of the Plateau of Tibet. The northeastern corner contains flat land in the Manchurian Plain, but also has temperatures that can plummet below 0° F during the winter months.
Furthermore, the map above conveys that the collection of landforms, alongside the East China Sea and South China Sea, create natural barriers that isolated China from other civilizations during its early development. As mentioned in previous learning modules, natural barriers are any landforms or bodies of water that complicate transportation and communication. The following video shows a Disneynature movie trailer of "Born in China," which displays the vastness of the uninhabited lands outside of the center of Chinese society today, which is still concentrated in the east around the rivers. Additionally, please enjoy the cute animals!
Movieclips Trailers. (2016, April 22). Born in China official 'Earth Day' trailer (2017) - Disneynature documentary HD [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xRQ5qOtsHI
Comment: Choose one of the natural landscapes discussed in this update, or another landscape located in China. Create a media object (postcard, short video newscast, etc.) that provides an overview of the area. Include at least three affordances and challenges of living conditions in the environment, and discuss whether or not the site would be a suitable location for human settlement.
Responses: After you have completed your comment, respond to at least three other students' comments. Try to interact with peers who have researched different landscapes. Explain why you agree or disagree with your peers' analysis, while providing a clear rationale supporting your own perspective.
Method: The teacher may want to give an opportunity at the beginning of class for students to have a face-to-face discussion regarding their Comments, and give any students the chance to make or seek clarifications about peer responses on the discussion thread. Additionally, this could be a time where the teacher responds to any questions from students about the previous update. Finally, students will read Update #2, view the embedded media, answer the comment, and respond to three other students' comments.
Pedagogy:
"Experiencing the Known & New:" As stated in the Intended Learning Outcomes section, it is assumed that students have already completed the learning modules on Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, and Ancient India prior to this update. Consequently, they should be familiar with how landforms and bodies of water have an impact on the development of civilizations, which can be transferred to their new learning context in Ancient China.
"Conceptualize by Naming & with Theory:" The update offers a clear definition for natural barriers and descriptions of a wide variety of landforms. The map helps students spatially conceptualize the natural barriers surrounding China, and the Disneynature footage helps students visualize its diverse landscapes.
"Analyzing Functionally & Critically:" The Comment asks students to analyze the benefits and drawbacks of an environment of choice in China, and conclude whether the site would be ideal for human settlement. The Responses give students the opportunity to judge the arguments of their peers and offer constructive feedback.
"Applying Appropriately & Creatively:" Students must assess the feasibility of settlement across a variety of terrains through their own Comment and the Responses to their peers. Students must choose to present their Comment through one of several multimodal methods, which draws upon students' interests and allows them to share knowledge through a design of their choice.
Standards:
IS5) Developing Claims & Using Evidence
IS6) Communicating Conclusions
IS7) Critiquing Conclusions
G1) Geographic Representations: Spatial Views of the World
G2) Human-Environment Interaction: Places, Regions, & Culture
G3) Human Population: Spatial Patterns & Movements
G4) Global Interconnections: Changing Spatial Patterns
H1) Change, Continuity, & Context
H4) Causation & Argumentation
Learning Objective: I will be able to compare and contrast differing viewpoints on running a government among the Chinese philosophies: Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism.
As mentioned in Update #1, the Mandate of Heaven called for Chinese kings and emperors to govern in the best interest of their people. However, not all of China's rulers viewed their duties from this perspective, and this led to several instances of rebellion that left the civilization without a central leader for significant periods of time. One famous instance of this is known as the Warring States Period, which lasted for roughly 250 years at the end of the Zhou Dynasty from 475 BCE-221 BCE. Several rival states consistently fought for control over China during this time, which caused a handful of philosophers to think about how to restore order to society. A philosopher is essentially a thinker with intellectual ideas about a particular subject. Three main schools of thought developed just before and during the Warring States Period: Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism.
Confucianism was developed by its namesake, who was known as Confucius. Confucius fundamentally believed that people were teachable and could improve themselves as individuals and communities. Consequently, Confucius believed that a government should treat its people just as an ideal parent would treat his/her children, by emphasizing values such as honesty, respect, ethics, and obedience toward authority. Furthermore, Confucius believed that there were five constant relationships necessary to a peaceful and efficient society: parent/child, husband/wife, older sibling/younger sibling, older friend/younger friend, and ruler/subject. If people displayed respect toward each other in their personal lives through the first four relationships, then Confucius thought such feelings would extend to the ties between a people and their government. The following video reinforces several of these ideas, and provides additional insight into Confucianism.
The School of Life. (2015, February 6). EASTERN PHILOSOPHY - Confucius [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUhGRh4vdb8&t=1s
The Daoist philosophy had a different viewpoint on fixing Chinese society than Confucius. Lao Tzu (or Laozi), the semi-legendary founder of Daoism, argued that the solution was living in harmony with nature and not fighting the natural course of life. Essentially, Daoists believed that the way to follow the will of nature was not through action, but through inaction. A useful example is to imagine that you are traveling in a raft along a river. If you go with the flow of the current, then your trip will be much smoother than if you decide to steer your raft against the current. You might fight against the current for awhile, but eventually you will grow tired and the current will steer you in its direction anyway. Daoists also believe in the concept of balance, which is symbolized by the iconic yin and yang symbol displayed below, with its two halves that join together.
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Notice that the white half has a little black circle, while the black half has a little white circle. This symbolizes balance, as the opposite force is always present, even if it is not always visible. For example, if white represents the day and black represents the night, then together they make a whole. Night is still needed for there to be a day, and day is still needed for there to be a night. The subsequent video provides additional information on Lao Tzu and Daoism.
The School of Life. (2014, November 21). EASTERN PHILOSOPHY - Lao Tzu [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFb7Hxva5rg
Legalism completely opposed Confucianism and Daoism, with a more negative view on how to fix constant warfare in China. This philosophy was created by Han Fei (or Han Feizi), who came to believe that human beings were selfish and evil by nature, which meant they had to be controlled through strict rules and harsh punishments. Legalists did not believe in self-improvement like Confucians, nor did they practice inaction like Daoists. Contrastingly, they felt that the government should not show people mercy or compassion, otherwise the people would take advantage of authority. Legalist consequences were often exaggerated for the crime in question. These punishments included manual laborer in extreme conditions, loss of limbs, and even death.
Comment: Imagine that your school's administration and teachers decided that they are going to switch their school rules and classroom rules to follow one of the major philosophies in Ancient China. Create an argument that explains whether Confucianism, Daoism, or Legalism would be the most effective philosophy for running your school, and create at least three rules that apply your chosen philosophy into practice. Your response should be at least 150 words.
Responses: After you have completed your comment, respond to at least three other students' comments. Try to interact with peers who have diverse viewpoints on the topic. Explain why you agree or disagree with your peers' analysis, while providing a clear rationale supporting your own perspective.
Method: The teacher may want to give an opportunity at the beginning of class for students to have a face-to-face discussion regarding their Comments, and give any students the chance to make or seek clarifications about peer responses on the discussion thread. Additionally, this could be a time where the teacher responds to any questions from students about the previous update. Finally, students will read Update #3, view the embedded media, answer the comment, and respond to three other students' comments.
Pedagogy:
"Experiencing the Known & New:" The update uses students' prior knowledge about the Mandate of Heaven and dynastic cycle, which were gained from Update #1, to introduce students to the resulting Warring States Period, and then to the three philosophies that arose as potential solutions to the fighting in China. Each philosophy is then briefly introduced in its own paragraph, with embedded media introduced to reinforce the most complex ideas (Confucianism and Daoism).
"Conceptualize by Naming & with Theory:" Several definitions are explicitly defined throughout the update, such as philosopher, Confucianism, Daoism, yin and yang, and Legalism. Conceptual models, such as an image of the yin and yang symbol, are included to help improve students' comprehension of the definition.
"Analyzing Functionally & Critically:" The Comment asks students to evaluate the three Chinese philosophies and create an argument that claims which one would work most within a modern school. Students can then debate with one another in the Responses, and this engagement with peers may lead to some students reevaluating their own ideas and assumptions.
"Applying Appropriately & Creatively:" The Comment presents a creative twist by asking students to apply the principles of the Ancient Chinese philosophies within the context of modern schools. They must choose a philosophy and create three school rules (ex: homework policy, bullying policy, etc.) that follow the spirit of the belief system. Later, students can use the knowledge gained in this update in the peer review project at the conclusion of the learning module
Standards:
IS5) Developing Claims & Using Evidence
IS6) Communicating Conclusions
IS7) Critiquing Conclusions
IS8) Taking Informed Action
CV2) Civic & Political Institutions
CV3 & CV5) Participation & Deliberation: Applying Civic Virtues & Democratic Principles
CV6) Processes, Rules, & Laws
G2) Human-Environment Interaction: Place, Regions, & Culture
G4) Global Interconnections: Changing Spatial Patterns
H1) Change, Continuity, & Context
Learning Objective: I will be able to evaluate if the benefits provided by the Great Wall of China were worth the costs of its construction.
Perhaps surprisingly, Legalism was the philosophy embraced by Emperor Qin Shihuangdi and the Qin Dynasty that eventually took power at the conclusion of the Warring State Period in 221 BCE. While the Qin Dynasty was brief, as indicated by the Khan Academy video in Update #1, it made several significant accomplishments during its reign. The biggest achievement, literally, was constructing the first phase of the Great Wall of China. The final project ended up spanning thousands of miles along the northern border of the country, and a small portion is displayed in the National Geographic video below.
National Geographic. (2018, February 17). See China’s iconic Great Wall from above | National Geographic [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do1Go22Wu8o
It might be surprising to learn that the original Great Wall was not the long and winding stone fortress depicted in the clip that likely matched your previous mental image. On the contrary, the first Wall was actually a series of smaller dirt walls that were built to protect Ancient China from the Xiongnu in modern-day Mongolia. The next video from the Smithsonian Channel explains how the Qin Dynasty constructed these early walls, as well as analyzes their effectiveness against invaders.
Smithsonian Channel. (2015, August 28). How and why the Great Wall of China was really built [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m68zyXyeYG0
The Great Wall certainly provided a formidable barrier for the Chinese people against external attacks, but its construction did not come without costs. Soldiers, peasants, and criminals numbering in the hundreds of thousands died while building the first walls in terrible conditions during the Qin Dynasty and Han Dynasty. Moreover, the Mongolians were still able to cross China's borders despite advances in the Great Wall's defense capabilities over time. The TED-Ed video offers an overview of the Great Wall's story, including the benefits and drawbacks resulting from its development.
TED-Ed. (2015, September 17). What makes the Great Wall of China so extraordinary - Megan Campisi and Pen-Pen Chen [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23oHqNEqRyo
Comment: Evaluate whether the benefits provided by the Great Wall of China were worth the costs of its construction. Discuss at least two benefits or two costs in your response. Deliver your argument through a multimedia object (essay, video, infographic, podcast, etc.) of your choice.
Responses: After you have completed your comment, respond to at least three other students' comments. Try to interact with peers who have diverse viewpoints on the topic. Explain why you agree or disagree with your peers' analysis, while providing a clear rationale supporting your own perspective.
Method: The teacher may want to give an opportunity at the beginning of class for students to have a face-to-face discussion regarding their Comments, and give any students the chance to make or seek clarifications about peer responses on the discussion thread. Additionally, this could be a time where the teacher responds to any questions from students about the previous update. Finally, students will read Update #4, view the embedded media, answer the comment, and respond to three other students' comments.
Pedagogy:
"Experiencing the Known & New:" The update sets up its explanation of the Great Wall's origins by referencing Legalism from Update #3 and the Qin Dynasty from the Khan Academy video in Update #1. Furthermore, the update capitalizes on the assumption that most students have some familiarity with the Great Wall of China, and uses the National Geographic video to make spatial meaning by showing the vastness of the Wall's size. Subsequently, the update uses students' conceptualization of the modern wall to lead into likely new knowledge about the ancient wall.
"Conceptualize by Naming & with Theory:" The update uses embedded video footage to contrast the construction of the original Great Wall of China versus the modern version. Another video connects the history of the rammed earth and stone walls together to show the overall history of the Great Wall.
"Analyzing Functionally & Critically:" Students must answer the Comment by assessing whether or not it was worth building the Great Wall of China, based on the hindsight of its benefits and costs throughout history. The Responses give students the chance to discuss their opinions amongst themselves and analyze the perspectives of others versus their own.
"Applying Appropriately & Creatively:" Students can be creative with the presentation of their argument in the Comment by choosing their communication media. Later, students can apply their knowledge on the Great Wall of China in the peer review project at the end of the learning module.
Standards:
IS5) Developing Claims & Using Evidence
IS6) Communicating Conclusions
IS8) Taking Informed Action
CV1 & CV2) Civic & Political Institutions
CV6) Processes, Rules, & Laws
G1) Geographic Representations: Spatial Views of the World
G2) Human-Environment Interaction: Place, Regions, & Culture
G3) Human Population: Spatial Patterns & Movements
G4) Global Interconnections: Changing Spatial Patterns
H1) Change, Continuity, & Context
H2) Perspectives
H4) Causation & Argumentation
Learning Objective: I will be able to analyze how the Silk Road contributed to the rise of globalization in the ancient world and the present day.
Ironically, Ancient China contributed to the development of two wordly achievements with quite opposite intentions. As mentioned in Update #4, the Great Wall of China was built to keep foreign forces away from Chinese territory. Contrastingly, the Silk Road evolved into a vast network that linked China with other civilizations across three continents. The Silk Road gets its name from the fiber that is produced by silkworms, which the Chinese have used to create clothing for thousands of years. Stories about the beauty of these silk fabrics spread westward to other cultures through nomadic populations, while China came to learn about the possibility of obtaining goods such as glassware, cotton, and even horses. Ultimately, a series of trade routes expanded to connect civilizations including China, India, Persia, Egypt, and Rome. The following map illustrates the land routes in red, along with the interrelated sea routes depicted in blue.
.jpg?Expires=1721690655&Signature=DIJy6zZ0vKq0HYVUf2zCbX0vZkGpfVDeMQBLstrRRxdwGBOcRySLflZXUr9HERLGuGjjVxAT3Q5AQL2DiAxAOUCRdXasSeelgGYm12IlVnVK8UA-c4DJqJNb7E7FgtsLOO7arziz9OcHbrIz6BrVjWE0aNwA6CQGD~3tk-pN0g5NhVpfn3aSHilkaw7pyCy3D-H-p5fXLK606H-0toimRxqCIHvWvphDQXBNt9oo6N00VgsEsJPuR90aazTKTUnSgAOmw0rv10Ql37BZuPa-WXPaJUORnC~O1uxQLddp0jqWo7x0Jw~G87BvxMBb0XFGuC3bIW1GUUqQIel2Cjl2WQ__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJELYXGUCCDL7FUQA)
The Silk Road opened up circa 130 BCE and sections remained in use until approximately 1450 BCE. Its historical significance can be attributed to being one of the oldest examples of globalization in the ancient world. Globalization is the interaction and integration of ideas across civilizations on a world scale. Originally, natural barriers separated China and other cultures from each other, which resulted in early communities developing unique customs in isolation of one another. Contrastingly, the Silk Road enabled the spread of innovations to new lands, and sowed the seeds for an interdependence that still exists across the globe today. The video below elaborates on this relationship and the legacy of the trade routes as the precursor to the world wide web.
TED-Ed. (2014, June 3). The Silk Road: Connecting the ancient world through trade - Shannon Harris Castelo [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn3e37VWc0k
Comment: The Silk Road initiated some of the first connections among world cultures, but there are people today who worry that globalization will have potentially damaging consequences. Defend or challenge this assertion, using at least one multimedia object (image, video, audio, etc.) to support your answer. Your response should be at least 150 words.
Responses: After you have completed your comment, respond to at least three other students' comments. Try to interact with peers who have diverse viewpoints on the topic. Explain why you agree or disagree with your peers' analysis, while providing a clear rationale supporting your own perspective.
Method: The teacher may want to give an opportunity at the beginning of class for students to have a face-to-face discussion regarding their Comments, and give any students the chance to make or seek clarifications about peer responses on the discussion thread. Additionally, this could be a time where the teacher responds to any questions from students about the previous update. Finally, students will read Update #5, view the embedded media, answer the comment, and respond to three other students' comments.
Pedagogy:
"Experiencing the Known & New:" The update attempts to connect the familiar with the new by contrasting the purpose of the Great Wall of China, which students learned about in Update #4, with the Silk Road. Furthermore, the module tries to stay within the students' zone of proximal development by linking the Silk Road to globalization, which is a challenging issue that learners will find has its advantages and disadvantages.
"Conceptualize by Naming & with Theory:" The update explains how the Silk Road got its name. The map provides a visual model of the Silk Road that shows learners how it connected civilizations across Africa, Asia, and Europe.
"Analyzing Functionally & Critically:" The Comment requires students to reason whether or not globalization, while fruitful during the ancient world, is in the best interest of societies in the present day. The Responses give students the chance to reply to similar or opposing viewpoints. Ultimately, they might come to the conclusion that while globalization allows for the widespread exchange of ideas, it may also result in the loss of individual identities.
"Applying Appropriately & Creatively:" Students apply the lessons learned about the Silk Road into a modern context about globalization today. Additionally, the information that students learn on the Silk Road can be used in the peer review project in the following update.
Standards:
IS6) Communicating Conclusions
IS7) Critiquing Conclusions
G1) Geographic Representations: Spatial Views of the World
G2) Human-Environment Interaction: Place, Regions, & Culture
G3) Human Population: Spatial Patterns & Movements
G4) Global Interconnections: Changing Spatial Patterns
EC2) Exchange & Markets
H1) Change, Continuity, & Context
Learning Objective: I will be able to conduct scholarly research and produce a project that evaluates the legacy of Ancient China in modern times.
Please complete the survey before proceeding to Update #6. This post-survey contains the same questions as the pre-survey in Update #1. The rationale behind taking the survey again is to assess your progress and learning mastery since the start of the module. On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being "Strongly Disagree" and 5 being "Strongly Agree," rate your level of understanding regarding each of the following statements. The relationship between the data collected in the pre-survey and post-survey will be used to make future adjustments to the learning module. Click post-survey to open the link.
Comment/Project Instructions: Create a project that evaluates the impact of Ancient China's legacy on the world today. The project should include three topics related to the civilization, which can be from this learning module and/or your own independent research. Your project should provide a comprehensive overview of each topic, examine the relevance of each topic within modern times, and evaluate how each topic is significant in the present.
Your topic choices include, but are not limited to the following:
Your project will be peer reviewed and undergo revisions prior to your final submission for a grade and publication to your Scholar profile page. The assignment criteria includes the following:
1) Concepts & Context: The project should provide available historical background information regarding each of the three chosen topics. Basically, discuss the who, what, where, when, why, and how of your topics. This information should come from researched primary and/or secondary sources.
2) Modern Applications: Discuss how Ancient China's legacy is relevant to modern times. Make connections between your three topics and current cultural values. Are there lessons to be learned from Ancient China that are applicable to your own life, or the lives of other members in society?
3) Evaluation: Create an argument that defends, challenges, or qualifies the impact of your three topics on Ancient China and present-day society. What are the benefits and drawbacks offered by your topics? Do your topics have a positive or negative impact on past and present society, or has it changed over time?
4) Communication & Creativity: The project can be presented in a variety of formats across the multimodal spectrum (essay, song, website, infographic, movie script, slide show, video, podcast, etc.) Regardless of format, the project should be logically organized and easy to follow for the reader/viewer. There is no required length- the goal of the assignment is to clearly and effectively communicate all criteria in the rubric.
5) Sourcing: Multiple sources should be utilized in the project. Use at least five sources total. Sources may be any combination of websites, articles, or media. All information should be clearly quoted and/or cited throughout the project transcript and/or referenced in the presentation.
Method: The teacher may want to give an opportunity at the beginning of class for students to have a face-to-face discussion regarding their Comments, and give any students the chance to make or seek clarifications about peer responses on the discussion thread. Additionally, this could be a time where the teacher responds to any questions from students about the previous update. Finally, students will read Update #6, fill out the post-survey, and complete the cumulative peer review project.
This post-survey contains the same questions as the pre-survey at the beginning of the learning module. Consequently, the data should be used to measure the learning progression of each student and the overall effectiveness of the learning module. The teacher can use the results to conduct necessary learning interventions, as well as make adjustments to the learning module for future implementations. However, the post-survey should be purely informational, and not assessed for a grade.
Once a student has demonstrated learning mastery, he/she will complete the Ancient China Legacy Project. The grade for the assessment could technically be counted as a summative, but the framework will be founded upon the pedagogical practices of recursive feedback and formative assessment. Students will submit a first draft, which will undergo a peer review by other students in the class. Afterward, students can use peer feedback to make revisions before submitting their final drafts for a grade and publication to their Scholar profile pages.
Pedagogy:
"Experiencing the Known & New:" The peer review project asks students to take their newfound knowledge of Ancient China (Mandate of Heaven, Chinese philosophies, the Great Wall of China, the Silk Road, etc.) and determine how the legacy of the civilization impacts society in the present. Moreover, students will likely need to do additional research, in conjunction with their previous knowledge, to create the final project.
"Conceptualize by Naming & with Theory:" The key concepts have been defined throughout the learning module, and learners can use these concepts to research potential leads to new information. The peer review rubric helps students to conceptualize the components required for the final project.
"Analyzing Functionally & Critically:" The peer review process allows students to critique the work of their peers, and make recommendations for improving it. Students can then utilize peer feedback and thoughtfully implement it during the revision process.
"Applying Appropriately & Creatively:" Students may put a creative twist on this project and share the information in a variety of formats: essay, song, website, infographic, movie script, slide show, video, podcast, etc.
Standards:
IS4) Gathering & Evaluating Sources
IS5) Developing Claims & Using Evidence
IS6) Communicating Conclusions
IS7) Critiquing Conclusions
CV3) Participation and Deliberation: Applying Civic Virtues and Democratic Principles
CV6) Processes, Rules, & Laws
G2) Human-Environment Interaction: Places, Regions, and Culture
G4) Global Interconnections: Changing Spatial Patterns
H1) Change, Continuity, & Context
H2) Perspectives
H4) Causation & Argumentation
Cope, B., & Kalantzis, M. (2015). The things you do to know: An introduction to the pedagogy of multiliteracies. In B. Cope & M. Kalantzis (Eds.), A pedagogy of multiliteracies: Learning by design (pp. 1-36). Palgrave.
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