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Charlotte A. Anderson
Library Media Specialist
Central Junior High School
May 5, 2006

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*This lesson will be uploaded to Moodle (http://moodle.usd497.org/) so that students and staff will have access to active links. To view the district site or enroll in a class use the generic sign in of "student" for name and password.

Lesson Plan: How to Celebrate the 800th Anniversary of the Mongol Empire

Classes and Grade Levels: This lesson is appropriate for junior high with geography, English, Communications or Learning Strategies Classes.

Goals and Objectives: Take the information obtained from various readings and online videos of primary sources and create a poster for oral presentation. The purpose is to allow students to connect history with the current day, while incorporating geographical, biographical, and historical information into their oral presentations,

Curriculum Standards Addressed:

Geography - Benchmark 2 - Regions: The student analyzes the spatial organization of people, places and environments that form regions on Earth's surfaces.
Indicator 1 - 8th grade - The student identifies and compares the physical and human characteristics of world regions (e.g., Kansas and Eastern United States, locations, topography, climate, vegetation, resources, people, religion, language, customs, government, agriculture, industry, architecture, arts, learning, Middle East and North Africa; South Asia, Europe, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia, Anglo America.)

Communications - Listening Standard: Learners will participate effectively as listeners within formal and informal groups.
Becnchmark 1: The effective listener is attentive.
Benchmark 2: The effective listener identifies/recognizes verbal and nonverbal cues accurately.
Benchmark 3: The effective listener understands the message.
Speaking Standard: Learners will speak effectively for a variety of audiences, purposes, occasions, and contexts.
Benchmark 4: The effective speaker uses appropriate content for purpose, audience, occasion, and context.

Reading - Grade 7 Standard 1 Reading: The student reads and comprehends text across the curriculum.
Benchmark 2: The student reads fluently.
Benchmark 3: The student expands vocabulary
1.3.1 ^ determines meaning of words or phrases using context clues (e.g., definitions, restatements, examples, descriptions, comparison-contrast, clue words) from sentences or paragraphs.
1.3.2 ^ Locates and uses reference materials available in the classroom, school, and public libraries (e.g., dictionaries, thesauri, atlases, encyclopedias, internet) that are appropriate to the task.

Technology - Process and skills role of technology under Geography & History Standard.

Writing - Standard 1: Writing
Eighth Grade Standard 1 - Writing: The student writes effectively for a variety of audiences, purposes, and contexts. Benchmark 2: The student writes expository text using the writing process.

Time Required: There should be a total of 3 class periods; one for introduction to lesson and research; one for working on the poster and a 3rd day to present the poster.

Compare the celebration of the 1st anniversary of the Mongol Empire with a celebration of the 800th. How is modern Mongolia different than ancient Mongolia? Where would the celebration take place? What are they celebrating? What would the celebration look like? What food and drink would they serve? What activities would be available at the celebration?
Research the Mongol Empire using the following lessons as your guide. Your final product will be a poster presentation comparing the two celebrations.

Background for Poster Presentation:

  • Lesson for 7th grade Geography teaching about Asia using technology skills.
  • Moodle - CultureGrams and Unitedstreaming - all district supported software.

 

How to Celebrate the 800th Anniversary of the Mongol Empire

Who is the most famous Mongol? Genghis Kahn; okay I gave you this answer, but you must use your research skills to get additional information.
Learn about him and the Mongolian Empire. Go to CultureGrams under library and answer the following questions. (Go to the start menu on your computer. Click library. Click CultureGrams the World Edition. Choose continent of Asia and click on Mongolia.)

Part I - Where is Mongolia?
Mongolia is approximately the size of which state? ________
Mongolia is surrounded by what two countries? _____ and ______
IN the southern part of Mongolia there is the ______ desert.
In what century did Chinggis (Genghis) Khan unify his empire? _______
What similar task did Genghis Kahn's grandson do? __________

Part II - How did the Mongols live and die?
What animal helped create major change in the art of war?______
What role does this animal play today? ________

Click on UnitedStreaming video below
Horse - Horsepower: Harnessed for War (54:00) United Streaming Video
Ride into the past to see how the seemingly humble horse forever changed the way humans fought and conquered. In the fifth century, Rome's mighty empire crumbled beneath the hooves of war-horses that carried invaders from the rugged Asian steppes: the armies of Attila the Hun. Examine the empire's defeat and the Huns' nomadic existence, in which life and death depended on their mastery of the horse. And look back on a thousand years of warfare that was dominated by mounted soldiers: armor-clad Samurai, European knights, and the armies of Genghis Khan. Produced by Discovery Channel School.

Part III - What is the climate like in Mongolia?

Click on UnitedStreaming video below.
Denizens of Dry Lands: Summer on the Mongolian Steppe (16:59) United Streaming Video.

Part IV - Modern Mongolia

Part V - Play the part - Extra credit for those who make and then wear the traditional Mongol hat during the presentation. Find instructions here:
http://www.discovermongolia.mn/country/Traditional_Clothes.html
Then bring your copy of materials needed to teacher.

Part VI - Evaluation - Review the Rubric #1272420 at http://hprtec.org
Click on Rubistar - then put in # to view the rubric.