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This curriculum unit is phenomenal as a stand-alone, hands-on exploration guide to the development and impact of the Silk Road across Eurasia from the first millennium BCE to the middle of the second millennium CE. The unit contains eight detailed lessons, ranging in length from two to four 50 minute class sessions for each lesson, with a content area focus for each lesson: geography, history, languages, trade, belief systems, arts, music, and migration plus a conclusion that focuses on translating the material into a discussion on modern-day globalization. Each lesson comes complete with audiovisual DVD materials, handouts, graphic organizers, maps, manipulative, etc. making it possible for educators to learn and teach the material in an extremely efficient manner. There is an abundance of resources included in each unit. Items can be used either individually or as part of the complete unit; teachers may pick and choose from the variety of resources provided based on their time and interests without having to complete each module. The goals of each unit (which are linked to national standards for each content area) can be extended far beyond the context of the Silk Road as you can easily translate these economic, political, and social concepts and challenges into the issues facing world trade today in order to give the unit a current events twist.
In an ideal situation, a school that uses team teaching could take one week to cover this unit, with various teachers presenting the information for one lesson related to their content area or area of interest. With each lesson, students are asked to complete both individual and group work, solving problems and meeting the challenges of becoming builders, artisans, and traders along the Silk Road. In terms of performance assessment, this curriculum unit does an excellent job putting students into roles where they are faced with creative problem-solving opportunities that require thinking and cooperation. Additionally, lessons can be set up with competing teams to add a bit of excitement to the challenges provided.
This is a SUPERB way to effectively use the last week before vacation when teacher creativity and student motivation may be at a low point. “Along the Silk Road” challenges students to put the knowledge they gained throughout the course of the semester to the test in a variety of simulations and activities while teachers enjoy using this time for educational gain.
