Session 10 (4/27 morning) Clay Dube -- Song - Ming

[Dennis O'Connell]

The whole discussion we had in class about Marco Polo was fascinating!  Who knew that such an influential person as Marco Polo could be as controversial at such a fundamental level (I understand influential people being controversial, but to debate whether his whole reason for being famous in the first place can be called into question...wow!)?  I think students (and adults) need to have good discussions about what makes history.  What are the evidences for a certain claim?  What are the evidences against?  I will be interested to read the book by Francis Wood who argues that Marco Polo did not travel as extensively as claimed.  What is a tiny bit more mind-blowing to me is the fact that someone like Columbus read the adventures of Marco Polo and was inspired to embark on his own adventures in the opposite direction.  The whole history of the world was changed at that moment, and there is a possibility it was based on a false premise?  Wow!  Getting history right, or getting it wrong, will still have major consequences!  

[Tiffany Chang]

One of the takeaways from the lecture was about Marco Polo. My knowledge of Marco Polo was limited and based on whatever textbook was used in 7th grade history. For a social studies lesson, it would an engaging way for students to understand primary sources and different accounts of history to determine whether Marco Polo really did do everything he claimed. As a writing teacher, I would provide different documents and resources for my students to use and have them write an opinion essay on whether they think he really made it to China or not. An activity to draw students in would be to brainstorm all the stories they have heard about Marco Polo and then determine whether those are fact or fiction. 

[Amy Chen]

I like the questions you raised about the cost of building the Great Wall and how those questions also apply to the construction of the Egpytian Pyramids. For 6th grade history, we have to cover both great wonders. It would make a great research project. I could even extend the project by having my students build their own great wonder of the world, asking them to come up with a purpose and design.

[Heidi Kwalk]

As an elementary grade teacher teaching all subjects, I also teach about technology as part of science and STEM lesson. At its most basic level, technology is defined as something that is "human-made that solves a problem or fulfils a desire." I have a lesson in the beginning of the year called a "tech in a bag" which is part of EiE (Engineering is Elementary) curriculum. In the Age of Exploration unit, we have a discussion about how the technology of the time impacted or facilitate the Age of Exploration. Later in the unit, we discuss the question, "How does technology of the time impact people of the time?" and use cellphone as an example. The big idea is that technology impacts people and history.  People's prolems and desires reflect their time in history so the technology lense makes for an interesting entry point to history lesson. 

Spinning wheel, clocks, furnace for iron work, etc., could all be incorporated to teach and have students analyze Imperial China. I might ask the students, "What can we infer about Imperial China with this spinning wheel from the time?" Have students in groups doing the same thing with different items from the era. Students will then report out their analysis to the class. I will then assign the content reading assignment. I find this approach makes students want to read about the time. 

[Amy Chen]

Thank you for sharing your ideas. Next year, I will be getting Ipads for each student and I plan to use VR to view the Great Wall. Bringing in the Mongols and how they impacted the wall would make the lesson even more intricate. Also, I would discuss how the Mongols are portrayed in movies and how realistic those portrayals are.

[Amy Chen]

I have experience this with my 6th graders too! While studying hominids, they were confused how a stone tool was considered technology. To them, technology is Airpods and the next video game console. I like Barbara's idea of making a list of modern technologies that are being taken for granted. Then, students will see how big of an invention paper or electicity was when they were first discovered.

[Salbador Gonzalez]

Thank you for sharing your idea! I would make this marco polo game as a team building activity with my students. I can use the concept used in the swimming pool Marco Polo game and have students only be allowed to give one direction instruction(forward, back, right, left, stop, go) to a blindfolded student on a scooter. The student on the scooter is responsible for 4 different objects within the class or within a contained area. I can either make this a partner game or a group game depending on the size of the class. 

[Salbador Gonzalez]

I would use this concept in Physical Education and apply it in my class by playing a game I just named, "Great Wall Ball". I would have a wall out of bowling pins be created with a group of students trying to protect it. I would have another team trying to knock down those pins while sitting down on a scooter. It would be a similar game to dodgeball but no targeting on each student, rather targeting on the pins. I can also make the game consist of everybody guarding a pin, meaning their part of the wall. If their pin is dropped, they are out, meanign that part of the great wall has been destroyed. 

[Jimmy Martinez]

During Professor Dube's lecture he stated: "We tend to talk about the past to explain the present." This is an important aspect to teach our students because it is one of the main reasons we teach history. It is critical to learn from our past in order to not make the same mistakes and even learn from other cultures to not repeat that same mistake. I am currently watching "Chernobyl" and I think it is one of the most interesting historical shows because the scientists try everything in their power to discover what specific mistake was made in order to prevent such an atrocious event from happening ever again. Another interesting fact I learned was that the Mongols created a social heirachy with them on top, muslims underneath them, Northern Chinese under them and Southern Chinese at the bottom. This had an interesting dynamic because the Muslims were second on the heiarchy and the Chinese were at the bottom because they had resisted the Mongols for so long. 

[Jimmy Martinez]

I agree also with the grpahic organizer idea. I think it is a wonderful tool to use with the students since most of them are visual learners. I use them all the time to help them organize their ideas before writng an essay. Sometimes students tend to get lost int heir ideas and this is a great way to lead them on to the right path. 

[Jimmy Martinez]

Gerlinde, great resource and thanks for the share. I will definitely use this the next time I teach ancient civilizations/world history. I really like when the students collaborate because it mentors debates and different points of view. Also the assignemnt of roles is a great aspect I would like to explore a little more in the classroom. I believe this activity really helps the students put themselves in these theoretical situations and acclimates them more to that specific time period. 

[Jimmy Martinez]

Linda, excellent point on comparing the dynmaics between both groups. I think it is a great idea to see both points of view of the Chinese and Mongols and also highlight the fact that there was still a trading relationship between each other. This would prove the point that two opposing societies could in fact live amongst each other yet still have quarrels. Highlighting the similarities would also be a a fun activity in which we could use graphic organizers such as a venn diagram.

[Jimmy Martinez]

Linda, I completely agree with you that it is a very difficult task in making students realize what technology really encompassed. It is true that they turn to their phone whenever they think about technology, it's what they know best. We had a similar discussion the other day in class when we were talking about inventions and innovations. I had the same exact reaction when I showed the wheel as a technological advancement. It is rather difficult to drill this piece of information in their head because they simply have a more simple way of looking at these inventions. 

[Jimmy Martinez]

I think most of us grew up being taught certain things and not questioning them. Taking these newly learned facts without questioning is a common mistake most learners make in the beginning. Maybe our minds were not mature enough to develop this sense of questioning but I also love when students ask the why. Posing this question to our students of "Did Marco Polo really go to China?" could be an excellent way of challenging the notions that we have had in our minds since we first learned about these things. Also it would be a perfect research project in which the students could dive deeper into the materials at hand. 

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