Treasure of the Silk Roads

Introduce your class to the rich history of Afghanistan, especially its ancient sites and its importance to the Silk Road, with a series of activities that begins with a mapping project. Using a variety of reference materials,...

Young silk road merchants select goods to be sold in a classroom marketplace. They begin their journey by exploring items in the Asian Art Museum where they select a treasure to advertise for sale in a one-minute commercial. Links to the...

Ninth graders examine the travels of the Silk road.  In this Ancient China lesson, 9th graders analyze slides of artifacts as cultural and social representations of the Silk Road civilizations.  Students create a word map and creative...

Young scholars investigate the concepts that are related to the Silk Road trading route. They conduct guided research using a variety of resources. The information is used in order to use a shoebox and draw a map of the Silk Road upon it.

What would you save? To launch an examination of how the people of Afghanistan protected precious works of art from Soviet and Taliban invaders, participants consider what they would save if invasion was threatened. They then view a...

The fifth in a series of six lessons focusing on Afghan history and art Here's the amazing story of the Tahilwidar, or Key Holder Tradition in Afghanistan. Class groups are assigned roles and then act out the process, developed to keep...

Young scholars examine and discuss art objects from the Silk Roads. They analyze images of artifacts, create a word map, and develop and write a short story or poem based on the slides viewed.

BCE and CE? Class members create a timeline of key events in the history of Afghanistan before and after the Christian Era using the provided list. They then add their own birth dates and events in American history as well.

Sixth graders explore the ancient trade routes of the Silk Road with a focus on a province in China to identify artifacts and research how these items arrived in the city of Turpan.

During the first century of Chinese Ming dynasty (1368-1644), the government sent out a total of seven voyages into the Indian Ocean. Young historians will discuss, explain, role play, and compare the decisions made by rulers during the...