In the 13th century, a young Venetian named Marco Polo set out with his father and uncle on a great adventure. Following a series of trade routes, they traveled across the vast continent of Asia and became the first Europeans to visit the Chinese capital (modern Beijing).

In this lesson, students learn about the Industrial Revolution in England and the transformation from the cottage industry to the factory industry. Students will compare and contrast the two systems and then relate what they have learned to industrialization and the factory system in America.

In this activity, students will view a film clip from China from the Inside (Episode 3: Shifting Nature), focusing on the Three Gorges Dam controversy, the gigantic hydroelectric project which is under construction on the Upper Yangtze River. By examining development in China as well as the impact of Chinese economic changes on the US (through trade, immigration, etc.), students will achieve a greater understanding of the challenges within environmental planning in the Twenty-first century.

In this lesson students explore both the passion that inspired Picasso to take political action and the thought process behind the work. Students will reflect on their own decision making process when they feel compelled to take public action. This lesson will lead students to investigate the following Life-Long Learning Question: How does passion inspire public action?

The web of maritime connections between Western Europe, western and central Africa, and the Americas that made up the Atlantic world is the focus of this section of "On the Water: Stories from Maritime America", an online exhibition from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Students will learn how Atlantic-based trade shaped modern world history and life in America. Topics covered are the tobacco and sugar trades, the Middle Passage and the transatlantic slave trade, and the piracy that plagued the Caribbean Sea and North American coast during this period.

This resource is a collection of posters showing the struggles and triumphs of the life of Nelson Mandela. These posters are from around the world and show the international effort in dealing with South Africa in the late 20th Century.

In this lesson students will learn how the countries of the Middle East were created by examining the Middle East/South Asia both before and after World War I (WWI). They will understand the influence of various political and geographic factors in their creation.

Four maps from Frontline's "Jesus to Christ" 1. Roman Empire 2. Jewish Diaspora 3. Communities of the Gospels 4. Spread of Christianity

In this lesson, students will explore the adventures of these three world travelers. After viewing three short videos about their journeys, students will analyze photographs of a city that all three travelers visited, write a log entry describing a sighting of Zheng He’s fleet of ships, and then read excerpts from Marco Polo’s and Ibn Battuta’s accounts of their journeys. The lesson will conclude with students writing a short play in which the three travelers meet and share stories of their adventures.

The writings of Martin Luther helped spur the Reformation and inspired the rise of Protestantism in the 16th century. Luther gave different reasons for his break from the Catholic Church at different times in his life. This lesson features two sources attributed to Luther - an excerpt from the letter he wrote that accompanied what came to be his 95 Theses and part of a talk he gave later in life. Students compare the documents and consider how to weigh contrasting accounts of history written by the same person.

In this lesson students will be able to: 1. define Marxism and its historical progress 2. understand how and why Marxism spread among intellectuals, workers, and peasants of Europe 3.compare and contrast Marxism with other political and economic systems (such as capitalism, socialism, Fascism, and Liberalism) and put it into its proper historical and philosophical context 4. understand the social and political impact of Marxism in the twentieth-century world. *Link to The Manifesto of the Communist Party included.

Students will prepare and participate in a mock trial to try to assign responsibility for the consequences of climate change from the build up of CO2 emissions in the earth's atmosphere.

Examine the development of patrons in renaissance society including the following topics:
Contrast Renaissance and Medieval attitudes
Understand the origins of the Renaissance
Appreciate genius in art and engineering

Brief excerpt from the Treaty of Troyes, 1420 from Fordham University's Sourcebook website. The Treaty of Troyes was an agreement that Henry V of England and his heirs would inherit the throne of France upon the death of the king of France. It was signed in the French city of Troyes as a result of the Battle of Agincourt. It helps provide background to the Hundred Years' War.

In this lesson, students will examine the changes in the South Korean economy since the end of the Korean War. Students will examine factors involved in economic development and will assess issues facing the Korean economy today.

This module explores the concept of climate justice, linking global climate change to local actions, and looking at who benefits and who pays the costs from burning fossil fuels.

In this lesson, students will learn about different Muslim women and how they have changed over time. This lesson includes the research of a specific woman from different eras in Islamic history.

On March 12, 1938, the German army moved into Austria to annex the country. To justify the annexation, Hitler called for a public vote on whether the unification should stand. On April 10, 1938, Germans and Austrians voted overwhelmingly in favor of the Anschluss. In this lesson students analyze and compare three different forms of propaganda that influenced the vote ? a speech delivered by Hitler, a campaign poster, and a voting ballot.