In this online lesson, students are introduced to resources that will help them better understand the effects and implications of the reopening of the ancient Silk Road between Europe and China, including Marco Polo's travels and the location of his routes.

Students will create a digital presentation of their topic.  Areas highlighted will be Human-Environment Interaction, Politics, Economics, Culture (to include Religion) and Technology.  Students will also discuss the important points of the previously created timeline. 

In this unit, students will gain knowledge of the Ottoman Empire and will work together to demonstrate that knowledge in a presentation and simulation of the culture and time period.

Students will watch a short set of videos and respond to questions set provided on the Aztec and the Incan Empires. 

Students will watch a short set of videos and respond to questions set provided. 

In this lesson, students read how the Aztec Empire rose to its peak of power and then collapsed under the assault of Cortes and his Indian allies. A set of discussion questions is provided. In an associated activity, students imagine they are an advisor to Moctezuma II on the eve of the Spanish conquest, and write a letter to the emperor describing the problems the Aztec Empire is facing, the consequences of these problems, and what should be done about them.

The British empire was one of the most important developments in world history. The empire was huge, it lasted a long time, and it brought tremendous changes to many parts of the world. This resource examines how and why the British empire made Britain so important.

This article explores Justinian I's rule of the Byzantine Empire. It describes his contributions to law, religion, art, and architecture and discusses his lasting legacy.

Caesar Augustus was arguably the most important Roman Emperor, restoring the empire and overseeing a period of relative peace, prosperity, and expansion. Historians have noted the apparent contradictions of August, who could be at once ruthless and forgiving, rash and calculating. In this lesson, students corroborate evidence and arguments from a set of primary and secondary sources as they investigate the question: What kind of leader was Augustus?

This activity asks students to reflect on similarities and differences between the following religions and belief systems: Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Shinto, and Daoism. Although not a religion, the philosophical writings of Confucius are included because it is one of the major belief systems that flourished along the Silk Roads.Using quotations from translations of religious texts, students are asked to organize these quotations into broad categories of essential concerns. The quotations will be posted on a silk routes map as reminders of how cultural interchange and belief systems are represented in the ancient and contemporary world.

In this lesson, students will compare and contrast the empires of the Ottoman Empire, Rome, and China, learning the similarities and differences as well as identifying and explaining characteristics of why empires rise and fall.

Welcome to "Conquistadors," an Online Learning Adventure from PBS. This innovative educational resource has been created for middle and high school classrooms to learn about the Spanish Conquistadors in the New World and the legacy of their contact with Native Americans. There are extensive lesson plans for teachers and in-depth online content for students available in both English and Spanish. *Four units of study can be found on site--each relating to a different aspect of the Spanish Conquistadors in the New World. 1. Cortes and the Aztecs 2. Pizarro and the Incas 3.Orellana and the Amazon 4. Cabeza de Vaca

Using the Eurasian frontier as a case study, this lesson will introduce students to the importance of disease transmission and containment in history - and their connection to world trade, military movements, population movements, and government social policies.

Focusing on the means used by the Incas to send messages over long distances, the lesson introduces students to the Inca Empire, which extended from northern Ecuador to central Chile and from the Andes to the west coast of South America between 1200 and 1535 CE.

This lesson investigates the concept of "the Other" in Conflict Resolution through the exploration of Cypriot history and geography, using analytical, literacy, and writing skills to unravel intolerance within a society.

The mass movement of people is a phenomenon that has profound impact on both the losing and gaining areas as well as on the people involved. The purpose of this lesson is to acquaint students with several different diasporas throughout history and give them the opportunity to explore and analyze another diaspora and prepare a presentation on that topic.

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the fall of the Roman Empire.

In this lesson, students read how Asoka, one of the first rulers of ancient India, rejected military conquest in favor of spreading a philosophy of nonviolence and respect for others. A set of discussion questions is provided. In an associated activity, students work in a small group to write their own edicts.