The Mongols WebQuest

Revised by

Kenneth Mills

Original Work by Tracie Douglas, Tad Manske, Jacquie Henry, and Allison Lee

Introduction | Task | Process | Resources | Evaluation | Conclusion

 

Introduction

Mulan had fierce opponents in the North. Who was this horde she was fighting? Where did they come from? What did they want?

They are the Mongols. You may have heard about Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan, the Forbidden City, the Taj Mahal or Xanadu.

These are all related to the Mongols. Your job will be to learn about their culture and their effect on other cultures. They were the

most powerful army of their time and no nation or people could defeat them. The Mongols controlled the largest land empire in human history.

Task

Answer the following Essential Questions:

• What was their leadership structure? (Political Science)
• What was their system of trade and barter? (Economics)
• How did they use their knowledge the land and the climate to create an empire? (Geography)
• Describe their culture. (Sociology)

Complete the following Activities:

Each student  must include the following 3 parts:

            MAPS

            BIOGRAPHIES

            ANSWERS TO KEY QUESTIONS

Process

  Students work in teams of 2 when doing research

  All team members work on answering the questions and complete the activities

ROLES

         Biographer

writes biographies of 2 famous Mongols,
Genghis Khan & Kublai Kahn - 1 paragraph on each.

         Cartographer

produces maps of the Mongols greatest extent under Genghis Kahn and Kublai Kahn,
& a map of the 4 Khanates (kingdoms).   

 ANSWER THE FOLLOWING KEY QUESTIONS

1. How did the landscape contribute to the success of the Mongols?
2. What political forces led to the rise of the Mongols?
3. How were a nomadic people able to conquer more advanced civilizations?
4. Why was the Mongol defeat in Japan significant?
5. How did the Mongols in China change?
6. What political and economic factors led to the fall of the Mongols?

 

Resources

A.  PRINT RESOURCES 

           GANANDA LIBRARY RESOURCES:

           WALWORTH PUBLIC LIBRARY RESOURCES:

B.  GLOBAL STUDIES TEXTBOOK.

C.  INTERNET LINKS TO USE: 

  Grolier Online Encyclopedias
[Online] available http://go.grolier.com/ - Online encyclopedias are a great place to start your research. Available only here at the Gananda library.

  Electric Library
[Online] available http://www.elibrary.com/s/edumark/ - A large research database of books, magazines, maps, pictures etc. Available only from the Gananda Library.

  Ancient China: The Mongolian Empire -
[Online] available http://www.wsu.edu:8000/~dee/CHEMPIRE/YUAN.HTM
Information about the Yuan dynasty in China from 1279-1368.

  Background Notes
[Online] available http://www.state.gov/www/background_notes/mongolia_0498_bgn.html
Information on Mongolia From the US Department of State: A compilation of demographic information including a concise history of the country. Document date: April, 1998

  Genghis Kahn
[Online] available http://www.nationalgeographic.com/genghis/index.html
The National Geographic Homepage takes you on a trail to learn about the great Genghis Kahn and the history of Mongolia.

  Kublai Kahn
[Online] available http://www.bigchalk.com/

  The Historynet
[Online] available http://www.thehistorynet.com/MilitaryHistory/articles/ 1997/06972_side.htm
Military history of the Mongols in Europe.

  The Mongol Empire
[Online] available http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/2532/index.html
A well researched website that includes a timeline, maps, an overview of the empire, biographical information on Genghis Khan, and also information on where the Mongols are now.

  Mongol Maps
[Online] available http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/maptext_n2/mongol1.html
Good maps to use for this project from Hyperhistory.com.

 Mongolian Interlude
[Online] available http://www-chaos.umd.edu/history/imperial3.html
The subjugation of China by the Mongols

  National Geographic Map
[Online] available http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/97/genghis/trail.html
Excellent maps of the Mongolian empire from National Geogrpahic.

  Oyunbilig's Great Mongol Home Page
[Online] available http://members.aol.com/oyunbilig/fame.htm
A list of Mongol rulers.

   Pax Mongolica  
[Online] available  http://www.silk-road.com/artl/paxmongolica.shtml
An excellent overview of the effect of the Mongols on the Chinese history by Prof. Daniel C. Waugh, University of Washington, Seattle for the Silkroad Foundation.

   The Realm of The Mongols
[Online] available http://www.coldsiberia.org/ - General information about the Mongols, written and maintained by Per Inge Oestmoen, Norway

   Yuan Dynasty
[Online] available  http://www.anthro.mankato.msus.edu/prehistory/china/later_imperial_china/yuan.htmlA brief history of the Yuan Dynasty.  This page is part of the China section of EMuseum.

Evaluation

Students will be evaluated according to the following:

• IN CLASS ON TASK BEHAVIOR
• INDIVIDUAL GRADE FOR EACH SECTION
• GROUP GRADE FOR FINAL PRODUCT
• FINAL ASSESSMENT IN FORM OF A TEST

Conclusion

It is important to reflect on the impact of the Mongol Empire at its height during the Golden Ages, and on the legacy it left for the modern age.

In a round table discussion format we will comment on the political, military, economic, geographic, and sociological impacts of these warriors.

Be prepared to share your ideas at the conclusion of this subunit in the Golden Ages.