bodner081

Studying the Silk Roads? Here's an interesting clip from the PBS NewsHour about Paul Salopeek's walking tour of the original Silk Road. Salopeek is a journalist who is on the fourth year of a walking tour around the world. The interview reminds us of the importance of the Silk Roads in transporting goods and ideas and also of the unforgiving topography of the deserts and mountains  that made up much of the Silk Roads.

Here's a great clip you might want to bookmark for next year when we teach World War II and the Holocaust.

Michael Wood's " The Story of China" will premiere on PBS on Tuesday, June 20th. The  series includes six episodes: Ancestors (June 20th) Silk roads and Ships (June 27) Golden Age The Ming The Last Empire The Age of Revolution You can see the first episode below.  I found it on Daily Motion. The Story of China website has some great interactive features including a quiz on the different dynasties, a timeline, and an interactive map. The website also includes some classroom resource s. For example, a lesson on Confucianism and the Analects includes the appropriate segment of the video in which Michael Wood discusses Confucianism, along with a background essay and discussion questions.

Here's a terrific three minute summary of the significance of the Magna Carta from the British Library.

Interested in learning more about world history. Join the AP World Summer Book Club starting in July. The discussion will take place on Twitter and Matt Drwenski, a host of the world history podcast called On Top of the World will host the club. Readers can vote on one of four books under consideration here on Twitter . The four books are: Pacific Worlds , Ken Matsuda Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari Empire of Cotton , Sven Becker  The Many-Headed Hydra, Peter Linebaugh

The Frank Smitha website offers a great resource for the 20th century.  You will find macro histories of important  topics that include colorful maps and images.  They might be useful as reading assignments in AP World or even regular world history. Categories include 1901 to the Peace Treaty of 1919, the Middle East, Depression and War, Science and Philosophy and Religion. Click on the Mexican Revolution in the first category, 1901 to the Peace treaty of 1919, and you will find an excellent macro history that includes the overthrow of Diaz and rise of Don Francisco Madero. Mustafa Kemal, national hero who changed Turkey and won the title Ataturk In a section on the Middle East, called Turkey and Islam, the authors consider the fall of the Ottoman Empi re and the rise of Ataturk. Mustafa Kemal, national hero who changed Turkey and won the title Ataturk

Wow! AP Central has made some changes for AP World, US, & Euro! No more synthesis!  Students no longer have to come with synthesis. Other changes: Ten more minutes added to the DBQ a single rubric for the long essay Clearer rubrics