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Studying Ibn Battuta?  Here are some interesting resources. Here is a short clip from Kjvids. It's just music, images, and script but does a good job of reviewing Battuta's travels. And here is a link to a longer documentary called " The man who walked across the World: The Adventures of Ibn Battuta" (Part 1) along with video questions . The Silkroad website has a good review of Battuta's travels as well as resources on the Silk Road from the spread of Buddhism to the Mongols. Reading Assignments Here are some interesting reading assignments for Ibn Batutta. The Indian ocean. org website includes travelers like Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta in its medieval era map. Here is a WebQuest  that asks students to read about Battuta in different locations. Saudi Aramco World has an excellent feature about ibn Batutta called "The Longest Hajj." Here is an assignment based on some of the Batutta writings, especially those in Africa. Students use the University of

Here's an excellent overview of the origins of the slave trade from Danielle Bainbridge, for The Origin of Everything, a YouTube series from PBS Digital Studios. It runs for just 9 minutes.   

Here are three good clips about the early Bantu migrations, a New Visions for Public Schools activity about early Africa, and a terrific site about iron in Africa. One video clip comes from Masaman, who produces a number of educational videos on his YouTube channel .  He does a good job of explaining the groups of people who lived in Africa before the Bantu migrations and the changes the Bantus brought, especially in terms of language. Khan Academy produced the second clip . The first four minutes of this clip clearly explain the causes and effects of the migrations. The second four minutes review the Polynesian migrations. The third clip about the Bantus comes from Guns, Germs, and Steel. It runs about six minutes and concentrates on the diversity of Bantu languages. In addition to the video clips,  New Visions for Public Schools has an excellent activity for understanding the African kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai and the influence of Islam on their development. Finally, Chri

Here's a series of great podcasts about world history from Emily Glankler, an AP World teacher in Texas. You can listen to the podcasts at her site, Anti-Social Studies  or on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Stitcher. Season 1 episodes begin with the Neolithic period and go all the way to the Contemporary period. Each episode lasts 30 to 40 minutes and all seem to be engaging and fun. Check out this episode about the Early Modern Period in the East. Glankler begins with the Ming dynasty and Zheng He and then moves to the Gunpowder empires. Next, she examines Africa and the slave trade. These podcasts might make for great topical reviews for students.

Introduce your unit with music! Mr. Nicky, who performs at schools around the country, has a Youtube channel with short engaging songs about early world history from Ancient Mesopotamia to the Middle Ages. Here's one from ancient India. And here's one from ancient Egypt.

Studying Columbus?  Here's a great clip that might help students understand what really happened when Columbus set sail for Asia. History Buffs, a group that reviews the historical accuracies of historical movies, rip apart Ridley Scott's 1992 film called "1492, Conquest of Paradise." They argue that Scott romanticizes the conquest of America and attempt to explain why Columbus does not deserve to be celebrated but should instead be condemned.  The review is engaging and only 20 minutes.