Lesson Plan - Where East Met West
About the Article
Learning Objective
Students will learn about the Silk Road and analyze a historical map of the trading routes.
Curriculum Connections
• The Silk Road
• Production, Distribution, and Consumption
• Asia, Europe, and Africa
• World Religions
Key Skills
Social Studies:
• Study patterns of continuity and change
• Examine consequences of global connections
• Expand knowledge of economic concepts and cultural diversity
English Language Arts:
• Identify central ideas and key details
• Analyze causes and effects
• Integrate information presented in multiple formats
Key CCSS Standards
RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.7, WHST.6-8.4, RI.6-8.1, RI.6-8.2, RI.6-8.4, RI.6-8.7, W.6-8.4, SL.6-8.1
1. Preparing to Read
Assess Knowledge and Build Vocabulary
Tell students that the Silk Road was an ancient network of trading routes that connected Asia, Europe, and Africa. Assign the Skill Builder Charting Your Knowledge from the Graphic Organizer Library on the homepage of junior.scholastic.com. Have students complete the first two columns of the KWL chart with what they know about the Silk Road and what they want to know. Then use the Skill Builder Words to Know to preteach domain-specific terms in the article.
2. Reading and Discussing
Read the Article
Read the article aloud or have students read it independently. Have students complete the last column of Charting Your Knowledge as they read.
Answer Close-Reading Questions
Have students write their responses or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.
• What is the central idea of the article? (Central Ideas)
The central idea is that the Silk Road was a network of trading routes developed around 130 B.C. that began in China and connected Asia, Europe, and Africa. It spread goods, cultures, and religions throughout the ancient world.
• Summarize the section “New Ideas and Cultures.” (Summarizing)
In addition to goods, the Silk Road helped spread knowledge, cultures, and religions. Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism reached more people and places. The Silk Road also spread diseases like the Black Death, which killed millions in the 1300s.
• What contributed to the decline of the Silk Road? (Cause and Effect)
By the 1400s, traveling by sea had become safer, faster, and cheaper than traveling by land. More and more merchants used ships instead of camel caravans.
3. Skill Building
Practice Reading Historical Maps
Have students answer the questions about the map on pages 26-27 independently or in groups. Review answers and correct any misunderstandings. Use the Historical Map lesson from our Map Skills Boot Camp to give students more practice. The full curriculum of 13 lessons is at junior.scholastic.com/mapskills.
Assess Comprehension
Use Quiz Wizard to assess students’ comprehension of this article and three others from the issue.
Printable Lesson Plan
