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Silk Road ideas

Jim Jaeger

Silk Road: 

In addition to sharing the OER Content and the Silk Road trading simulation, I created a plan to help my students understand the desire for trade along the Silk Road. I set up six pods of desks with three groups on each side of the classroom. Each pod was given a commodity (candy, beef sticks, comic books, etc.). Each group appointed a trader who could visit the groups, and the rest of the students placed their orders.  It was up to the traders to negotiate trades to ensure each student received what they wanted.

Pods three and four had a fairly easy trading relationship since they could trade directly. However, if pod 6 needed to get a commodity from pod 1, there had to be a series of trades in between to get the item from one side of the classroom (world) to the other.  Each student had a chance to be a trader as the rounds continued.

During the last round, a roll of a die allowed one group to travel via the ocean directly to the pod they needed to go to. With mostly happy students, we then moved on to the next steps of ocean exploration and then the Columbian Exchange.  It was a pricey lesson, but one that I really thought worked.

Any other ideas out there that are similar?

  •  yours is a great activity! How long does it take to do it?

    I use a modified version of the Silk Road Simulation when I teach Big History: Explansion & Interconnection. As part of the activity, I provide students with a laminated world map to help them locate the region they represent. The simulation effectively reinforces key concepts about trade networks, cultural exchange, and the contributions of each regional trading partner. My students had fun with it.

  • I get the jist of this but I would like more details.  Could you break down one round for me?  

  • in reply to Eric Schulz

    Yes please!  

    I love this and I'd like to be able to replicate it.

    If you have some written instructions, please share?

    If you just explain this verbally, can you record yourself saying what you would say to the students and post it here for us?

    Don't take up too much time that none of us have to begin with! Just whatever you would use with students would be helpful for us.

    Also, did you fund the "trade goods" out of pocket?

    Group challenge: Can we put our heads together and see if we can explore ways to do this on a budget?

  • in reply to Eric Schulz

    So, basically each of the 6 pods in my classroom commanded a commodity. (Candy, comic books, cookies, beef jerky, etc.) I made the rule that each pod could send out a trader to get items from the other pods. However, each pod could only travel one step. Pod 1 could visit pod 2.  Pod 2 could visit pods 1 and 3 and so on.  Some trades were easily made this way, but if a student in pod 1 wanted something from pod 6, a series of trades had to happen in the middle for the commodities to be traded between those distant countries. After a few rounds, I allowed countries the ability to "sail" directly to another pod to complete trades.  I think it eventually devolved into chaos but was at least slightly a learning process. LOL  I hope this was a better explanation!

  • in reply to Donnetta Elsasser

    I was young and single at the time so pretty much had money to burn. LOL