Marco Polo was an Italian merchant and explorer who became famous for his travels through Central Asia and China. He travelled to China with his father and uncle over the Silk Road. He claimed to have worked for Kublai Khan, the Mongol Emperor, for seventeen years. He sailed home instead of going overland, and brought back ivory, jade, jewels, porcelain and silk. He told about the Chinese use of coal, money and compasses. His book gave Europeans some of their earliest information about China.

Teacher Guide

This activity can be used as a culminating project to a study of China. Students create an illustrated product as well as summarizing learnings from the completed unit. Time required: 2 or 3 class periods, plus homework. The project can be done alone or with a partner.

Student Activity

Here is your task: Pretend that you are Marco Polo. You will write a letter to your cousin back in Venice, Italy telling him (or her) about your trip to China. In your letter, talk about your journey (where you went, what you saw, what the land was like) and the people you met (ethnicity, languages, customs, foods, religion, inventions, products, anything else you want to add. Like weather, transportation, buildings, clothing, etc.)

Put your letter on a single sheet of copy paper. It may be typed or written neatly in pen (black or blue).

Fold it in half (hamburger style), and illustrate the front (half) side with a picture or pictures of things you saw on your journey. Or don't fold it and illustrate all the back side. Your choice. The pictures can be of things you saw on the journey, or things you saw in China. Pictures may be drawn or computer generated. Be careful to be historically accurate. Label your picture or pictures with a caption in black.

Your grade will be based on: •neatness and presentation (how it looks)

•content (what you say). Use lots of facts, cultural details, and historical background. Show what you've learned about China.

•accuracy (how you say it. Grammar,punctuation, sentence structure, paragraphs, etc)

•following directions.