The Mongols WebQuest

Ms. Tracie Douglas, Social Studies Teacher          Mr. Tad Manske, Social Studies Teacher
Mrs. Jacquie Henry, Librarian, Gananda High School
Mrs. Allison Lee, Librarian Assistant, Walworth-Seely Public Library

Introduction | Task | Process | Resources | Evaluation | Conclusion

INTRODUCTION

You have all seen either ads for or the film Mulan. Who is this horde she is fighting? Where do they come from? What do they want? They are the Mongols. You may have heard about Genghis Khan, the Forbidden City, the Taj Mahal or Xanadu. These are all related to the Mongols. Your job will be to learn about their culture and their effect on other cultures. They were the most powerful army of their time and no country could defeat them. The Mongols controlled the largest land empire in human history.

Introduction | Task | Process | Resources | Evaluation | Conclusion

THE TASK

Answer the following Essential Questions:

• What areas did they conquer?
• What was the impact of the Mongols in the areas they conquered?

Group Organization:

• Students form teams of anthropologists/researchers (see The Process section below).
• Each team member takes on the duties of a particular role, as defined in the "Process" section.

Student Activities:

Each team  must include the following 3 parts:

            MAPS

            BIOGRAPHIES

            ANWERS TO KEY QUESTIONS

     Introduction | Task | Process | Resources | Evaluation | Conclusion    

THE PROCESS

  Students work in teams of 2

  All team members work on completing the treasure hunt roles and questions

ROLES

         Biographer

writes biographies of 2 famous Mongols,
Genghis Khan & Kublai Kahn - 1 paragraph on each.

         Cartographer

produces maps of the Mongols greatest extent under Genghis Kahn and Kublai Kahn,
& a map of the 4 Khanates (kingdoms).   

 ANSWER THE FOLLOWING KEY QUESTIONS

1. How did geography contribute to the success of the Mongols?
2. What forces led to the rise of the Mongols?
3. How were a nomadic people able to conquer more advanced civiliazations?
4. Why was the Mongol defeat in Japan significant?
5. How did the Mongols in China change?
6. What forces led to the fall of the Mongols?

Introduction | Task | Process | Resources | Evaluation | Conclusion

RESOURCES

A.  PRINT RESOURCES 

           GANANDA LIBRARY RESOURCES:

           WALWORTH PUBLIC LIBRARY RESOURCES:

B.  GLOBAL STUDIES TEXTBOOK 

C.  INTERNET LINKS TO USE: 

  Grolier Online Encyclopedias
[Online] available http://go.grolier.com/ - Online encyclopedias are a great place to start your research. Available only here at the Gananda library.

  Electric Library
[Online] available http://www.elibrary.com/s/edumark/ - A large research database of books, magazines, maps, pictures etc. Available only from the Gananda Library.

  Ancient China: The Mongolian Empire -
[Online] available http://www.wsu.edu:8000/~dee/CHEMPIRE/YUAN.HTM
Information about the Yuan dynasty in China from 1279-1368.

  Background Notes
[Online] available http://www.state.gov/www/background_notes/mongolia_0498_bgn.html
Information on Mongolia From the US Department of State: A compilation of demographic information including a concise history of the country. Document date: April, 1998

  Genghis Kahn
[Online] available http://www.nationalgeographic.com/genghis/index.html
The National Geographic Homepage takes you on a trail to learn about the great Genghis Kahn and the history of Mongolia.

  Kublai Kahn
[Online] available http://www.bigchalk.com/

  The Historynet
[Online] available http://www.thehistorynet.com/MilitaryHistory/articles/ 1997/06972_side.htm
Military history of the Mongols in Europe.

  The Mongol Empire
[Online] available http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/2532/index.html
A well researched website that includes a timeline, maps, an overview of the empire, biographical information on Genghis Khan, and also information on where the Mongols are now.

  Mongol Maps
[Online] available http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/maptext_n2/mongol1.html
Good maps to use for this project from Hyperhistory.com.

  Mongolian Interlude
[Online] available http://www-chaos.umd.edu/history/imperial3.html
The subjugation of China by the Mongols

  National Geographic Map
[Online] available http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/97/genghis/trail.html
Excellent maps of the Mongolian empire from National Geogrpahic.

  Oyunbilig's Great Mongol Home Page
[Online] available http://members.aol.com/oyunbilig/fame.htm
A list of Mongol rulers.

   Pax Mongolica  
[Online] available  http://www.silk-road.com/artl/paxmongolica.shtml
An excellent overview of the effect of the Mongols on the Chinese history by Prof. Daniel C. Waugh, University of Washington, Seattle for the Silkroad Foundation.

   The Realm of The Mongols
[Online] available http://www.coldsiberia.org/ - General information about the Mongols, written and maintained by Per Inge Oestmoen, Norway

   Yuan Dynasty
[Online] available  http://www.anthro.mankato.msus.edu/prehistory/china/later_imperial_china/yuan.html
A brief history of the Yuan Dynasty.  This page is part of the China section of EMuseum.

Introduction | Task | Process | Resources | Evaluation | Conclusion

EVALUATION

Students will be evaluated according to the following:

• IN CLASS ON TASK BEHAVIOR
• INDIVIDUAL GRADE FOR EACH SECTION
• GROUP GRADE FOR FINAL PRODUCT
• FINAL ASSESSMENT IN FORM OF A TEST

Introduction | Task | Process | Resources | Evaluation | Conclusion

THE CONCLUSION

We hope that you have enjoyed your journey back to the ancient Mongolian Empire and that you were able to answer the essential questions. You now have an understanding of how the Mongol Empire became the "largest continuous land empire that has so far existed." (Morgan, p.5)

Introduction | Task | Process | Resources | Evaluation | Conclusion