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Course: Big History Project > Unit 8
Lesson 3: Commerce & Collective Learning | 8.3- ACTIVITY: DQ Notebook 8.3
- WATCH: Jacqueline Howard — History of Money
- WATCH: Systems of Exchange and Trade
- READ: The First Silk Roads
- READ: Lost on the Silk Road
- READ: The Navigator: Mau Piailug – Graphic Biography
- READ: A Curious Case — African Agrarianism
- ACTIVITY: Personal Supply Chain
- READ: Thank You for Algebra — Muhammad Ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi
- READ: Benjamin Banneker — Science in Adversity
- READ: Gallery — Money
- Quiz: Commerce & Collective Learning
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READ: The Navigator: Mau Piailug – Graphic Biography
In the 1970s, Mau Piailug helped revive the navigation techniques ancient Polynesians used to cross thousands of miles of open ocean to settle Hawaii.
The Graphic Biography below uses “Three Close Reads”. If you want to learn more about this strategy, click here.
First read: skimming for gist
This will be your quickest read. It should help you get the general idea of what the graphic biography will be about. Pay attention to the title, headings, images, and layout. Ask yourself: what is this graphic biography going to be about?
Second read: understanding content
For this reading, you should be looking for unfamiliar vocabulary words, the major claim and key supporting details, and analysis and evidence. You should also spend some time looking at the images and the way in which the page is designed.
By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:
- What misconception did the Hawaiians who built the Hōkūleʻa want to change?
- Why was planning the voyage of the Hōkūleʻa so challenging?
- What methods did Polynesian navigators use and how was their knowledge passed down?
- What information does the attached comic, “Aka’s Voyage for Red Feathers” add to the story of Mau Piailug? Why would this story have been useful for Polynesian navigators to learn?
- How has the artist designed the page, text, and illustrations to tell you about Mau’s story and the story of Polynesian navigators in general?
Third read: evaluating and corroborating
In this read, you should use the graphic biography as evidence to support, extend, or challenge claims made in the course.
At the end of the third read, you should be able to respond to these questions:
- Can you think of any knowledge that you use in your own life that was passed down to you verbally? Maybe through a family member or older person in your community?
- Mau’s biography is a story of collective learning. How does it change what you’ve heard about collective learning so far in the course?
Now that you know what to look for, it’s time to read! Remember to return to these questions once you’ve finished reading.
The Navigator: Mau Piailug (Graphic Biography)
Writer: Bennett Sherry
Artist: Argha Manna
In the 1970s, Mau Piailug helped revive the navigation techniques ancient Polynesians used to cross thousands of miles of open ocean to settle Hawaii.
Download the Graphic Biography PDF here or click on the image above.