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World History Project - Origins to the Present

Course: World History Project - Origins to the Present > Unit 5

Lesson 2: Land-Based Empires | 5.1
Arts and humanities
World History Project - Origins to the Present
Era 5 - The First Global Age (1200 to 1750 CE)
Land-Based Empires | 5.1
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BEFORE YOU WATCH: Wait for It…The Mongols!

Google Classroom
Use the “Three Close Reads” approach as you watch the video below.
Use the “Three Close Reads” approach as you watch the video below (next in the lineup!). If you want to learn more about this strategy, click here.

First read: preview and skimming for gist

Before you watch, you should skim the transcript first. The skim should be very quick and give you the gist (general idea) of what the video is about. You should be looking at the title, thumbnails, pictures, and first few seconds of the video for the gist.

Second read: key ideas and understanding content

Now that you’ve skimmed the video transcript and taken a quick peek at the video, you should preview the questions you will be answering. These questions will help you get a better understanding of the concepts and arguments that are presented in the video. Keep in mind that when you watch the video, it is a good idea to write down any vocab you read or hear that is unfamiliar to you.
By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:
  1. How did Mongol migratory patterns affect their production and distribution?
  2. Why, according to John Green were Mongols generally more egalitarian than many other societies?
  3. Which policies did Genghis Khan use to unite the Mongol confederation?
  4. How did adaptability help the Mongols build their empire? Please give at least two examples.
  5. How did the Mongol Empire affect trade and exchange across Eurasia (and even parts of Africa)?
  6. What was the Yam System?
  7. How did the Mongols recruit people to work for them? What world-historical effect did this have?
  8. What did the Mongols have to do with the Black Death?

Third read: evaluating and corroborating

Finally, here are some questions that will help you focus on why this video matters and how it connects to other content you’ve studied.
At the end of the third read, you should be able to respond to these questions:
  1. The Eurasian trading system around 1 CE relied on two poles—Rome and the Han Dynasty—connected to each other by smaller states. How was the Eurasian trading system during the period of the Mongol Empire similar or different?
  2. How does evidence from this video contest, support, or extend the networks frame narrative you have been given?
Now that you know what to look for, it’s time to watch! Remember to return to these questions once you’ve finished watching.

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