Silk Road Game

SILK ROAD GAME A Simulation of the Silk Road Trade Route Benchmark 4.2, SOL 8.8b

The goal for this game is to trade your product from your region and gain points. You gain points by filling out the information in your chart. You can only get this information through trade and clues on the trading cards. Information is a commodity to be traded for products in order to win the game.

Introduction: The classroom is set up as the Silk Road Route. Areas of the room include China, Western Asia, India, Arabia, Rome/Constantinople and possibly as sea route to Africa. Students are divided into 6 groups – approximately 4 –5 group members per class. Each group represents a region.

Steps: 1. Divide into regional groups 2. Warm up: Draw Map of Silk Road 3. Fill in your chart for your region and product Products:  Roman Empire – Glass, Gold, Silver, Christianity  Arabia- coffee, ideas – algebra, books, calligraphy, steel swords, herbs, Islam  India – textiles/cloth – linen, calico, muslin, sugar, Arabic numerals, Hinduism, Buddhism  Western Asia – cucumbers, walnuts, figs grapes, furs  China – Silk, spices, jewels, papermaking, porcelain*** used by emperors  Africa (sea route) Gold and Salt, Ivory  Persia – rugs, incense, dates.

4. Your role in the game is either a shopkeeper or traveling trader. You will be given 6 – 7 trading cards per group. 5. You will trade your products (cards) in order to get the required information. Decide which products (cards) you will keep in the shop (for traders who come to visit you) and which products your traders will take to trade on the Silk Road. Each group may have up to two traders. These traders are the only ones allowed to leave an area. 6. The other team members wait at the home shop and greet and trade with other traveling traders. In order to complete the chart and earn points, ideas/products must be traded. Travel to each region's station set up around the classroom. 7. Your job is to trade products. Each product is worth a certain number of clues and points. Clues and Points are written on your trading cards. 8. After you get your information and tally your points, you may continue trading and trade the cards you have already used. 9.Your goal is to complete your chart and have the most points. ***Be Careful! You may get robbed by bandits on the Silk Road or some other merchants may try to cheat with blank cards (no info for your chart)**** Place Product1 prod.2 prod.3 Religion Geo1 Geo2 Points 1