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Silk Roads Simulation

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WORLDHISTORY PROJECTORIGINS / LESSON 5.6ACTIVITYSILKROADSSIMULATIONUnless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “Silk Roads Simulation,” OER Project, https://www.oerproject.com/1PurposeThis simulation will help you see the complex ways goods, ideas, and people traveled along the Silk Roads. You’ll see both the benefits and drawbacks of these networks to better understand how they tied communities together across regions.ProcessNote to teachers:make sure you review the lesson guideto find all the materials needed for this activity. 1.You’re a merchant on the Silk Roadsand your goal is to collect as many different types of goods as possible.Circle the trade zone you’ve been assigned: Trade Zone AByzantiumand ArabiaTrade Zone BPersia and IndiaTrade Zone CCentral Asia and China2.Deal the Goods Cards so that each member of your group gets seven cards. Keep the leftover cards in a pile.Round 13.Time to trade! Findother merchants from your same zoneto trade with and collect goods. It’s up to you to decide how and what you want to trade.4.Answer the question below based on your experience:•Were you able to get all the goods you wanted this round? What helped or hurt your efforts?
WORLDHISTORY PROJECT ORIGINS / LESSON 5.6ACTIVITYSILK ROADS SIMULATION2Round 25.Nowyou can trade with merchants from your region and the region directly connected: Zone Acan trade with Zone B, Zone Bcan trade with Zone Aand Zone C, Zone Ccan trade with Zone B. 6.Answer the question below based on your experience:•Were you able to get all the goods you wanted this round? What helped or hurt your efforts?7.In the final round, you can trade with merchants from any region. However, you cannot leave your own trade zone, so you must use intermediaries to help you trade (for example, the next-door groups can help with groups that are farther away). 8.Answer the questions below based on your experience:•How many different GoodsCards did you end up with? __________________________•Were you able to get all the goods you wanted this round? What helped or hurt your efforts?9.What does your experience in this simulation reveal about how societies connected through the Silk Roadstrade during this historical period? How did trade change the world?