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Traveler Postcards

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Did you know? You can access an editable version of this activity: Google Doc or Word Doc
WORLD HISTORY PROJECTAP/ LESSON 2.5 CLOSERTRAVELER POSTCARDSUnless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “Traveler Postcards”, OER Project, https://www.oerproject.com/1PurposeIn this activity, you will read travel accounts from thirteenth-and fourteenth-century missionaries and merchants, and then write a postcard from the perspective of one of them. This will help you practice the skill of avoiding presentism and having historical empathy. Furthermore, reviewing these travel accounts will help you better understand exchange networks at this time, and the communities that gathered around them.PracticesSourcingTo gain a solid understanding and realistic perspective of each traveler, you will have to source the travel accounts documents, identifying the intention and purpose of each account.ProcessIn this activity, you are going to read some primary source excerpts about travelers from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Then, you will create a postcard from one of these travelers to someone back home, describing their travel experiences. You will be asked to share your postcard with the class.There are six travelers included in “Travelers’ Accounts Excerpts”. Your teacher will assign you a traveler from this list:1.Francesco Balducci Pegolotti, a Florentine merchant2.Friar Odoric, also known as Odoric of Pordenone, a Franciscan friar and missionary explorer3.Rabban Sawma and Rabban Markos, Nestorian Chinese monks•Note: you can write the postcard from the perspective of one or the other or both.4.Marjory Kempe, an English Christian mystic and traveler5.Ibn Battuta, a Moroccan scholar and explorer6.Marco Polo, a Venetian merchantOnce you know which traveler you will learn more about, use the Sourcing Tool to unpack your traveler’s account. Once you have done that, create a postcard using the template. On the left side of the postcard, draw an image that shows what the traveler saw or experienced. On the right side of the postcard write a letter home that explains the following:1.Where they traveled.2.What they have seen (for example: new religions, new trade items, new cities).3.Any new knowledge or items they acquired.
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP / LESSON 2.5 CLOSERTRAVELER POSTCARDS24.How they impacted the cities they visited.Once you are done with your postcard, be prepared to share yours with your class. Since there will be multiple postcards fromthe same people, make sure to compare the similarities and differences and discuss how you and your classmates might have interpreted the same accounts differently. Remember that in using primary source documents and interpreting history, it’s not at all unusual to come up with different interpretations of the same thing! This is one of the reasons history is interesting and also sometimes difficult to interpret and use!
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP / LESSON 2.5 CLOSERTRAVELER POSTCARDS3TRAVELER POSTCARD
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP / LESSON 2.5 CLOSERTRAVELER POSTCARDS4Sourcing ToolDirections: Answer each of the questions below. If you are sourcing more than one document, provide responses for each.Name of document and/or source:Author’s name:Location and date source was written:Historical Context1.What was happening in the author’s location that might have influenced the document’s creation (for example, the location’s geography, demography, or the region’s political situation, religious influences, or industry)?2.What was happening at the time that might have influenced the document’s creation?3.What information that you’ve learned in this unit helps you understand this document?Audience1.Who was this created for (that is, was this written for anyone to read or was it private, for one specific person or group)?2.What were the readers of this source supposed to do or think once they read it?
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP / LESSON 2.5 CLOSERTRAVELER POSTCARDS5PurposeWhat was the author’s goal, and what evidence supports your answer?POV (Point of View)Can you identify anything about the author that might explain why they wrote this? For example, their economic class, occupation, religion, nationality, political group, ethnic group, or gender?WhY (Importance)1.What is the main idea of the source?2.What parts of this document are most valuable and why?3.What are the limitations of this document? In other words, where does it fall short?