Day 1 6th Grade Social Studes - Smith

Elkins​ ​School​ ​District

Alternate​ ​Method​ ​of​ ​Instruction​ ​(AMI) AMI​ ​Day​ ​#__1__ School​ ​Name

Elkins​ ​Middle​ ​School

Teacher​ ​Name

Hailey​ ​Smith

Subject​ ​/​ ​Course​ ​Name

​ ​Social​ ​Studies/​ ​6th​ ​ ​ ​Grade​ ​Social​ ​Studies

Assignment​ ​Description

ONLINE: https://www.education.com/slideshow/famous-explorers/?cid=1 0.571 HARD-COPY​:​ ​Two​ ​page​ ​assignment. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​First​ ​page:​ ​Reading​ ​Passage​ ​on​ ​Ancient​ ​Explorer ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​Second​ ​page:​ ​Comprehension​ ​assignment PHONE/TEXT​:​ ​(479)​ ​445-7554

Contact​ ​Information

EMAIL​ ​ADDRESS:​ ​ ​[email protected] OTHER:​ ​ ​none YAY​ ​SNOW!!!​ ​ So​ ​we​ ​have​ ​a​ ​snow​ ​day​ ​but​ ​that​ ​doesn’t​ ​mean​ ​that​ ​we​ ​get​ ​to​ ​slack​ ​on​ ​learning​ ​about​ ​history.​ ​ This​ ​lesson​ ​is  about​ ​Zheng​ ​He​ ​the​ ​Chinese​ ​explorer!​ ​Now​ ​this​ ​is​ ​what​ ​you’re​ ​going​ ​to​ ​do:  1.

Read​ ​the​ ​passage​ ​on​ ​Zheng​ ​He.  

2.

Write​ ​the​ ​definitions​ ​for​ ​the​ ​vocabulary​ ​provided.​ ​(Ethnic​ ​Group,​ ​Dynasty,​ ​Exotic,​ ​and​ ​Latitude) 

3.

Answer​ ​the​ ​two​ ​reading​ ​comprehension​ ​questions.​ ​(Write​ ​at​ ​least​ ​two​ ​sentences​ ​for​ ​each.) 

4.

Write​ ​a​ ​paragraph​ ​for​ ​each​ ​writing​ ​prompt​ ​question.​ ​(1​ ​Paragraph​ ​=​ ​5​ ​Sentences) 

P.S.​ ​-​ ​You​ ​can​ ​write​ ​your​ ​responses​ ​on​ ​a​ ​separate​ ​piece​ ​of​ ​paper.

Assignments​ ​will​ ​be​ ​graded​ ​and​ ​entered​ ​into​ ​the​ ​gradebook​ ​according​ ​to​ ​the​ ​teacher’s​ ​grading​ ​system. Attendance​ ​will​ ​be​ ​recorded​ ​based​ ​upon​ ​completion​ ​of​ ​the​ ​assignment.

Famous​ ​Explorers:

​​

Zheng​ ​He

Zheng​ ​He​ ​was​ ​born​ ​in​ ​China​ ​1371.​ ​He​ ​was​ ​a​ ​Chinese​ ​Muslim​ ​from​ ​the​ ​Hui ethnic​ ​group​,​ ​or​ ​group​ ​of​ ​people​ ​with​ ​a​ ​shared​ ​background.​ ​His​ ​original​ ​name​ ​was​ ​Ma Ho,​ ​the​ ​Chinese​ ​version​ ​of​ ​Mohammed,​ ​the​ ​name​ ​of​ ​Islam’s​ ​most​ ​important​ ​prophet.

In​ ​the​ ​early​ ​1400’s,​ ​China​ ​was​ ​ruled​ ​by​ ​the​ ​Yongle​ ​Emperor,​ ​who​ ​was​ ​part​ ​of​ ​the Ming​ ​Dynasty​,​ ​a​ ​series​ ​of​ ​rulers​ ​who​ ​all​ ​come​ ​from​ ​the​ ​same​ ​family.​ ​The​ ​Emperor assembled​ ​a​ ​fleet​ ​to​ ​explore​ ​the​ ​Indian​ ​Ocean​ ​and​ ​appointed​ ​Zheng​ ​He​ ​as​ ​admiral. This​ ​fleet​ ​included​ ​317​ ​ships,​ ​62​ ​of​ ​which​ ​were​ ​“treasure​ ​ships”​ ​that​ ​carried​ ​precious items​ ​like​ ​silk​ ​and​ ​porcelain​ ​to​ ​trade​ ​with​ ​the​ ​locals.​ ​The​ ​Chinese​ ​considered​ ​goods from​ ​foreign​ ​countries​ ​to​ ​be​ ​exotic​,​ ​or​ ​unusual​ ​and​ ​hard​ ​to​ ​obtain.​ ​Even​ ​pepper​ ​was considered​ ​exotic​ ​to​ ​people​ ​in​ ​China​ ​back​ ​then,​ ​so​ ​Zheng​ ​He​ ​made​ ​sure​ ​to​ ​bring thousands​ ​of​ ​tons​ ​of​ ​it​ ​back​ ​home​ ​with​ ​him!

Some​ ​of​ ​Zheng​ ​He’s​ ​treasure​ ​ships​ ​were​ ​said​ ​to​ ​be​ ​as​ ​big​ ​as​ ​450​ ​feet​ ​long​ ​and 185​ ​feet​ ​wide,​ ​but​ ​today​ ​we​ ​think​ ​that​ ​this​ ​would​ ​have​ ​been​ ​impossible​ ​for​ ​boats​ ​made out​ ​of​ ​wood.​ ​His​ ​navigators​ ​used​ ​magnetic​ ​compasses​ ​like​ ​the​ ​Arabs​ ​and​ ​Europeans did,​ ​and​ ​they​ ​also​ ​figured​ ​out​ ​their​ ​latitude​,​ ​or​ ​how​ ​far​ ​north​ ​or​ ​south​ ​they​ ​were,​ ​by looking​ ​at​ ​where​ ​the​ ​stars​ ​were​ ​in​ ​the​ ​sky.​ ​They​ ​found​ ​how​ ​fast​ ​their​ ​ships​ ​were​ ​going by​ ​dropping​ ​a​ ​floating​ ​object​ ​overboard​ ​and​ ​timing​ ​how​ ​fast​ ​it​ ​moved​ ​along​ ​the​ ​length​ ​of the​ ​ship.​ ​To​ ​measure​ ​time,​ ​they​ ​would​ ​watch​ ​a​ ​stick​ ​of​ ​incense​ ​burn,​ ​a​ ​method​ ​similar to​ ​watching​ ​sand​ ​pour​ ​through​ ​an​ ​hourglass. Zheng​ ​He​ ​conducted​ ​seven​ ​voyages,​ ​and​ ​landed​ ​in​ ​places​ ​like​ ​India,​ ​Thailand, Sri​ ​Lanka,​ ​Mogadishu​ ​in​ ​Africa,​ ​and​ ​Yemen​ ​in​ ​the​ ​Middle​ ​East.​ ​Zheng’s​ ​fleet​ ​brought​ ​so many​ ​goods​ ​that​ ​when​ ​he​ ​first​ ​landed​ ​in​ ​India​ ​that​ ​it​ ​took​ ​Indian​ ​merchants​ ​more​ ​than three​ ​months​ ​to​ ​find​ ​out​ ​how​ ​much​ ​everything​ ​was​ ​worth.​ ​The​ ​ruler​ ​of​ ​Yemen,​ ​al-Malik al-Zahir,​ ​gave​ ​Zheng​ ​gifts​ ​for​ ​the​ ​emperor,​ ​including​ ​African​ ​animals​ ​that​ ​people​ ​in China​ ​had​ ​never​ ​seen​ ​before.​ ​These​ ​were​ ​a​ ​big​ ​hit​ ​in​ ​the​ ​emperor’s​ ​court,​ ​and​ ​the paintings​ ​that​ ​court​ ​artists​ ​made​ ​of​ ​zebras​ ​and​ ​giraffes​ ​are​ ​still​ ​around​ ​today. When​ ​a​ ​new​ ​emperor​ ​came​ ​to​ ​the​ ​throne​ ​in​ ​1433,​ ​he​ ​put​ ​an​ ​end​ ​to​ ​Zheng​ ​He’s voyages​ ​because​ ​he​ ​no​ ​longer​ ​wanted​ ​to​ ​pay​ ​for​ ​them.​ ​People​ ​in​ ​the​ ​government​ ​said that​ ​China​ ​wasn’t​ ​making​ ​very​ ​much​ ​money​ ​from​ ​the​ ​trading,​ ​and​ ​that​ ​they​ ​should instead​ ​spend​ ​money​ ​patrolling​ ​eastern​ ​coastal​ ​waters​ ​to​ ​defend​ ​against​ ​Japanese pirates.

Define​ ​these​ ​Terms:

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Ethnic​ ​Group Dynasty Exotic Latitude

Reading​ ​Comprehension:

Explain​ ​how​ ​Zheng​ ​He’s​ ​navigators​ ​found​ ​out​ ​how​ ​fast​ ​their​ ​ships​ ​were​ ​going. _____________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________

Explain​ ​why​ ​the​ ​new​ ​emperor​ ​decided​ ​to​ ​put​ ​a​ ​stop​ ​to​ ​Zheng​ ​He’s​ ​journeys. _____________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________

Writing​ ​Prompt:

Zheng​ ​He’s​ ​journey​ ​wasn’t​ ​just​ ​about​ ​exploration​ ​and​ ​trade.​ ​In​ ​fact,​ ​the​ ​emperor​ ​paid​ ​for​ ​the journeys​ ​because​ ​he​ ​wanted​ ​to​ ​show​ ​the​ ​rest​ ​of​ ​the​ ​world​ ​how​ ​powerful​ ​China​ ​was​ ​in​ ​the 15th​ ​century.​ ​When​ ​Zheng​ ​He​ ​accepted​ ​the​ ​animal​ ​gifts​ ​from​ ​Yemen,​ ​the​ ​emperor​ ​thought that​ ​these​ ​gifts​ ​were​ ​given​ ​as​ ​“tribute,”​ ​which​ ​is​ ​kind​ ​of​ ​like​ ​a​ ​fee​ ​or​ ​tax​ ​that​ ​a​ ​vassal​ ​state pays​ ​to​ ​its​ ​ruling​ ​state.​ ​A​ ​lot​ ​of​ ​people​ ​in​ ​Yemen​ ​thought​ ​this​ ​idea​ ​was​ ​funny,​ ​and​ ​that​ ​the Yongle​ ​Emperor​ ​didn’t​ ​understand​ ​how​ ​the​ ​rest​ ​of​ ​the​ ​world​ ​worked.​ ​Why​ ​do​ ​you​ ​think​ ​this is? Write​ ​your​ ​response​ ​on​ ​a​ ​separate​ ​sheet​ ​of​ ​paper.

What​ ​do​ ​you​ ​think​ ​about​ ​the​ ​new​ ​emperor’s​ ​decision​ ​to​ ​stop​ ​funding​ ​Zheng​ ​He’s​ ​journeys? Do​ ​you​ ​think​ ​it’s​ ​more​ ​important​ ​to​ ​use​ ​money​ ​for​ ​practical​ ​things?​ ​Or​ ​do​ ​you​ ​think​ ​it’s​ ​worth it​ ​to​ ​spend​ ​money​ ​on​ ​exploring​ ​and​ ​gaining​ ​knowledge?​ ​Why? Write​ ​your​ ​response​ ​on​ ​a​ ​separate​ ​sheet​ ​of​ ​paper.