Students may be asked to do some of the
following as you follow Ibn Battuta's trip:
- Post Cards - Pretend that you are Ibn
Battuta or that you are traveling with him. Send post
cards back home to Tangier (Morocco) - Ibn Battuta's
home.
- To make a post card, you should click on the
picture from his trip and "Copy the Image" onto a
new page - use Microsoft Works and paste onto
Claris Home Page. Under the picture you can write
your information.
- The post cards should include important
information, like:
- The means of transportation (horse or
donkey, camel caravan, ship)
- The distances traveled and how long the trip
has taken
- The weather or climate
- Unusual sights or dangers along the way
- A description of the picture in your Post
Card
- Other personal or cultural information that
you want to share
- To see an example of a post card, click
[here].
- To send any mail during Ibn Battuta's time,
your letter would probably be carried by camel,
donkey, or horse by land, on dhow sailing ships, or
even by carrier pigeon! It probably would take
months to get there, if nothing happened to it
along the way!
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- Change History - From what you will learn
about what happened in history, you will be able to
send warnings to Ibn Battuta that could make the
Muslim Medieval World a better place! You will be able
to warn him of attacks, of diseases, natural
disasters, or other events that would enable him to
change history - if you can only get through to him!
Write this in the form of an urgent letter. ("Look
into the Future" boxes on the travel pages may be
helpful.)
-
- Role Play - (costume optional)
- Individual presentation [Monologue]: From one
chapter of this story, present to the class what
happened to you (Ibn Battuta). They will have good
questions to ask you.
- Partners [Dialog or Interview]: With a partner,
plan an interview of Ibn Battuta during the events
of one chapter. Present this to the class.
- Drama or small group presentation: From one or
more chapters of this story, take on different
characters and act out incidents in the story of
Ibn Battuta. This could also take the form of a TV
news broadcast (like CNN of the 14th century.)
-
- Keep a diary (as if you were Ibn Battuta)
of one or more of the chapters telling of what
happened to you.
-
- Be a record keeper: record all maps,
record distances traveled, temperature
data (found of links at the bottom of each
chapter). Harder might be a record of expenses, income
(such as presents, slaves, etc. given to him or money
earned), number of wives or children, etc.
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- Be newspaper reporters. In small groups,
prepare your newspaper with the following sections:
News of the Main Event - with a good stories
including the "who-what-where-when-what
happened-why-how" information - and interview at least
two people for their observations of the event. Give
good details. Editorials and/or Letters to the
Editor: Give opinions from two points of view
about an event. Advertisements of items for
sale appropriate to the culture, with prices using
money appropriate to the culture. Try to make your
advertisements attention-getters! Help Wanted:
Describe at least two jobs that are appropriate to the
culture. Entertainment: What did people do for
entertainment? Try to encourage your readers to get
out and enjoy life! Weather Report (see the
links at the bottom of each section for help);
Comics or Cartoon (you can draw them);
Advice Column: Give advice to the troubled.
Letters asking for your help should be answered with
compassion. Be appropriate to the times and the
culture visited. Use a modern newspaper to get ideas
for format.
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- Make a board game. One example: (Something
like a Monopoly board game.) The goal is complete a
tour, like Ibn Battuta did. Using a map of Eurasia and
Africa drawn onto a board or large paper, create
squares that follow Ibn Battuta's journeys. Make some
squares for "chance" and make cards that might send
the player ahead or behind. (They should be
appropriate to the actual problems of travelers in the
14th century.) Players can roll the die or dice to
determine how many spaces to move their player piece.
Play the game with a few friends.
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- Travel Brochures Prepare a one-page
brochure to advertise travel to one of the places
visited by Ibn Battuta. You should give information
about the attractions for tourists - the things to
see; tell about the climate; describe the local
people and their customs; provide a small map of that
place; tell what kind of food is available; tell
which clothing is appropriate; give warnings that a
tourists should know before going. (Go to a travel
agency to see what a travel brouchure may look like.)
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- Cook your way through the travels of Ibn
Battuta. At the bottom of many sites there are
links to food of the places in which Ibn Battuta
traveled. Prepare dishes of those places.
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