McKinnonNEWS

HUMANITIES

THE MONGOLS

History students in Year 8 this semester have been currently learning about the Mongol Empire. Students have been fascinated by the many interesting things that this learning unit encompasses. Such learning includes: 

  • Mongol society and the prominent role played by Mongol women in comparison to other societies at the time; 
  • the rise of Temujin from the steppes of Mongolia to take over the largest land based empire the world has ever seen as Genghis Khan in 1206;
  • The stories of Marco Polo and his adventures in China under Kublai Khan;
  • The Mongol rule in China and the Yuan Dynasty;
  • The Mongol army of conquest and the principle of strict discipline known as the Yasa.

Students have watched engaging videos about Genghis Khan and Marco Polo and participated in Mongol Bingo where they have been encouraged to call out “Ulaanbaator” (the capital city of Mongolia) when they have five correct answers. They have worked cooperatively and collaboratively to reinforce their historical knowledge with kahoots and quizlets. They have engaged with Mongol visuals, participating in visual fact finds and written practice diary entries of people and events living in the Mongol empire. The students are working towards incorporating relevant historical knowledge into their writing and writing with empathy. The Mongols are a fascinating case study, full of contradictions with their short-lived empire bringing many advantages but also many disadvantages to the people they ruled. 

 

The Year 8 History course is a fascinating and intriguing course where we learn about major personalities and events during the Medieval time period and have fun doing it. 

Tim pointing correctly to an answer on a Mongol Fact Find 

 

Will pointing out the Mongol’s love of horses

 

The teachers love teaching it but more importantly so do the kids as these quotes attest!

 

“I enjoyed learning about Genghis Khan of the Mongols and my favourite learning activity was bingo because it helped me to revise about the Mongols through the game.” - Jessie 8F

 

“What I enjoyed learning about (with the Mongols) was the great things they achieved. I also liked learning about Genghis Khan and the contradicting things he did.”- Lesedi 8D

 

“During the Mongolian history unit, I enjoyed learning about the daily lives of the Mongolians, because it's just so difficult yet interesting to imagine living in that time. Riding on horseback, serving Genghis Khan... Wow! That's a hard life!”- Natalia 8F

 

“I found that the best thing about learning about the Mongols was understanding their traditions and comparing them to other traditions around the world from the same time. I really enjoyed the topic and can find nothing to criticize. I really enjoyed the Quizlet activity as it promoted teamwork and sharing knowledge.”- Isabelle 8D

 

“I enjoyed learning about Genghis Kahn and understanding how powerful he was and what he achieved and what he didn't do. One of the best lessons, in my opinion, was when we had to do the fact find and see what we knew as a group together.“ - Thomas  8F

 

“I liked the Mongols because they are very fascinating and the worst thing is they are too cruel. The activity I enjoyed was the video that we watched about Genghis Khan. If I could change one thing, it would be adding more lessons to learn about the Mongols” - Kevin 8D. 

Jonathan Jhoomun

(on behalf of the Year 8 History Team)

GLOBAL CONFLICT INCURSION

On Thursday 5 March, our Year 10 Global Conflicts class were delighted to welcome special guests, Matt Kulesza and Arielle Kelly.

 

As part of the curriculum, our class had been learning about the intriguing ongoing situation in North Korea and these visitors had come to provide us with an insight into their experiences as ex-North Korean tour guides.

Both Arielle and Matt were interested in North Korea for most of their lives, but they took their interest further than most by putting themselves through a very difficult process in order to work amongst the action. The pair brought souvenirs from their time in North Korea including a rare loyalty badge, which was awarded to Matt for his work in North Korea. This badge must be worn by all North Korean citizens whenever they leave their home once they turn 16, and is not something that tourists can buy or easily be given.

 

They also brought an impressive collection of authentic propaganda posters, as well as cooking books, fashion books and editions of the Pyongyang Times. Additionally, they presented a slideshow that provided us with a glimpse into the widely unknown everyday lives of North Korean citizens. We were grateful to have the opportunity to watch various videos of military parades, public holiday celebrations and children learning in school.

 

Most notably, Matt and Arielle were eager to answer all of our questions which had some very intriguing answers. Through these questions, we were able to gain a unique perspective of North Korea, and their personal experiences are something that you can’t beat with textbook knowledge of such a secretive place. This was an eye-opening experience for our whole class, and it helped us to far better understand the common mysteries of North Korea.

 

On behalf of our entire class, we would like to thank Arielle and Matt for spending their time teaching us and answering all of our questions about North Korea.

 

Ryan Borowitz and Louisa D’Ambra

Year 10 students