Bellwork Week 1/3: 1/8: Do you think the world has always had trial by jury? 11/9: What is the Magna Carta? 41/10: What makes someone significant in history? 1/11: What do you know about Marco Polo? 1/12: No Schoo! 4/15: Were the Medici family important? Why/Why not? 1/16: Who was Muhammad? 1/17: How are books made today? 1/19: What invention helped spread the process of book making? Bellwork: Week 4/5: 1/28: No Bellwork 41/30: Who are Raphael, Michelangelo, Leonardo, Donatello? 41/31: Who/What Is a missionary? 2/1: Why is the hundred years war significant? 2/2: What is the tone of the following letter: King of England, render account to the King of Heaven of your royal blood. Return the keys of all the good cities which you have seized, to the Maid. She is sent by God to reclaim the royal blood, and is fully prepared to make peace, if you will give her satisfaction; that is, you must render justice, and pay back all that you have taken. 2/5: Who are Da Gama, Dias, and Magellan? 2/6: No Bellwork 2/7: is selling indulgences morally right? Why/Why not? 2/8: No Beliwork 2/9: No BellworkBeliwork week 6/7: 2/12: Who is Martin Luther and what is he known for? 2/13: What is a democracy? 2/4: No bellwork 2/15: How did the reformation start? 2/16: What do you know about the printing press? 2/19: What does enlightenment mean 2/20: What are roots 2/21: No Bellwork 2/22: Do you think new inventions are good for the world? Why/Why not? 2/23: What is Capitalism? Interview with an explorer: Use the internet and informational text in order to develop/create 10 questions and answers that you could ask one of the following explorers: Da Gama, Magellan or Dias. Cannot be one word answers.seen ehemane nylgr 20 ee a8 ipeenemI set pe en eee eet pene rae io pe | i | NAME: Junior Scholastic, TEST-PREP REPRODUCIBLE MAKING CONNECTIONS How Did the Printing Press Change History? First, read the article on this page. Then study the chronology and answer the questions on the second page. press in 1440, books had to be copied by hand. this was a slow, painstaking process that could take more than a yeat for each book, and the people copying them often made mistakes. Very few books ‘were published, and they were available only to monks and scholars. ‘Gutenberg's invention pulled together several differ- ent technologies. He combined block printing, a Chi- nose technique brought to Europe by Mareo Polo, with the press used to make wine and olive oil. His great innovation was movable type—sets of letters made out ‘of metal. Instead of having to carve a solid block of. wood for every single page, printers could rearrange the letters and reuse the type to print new pages. ‘The first book that Gutenberg published was prob- ably Ars Minor (The Smaller Art), the most commonly used texthook for teaching Latin grammar in schools Existing copies of it are believed to date from as early as 1451, Around 1455, Gutenberg printed the first-ever complete edition of the Bible in movable type—an act, that enshrined him in history. Spreading the Word ‘By 1500, printing shops were in every major city in Europe. They had produced more than 8 million copies of books. Most of the books they put out were Bibles and religious texts, but they also published romance novels, collections of art by the German printmaker Albrecht Dizer, and classies by the Roman poet Ovi. Although many people couldn't read, books spread knowledge to bakers and merchants as well as to law- yers and knights, writes historian Elizabeth L, Bisen- stein, “Gifted students no longer needed to sit at the feet of a given master in order to learn a language or academic skill. Instead, they could achieve mastery on their own, even by sneaking books past their tutors.” Europe's raters were quick to recognize the printed B fore Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing ‘word's power to transmit subversive (rebellious) ideas. In 1501, Pope Alexander VI threatened to excommuni- cate anyone who printed anything without clearing it ‘with authorities of the Catholic Church. He was right to feel threatened, Books published by Martin Luther and John Calvin in the 1520s and 1530s spread the ideas of the Protestant Reformation, In. 1543, Nicolaus Copernicus, a Polish astronomer, published On the Revolutions of Heaventy Spheres. It explained his theory that Barth revolves around the sun. That challenged the idea that the sun revolves around. Earth, whielt had become part of Church teachings. Tn 1620, British philosopher Francis Bacon wrote that printing, gunpowder, and the compass were the three inventions that “have changed the appearance and state of the whole world.” The First Newspapers 1m the lale 1500s, pamphlets and newsletters appeared occasionally in German cities, They carried business news and more sensational stories, such as the fiendish tortures used by the bloodthirsty Tran- sylvanian prince Vlad Draeulea~the inspiration for the legend of Dracula, The Italian city-state of Venice published a newsletter in 1556. It sold for one gazetia, 4 small coin—the origin ofthe English word gazette, another term for newspaper. Relation, the first regular newspaper, appeared in 1605 in Strasbourg, then an independent city on the border between France and Germany. It was followed by others in Germany, Belgium, Amsterdam, London, an Pais. The Swedish government newspaper Postoch Inrikes Tidningar (Post and Domest News), founded in 1645, isthe oldest newspaper stil in existence. (Since 2007, it has been published only online.) The first Amer- Jean newspaper was Publick Ceeurrences, published in Boston in 1690, The British banned i after one issue. —Steven Wishnia MARCH 30, 2009 + JUNIOR SCHOLASTIC ONLINE REPRODUCIBLE PAGE 1 OF 2NAME: Junior Scholastic. TEST-PREP REPRODUCIBLE. 1398: Johannes Gutenberg is born In Mainz, Germany, 1440: cutenborg first displays the printing press, 1454: cutenberg publishes the Latin textbook ars Minor. 1455: cutenberg publishes the first printed version of the Bible. 1468: cutenborg dies. 1425: william Caxton prints the first English-language book. 1501: ope Alexander VI trles t0 censor printed matter. 1520: martin Luther publishes three books. 154: Copernicus publishes his astronomical theories, A556: the city-state of Venice publishes a newsletter. 1605: fefation, the first regular newspaper, is first published In Strasbourg. 1690: \e frst and only Issue of Publick Occurrences, the first American newspaper, Is published in Boston. Pues 4. How were books made before the printing press was lnvented?, eet 2, How long did it take to make a book before the Invention of the printing press? 3. What was Gutenberg's key innovation? How did it help?, 4, What were the first books Gutenberg printed? 5, When did the first regular newspaper come our? 6, Name two subjects in which books published in the 4500s challenged established ideas. 7. How were people able to learn from books In ways ‘that they couldn’t before printing was invented? '8, What large group of Europeans was unable to do this? 9, Why might some people in power want to censor books and other printed matter? 40, Do you think that the Internet and computers are having as big an Impact on society as the Invention of printing? Why or why not? MARCH 30, 2009 » JUNIOR SCHOLASTIC ONLINE REPRODUCIBLE » PAGE 2 OF 2NEWSELA Marco Polo & his "Travels" to the Imperial Court of Kublai Khan By Cynthia Stokes Brown, Big History Project, adapted by Newsela staff on 06.21.16 Word Count 1,733 Level 980L. ‘TOP: A 14th-centuty ftuminatedl map depleting the Polos. Images: MIDDLE TOP: A drawing of Marco Polo. Images: Big History Project Atthe height of the Mongol Empire, Marco Polo served Emperor Kublai Khan in China, When he returned home to Venice, his account of his experiences gave Europeans some of their earliest information about China. Background In the 13th century, the people of Venice, Italy, believed that the Sun revolved around the Earth. They thought the Universe was created exactly 4,484 years before Rome was founded. ‘As Christians, they considered Jerusalem, the place of Jesus’ crucifixion, to be the center of the world. Maps of the time put Jerusalem right at the center.NEWSELA Marco Polo was born in Venice, or possibly Croatia, in 1254, Venice was a city-state located on the eastern coast of Italy. It served as a gateway to the riches of Asia during this era of increasing trade. Goods flowed like water through the city. Ships from around the eastern Mediterranean Sea docked at its port. Merchants and traders set sail from Venice for Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) and the Black Sea. They would feteh goods from Russia and from merchants traveling the Silk Road. The Silk Road was a system of trading Toutes to and from China that crossed the mountains and deserts of Central Asia. Atthe time of Marco's birth, his father, Niccolo, and two uncles, all merchants, were away trading. Supposedly they were visiting cities on the Black Sea, Yet, their adventures had actually taken them all the way to the Mongol capital of China, Khanbaliq (city of the Khan). There they had an audience with the most powerful ruler of the day, Kublai Khan. Kublai Khan was the grandson of the founding emperor of the Mongol dynasty, Genghis Khan. The three Polo men returned to Venice after an absence of 16 years. Upon arriving, Niccolo found that his wife had died. He also discovered that he had a 15-year-old son, Marco, whom he did not know existed.NEWSELA Travels “Two years later, in 1271, Niccolo Polo and his brother, Matfeo, set off again. They took 17- year-old Marco with them. This time the Polos aimed directly for the court of Kublai Khan. The Polos planned to bring him documents from the pope and holy oil from Jerusalem, as he had requested. They possessed a gold passport from Kublai Khan. This enabled the travelers to use lodgings and horses posted by the Mongols along the Silk Road routes. Even then, they took 3 1/2 years to arrive, Upon reaching the summer palace of Kublai Khan in 1275, Niccolo presented his son. He offered Marco to the emperor as a servant, Atalented young man, Marco had learned several languages along the way. He had picked up Mongolian (though not Chinese). He had mastered four written alphabets. Two years before Marco's arrival, Kublai Khan had finished conquering all of China. In some of the Chinese areas that the Khan had conquered, the people resisted having Mongols rule over them. Kublai Khan needed non-Mongol administrators to be in charge there. He sent Marco on various sorts of diplomatic and administrative roles. Fifteenth-century illustration showing the Polos sailing from Venice in 1271NEWSELA Alter more than 16 years in China, the Polos begged permission from Kublai Khan to return home to Venice. Apparently they had proved so useful to the khan that he did not want them to leave. Finally, he agreed for them to escort a Mongolian princess to become the bride of a Persian khan. The Polos were free to head back west. This time they traveled by sea in Chinese ships. After many difficulties they succeeded in Gelivering the princess. Before they could reach Venice, however, Kublai Khan died on February 18, 1294. With the khan gone, local rulers reasserted themselves and demanded payment from traders. Consequently, the Polos were forced to hand over 4,000 Byzantine coins to the government of a city on the Black Sea. The payment was a significant portion of their fortune. A painting of Marco Polo at the court of Kublai Khan Return The Polos returned to Venice in 1295. They had been away 24 years. Their enthusiastic biographer told stories, which may have been gossip, that when they returned they were wearing Mongolian clothing and could hardly remember their native language, Their relatives had thought them long dead.NEWSELA But then they revealed a small fortune in gems — rubies, sapphires, diamonds, and emeralds. They had been sewn into the hems of their Mongolian garments for hiding. Now, the Polos received a warm welcome. Soon Venice went to war with its rival city-state, Genoa, on the westem coast of Italy. Like other wealthy merchants, Marco Polo paid for his own warship. During a naval battle he was captured, Polo landed in prison in Genoa, By chance, one of his cellmates was a writer named Rusticello from Pisa. Rusticello had written romantic novels. As Polo entertained the other prisoners with his adventures in China, Rusticello wrote them down in French. This is how Polo's accounts came into existence. HS lees OF MARCO POLO eunoot Asis In 1298, Genoa and Venice deciared peace. Polo was released and returned to Venice. He married and had three daughters. Polo's remaining days were spent as a businessman. He died in Venice at almost 70 years of age, on January 8, 1324. Marco Polo's book Polo could have been forgotten to history. But his book, The Travels of Marco Polo, slowly gained widespread interest. It could be circulated only one copy at a time, since printing in Europe did not begin until almost 200 years later. About 120 to 140 early manuscripts — hand-printed versions of The Travels — survive. Each one of them is diferent. The earliestNEWSELA readers were scholars, monks, and noblemen. Soon, translations of The Travels appeared in Venetian, German, English, Catalan, Gaelic, and Latin, it ook more than a century for the book to become part of mainstream European consciousness. Few texts have been more controversial than The Travels of Marco Polo. I's not clear who the author is — Polo or Rusticello? Sometimes the text is in the first-person voice, sometimes in third-person narrative. How much of the text is based on Polo's firsthand experience? And how much did the author(s) insert secondhand accounts by others? Certainly itis a mix. What was reported seemed so bizarre to stay-at-home Europeans of the time. Readers often assumed that everything was made up. Yet historians have largely confirmed the facts in Polo's account of the Mongol dynasty. Polo proved an engaging storyteller. He found Mongolian customs fascinating and reported them enthusiastically. While in China, he had seen the use of paper for money and the burning of coal for heat (see excerpts below). Paper money had been in use in China for several hundred years by then. Coal had been burned in parts of China since the beginning of agriculture. Polo also missed a few unfamiliar practices. He failed to notice the books being sold in southern China. Books were widely available there because they were printed with movable type made of wood, clay, or tin. Movable type was missing in Europe then. It was not invented there until 1440, by Johannes Gutenberg, a German printer. When Christopher Columbus set sail in 1492, he hoped to find a route by sea to China. On his ship he brought a copy of The Travels of Marco Polo, expecting it to be useful. He never made it to China, discovering the Americas instead. But, the book remained Europe's primary source of information about China until the 19th century. From The Travels of Marco Polo: Book 2, Chapter 18 OF THE KIND OF PAPER MONEY ISSUED BY THE GRAND KHAN, AND MADE TO PASS CURRENT THROUGHOUT HIS DOMINIONS In this city of Cambalu [another spelling for Khanbaliql is the mint of the grand khan, who may truly be said to possess the secret of the alchemists, as he has the art of producing money by the following process. He causes bark to be stripped irom those mulberry-trees the leaves of which are used for feeding silk-worms, and takes from it that thin inner ring which lies between the coarser bark and the wood of the tree. This being steeped, and afterwards pounded in a mortar, until reduced to a pulp, is made into paper, resembling that which is ‘made from cotton, but quite black. When ready for use, he has it cut into pieces of money of different sizes, nearly square, but somewhat longer than they are wide...NEWSELA The coinage of this paper money is authenticated with as much form and ceremony as ift were actually of pure gold or silver, When thus coined in large quantities, this paper currency Is circulated in every part of the grand khan’s dominions; nor dares any person, at the peril of his lite, reuse to accept it in payment. (pp. 145-147) Book 2, Chapter 23 OF THE KIND OF WINE MADE IN THE PROVINCE OF CATHAY — AND OF THE STONES USED THERE FOR BURNING IN THE MANNER OF CHARCOAL ‘The greater part of the inhabitants of the province of Cathay [now China] drink a sort of wine made from rice mixed with a variety of spices and drugs. This beverage, or wine as it may be termed, is 50 good and well-flavored that they do not wish for beiter. Itis clear, bright, and pleasant to the taste, and being made very hot, has the quality of inebriating sooner than any other. Throughout this province there is found a sort of black stone, which they dig out of the mountains, where it runs in veins, When lighted, it bums like charcoal, and retains the fre much better than wood insomuch that it may be preserved during the night, and in the ‘morning be found stil) burning. These stones do not flame, excepting a little when first lighted, but during their ignition give out a considerable heat. Itis true there is no scarcity of wood in the country, but the multitude of inhabitants is so immense, and their stoves and baths, which they are continually heating, so numerous, that the quantity could not supply the demand; for there is no person who does not frequent the warm bath at least three times in the week, and during the winter daily, if tis in their power. Every man of rank or wealth has one in his house for his own use; and the stock of wood must soon prove inadequate to such consumption; whereas these stones may be had in the greatest abundance, and at a cheap rate. (p. 155)NEWSE LA Quiz 1 ead the following selection from the section “Marco Polo's Book.” Polo also missed a few unfamiliar practices. He failed to notice the books being sold in southern China. Books were widely available there because they were printed with movable type made of wood, clay, or tin. Movable type was missing in Europe then. It was not invented there until 1440, by Johannes Gutenberg, a German printer. ‘What can you infer from this selection? (A) (B) (ce) (d) ‘The movable type was first invented by Europeans in the Middle Ages. ‘The Chinese did not read very many books in the Middle Ages, ‘The Chinese were more advanced than the Europeans in the Middle Ages. ‘The Europeans were more advanced than the Chinese in the Mile Ages. 2 Which of the following pieces of evidence from the article provides the STRONGEST evidence that China was an advanced society? fA) (B) {C) {D) 3 Whi (A) (8) (e) (0) Chinese rulers demanded payment from traders. Chinese explorers found a sea route to the Americas first. Chinese lands had large quantities of charcoal. ‘The Chinese developed widespread use of paper money. ich answer choice accurately characterizes Kublai Khan's relationship with Marco Polo? Kublai Khan was like a big brother to Marco Polo. Kublai Khan was like a sibling to Marco Polo. Marco Polo was a servant to Kublai Khan, ‘Marco Polo was an explorer for Kublai Khan.NEWSELA 4 Reread the excerpts from Marco Polo's book. Marco Polo emphasizes the inventions he saw in China by: (A) providing extensive descriptions on how the inventions and tools were used by the Chinese {B) providing background information on the Chinese people and their history (©) explaining how the Chinese people frst came up with the different inventions he found on his journey {D) explaining why the Chinese used the different inventions he found on his, journey