Learners investigate Marco Polo's life as a young boy in 13th century Venice. They analyze maps, explore various websites, complete a chart and answer discussion questions, and create a travel brochure about visiting 13th century Venice.

Young explorers examine the route that Marco Polo and his father traveled to reach China. They examine online maps of the Silk Road and harsh terrain of Afghanistan to determine challenges that may have been encountered during travel.

Students examine Marco Polo's route from China to Sumatra. They investigate the geography and climate, the religions and architecture of modern Indonesia. They study the use of spices and why they were so important in medieval times.

Students search interactive sites to discover the history of exploration. They inspect an explorers' timeline and read about them. They participate in a Viking quest game and a multimedia recreation of Marco Polo's explorations.

Eleventh graders examine the roles of trading and pilgrimage in promoting exchange of goods and ideas. They appreciate the roles played by Xuan Zang and Marco Polo in the material and cultural exchange among the peoples of the Silk Road.

Eleventh graders examine how cultural ideas and thought were exchanged as travelers and traders of the Silk Road met, interacted, and traded with different peoples from different regions and cultures along the Silk Road.