Teaching East Asia: Korea Teaching East Asia: Korea | Page 30

Teaching Early Korean History:
Silla Korea (57 B.C.E-935 C.E.) and the Silk Road
“Silla survived for nearly 1,000 years and for a period of time, and along with
Tang China, was more advanced than probably any area of Europe except for the
Byzantine Empire”(Asia in Focus: The Koreas)
The Lesson: Silla Korea and the Silk Road
Grades: 7, 9 and 10
Subjects: Ancient History, World History, and Asian Studies
Time: One or more class periods
Objectives:
1) Prove how Korea was part of the Silk Road.
2) Present an Eastern instead of a Western view of the Silk Road trade and a time period
that produced one of the world’s “Golden Ages.”
3) Provide an understanding of the circumstances that help to create a “Golden Age.”
4) Recognize that some of today’s issues related to globalization were also present for past
cultures.
The Korea Society’s book, Silla Korea and the Silk Road: Golden Age, Golden Threads, is
essential along with its PowerPoint lecture on Silla Korea and the Silk Road to achieve the
lesson’s objectives. To download the book and the PowerPoint lecture for classroom use, access
the following website: http://www.koreasociety.org, click on Education and Educational
Resources. The 2016 California History-Social Science Framework recommends the Korea
Society’s PowerPoint for its “images and archaeological evidence that provide opportunities for
students to analyze cultural interaction and trade across Eurasia.” The New York Department of
Education also recommends a study of the Silk Road in the 9 th grade Tool Kite Inquiry Program.
The book, Silla Korea and the Silk Road, Golden Age, Golden Threads was developed for grades
9 through 12; however, 7 th grade teachers will find lessons that are adaptable for younger
students. The PowerPoint lecture is appropriate for grades 7 and 9-12.
The Korea Society has given permission to include pages from Silla Korea and the Silk Road
Golden Age, Golden Threads in this resource book.
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