Malindis Journey and the Interconnected World: Past and Future by Alicia Carroll and Lucy Montgomery

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Malindis Journey and the Interconnected World
Past and Futureby Alicia Carroll and Lucy
Montgomery

• A presentation for the Fulbright Association
  31st Annual Conference2008 The Interconnected
  WorldOctober 22, 2008Beijing, China

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• Dear Friend,
• The silk roads, over land and sea, were above
  all the dialogue between civilizations.
• With the growing consciousness of cultural
  assets, we can feel the increasing distance
  between the time of such pioneers and our own
  time in that the scale of thinking has been
  enlarged to global proportions.
• Eiji Hattori, Letters from the Silk Roads
• Translated from the Japanese by Wallace Gray

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Malindis Journeyby Alicia Carroll and Lucy
Montgomery
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Malindis Journey

• Childrens book that tells the story of a
  giraffe who traveled from Africa to China with
  the treasure ships of Zheng He, the famous
  Chinese explorer of the early 15th century.
• Story highlights the early contact between Africa
  and China, the presence of the Chinese explorers
  in the Indian Ocean, and the trade which was
  thriving along the east coast of Africa for
  centuries before European influence.
• Using the national frameworks for social studies,
  Habits of Mind, and as many primary sources as
  possible, Malindis Story and accompanying
  curriculum unit will guide teachers and students
  in exploring the African-Chinese connections from
  a non-European perspective, through the Silk
  Routes via sea and land.

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"A Giraffe in Peking". The animal was presented
to the emperor in 1414. This painting and poem
was commissioned by the emperor on the occasion
of the giraffes arrival in Beijing from
Malindi. The inscription on this painting
congratulates the emperor on the arrival of such
an auspicious beast.
The giraffe is still used today by the Chinese as
a symbol of friendship and cooperation between
China and Africa.
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Our Journey Finding Chinese connections to
Africa

• 2001 Participated in Silk Road seminar and
  travel with Primary Source in Watertown, MA
• Began asking questions about the role of Africans
  in the Silk Road trade
• Began our own reading and research. Key books we
  started with that spoke about trade connections
  between China and East Africa included
• 1. When China Ruled the Seas by Louise
• Levathes
• 2. Star Raft by Philip Snow
• 3. The Emperors Giraffe, by Samuel M. Wilson
• 4. Ibn Battuta in Black Africa, by Ibn
  Battuta

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Malindis Journey Primary/Elementary Curriculum
Web

• Literacy
• Mathematics Technology
• Science
• Social Studies / History
• Art
• Family Connections
• Social Justice
• Connections China, Africa and Islam
• Assessment

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How big are the whales in the Indian Ocean?
Using cubes, string, and counting by 10s to
measure the length
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Making boats from recycled materials
and Boston
In Kenya.
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After reading The Alphabet of Boats, a Readers
Workshop book, children worked in cooperative
groups to experiment building different types of
boats in the block area.
A cruise ship
A Steam ship
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Mtepe Log

• Some sample pages from one kindergarten students
  log observational drawing, labeling the parts,
  drawing and labeling the tools, observing,
  drawing and naming shapes and materials

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National Council for the Social Studies

• Quarterly journal Social Studies and the Young
  Learner, Vol. 20 4 March/April 2008, Voices
  from the World
• Beyond Wildlife Teaching about Africa and
  Stereotypes by Dr. Barbara Brown and Alicia
  Carroll, M.Ed.

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Malindis Journey Middle / High School
Curriculum Web

• Geography
• Environmental Science
• World History
• Literacy
• Writing
• Economics and Financial Literacy
• Social Justice and Activism
• Research skills

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Global Environmental Justice

• Elective class at Odyssey High School
• Partnership with Harvard Program in International
  Education
• Student winning essay on Most important
  Environmental Problem was published on line in
  the Harvard International Review
• Historical Background of Indian Ocean Trade
• Case Study Wangari Maathai and the Greenbelt
  Movement in Kenya
• Connections Urban forest project in Boston,
  Roots and Shoots (connection made through
  Fulbright Conference)

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Harvard Day International Environmental
Justice Case Studiessponsored by the Harvard
Program in International Education
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Global Connections through Artifact Study in
History
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Lifelong Learners in an Interconnected World