Mongol Empire · 1162-1227

Genghis Khan unites the steppe

A boy from a broken family on the Mongolian steppe became Genghis Khan, ruler of all the Mongols, in 1206. Students follow his rise on the map, look at how he built an army unlike any other, and weigh how different peoples remember him.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
11–14
On the map
3 steps, AD 1206 to AD 1215
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

A boy from a broken family on the Mongolian steppe became Genghis Khan, ruler of all the Mongols, in 1206. Students follow his rise on the map, look at how he built an army unlike any other, and weigh how different peoples remember him.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Describe how Temujin united the Mongol tribes and became Genghis Khan in 1206.
  • Explain two reasons for the success of the Mongol army.
  • Discuss how Genghis Khan is judged by the different peoples his armies reached.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1206

A land of tribes

Open the map in 1206 and zoom in on the grasslands of the steppe. Turn on Historical Events and find the marker for 1206. What did herders on horseback have that settled farmers did not?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1206

The Mongol Storm

Click Stories at the top left and play The Mongol Storm. Stop after the second chapter. Which rich empire in the west did the Mongols attack in 1219?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1215

Into northern China

Open the map in 1215 and zoom in on the mountain passes north of Beijing. The Mongols took the Jin capital Zhongdu that year. Why could walls and passes not stop riders from the steppe?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Temujin's father was killed when he was a boy and his family was left poor. How might a hard childhood shape a leader?
  2. Genghis Khan mixed warriors from different tribes into units of 10, 100, 1,000 and 10,000. Why would that make them more loyal to him?
  3. He promoted people for skill and loyalty, not for noble birth. Why was that so powerful?
  4. Cities that resisted the Mongols were often destroyed and their people killed. How should historians weigh that against the trade and contacts that followed?
  5. The Mongols took a script from the Uyghurs and used scribes from many peoples. Why would an empire of herders need writing?
4

Game round

10 min

Play Rule History as Genghis Khan. Let students take turns making his rulings on the classroom screen. After each one, ask: how would a Mongol warrior, a farmer in northern China and a merchant in Samarkand each have judged this choice?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.