Lesson 1 (from Chapter 1)
Initially, Marco Polo's stories are open to interpretation, particularly because he's telling them through symbols and gestures. Kublai Khan understands some of what Polo tries to convey and fills in the blanks for everything else. The objective of this lesson is to investigate how the listener's interpretation affects the teller's story.
1. Class Discussion: Who is Kublai Khan? What region is he emperor of? Who is Marco Polo? What stories is he sharing with the emperor? At the start of the book, does Polo speak Khan's language? How does he communicate with the emperor? How much of what Polo is communicating does Khan understand? How does Khan interpret the information Polo shares? Does Khan's understanding of what is being conveyed in any way alter the meaning of the story being told?
2. Small Group Activity: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group the following...
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