This document outlines an assignment asking students to research the culture and history of one of their earliest known ancestors. Students are instructed to select an ancestor's culture from before 1500 CE and search for 10 primary or secondary sources relating to that culture, such as maps, videos, photographs, documents, or artworks. Students then write a one paragraph description of what they learned about their ancestor's everyday life and culture, along with a list and brief description of each source and whether it is primary or secondary. The goal is for students to practice researching online sources and distinguishing between primary and secondary source materials from their ancestor's homeland.

1. ANCESTOR SCAVENGER HUNT
ANCESTOR SCAVENGER HUNT
OVERVIEW
World History is an incredibly broad subject and we will just
scratch the surface of some key historical events, figures,
religions, and ideas; however, each of us has ancestors from
around the world and this assignment focuses on our
relationship to them and our past.
This assignment is designed for you to practice research on the
web and locate Primary and Secondary Sources. Additionally
we are developing several course competencies including
acquiring information, breaking multiple sources down into
parts, use of library resources, recognizing secondary sources
and locating primary sources.
Be sure you understand the difference between Primary Sources
and Secondary Sources when researching history by visiting the
resources page and visiting websites that describe the
difference, such as this
LibGuide
from American University.
INSTRUCTIONS
Step I
: Select the culture of one of your earliest known ancestors.
(For example, are you German, African, Japanese, Chinese,
Austrian, or Russian?)
OR
if you prefer, you may select one of the peoples from this
module (Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Indian, Chinese).

2. Step II
: Search the Module 1 Web Resources pages and the Internet for
10 different sources that relate to the culture term. DO NOT
USE the library to search for sources. You must have a specific
resource for each one, not an index and you should have 10
different types of sources from the following list that relate to
the earliest recorded history of your ancestor’s homeland. What
you find must predate 1500 CE.
Map
Video Clip
Audio Clip
Photograph of ruins, monument, person, or historical site
Government document or records, tablet, rock art, hieroglyphs
Letter written by someone from the region
Diary written by someone from the region
Newspaper Article
History Journal Article
Web Article
Glossary or encyclopedia-type description of the region and
culture of the past
Picture of artifact

3. Artwork related related to the culture of region
Novel or short story about any topic related to your region and
culture before 1500 CE
Textbook Reference
Museum Exhibit
Memorial or monument dedicated to an event or person related
to your culture or region prior to 1500 CE
Picture (painting or other depiction of building, town, people)
related to topic
Modern movie made about the culture or region before 1500 CE
Step III
: Create an assignment that includes:
A one-paragraph description of what you learned about your
ancestor’s culture, everyday life, and region. (You should
concentrate on historical aspects of the culture.)
A list of your sources with a brief description of each source
and how it relates to your ancestor's homeland and culture.
Identify whether you think each web source is a primary or
secondary source based on the definition at the links above.
Step IV
: Submit your paper as either a Microsoft Word file (.docx) or
in Rich Text Format (rtf) to the assignment folder by the due

4. date.
See the Course Schedule in the Syllabus module and the course
rubrics (under
Tools
in the upper menu) for due dates and grading criteria for this
assignment.
Step 1 Answer: The earliest known ancestors were the Chinese.