Extras

Slideshow of Maps and Images

Recommended Videos

Azerbaijan's Geographic Challenge   Stratfor analysis.
Baku:  Tradition Meets Innovation on the Silk Road    Short and informative video (Forbes).
In the Footsteps of Marco Polo     Very inspiring documentary of two Americans who retraced the Silk Road.
The Legend of Omar Khayyam      Good film (PBS) about the legendary Persian mathematician, astronomer, philosopher and poet. 
Fueling Geopolitics                          Interesting documentary (Al-Jazeera) about the geopolitics of oil and gas.
Meet the Stans (Episodes 1 & 2)    Documentary of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.  BBC Series.
Meet the Stans (Episodes 3 & 4)   Documentary of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.  BBC Series.
Mummies of Taklamakan               A French archaeologist's quest to understand the Tarim Basin's pre-Silk Road history.
Oil Rocks: City Above the Sea       Short and interesting video of Neft Daslari -- the world's first floating oil platform (Caspian Sea).
Tajikistan and Central Asia's Fergana Valley   Stratfor analysis.
The Importance of Turkmenistan  Stratfor analysis.
The Silk Road                                    Twelve-part documentary of the Silk Road.  NHK Series.
The Strategic Importance of the Caspian Sea   Stratfor analysis.

Links

Azerbaijan's Oil History
Baku and Oil
Central Asia Atlas of Natural Resources (Asian Development Bank download)
CIA World Factbook
China-Central Asia Infrastructure Development (Map)
Empires of the Middle East and Eurasia (Dynamic Map)
Everything is Made of Something (Free curriculum for teaching natural resources, by Minerals Education Coalition)
Interactive MapMaker (NatGeo)
Maps Etc (Free, comprehensive, easy-to-use map database)
The Great Silk Road (Map)
The Great Game:  Timeline
The Map as History: "The largest online collection of animated historical maps."
The New Crystal Hunters: Educational videos about kids who go searching for geological treasures.
The Silk Roads: An Educational Resource
The Silk Roads: An Interactive Map (UNESCO)
The Travels of Marco Polo
Singing Sands (Geologic phenomenon of deserts)
U.S. Energy Information Administration

Free Teaching Curriculums and Lesson Plans

Afghanistan, China, and Globalization curriculum (Asia Society)
From Silk to Oil: A curriculum guide for high school students (U.S. Dept. of Education and China Institute) 
Introduction to Central Asia: Lesson Plans for 6th Graders (University of Texas at Austin) 
Lots of Lesson Plans: From Kindergarten through High School (IAUNRC, Indiana University)
Minerals Resources - K-2 education lessons and activities (Minerals Education Coalition)
USGS Educational Materials for Grades K-6, 7-12, and Undergraduate: geology, geography, mapping, etc.
Where East Meets West: An Introduction to the Caucasus and BTC Pipeline (A curriculum unit for high schoolers)

Reading Music

Jalla Man Qad Sagha Badran, by Middle East Music Ensemble
Keskik Bicak, by Sezen Aksu
Kyrgyz folk song: "Ak möördün armany" Gülnur Asanova  
Molâ Mâmad Djân, by Khaled Arman
Nihavent Sirto, by Kronos Quartet
Raga Mishra Bhairavi, by Kronos Quartet
Sallalahu Ala Muhammed (Yunus Emre - Ilahileri), by Oni Wyters Ensemble
Traditional Uyghur Music (East Turkestan)
Turkish Central Asian Music
Pt Nikhil Banerjee - Raga Malgunji

Resources for Parents of Young Readers

Stories from the Silk Road (American Library Association collection of stories for young readers)
​Geology-related fiction books for children and young adults
Hoagies’ Gifted Education Reading List
Great Reads for the Gifted (Middle School)
50 Best Books for Boys and Young Men
Books for Gifted Middle Schoolers
101 Out-of-This-World Books for Kids Ages 8-13
The Big Bad Middle School Literature List
Ten Books Every Middle Schooler Should Read (list of cross-curricular books with lesson plans and curriculums)
11 Novels (and 1 Collection of Poems) Recommended for Social Studies Classrooms