Guns, Germs and Steel Video Worksheets -- PDF Printable Version

60 True/False and Multiple Choice questions split into two worksheets covering the Jared Diamond documentary. Worksheets focus on the first two episodes -- the ones most useful for world history classes! Both fast-grade and full-context answer keys included!

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Few teaching units can effectively capture the breadth of human history since the dawn of farming to the present day, but Jared Diamond's breathtaking series, Guns, Germs and Steel does so with aplomb.

High school students being what they are, however, they may not fully appreciate Diamond's fascinating episodes for their own sake. That's where these worksheets come in. They will help hold students accountable for paying close attention to the videos so that much more content is learned and absorbed. This bundle contains video worksheets for episodes 1 and 2 of Jared Diamond's 3-part series. (There is no worksheet provided for episode 3 simply because, after having used this series with World History and Economics classes for several years, I have concluded that the third episode is the weakest. The most important content is well-covered in the first two episodes, which is what my classes focus on every year.)

ABOUT GUNS, GERMS and STEEL

This series is *perfect* for World History courses and fits in well when studying the ancient world and again when looking at the age of European imperialism. Basically, the series is an exploration of one of the key questions about the modern world: why are wealth and power distributed so unequally? Why are some continents so rich while others seem to be so poor?

Because this is the major focus of the series, it is also ideal for Economics classes.

During the Age of Imperialism, a number of explanations were floated to explain these discrepancies. By and large, they were based on racism. Diamond debunks these skillfully, presenting the idea that won him a Pulitzer Prize: the physical geography of the earth has had a controlling influence on the development of key technological breakthroughs that gave some areas a head start over others. It all starts with farming, and with the fact that not all world areas started off with the same wealth of animals that were capable of being domesticated. The shape of the continents has actually been a key historical force, according to Diamond; those with a long east-west axis enjoyed a great advantage over those with a north-south orientation. From these factors, much of the modern world has sprung.

WHERE TO GET THE VIDEOS

These worksheets are designed to be used with the videos. You can often find them on Netflix -- just search for Guns, Germs and Steel. They also play regularly on PBS stations and are available for purchase on sites like Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-and-Steel/dp/B0009GX1EM). I have also seen the videos playing online at various sites. Every time I Google search for them, several such results pop up.

WHEN TO USE THE VIDEOS AND WORKSHEETS

Guns, Germs and Steel fits into the curriculum at a number of key places -- it truly is a very versatile video to add to your teaching library. You could show episodes when the class reaches any of the following moments in history:

* Neolithic revolution

* Fertile Crescent

* Age of Exploration

* Age of Imperialism

* Spanish Conquest of South America

* Age of New Imperialism

Or you could show it during an Economics class at any time to provide a powerful explanation as to why some world regions have economies that are very much poorer than others.

HOW TO USE THE MATERIALS

The worksheets are meant to be filled out after a class has seen an episode. In this respect, they can function as a test on the episode just watched.

However, some teachers may find it more useful to have students work on the worksheets while they are watching the videos.

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

Each covered episode has a True/False section and a Multiple Choice section. Teachers who want both a "during" worksheet and an "after" assessment could designate T/F for one and Multiple Choice for the other.

WHAT YOU WILL GET

These Guns, Germs, and Steel Worksheets contain the following materials:

Episode 1:

Student worksheet with 32 questions. Some are T/F but the majority are multiple choice.

Annotated answer key for use in going over answers with the class and discussing episode content.

Fast-grade answer key to use when correcting submitted papers.

Episode 2:

Student worksheet with 28 questions. A little more than half are T/F and the rest are multiple choice.

Annotated answer key for use in going over answers with the class and discussing episode content.

Fast-grade answer key to use when correcting submitted papers.

I hope that you find ways to make Guns, Germs and Steel a regular part of your World History or Economics teaching -- the series truly is a fascinating and innovative look at the roots of inequality in the modern world, and can provide an excellent counterpoint when classes reach explanations of how Social Darwinism was once used to answer the question: Why are some places in the world so rich while others are so poor?

LOOKING FOR EXAMVIEW FILES INSTEAD?

If you want to deliver questions electronically using software like Insight 360, CPS, or an online learning management system, you might like to take a look at the Examview version of this resource:

Guns, Germs and Steel Video Worksheets -- Examview Version

Either way, I wish you a wonderful school year and lots of happy teaching!

Elise Parker

keywords: social justice, anthropology, agricultural revolution, dawn of farming, domestication, domesticated animals, Europe, Asia, Middle East, South America, Mesopotamia, Fertile Crescent, economics