THEME: WORLD STUDIES FROM 750 B.C. TO 1600 A.D.: ANCIENT GREECE TO THE FIRST GLOBAL AGE
The seventh-grade year is an integrated study of world history, beginning with ancient Greece and continuing through global exploration. All four social studies strands are used to illustrate how historic events are shaped by geographic, social, cultural, economic and political factors. Students develop their understanding of how ideas and events from the past have shaped the world today.
The seventh-grade year is an integrated study of world history, beginning with ancient Greece and continuing through global exploration. All four social studies strands are used to illustrate how historic events are shaped by geographic, social, cultural, economic and political factors. Students develop their understanding of how ideas and events from the past have shaped the world today.
History StrandHISTORICAL THINKING AND SKILLS
Content Statement: 1. Historians and archaeologists describe historical events and issues from the perspectives of people living at the time to avoid evaluating the past in terms of today’s norms and values. -Culture and Religion -Athens and Sparta -Persian War -Peloponnesian War EARLY CIVILIZATIONS
Content Statement: 2. The civilizations that developed in Greece and Rome had an enduring impact on later civilizations. This legacy includes governance and law, engineering and technology, art and architecture, as well as literature and history. The Roman Empire also played an instrumental role in the spread of Christianity -Greek Culture and Religion -Legacy of Greece -Christianity in Rome -Legacy of Rome -Golden Age of the Byzantines -The Great Schism FIRST GLOBAL AGE
Content Statements: 8. Empires in Africa (Ghana, Mali and Songhay) and Asia (Byzantine, Ottoman, Mughal and China) grew as commercial and cultural centers along trade routes. -Beginning of the Byzantine Empire -West African Kingdoms 9. The advent of the trans- Saharan slave trade had profound effects on both West and Central Africa and the receiving societies. -Colonization, Mercantilism and the Triangular Trade 10. European economic and cultural influence dramatically increased through explorations, conquests and colonization. -European Explorers Project 11. The Columbian Exchange (e.g., the exchange of fauna, flora and pathogens) among previously unconnected parts of the world reshaped societies in ways still evident today. -European Explorers Project |
FEUDALISM AND TRANSITIONS
Content Statements: 3. Germanic invasions helped to break up the Roman Empire and set the stage for the development of feudal and manorial systems. Later invasions helped establish Mongol dominance in central Asia and led to the destruction of the Byzantine Empire by the Turks. -Fall of the Western Roman Empire -Decline of the Byzantine Empire -Feudalism 4. Mongol influence led to unified states in China and Korea, but the Mongol failure to conquer Japan allowed a feudal system to persist. -The Mongols -Feudalism 5. Achievements in medicine, science, mathematics and geography by the Islamic civilization dominated most of the Mediterranean after the decline of the Roman Empire. These achievements were introduced into Western Europe as a result of the Muslim conquests, Crusades and trade, influencing the European Renaissance. -Golden Age of Islam -The Crusades -Beginning of the Renaissance 6. The Renaissance in Europe introduced revolutionary ideas, leading to cultural, scientific and social changes. -Beginning of the Renaissance -Impact of the Renaissance -European Explorers Project 7. The Reformation introduced changes in religion including the emergence of Protestant faiths and a decline in the political power and social influence of the Roman Catholic Church. -The Protestant Reformation |
Geography StrandSPATIAL THINKING SKILLS
Content Statement: 12. Maps and other geographic representations can be used to trace the development of human settlement over time -Roman Expansion -Bantu Migrations |
HUMAN SYSTEMS
Content Statements: 13. Geographic factors promote or impede the movement of people, products and ideas. -Geography of Ancient Greece -Geography of Ancient Rome -Geography of Byzantine Empire -Geography of Middle East 14. Trade routes connecting Africa, Europe and Asia fostered the spread of technology and major world religions. -Birth of Islam and its Spread -Beginning of the Renaissance 15. Improvements in transportation, communication and technology have facilitated cultural diffusion among peoples around the world. -European Explorers Project |
Government StrandCIVIC PARTICIPATION AND SKILLS
Content Statement: 16. The ability to understand individual and group perspectives is essential to analyzing historic and contemporary issues. -End of the Roman Republic -The Great Schism |
ROLE AND SYSTEMS OF GOVERNMENT
Content Statements: 17. Greek democracy and the Roman Republic were radical departures from monarchy and theocracy, influencing the structure and function of modern democratic governments. -Greek Government and Democracy -Roman Republic 18. With the decline of feudalism, consolidation of power resulted in the emergence of nation states. -The Black Death Survival Guide -Growth of Nations |
Economics StrandSCARCITY
Content Statement: 20. The variability in the distribution of productive resources in the various regions of the world contributed to specialization, trade and interdependence. -Colonization, Mercantilism and Triangular Trade. |
ECONOMIC DECISION MAKING SKILLS
Content Statement: 19. Individuals, governments and businesses must analyze costs and benefits when making economic decisions. A cost- benefit analysis consists of determining the potential costs and benefits of an action and then balancing the costs against the benefits. -European Explorers Project |
MARKETS
Content Statement:
21. The growth of cities and empires fostered the growth of markets. Market exchanges encouraged specialization and the transition from barter to monetary economies.
-The Black Death Survival Guide
-Growth of Cities and Towns
Content Statement:
21. The growth of cities and empires fostered the growth of markets. Market exchanges encouraged specialization and the transition from barter to monetary economies.
-The Black Death Survival Guide
-Growth of Cities and Towns