shelby county schools extended learning guide · civilization while sections that overlap would be...

Shelby County Schools

Extended Learning Guide

Social Studies 7th Grade

Social Studies Seventh Grade Lesson 1:

Review Standard 7.54: Explain the impact of geographic features on North American Indian cultures (i.e.

Northeast, Southeast, and Plains) including: clothing, housing, and agriculture.

Instructions: Read the text and answer the questions.

Background:

The geography of the land the Plains was largely lowland with a thick layer of grass. Herds of large grazing

animals, like the buffalo, lived on these lands. The land did not easily support farming, so there was an

emphasis on hunting.

The geography of the land the Southeast varied, with mountains, rivers, forests, and swamps throughout the

region, but it was overall good agricultural land. Mississippian peoples are also known for mound architecture.

The geography of the land in the Northeast is impacted by the Appalachian Mountains and access to a variety of

waterways. Housing was generally in villages which relied upon agricultural production.

Instructions: Read and answer the questions below.

…The Mississippian period represents several major changes in prehistoric lifeways… There was also a

change in subsistence with the shift from incipient horticulture to an economy focused on… agriculture.

Consequently, a corresponding change occurred in the settlement pattern with a shift from small villages to a

dispersed pattern of small farmsteads and hamlets around a central ceremonial center.

1) Why would the shift towards agriculture for food cause people to settle into villages?

…Mississippian towns display striking similarities throughout the Southeast. Common elements include

square or rectangular houses about thirty-five square meters in size, houses aligned in orderly patterns, centrally

placed plazas, stockades or embankments surrounding the town, and sometimes flat-topped earthen mounds

upon which the house of the hereditary leader, or sometimes a temple, stood… one kind of Mississippian town

known as the “St. Francis-type” town, found mostly in the St. Francis River basin. A typical St. Francis-type

town is rectangular in plan, has houses arranged around a plaza, is elevated due to the buildup of living debris,

and is surrounded by a ditch. The archaeological remains suggest that, during their heyday, St. Francis-type

towns were bustling population centers encircled by protective stockades and moats that served the double

purpose of defense and fish pond.

2) The text states that many towns throughout the region were similar. How were they similar?

3) If there are many towns that have the same style of planning, such as the “St. Francis-type” towns, what does

that suggest was happening between the different American Indian cultures in the region?

4) Towns requiring moats for defense suggest what was happening between the different American Indian

cultures in the region?

…Mississippian Period populations… lived in a type of society called a chiefdom. Chiefdoms are kin-

based societies in which people are ranked according to the family they belong to. Some families have higher

status than others. In chiefdoms, the ruler typically comes from a high-status family and has privileges beyond

those of ordinary people. Chiefs share some similarities with kings but are not as powerful (they do not collect

taxes, for example, or have standing armies). Archaeologists interpret Arkansas Mississippian societies as

chiefdoms from descriptions by the de Soto chroniclers in the 1500s and from the archaeological remains of

earlier Mississippian societies. A platform mound, for example, provides a prominent, elevated location for the

chief’s house that is separated from ordinary houses. A platform mound, which requires more labor than that of

one family to build, is a sign that a hereditary chief lived in that locale or very nearby. Sources: “Woodland Period.”

National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, www.nps.gov/fosm/learn/historyculture/woodlandperiod.htm. No claim to original U.S. Government works.

“Mississippian Period.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, www.nps.gov/fosm/learn/historyculture/mississippiperiod.htm. No claim to original

U.S. Government works.

5) How did the location of houses atop constructed earthen mounds denote the status of those that lived there?

http://www.nps.gov/fosm/learn/historyculture/woodlandperiod.htm

http://www.nps.gov/fosm/learn/historyculture/mississippiperiod.htm


Review Standard 7.55: Describe the existence of diverse networks of North American Indian cultures (within

present-day United States) including: varied languages, customs, and economic and political structures.

Instructions: Study the map below and answer the questions.

1) According to

this map, which

regions of

North America

have the

highest

concentration

of North

American

Indian cultures?

2) What sort of

geographic

features do

most

populations

seem to be

living near?

3) Thinking about your answer to the second question, why would people want to settle near these geographic

features?

4) Find the Iroquoian language region, near the Great Lakes on the map. Now find the Gulf of Mexico on the

Southern end of the map. Jewelry made from shells manufactured on the Gulf Coast have been found over a

thousand miles away in Iroquoian lands. What does this suggest was happening between the different North

American Indian cultures of this period?

5) Find the Kiowan language region. Looking back at the background information from Lesson 1, why might

there be so few language groups in this region compared to the coastal areas?


Review Standard 7.56: Explain the impact of geographic features and climate on the agricultural practices and

settlement of the Maya, Aztec, and Inca civilizations.

Instructions: Read the text below and answer this modified 3-2-1:

• Identify and explain three ways that used geography or modified the land to assist with agriculture.

• Identify two crops that were planted together and explain why Mayan farmers combined these crops.

• Identify and explain one Mayan technique for water management.

The quality and quantity of agricultural land around Maya cities varied depending on their location. In

the lowlands… for example, the soil was relatively fertile but restricted to small patches. A technique to

increase soil fertility was the use of raised fields, especially near water courses and flood plains. At these

locations stone-wall terraces were sometimes built to collect fertile silt deposits. Forests were cleared to make

way for agriculture but such land quickly declined in fertility and necessitated slash-and-burn techniques to

rejuvenate the land after two years of crops, which then requires on average a further 5-7 years to be ready for

re-planting… To maximize productivity, crops were planted together such as beans and squash in fields of

maize so that the beans could climb the maize stalks and the squash could help reduce soil erosion.

Those cities without access to large areas of land suitable for agriculture could trade with more

productive cities. For example, slaves, salt, honey and precious goods such as metals, feathers, and shells were

often traded for plant products… Water management was another necessity, especially in certain Maya cities

during the dry winters and hot summers. Water was collected in sinkholes created by collapsed caves and

known as a tz'onot (…cenote in Spanish) and sometimes brought to fields using canals. Cisterns (chultunob)

were also excavated, typically bottle-shaped and built using wide plastered aprons around their entrances to

maximize the collection of rainwater. Source: Cartwright, M. (2015, April 24). Maya Food & Agriculture. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved

from https://www.ancient.eu/article/802/


Review Standard 7.57: Describe the social, economic, and political characteristics of the Maya, Aztec, and

Incan civilizations, including: oral traditions, class structures, religious beliefs, slavery, and advancements (e.g.,

astronomy, mathematics, and calendar)

Instructions: Read the short excerpts below on Maya, Aztec, and Inca political structures. In the triple Venn

diagram below, label one circle ‘Maya’, one circle ‘Aztec’, and one circle ‘Inca’. For each section, jot down at

least two characteristics. Sections of the circle that are separate from all the others would be unique to that

civilization while sections that overlap would be similar. For example, women could hold political power under

the Maya and Inca, so that would be similar. The Inca had four governors, which would be unique.

Excerpts:

Inca rule was, much like their architecture, based on compartmentalized and interlocking units. At the top was

the ruler and ten kindred groups of nobles called panaqa. Next in line came ten more kindred groups, more

distantly related to the king and then, a third group of nobles not of Inca blood but made Incas as a privilege. At

the bottom of the state [government] were locally recruited administrators who oversaw settlements and the

smallest Andean population unit the ayllu, which was a collection of households, typically of related families

who worked an area of land, lived together and provided mutual support in times of need. Each ayllu was

governed by a small number of nobles or kurakas, a role which could include women.

Local administrators reported to over 80 regional-level administrators who, in turn, reported to a governor

responsible for each quarter of the empire. The four governors reported to the supreme Inca ruler in Cuzco. To

ensure loyalty, the heirs of local rulers were also kept as well-kept prisoners at the Inca capital. The most

important political, religious, and military roles within the empire were, then, kept in the hands of the Inca elite,

called by the Spanish the orejones or 'big ears' because they wore large earspools to indicate their status. To

better ensure the control of this elite over their subjects, garrisons dotted the empire, and entirely new

administrative centers were built, notably at Tambo Colorado, Huánuco Pampa and Hatun Xauxa. Source: Cartwright,

M. (2014, September 15). Inca Civilization. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/Inca_Civilization/

Over time Tenochtitlan came to dominate the Alliance [between three empires in Mexico], its ruler became the

supreme ruler - the huey tlatoque ('high king') - and the city established itself as the capital of the Aztec empire.

The empire continued to expand from 1430 CE and the Aztec military - bolstered by conscription of all adult

males, men supplied from allied and conquered states, and such elite groups as the Eagle and Jaguar warriors -

swept aside their rivals. Aztec warriors wore padded cotton armor, carried a wooden or reed shield covered in

hide, and wielded weapons such as a super sharp obsidian sword-club (macuahuitl), a spear or dart thrower

(atlatl), and bow and arrows. Elite warriors also wore spectacular feathered and animal skin costumes and

headdresses to signify their rank. Battles were concentrated in or around major cities and when these fell the

victors claimed the whole surrounding territory. Regular tributes were extracted and captives were taken back to

Tenochtitlan for ritual sacrifice. In this way the Aztec empire came to cover most of northern Mexico, an area

of some 135,000 square kilometers.

The empire was kept together through the appointment of officials from the Aztec heartland, inter-marriages,

gift-giving, invitations to important ceremonies, the building of monuments and artworks which promoted

Aztec imperial ideology, and most importantly of all, the ever-present threat of military intervention… Source:

Cartwright, M. (2014, February 26). Aztec Civilization. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/Aztec_Civilization/

https://www.ancient.eu/Inca_Civilization/

https://www.ancient.eu/Aztec_Civilization/

Ancient Maya government was formed on the basis that rulers were thought to have been god-like, which to

some might suggest one unified state. However, the consensus amongst anthropologists supports that each

major Maya city remained its own independent and sovereign entity with its own unique struggles for political

power. The Maya belief in god-like rulers also made it important to keep the line of power in the family, which

would occasionally include a woman ruler…

The rulers of the various Maya city-states were thought to be a kind of human-god hybrid. Men weren’t the only

people who were allowed to rule. On occasion, women would rule when the king wasn’t yet of age, when a king

was away at war, or if a king was unavailable for some other reason. According to Martin, rulers could assert

their status as king or lord on Ajaw or Ahau (lord) day. Kings would have an effigy of themselves carved on the

Sacred Round. The Sacred Round was a 260 day calendar which consisted of 13 20-day months. Each day of

the month was represented by a specific god; Ahau day was specifically for kingly rituals. Once a king had

achieved the honor of being on the Sacred Round, the depiction became an actual personification of the king

and time. Throughout the Maya era, the Maya remained in separate polities and did not unite as one empire…

The Classic period is considered by Cioffi-Revilla and Landman to have had about 72 major political units.

These polities did not all exist simultaneously. The researchers posit that about 50 polities existed together at

one point. The 72-polity figure doesn’t include the smaller, less politically stratified units, however. Because

these polities would trade with each other as well as non-Maya polities and were independent from each other,

the Maya civilization is seen as an internationally trading civilization. Source: Gomez, M. C. (2018, April 20). Maya Government.

Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/Maya_Government/

https://www.ancient.eu/Maya_Government/


Review Standard 7.58: Analyze why European countries were motivated to explore the world, including:

religion, political rivalry, and economic gain (i.e. mercantilism).

Instructions: This letter was written by Christopher Columbus to the King and Queen of Spain on the

management of the lands claimed by Spain in the New World. Read his suggestions to the King and Queen of

Spain and answer the questions.

1) Pre-reading: How many times does Columbus mention gold in his letter to the King and Queen of Spain in

sections 1-12?

1. That in the said island there shall be founded three or four towns, situated in the most convenient places,

and that the settlers who are there be assigned to the aforesaid places and towns.

2. That for the better and more speedy colonization of the said island, no one shall have liberty to collect

gold in it except those who have taken out colonists' papers, and have built houses for their abode, in the

town in which they are, that they may live united and in greater safety.

3. That each town shall have its alcalde [Mayor] ... and its notary public, as is the use and custom in

Castile.

4. That there shall be a church, and parish priests or friars to administer the sacraments, to perform divine

worship, and for the conversion of the Indians.

2) What do colonists have to do if they want to collect gold?

3) What government officials are in each town?

4) Why does Columbus say churches must be built in each town?

5. That none of the colonists shall go to seek gold without a license from the governor or alcalde of the

town where he lives; and that he must first take oath to return to the place whence he sets out, for the

purpose of registering faithfully all the gold he may have found, and to return once a month, or once a

week, as the time may have been set for him, to render account and show the quantity of said gold; and

that this shall be written down by the notary before the [mayor], or, if it seems better, that a friar or

priest, deputed for the purpose, shall be also present.

6. That all the gold thus brought in shall be smelted immediately, and stamped with some mark that shall

distinguish each town; and that the portion which belongs to your Highnesses shall be weighed, and

given and consigned to each [mayor] in his own town, and registered by the above-mentioned priest or

friar, so that it shall not pass through the hands of only one person, and there shall he no opportunity to

conceal the truth.

5) Why do you think Columbus thinks it is so important to track where gold is found and how much is found?

6) Why does Columbus think it is important for multiple people (the mayor, priests, etc.) to keep track of the

gold?

7. That all gold that may be found without the mark of one of the said towns in the possession of anyone

who has once registered in accordance with the above order shall be taken as forfeited, and that the

accuser shall have one portion of it and your Highnesses the other.

8. That one per centum of all the gold that may be found shall be set aside for building churches and

adorning the same, and for the support of the priests or friars belonging to them; and, if it should be

thought proper to pay anything to the [mayors] or notaries for their services, or for ensuring the faithful

perforce of their duties, that this amount shall be sent to the governor or treasurer who may be appointed

there by your Highnesses.

9. As regards the division of the gold, and the share that ought to be reserved for your Highnesses, this, in

my opinion, must be left to the aforesaid governor and treasurer, because it will have to be greater or

less according to the quantity of gold that may be found. Or, should it seem preferable, your Highnesses

might, for the space of one year, take one half, and the collector the other, and a better arrangement for

the division be made afterward.

7) Who are all the different people that get a share of the gold found in the colony?

10. That if the said [mayors] or notaries shall commit or be privy to any fraud, punishment shall be

provided, and the same for the colonists who shall not have declared all the gold they have.

11. That in the said island there shall be a treasurer, with a clerk to assist him, who shall receive all the gold

belonging to your Highnesses, and the [mayors] and notaries of the towns shall each keep a record of

what they deliver to the said treasurer.

12. As, in the eagerness to get gold, everyone will wish, naturally, to engage in its search in preference to

any other employment, it seems to me that the privilege of going to look for gold ought to be withheld

during some portion of each year, that there may be opportunity to have the other business necessary for

the island performed. Source: Columbus, Christopher. Letter to the King and Queen of Spain, 1494. This text is part of the Internet Medieval

Source Book. Accessible electronically at: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/columbus2.asp

8) Why does Columbus think that colonists should only be allowed to search for gold during a certain time of

the year?

9) How can this letter be used to show the motivation of European countries, like Spain, in funding exploration?

https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/columbus2.asp


Review Standard 7.59: Identify the significance of the voyages and routes of discovery of the following

explorers by their sponsoring country: England – Henry Hudson, France – Jacque Cartier, Portugal – Vasco da

Gama, Bartolomeu Dias, Spain – Christopher Columbus, Hernando de Soto, Ferdinand Magellan, Amerigo

Vespucci

Instructions: Draw and label the following routes on the map below:

Henry Hudson: England to the northeast coast of North America

Jacque Cartier: France to the northern coast of North America

Vasco Da Gama: Portugal around the southern end of Africa to India

Bartolomeu Dias: Portugal to the southern end of Africa

Christopher Columbus: Spain to the Caribbean islands

Hernando de Soto: Overland, from southern Florida in an arch to the west to the Mississippi River and down to Louisiana

Ferdinand Magellan: From Spain to South Africa, across the Indian and Pacific Oceans, below South America and back up to Spain

Amerigo Vespucci:

One route from Spain to the southeastern coast of

South America, one route from Spain to the

northeastern coast of South America, up through the

Caribbean.


Review Standard 7.60: Describe Prince Henry the Navigator’s influence on exploration, voyages, cartographic

improvements, and tools related to exploration (i.e. compass, caravel, astrolabe, and Harrison’s chronometer)

during the Age of Discovery.

Instructions: Study the maps and answer the questions regarding cartographic improvements.

1) When were the two maps published?

2) Which continents appear on each of the maps?

3) Neither of these maps are fully accurate, but which continents are more accurate on the second map than on

the first?

4) Thinking back to lesson four, which routes of discovery may have been made between the drawing of the

first map and the development of the second map? How do you know?

5) How do you think the development of better cartography (mapmaking) will impact the Age of Discovery?

World Map, 1489:

Source- Heinrich Hammer the German ("Henricus Martellus Germanus") Ptolemy (Κλαύδιος Πτολεμαῖος, Claudius Ptolemaeus) / Public domain Accessed at

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Martellus_world_map.jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Martellus_world_map.jpg

World Map, 1507:

Source: Waldseemüller, Martin. Universalis cosmographia secundum Ptholomaei traditionem et Americi Vespucii aliorumque lustrationes. [Strasbourg, France?: s.n, 1507] Map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2003626426/>.


Review Standard 7.61: Locate and identify French, Spanish, English, Portuguese, and Dutch colonies in the

Americas, and explain how religion impacted the location of settlement by each country.

Instructions – Shade or color the map key for each country and fill in their corresponding location on the map below. Some areas may have multiple shades/colors.

France: Sections of Canada, French Guiana (two sections east of Guyana)

Spain: Mexico down through western South America

England: Eastern Coast of United States and Canada

Portugal: Brazil

Dutch: Section of North America coast near New York and the Guyanas in South America


Review Standard 7.62: Describe how the Aztec and Inca empires were eventually defeated by Spanish

Conquistadors (i.e. Hernan Cortes and Francisco Pizarro).

Instructions: Read and answer the questions.

[The Spanish] were helped enormously [in conquering the empires or the Americas] by two factors. The first

was help from disgruntled subject peoples or traditional enemies of the Aztecs. On the march to Tenochtitlan,

Cortés had already enlisted the enthusiastic help of the Tlaxcalans, both in men and supplies. With the collapse

of the Aztec hierarchy, other local communities were only too willing to see the back of them and free

themselves from heavy tribute and the systematic capture of people to be sacrificed at the Aztec capital.

1) Why were the Tlaxcalans and other civilizations willing to help the Spanish defeat the Aztecs?

The second factor in the Spaniard’s favor was the primitive weaponry and ritualized warfare of their opponents.

Aztec warriors wore padded cotton armor, carried a wooden or reed shield covered in hide, and wielded

weapons such as a super sharp obsidian sword-club (macuahuitl), a spear or dart thrower (atlatl), and bow and

arrows. Effective though these were against [their local opponents], they were next to useless against the

Spanish guns, crossbows, steel swords, long pikes, cannons, and armor.

2) Why does the author claim that Aztec armor was ineffective against the Spanish?

Cavalry was another devastating weapon in the hands of the Europeans. Elite Aztec warriors and officers also

wore spectacular feathered and animal skin costumes and headdresses to signify their rank. This made them

highly conspicuous in battle and a prime target to dispatch as early as possible. Shorn of their commanders, the

Aztec units often disintegrated into panic. The Aztecs were used to loose formations in battle; their primary

objective had always been to capture a valiant opponent alive so that they might be later ritually sacrificed, and

warfare was highly ritualized with precise moments for starting and ending. The objective of Aztec warfare was

never to destroy completely the enemy and overturn their culture, while the Spanish were intent on exactly that.

The two sides were not just centuries but millennia apart in terms of arms technology and warfare tactics.

3) Describe two military tactics that the Aztec used that made them vulnerable to Spanish attack.

4) Describe two ways that the Spanish used foreign military tactics against the Aztecs.

5) How were the objectives of warfare different for the Spanish and Aztecs?

Source: Cartwright, M. (2016, July 04). Cortes & the Fall of the Aztec Empire. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/article/916/

https://www.ancient.eu/article/916/


Review Standard 7.63: Locate and identify the European regions that remained Catholic and those that became

Protestant and how that division affected the distribution of religions in the New World.

Instructions: Refer back to the map for Lesson 8.

Write down the following annotations in the space to the right of the map:

France, Portugal, and Spain were countries that primarily had Catholic settlers in the New World.

England and the Netherlands were countries that primarily had Protestant settlers in the New World.

Add the labels ‘Catholic’ or ‘Protestant’ on the map for the regions you have shaded in for each of the countries

in the map key.


Review Standard 7.64: Explain the impact of the Columbian Exchange on people, plants, animals, technology,

culture, ideas, and diseases among Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas in the 15th and 16th centuries, and

examine the major economic and social effects on each continent.

Instructions: Lesson 11 and 12 both have excerpts on various aspects of the Columbian Exchange. Read the

excerpts and answer the questions.

Excerpt, History of the Small Pox by James Carrick Moore (1815):

As in all human affairs good and evil are intermingled; the invention of the compass, and the discovery of

Columbus, which greatly augmented the scope of human knowledge, also occasioned scenes of misery which

were never surpassed… The safety of the Indians never entered the thoughts of these men; and it is ascertained

[understood] that the Small Pox and Measles were carried to that island in the year 1517….It is computed that

Hispaniola [Caribbean island] then contained a million of Indians; in reducing them to Christianity and slavery,

immense numbers were massacred by fire arms and blood hounds: when resistance ceased, the wretched Indians

having extensive tasked imposed upon them, and being forced to work in the mines, were consumed with labor

and famine: the remainder…. Were totally extinguished by the Measles and Small Pox…

Source: Moore, James Carrick, excerpt from “The history of the small pox,” Digital Public Library of America,

https://dp.la/item/b024e53bfba73eb1325426e51409bc51.

1) Which European diseases spread to the Americas as a result of the Columbian Exchange?

2) Identify two hardships the author describes Indians experiencing as a result of European colonization.

3) What impact did the spread of European diseases have on the population of those living in the Americas in

the 1500s?

https://dp.la/item/b024e53bfba73eb1325426e51409bc51

Image: Cow Shield

Text: Cow shields were used by Native Americans

as a defensive and protective armor for warriors on

horseback. Cow shields were especially

prominent amongst the Great Plains Indians.

Columbus brought the first cows to the Americas

from Europe in 1493. As a domesticated animal,

cows were primarily a food source for Native

Americans. Additionally, cowhide was used for

clothing, tents, and shields. The cow shield in this

photograph has green spots on a white

background, with blue, red, and yellow lines

across the center. Source: “Cow Shield,” Digital Public Library of

America, https://dp.la/item/88694bade10d9a1f2885761a676041b9.

4) Where did cows originate? Where were they moved to?

5) Identify and describe two ways that cows were important to American Indian peoples.





Instructions: Lesson 11 and 12 both have excerpts on various aspects of the Columbian Exchange. Read the

excerpts and answer the questions.

Excerpt, The Potato, by Arthur W. Gilbert (1917):

The early history of the potato is a matter of some doubt among historians, but all are agreed that it came

originally from the highlands of Peru and Chile, where it is still found growing wild. The Spaniards first

discovered the potato in the neighborhood of Quito, Ecuador, where it was cultivated by the natives.

The potato was probably carried to Spain by explorers in the sixteenth century…Hieronymus Cardan, a

monk, is supposed to have been the first to introduce it from Peru into Spain, and from thence it passed quickly

into Italy, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, and France.

The date and method of introduction of the potato into North America are not definitely known, but it

was probably introduced by Spanish voyagers and at some time before 1585, for it is clearly recorded that its

first introduction made into England by colonists from Virginia in 1586 under the patronage of Sir Walter

Raleigh.“It seems most likely,” says De Candolle, “That some inhabitants of Virginia – perhaps English

colonists – received tubers from Spanish or other travelers, traders, or adventurers, during the ninety years

which had elapsed since the discovery of America.” Source: Gilbert, Arthur W., excerpt from “The potato,” Digital Public Library of

America, https://dp.la/item/caa2fa3f07c21f93cdcfa23d360cd65d.

1) Where did the potato originate? Where was it moved to before coming to North America?

2) Who brought the potato to North America?

https://dp.la/item/caa2fa3f07c21f93cdcfa23d360cd65d

Drawing of a Sugar Plantation

Text: The image of a sugar plantation shows enslaved Africans harvesting

sugarcane under the close supervision and watchful eye of a European

overseer. African slavery, another devastating effect of the Columbian

Exchange, increased substantially with the introduction of sugarcane

production in the New World.

Source: “Sugar plantation,” Digital Public Library of America,

https://dp.la/item/e72c0383b6829d7df4f254f196ce8b34.

Sugarcane is an Asian crop that was brought to the Caribbean islands and grown by European plantation

owners.

3) Thinking back to Lesson 11, what diseases spread in the Caribbean as a result of contact with Europe?

4) How would those diseases have impacted the native populations in the Caribbean?

5) What effect did the spread of those diseases have on the development of African slavery in the Americas?


Review Standard 7.65: Explain how Spanish colonization introduced Christianity, the mission system, and the

encomienda system to the Americas as well as Bartolome de las Casa’s role in the transition to African slavery.

Background: The encomienda system was a system of Spanish labor that allowed the Spanish to force local

peoples to give them tribute (like food, valuable crops, or money). This system began during the Reconquista.

In the Americas, it resulted in the enslavement of native peoples.

Instructions: This standard will be examined in lessons 13 and 14. Read the text and answer the questions.

Excerpt, Catholic monk Bartolome de Las Casa’s 1542 account of Spanish conquest of native peoples of

the Americas, translated from Spanish:

As for the vast mainland, which is ten times larger than all Spain, …. we are sure that our Spaniards,

...have devastated the land and exterminated the rational people who fully inhabited it. We can estimate very

surely and truthfully that in the forty years that have passed… there have been unjustly slain more than twelve

million men, women, and children...

1) According to Bartolome de Las Casa, what impact have the Spanish had on the people of the Americas?

On the Island Hispaniola was where the Spaniards first landed... This was the first land in the New

World to be destroyed and depopulated by the Christians, and here they began their subjection of… the

Indians… eating the food they provided with their sweat and toil. The Spaniards did not content themselves

with what the Indians gave them of their own free will, according to their ability, which was always too little to

satisfy enormous appetites, for [the Spaniard] eats and consumes in one day an amount of food that would

suffice to feed three houses inhabited by ten Indians for one month… the Indians realize that these men had not

come from Heaven…

2) How does Bartolome de Las Casa portray the Spanish?

3) How does Bartolome de Las Casa portray the Indians?

4) What problem is Bartolome de Las Casa discussing in this section of the letter?

From that time onward the Indians began to seek ways to throw the Christians out of their lands. They

took up arms, but their weapons were very weak and of little service in offense and still less in defense... After

the wars and the killings had ended, when usually there survived only some boys, some women, and children,

these survivors were distributed among the Christians to be slaves…

5) How did the Indians eventually react to Spanish rule?

6) What eventually happened to the Indians that lived in Spanish lands?

The pretext was that these allocated Indians were to be instructed in the articles of the Christian Faith. As if

those Christians who were as a rule foolish and cruel and greedy and vicious could be caretakers of souls! And

the care they took was to send the men to the mines to dig for gold, which is intolerable labor, and to send the

women into the fields of the big ranches to [work] and till the land, work suitable for strong men… And the

men died in the mines and the women died on the ranches from the same causes, exhaustion and hunger. And

thus was depopulated that island which had been densely populated.

Source: Las Casas, Bartolomé de, excerpt from “Breve relacion de la destruccion de las Indias occidentales,” Digital Public Library of America,

http://dp.la/item/75ce0b3291c6a9f4f8c69d61f2698786.

7) What does Bartolome de Las Casa claim was the reason that the Spanish gave for enslaving the Indians?

8) According to Bartolome de Las Casa, how were the enslaved Indians treated by the Spaniards?

9) According to Bartolome de Las Casa, what impact did slavery have on the population of Indians in the

Americas?


Review Standard 7.65: Explain how Spanish colonization introduced Christianity, the mission system, and the

encomienda system to the Americas as well as Bartolome de las Casa’s role in the transition to African slavery.

Background: The encomienda system was a system of Spanish labor that allowed the Spanish to force local

peoples to give them tribute (like food, valuable crops, or money). This system began during the Reconquista.

In the Americas, it resulted in the enslavement of native peoples.

Instructions: This is a continuation of the material from Lesson 13. Read the texts and answer the questions.

Excerpt, The New Law of the Indies, 1542:

We ordain and command that from henceforward for no cause of war nor any other whatsoever, though it be

under title of rebellion, nor by ransom nor in other manner can an Indian be made a slave, and we will that they

be treated as our vassals of the Crown of Castile since such they are. No person can make use of the Indians...

in any other manner against their will. As We have ordered provision to be made that from henceforward the

Indians in no way be made slaves, including those who until now have been enslaved against all reason and

right and contrary to the provisions and instructions thereupon... speedily set the said Indians at liberty unless

the persons who hold them for slaves show title why they should hold and possess them legitimately.

Source: From The New Laws of the Indies, ed. Henry Stevens (London: The Chiswick Press, 1893), pp. iii-xvii, passim. Accessed via Modern History Sourcebook at

Fordham University, retrieved electronically at https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/1542newlawsindies.asp

The above law was passed as a result of the letters that Bartolome de Las Casa wrote on the conditions of

enslaved Indians in the Americas.

1) Read the first sentence. What does this part of the law say about enslaving Indians?

2) Read the third sentence. What does this part of the law say would happen to Indians that were already

enslaved when this law was written?

3) Infer – Do you think Spanish slave owners will pay the newly freed Indians or find a new source of enslaved

labor?

https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/1542newlawsindies.asp

Excerpt, African Laborers for a New Empire:

Among the first royal decrees issued in 1542 was the abolition of Amerindian slavery. Furthermore,

Amerindians were no longer required to work without pay, and Spanish colonists’ children could no longer

inherit encomiendas [farmlands worked by enslaved peoples]. These changes were met with heavy resistance

from colonists in Mexico and Peru, where some colonists possessed vast encomiendas resembling small

kingdoms and because of their complaints, some of the New Laws were only partially enforced in these

colonies, and some traditional practices were partially reinstated. But in the Spanish Caribbean, Amerindians’

rapidly declining populations led Spanish colonists to look elsewhere for laborers long before the 1540s. With

the Portuguese slave trade thriving, they increasingly looked to Africa.

Source: Wise, Carl, and David Wheat. “The Spanish and New World Slavery · African Laborers for a New Empire: Iberia, Slavery, and the Atlantic World ·

Lowcountry Digital History Initiative.” Lowcountry Digital History Initiative, Feb. 2014,

http://ldhi.library.cofc.edu/exhibits/show/african_laborers_for_a_new_emp/the_spanish_and_new_world_slav

4) How did the passage of the New Laws impact Spanish colonists?

5) Did the passage of the New Laws end slavery in the Americas? Why or why not?

6) How did the passage of the New Laws impact the slave trade?

http://ldhi.library.cofc.edu/exhibits/show/african_laborers_for_a_new_emp/the_spanish_and_new_world_slav





Instructions: Lessons 15-18 will be a social studies inquiry answering the inquiry question, “How did sugar

feed slavery?” Each day students will tackle a different part of the inquiry. Each part of the inquiry will have a

supporting question that students will answer to help them answer the main inquiry question at the end of the

project.

For lesson fifteen, the first day of the inquiry, students will be considering the question, “What conditions

supported sugar production and slavery in the Western Hemisphere?” Students will consider this question for

lessons fifteen, where they will examine sources A, B, and C. As they look at sources, they will create a list of

environmental, social, and economic conditions that drove sugar production and slavery. They can collect their

lists in the chart below.

List of Economic Conditions List of Environmental Conditions List of Social Conditions

Source A:

The Caribbean island of Barbados is described as a small island. Even though it is small, Barbados is the

location for what the historian considers as a new agricultural revolution. This agricultural revolution created

major impacts on all parts of society and life for people around the globe. Although Barbados is in the

Caribbean, the climatic conditions of Barbados are similar to that of Pacific islands like New Guinea. As it

happens, sugar cane is originally from New Guinea, so would grow well in Barbados due to their similar

climates.

Sugar Cane was carried to the Caribbean islands by Christopher Columbus in 1493. Christopher Columbus

may have brought it with him on this second trip because he had family connections to the sugar trade and

recognized the Caribbean as an ideal location for its growth and production.

Works cited: Parker, M. The Sugar Barons: Family corruption, Empire and War in the West Indies. Walker Books, 2012.

Source: IDM – How did Sugar Feed Slavery? from

Source B:

Drawing of a Sugar Plantation

Source: “Sugar plantation,” Digital Public Library of America,

https://dp.la/item/e72c0383b6829d7df4f254f196ce8b34.

Slavery fueled the production of sugar. Enslaved people were

responsible for all of the labor for its production, from growing

the cane in the fields to the processing of it. Almost all of the

four million enslaved people that were brought to the Caribbean

ended up manufacturing sugar. Sugar plantations had harsh

conditions with high death rates. Because sugar processing

required a high percentage of workers, enslaved people became

a part of the triangular trade between Africa, Europe, and the

Americas. Goods produces in the Caribbean could be sold

Europe for a profit or in Africa for enslaved people, who were

shipped back to the Caribbean to work on the sugar plantations.

Works Cited – Background information from the University of Michigan William L. Clements Library.


https://dp.la/item/e72c0383b6829d7df4f254f196ce8b34

Source C:

Source: CNX_History_01_03_SlaveRoute.jpg. Provided by: Open Stax. Located at: http://cnx.org/contents/[email protected]:0pCqEE9u@3/West-Africa-and-the-Role-

of-Sl. License: CC BY: Attribution from Boundless US History, Curation and Revision. Provided by: Boundless.com. License: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike








project.

For lesson sixteen, students will consider the question, “How was sugar cultivated in the Western Hemisphere?”

Students will examine sources A and B and then describe how sugar was produced. Students can either draw a

diagram explaining sugar production or write out the explanation in paragraph format.

Source A:

Sugar Cane originated in New Guinea. It was first introduced to Asia in 1000 BCE and then spread through

trade from there. By 500 CE it was used in medical applications in India, then spread to Persia where it was

used in candies. As Persia came under the rule of Islamic Empires, these desserts, and sugar, spread throughout

the empire as well. Seen as a profitable business, Arab traders began to create a series of processes for refining

sugar.

Because sugar cane was from New Guinea, it needed to be grown in a hot, tropical environment. This made

working in the fields to grow it difficult. The canes of sugar cane are hard and the process of cutting them

down is labor intensive. Once the cane has been cut, it has to be boiled, and then the boiled canes are crushed in

mills. While the work of producing sugar cane is labor intensive, it does not require very much skill, so Arab

sugar cane producers used unskilled laborers, often prisoners of war.

Europeans participating in the crusades against Arab empires may have been the first to encounter sugar. This

created a trading market for sugar in Europe. After the ‘discovery’ of the Americas, much of the land in the

Caribbean and South American coast were recognized as similar to the climate needed for growing sugar. This

led European colonists in those region to begin sugar plantations. After arriving in the Americas, they cleared

the land for plantations. Because native populations in the Americas were killed by disease, the importation of

enslaved peoples from Africa began to be forced into work on sugar plantations.

Works cited: “Sugar Love: (A Not So Sweet Story)” by Rich Cohen from National Geographic, 2013.

Source B: Image bank – Collection of historical images of the steps of sugar production.

NOTE: The images and text in this image bank are from the collection “The Atlantic Slave Trade and Slave Life in the Americas: A Visual Record“ compiled by Jerome S. Handler and Michael L. Tuite Jr. and sponsored by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and the University of Virginia Library. http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/Slavery/index.php.

Image 1: William Clark, color drawing of sugar cane planting, “Planting Sugar Cane,” Antigua, West Indies, 1823.

NOTE: The painting “Planting the Sugar Cane” shows men and women planting cane in cane holes, supervised by black overseers.

Public Domain. William Clark, Ten Views In the Island of Antigua, in Which are Represented the Process of Sugar Making. From Drawings Made by William Clark, During a Residence of Three Years in the West Indies (London, 1823). Image shown here is from the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University. Also published in Ladies' Society for Promoting the Early Education of Negro Children (London, ca. 1833). Image reference NW0052: http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/Slavery/details.php?categorynum=7&categoryName=New%20World%20Agriculture%20and%20Plantation%20Labor&theRecord=64&recordCount=114.

http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/Slavery/index.php

http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/Slavery/details.php?categorynum=7&categoryName=New%20World%20Agriculture%20and%20Plantation%20Labor&theRecord=64&recordCount=114


Image 2: William Clark, color drawing of sugar cane harvest, “Cutting the Sugar Cane,” Antigua, West Indies, 1823.

NOTE: In the painting, “Cutting the Sugar Cane,” men and women are depicted working in the sugar cane fields with a black driver supervising and a white manager/overseer on horseback.

Public Domain. William Clark, Ten Views In the Island of Antigua, in Which are Represented the Process of Sugar Making.... From Drawings Made by William Clark, During a Residence of Three Years in the West Indies (London, 1823). Image shown here is from the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University. Also published in Ladies' Society for Promoting the Early Education of Negro Children (London, ca. 1833). Image reference NW0054: http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/Slavery/details.php?categorynum=7&categoryName=New%20World%20Agriculture%20and%20Plantation%20Labor&theRecord=66&recordCount=114.

Image 3: Jean-Baptiste Du Tetre, engraving of workers in a sugar cane mill, “Feeding Sugar Cane into a Mill,” Greater Antilles, 1667.

NOTE: In this image, slaves are feeding cane stalks into vertical-roller mill; note the trough through which the cane juice flows to the boiling house.

Public Domain. Pierre Pomet, A complete history of drugs. Written in French by monsieur Pomet...(London, 1748, 4th ed.), facing p. 57. (Copy in Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library). Image reference Pomet-57: http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/Slavery/details.php?categorynum=7&categoryName=New%20World%20Agriculture%20and%20Plantation%20Labor&theRecord=106&recordCount=114.



Image 4: Unknown artist, engraving of workers boiling sugar cane, “Boiling Sugar Cane,” French West Indies, 1762.

NOTE: This image shows slaves at work in the processing of sugar. On the left (B) is the tank that receives the cane juice flowing from the mill where the sugar cane has been crushed and the juice extracted. In the center are the coppers (cauldrons) in which the sugar juice is boiled (C) with slaves moving the crystallized sugar from one to the other with giant ladles (D). On the lower right are the conical sugar pots into which the raw sugar will be placed and then taken to the curing house to drain out the molasses.

Public Domain. Denis Diderot, Encyclopédie, ou, Dictionnaire Raisonné des Sciences, des Arts et des Metiers . . . Recueil de Planches, sur les Sciences . . . (Paris, 1762), vol. 1, plate IV. (Copy in Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library). Image reference sucrerie_plate4: http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/Slavery/details.php?categorynum=7&categoryName=&theRecord=112&recordCount=114.

http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/Slavery/details.php?categorynum=7&categoryName=&theRecord=112&recordCount=114

Image 5: Samuel hazard, pencil drawing of workers packaging sugar, “Packing Sugar,” Cuba, c1866.

NOTE: In “Packing Sugar,” the artist depicts sugar being thoroughly dried, sorted, and pulverized, and then carried into the packing room. Once packaged, the boxes are closed up and strapped with narrow strips of rawhide for shipping.

Public Domain. Samuel Hazard, Cuba with pen and pencil (Hartford, Conn., 1871), p. 370. Image reference LCP-03: http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/Slavery/details.php?categorynum=7&categoryName=New%20World%20Agriculture%20and%20Plantation%20Labor&theRecord=38&recordCount=114.











project.

For lesson seventeen, students will consider the supporting question, “What was life like for enslaved Africans

on sugar plantations in the Western Hemisphere?” Students will study sources A and B and then write a

paragraph describing the conditions that enslaved Africans faced on sugar plantations.

Supporting Question 3

Featured Source Source A: Olaudah Equiano, firsthand description of the Middle Passage, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (excerpts), 1789

I was soon put down under the decks, and there I received such a salutation in my nostrils as I had never experienced in my life: so that, with the loathsomeness of the stench, and crying together, I became so sick and low that I was not able to eat, nor had I the least desire to taste anything. I now wished for the last friend, death, to relieve me; but soon, to my grief, two of the white men offered me eatables; and, on my refusing to eat, one of them held me fast by the hands, and laid me across, I think, the windlass, and tied my feet, while the other flogged me severely.…

The closeness of the place, and the heat of the climate, added to the number in the ship, which was so crowded that each had scarcely room to turn himself, almost suffocated us. This produced copious perspirations, so that the air soon became unfit for respiration, from a variety of loathsome smells, and brought on a sickness among the slaves, of which many died…

One day they had taken a number of fishes; and when they had killed and satisfied themselves with as many as they thought fit, to our astonishment who were on deck, rather than give any of them to us to eat, as we expected, they tossed the remaining fish into the sea again, although we begged and prayed for some as well as we could, but in vain; and some of my countrymen, being pressed by hunger, took an opportunity, when they thought no one saw them, of trying to get a little privately; but they were discovered, and the attempt procured them some very severe floggings.

Public domain. Understanding Slavery Initiative. Source: IDM – How did Sugar Feed Slavery? from

Supporting Question 3

Featured Source Source B: Source bank: Descriptions of work on sugar plantations

Renny, firsthand description of work on sugar plantations, Jamaica, 1807

The First Gang...is called just before sunrise. The list is then called over, and the names of absentees noted; after which they commence their labour, and continue till 8 or 9 o’clock, when they breakfast on boiled yams and vegetables seasoned with salt and cayenne pepper. In the meantime, the absentees generally arrive, and are punished by a number of lashes. They then toil till noon. Two hours are allowed for dinner...composed of the same food as at breakfast, with meat or salted fish. At 2 o’clock they are again called to the field, where, refreshed, they show some signs of effort: although it is an undoubted fact that one British worker will perform 3 or 4 times as much work as a Negro. At sunset they return to their huts. E2BN, the Abolition Project: http://gallery.nen.gov.uk/audio79027-abolition.html.

James Wright of Haverhill, description of production of sugar by enslaved persons, 1791

Being impressed with a sense of the unparalleled SUFFERINGS of our FELLOW-CREATURES, the AFRICAN SLAVES in the WEST-INDIA ISLANDS....I take this Method of informing my Customers, that I mean to discontinue selling the Article of SUGAR, (when I have disposed of the Stock I have on Hand) ‘till I can procure it through Channels less contaminated, more unconnected with Slavery. Public domain. Published in the General Evening Post, 1791. Available at the Abolition Project:

http://abolition.e2bn.org/abolition_view.php?id=33&expand=1.


http://gallery.nen.gov.uk/audio79027-abolition.html

http://abolition.e2bn.org/abolition_view.php?id=33&expand=1








project.

For lesson eighteen, students should review the materials from lessons 15-18 and then prepare to draft an

argument to answer the question, “How did sugar feed slavery?” They should construct an argument (in the

form of a speech, poster, or essay) that explains how sugar production impacted the development of slavery,

citing specific evidence from the sources used in these lessons.


Review Standards 7.53-7.57: Indigenous Civilizations of the Americas

Instructions: Students will complete their first end of year review project on the Indigenous Civilizations of the

Americas. In addition to their prior knowledge from lessons learned in class, students can us the materials from

lessons 1- 4 to assist with their project.

For lessons 19-24, students will complete a history brochure on the Indigenous Civilizations of the Americas.

For each lesson, they will complete one part of the brochure. A two-page template for the brochure has been

provided. To put the brochure together, students will need to remove those pages from the packet, layer them

together, and then fold along the crease lines. This will be explained in Lesson 23.

For lesson 19, students should complete Section 1 in the brochure template. They should write a title for the

brochure to indicate that it is about the Indigenous Civilizations of the Americas and provide an illustration.

Along the bottom of the section they should write their name and a caption explaining how the illustration they

have drawn for their brochure relates to the Indigenous Civilizations of the Americas.

5 6

1

2 3

4










For lesson 19, students should complete section 2 in the brochure template. They should title this section

“Geography”. They should draw a map of North and South America, including labels for the following

locations: Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Caribbean Sea, North America, South America, Appalachian

Mountains, Andes Mountains, and Mississippi River. Students should then write a 2-3 sentence summary

explaining the geography of North and South America.










For lesson 21, students should complete part 3 of the brochure. Title this section ‘North American Indian

cultures’. Write a 5-6 sentence paragraph explaining how geography created different clothing, housing, or

agricultural conditions for North American Indian cultures and how different North American Indian cultures

interacted with each other. See Lesson 1 and 2 for reference.










For lesson 22, students will complete section 4 of the brochure template. They should title this section ‘The

Maya’ and write a 5-6 sentence paragraph describing the characteristics of the Maya, including geography and

their social, economic, or political features. Lessons 3 and 4 can serve as reference.











Aztec’ and write a 5-6 sentence paragraph describing the characteristics of the Aztec, including geography and

their social, economic, or political features. Lesson 4 can serve as reference.











Inca’ and write a 5-6 sentence paragraph describing the characteristics of the Inca, including geography and

their social, economic, or political features. Lesson 4 can serve as reference.

One students have finished this section, they can put their two brochure templates together. Sections 5/6/1 will

form the outside of the brochure and can be placed face down on a table. Sections 2/3/4 will form the inside of

the brochure and can be placed on top of the previous sheet of paper, face up. Students can then fold the crease

in-between sections 3 and 4. Following this, they can fold the crease in-between sections 2 and 3. They will

then have a closed brochure.


Review Standard 7.01-7.11: Standards on East Asia (Medieval China and Japan)

Instructions: Lessons 25-29 will include review on each civilization that was studied in seventh grade. Parents

can find talking points for each civilization in the answer keys to help jog the memories of their learners as

needed.

For lesson 25, students will complete the one-pager template on East Asia (Medieval China and Japan). In a

one pager, students fit all the information they can know about a certain topic onto one page. That information

can take the form of formal writing, notes, words, and meaningful images representative of the topic.

To fill in the template, students should:

1) Decorate the border area around the boxes with the title ‘East Asia’. The border will ‘ground’ students in the

topic, so it should be filled with images and vocabulary words that relate to East Asia’s Geography.

2) Box A should be filled with images, vocabulary words, and text concerning the Mongol and Yuan Empire.

This section should include information about Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan, the Silk Road, and Marco Polo.

3) Box B should be filled with images, vocabulary words, and text concerning the Ming dynasty. This section

should include information about the Forbidden City, Great Wall, and Zheng He.

4) Box C should be filled with images, vocabulary words, and text concerning Japanese history. This section

should include information about Chinese influences in Japan (Buddhism, Confucianism, Chinese Writing) and

the Heian aristocracy.

5) Box D should be filled with images, vocabulary words, and text concerning late medieval Japan history.

This section should include information on the shogun and samurai.

One Pager Template

A

B

C

D


Review Standard 7.12-7.14: Standards on the Byzantine Empire



needed.

For lesson 26, students will use the template on the following page to create a postcard about the Byzantine

Empire. On the top half of the template, they should draw an image of something either from or representative

of the Byzantine Empire and its history. On the bottom half of the template, they will write a 5-6 sentence

paragraph from a traveler to the Byzantine Empire describing the latest news from their visit there. Their

description should include information on one of the following topics:

• The connections between the Byzantine Empire and the Western Roman Empire

• Emperor Justinian’s reforms (ex: Justinian’s Code)

• The importance of Constantinople’s geographic location

Template for Postcard:


Review Standard 7.15-7.20: Standards on Southwest Asia



needed.

For lesson 27, students will review Southwest Asia. They should create a top five list of the top five most

important things to know about Southwest Asia. Each topic on the list should have 2-3 sentences explaining

what it is and why it is important. Topics to consider are:

• Trans-Saharan Trade

• Role of Merchants

• Advancements in Art, Literature, and Philosophy (mosaics, metalworking, instruments)

• Advancements in Geography and Science (astrolabe, theories on vision and light, chemistry)

• Advancements in Mathematics and Medicine (medical books and new techniques, algebra)

• Islam

• Mehmed the Conqueror taking Constantinople

Top FIVE 1 2 3 4 5


Review Standard 7.21-7.26: Standards on West Africa



needed.

For lesson 28, students will create a newspaper article on an important event from West African history. The

article should be written as ‘Breaking News’ from the time period and include an illustration and at least two

paragraphs explaining the historical event and its importance. Students may choose from the following topics:

• Trans-Saharan trade (movement of salt and gold and its impact on the economy of Africa)

• Growth and development of the kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, or Songhai

• Griots and their importance in West African culture

• Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage and its impact on Africa

Blank Sheet for Newspaper Article


Review Standard 7.27-7.39: Standards on Medieval Europe



needed.

For lesson 29, students will create an acrostic poem on the next page about Medieval Europe using the words

MEDIEVAL EUROPE. An acrostic poem is a poem where the first letter of each line spells a word and each

line gives details and helps explain the chosen word. Each line can have a combination of words and phrases.

See the two examples below for POEM and HISTORY.

Example 1:

Poems should show

Originality,

Explain something from the unit and

Make

Sense

Example 2:

Historians and archaeologists learn about the past by

Investigating ancient cities

Studying the artifacts they find

Translating foreign languages

Observing what is left behind and

Reading primary sources, because we can’t time-travel

Yet

M

E

D

I

E

V

A

L

E

U

R

O

P

E

Social Studies Seventh Grade Lesson 30-35:

Review Social Studies Practices 4 and 5 and content standards 7.01-7.65: The social studies practices on

constructing and communicating arguments and developing historical awareness will be the focus for

comparing and contrasting civilizations and historical eras, but all content standards will be addressed as well.

Instructions: Lessons 1-29 included review on all the civilizations studied in seventh grade. Lessons 30-35

will synthesize that information as students use what they have reviewed to help compare and contrast their

learning from seventh grade.

Students should review the “Think Tac Toe” board on the next page. Students will choose and complete one

square from the “Think Tac Toe” board for each lesson for lessons 30-35. The activities students choose should

complete a straight line across – the line may be vertical, horizontal, or diagonal. Lessons 30-35 adds up to six

lessons, so students should have two lines by the completion of Lesson 35. All templates referred to in the

“Think Tac Toe” board are provided in the packet after the template.

THINK TAC TOE BOARD: 7th Grade Review Write one paragraph explaining how geography can give advantageous or disadvantages to a civilization. Write a second paragraph using one of the civilizations you studied this year as an example and describe how its specific geography provided it with advantages and disadvantages.

Which famous historical leader is the most important? Choose one of the historical leaders you learned about in seventh grade and write a paragraph explaining what they did and why they are important.

Choose three civilizations. Complete the three circle Venn diagram template comparing and contrasting the three civilizations from the first semester. Each section of your diagram should have at least two items in it and they should be written in complete sentences.

Options: Medieval China, Medieval Japan, Byzantine Empire, Southwest Asia, West Africa, or Medieval Europe

Choose two civilizations. Complete the bubble map template comparing and contrasting the two civilizations. Each circle in the bubble map should have one item in it and it should be written in complete sentences.

Options: Medieval China, Medieval Japan, Byzantine Empire, Southwest Asia, West Africa, or Medieval Europe

Define feudalism and explain how it worked in medieval societies. You should explain how feudalism worked in both medieval Japan (shogunate) and in medieval Europe (manors).

As an extension, write a paragraph explaining why feudalism eventually fell in medieval Europe.

Choose two civilizations or eras.

Explain how trade occurred between those civilizations and how it impacted the cultures of both civilizations.

Options: Medieval China, Medieval Japan, Byzantine Empire, Southwest Asia, West Africa, or Medieval Europe.

Choose two civilizations or eras. Rank the top three most important achievements or inventions from each civilization. Write a short paragraph for each top three list, explaining what each item in the list was and why it was important.

Options: Medieval China, Medieval Japan, Byzantine Empire, Southwest Asia, West Africa, or Medieval Europe, Renaissance Europe, Protestant Reformation, Scientific Revolution, Age of Exploration

Choose two eras. Complete the two circle Venn diagram template comparing and contrasting the two civilizations. Each section of your diagram should have at least five items in it and they should be written in complete sentences.

Options: Renaissance Europe, Protestant Reformation, Scientific Revolution, Age of Exploration

Choose two eras. Write one paragraph explaining the similarities between the two eras and one paragraph explaining the differences between the two eras.

Options: Renaissance Europe, Protestant Reformation, Scientific Revolution, Age of Exploration

Triple Venn Diagram Template:

Venn Diagram Template:

Bubble Map Template:

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shelby county schools extended learning guide · civilization while sections that overlap would be...

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