Grade 7, Social Studies, U.S. History, Beginnings to 1607 2014
6.1 U.S. History: America in the World All students will acquire the knowledge and skills to think analytically about how past and present
interactions of people, cultures, and the environment shape the American heritage. Such knowledge and skills enable students to make informed
decisions that reflect fundamental rights and core democratic values as productive citizens in local, national, and global communities.
A. Civics, Government, and Human Rights,
B. Geography, People, and the Environment
C. Economics, Innovation, and Technology,
D. History, Culture, and Perspectives
Essential Questions
1. How do individuals
develop values and
beliefs?
2. What factors shape our
values and beliefs?
3. How do values and
beliefs change over
time?
Enduring Understandings
1. Europeans began to systematically
explore the world between the 15th and
17th centuries as a result of economic
demand for Eastern goods, the
consolidation of nation-states, the
desire to spread religion, and
improvements in technology.
2. The encounter in the New World was a
boom for Europe and a disaster for
Africa and the native civilizations of
the Americas, including the extinction
of Caribbean societies and the
decimation of others through disease,
conquest, harsh colonization policies,
and the Transatlantic slave trade.
3. Europeans had more effective weapons
and tactics, exploited internal political
divisions among indigenous people
and, most importantly brought diseases
against which indigenous people had
no defense.
4. That prior to 1492 societies in the Old
World and the New World grew
independently, yet there were
commonalities.
5. Exploration and colonization of the
Activities and Student Experiences
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Divide students into three groups based on African, European, and
Native Americans to create individual, personalized newspapers of
different articles portraying their belief system, family structures,
and form of government. Students will publish, present, and display
articles for their peers to compare and contrast similarities and
differences between each of the three assigned groups.
Students will map settlement patterns of different Native American
tribes to visually and spatially analyze settlements. Next, students
will make predictions about what the greatest sources of conflict
will be between the different cultures, and what they seem to have in
common. (Suggest biology, especially experience with and
resistance to, disease. Then, have students develop a Wiki on
www.pbwiki.com to collaborate and share struggles with
interactions in different regions of the Western Hemisphere.
Have students create a resume for an explorer. Each student should
research an explorer and use a template designed to organize
research. This will also develop and understanding of a resume and
how to write one. Teacher can help by modeling “good” resume
writing strategies. (see link)
http://goo.gl/wlbNo
PROJECT BASED ACTIVITY: Students will be divided into two
groups. One group will speculate on the positive effects of globalization
today (who wins?) and the other will speculate on the negative effects.
(who loses?) Each group will generate a list in ten minutes to bring back
Grade 7, Social Studies, U.S. History, Beginnings to 1607 2014
Americas affected the culture of Native
Americans and Europeans.
6. The exchange of goods and ideas
continues today and impacts our daily
lives.
Content Statements
CPIs/CCSS
6.1.8.A.1.a, 6.1.8.B.1.a, 6.1.8.C.1.a,
6.1.8.D.1.a, 6.1.8.D.1.b, 6.1.8.D.1.c
 Indigenous societies in
the Western
Hemisphere migrated
W.7.2 , W.7.6, W.7.7, SL.7.4, RH.6-8.6,
and changed in
response to the physical RH.6-8.7, RH.6-8.9, WHST 6-8.4,
environment and due to WHST.6-8.6
their interactions with
Europeans.
 European exploration
expanded global
economic and cultural
exchange into the
Western Hemisphere.
Desired Results
 Students will be able to compare the political, social, economic,
and religious systems of Africans, Europeans, and Native
Americans who converged in the western hemisphere after 1492.
 Students will be able to explain the main factors that stimulated
European exploration.
 Students will be able to conduct research and organize information
into a coherent format by analyzing primary sources such as;
journal entries, maps, and personal narratives.
 Students will be able to evaluate and Explain why the Spanish
were so dominant.
 Students will be able to explain the causes and effects of the
pandemics that wiped out the populations of the New World.
 Students will be able to discuss which of the plants and animals
to the class as a whole.
Students are assigned a Native American tribe to collect, evaluate, and
research, information found on gender roles, religion, values, cultural
practices, and political systems. Students will collaborate in the creation
of a class Wiki using www.pbwiki.com to compare and contrast the
different systems of Native American groups.
Ask students: How different do you think life was in the New World
before Columbus “discovered” it? In what ways? What about the Old
World? In what ways was it different? What do you think was the same?
Use a world map to clarify locations of Old World and New World.
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On Smart Board show an illustration of Columbus in the New World.
(Attachment A1 and 2; other options available) Use the spotlight
feature to highlight and briefly discuss things in the illustration such as
native plant material, European clothing- fabrics made of wool
contrasted with Native minimal attire, ships in background, cross
signifying Christian religion (let students know that the Tainos
practiced their own religion).
•
Show multiple versions of Columbus in the New World, as time
allows. Each illustration emphasizes various details.
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Suggest to students that the “Old World” and the “New World” had
many differences in the areas of plants, animals, diseases, ideas, and
technologies; these illustrations show only a few.
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Draw a T-chart on the chart paper; label the right side “Old World”
and the left side “New World”. Title the chart: Where We Think
Things Originated. Write the words: plants, animals, diseases, ideas,
and technology in a column to the left of the T-chart.
•
To activate prior knowledge and assess current understandings, use
Grade 7, Social Studies, U.S. History, Beginnings to 1607 2014
exchanged by the “old world” and the “new world” had the most
impact.
Assessments
Student’s performance in this class will be evaluated by the use of a
variety of assessment methods. Evaluate criteria are to include
traditional teacher assessments such as chapter or unit tests/ quizzes
developed by the teacher. In conjunction with the traditional
assessment, teacher should also incorporate a project driven component
to compliment student-learning styles on a broad range. There will also
be group and individual projects and oral presentations. Instructors will
also use textbook generated materials, maps, cartoons, and other visual
aids for students’ reference. Students will also complete projects, which
might include oral or written reports, multimedia or Power Point
presentations, artwork, posters, or role-playing simulations. Class work
and class participation will also measure students’ mastery of course
material.
DESIGN A MONUMENT TO THE GREAT ENCOUNTER
DESCRIPTION: Your town/city has decided to erect a monument to
dedicate on Columbus Day, commemorating the encounter between
Europe, Africa, and the New World that began in 1492. You have been
chosen to design it. The job is harder than it seems. You must design a
monument with three parts, each of which recognizes a distinct point of
view- European, Native American, African- on the Encounter and its
aftermath. Your monument must, at the same time, represent, and value
different points of view but also have a unifying message; your
monument should bring different perspectives together (help to resolve
conflict), instead of perpetuating or creating a new conflict.
This activity combines individual responsibility with group work, and
draws on different types of understanding and “intelligence” in its
demonstration of mastery. It culminates into a five paragraph essay.
Brainstorm the kinds of ideas you want each part of your monument to
reflect. As a group, you should agree on your “thesis”—that is the most
Think-Pair-Share in this way: Ask students to think about the origin of
items in several of the different categories represented on the chart; do
they know where different plants, animals, diseases, or technologies
originally came from? What about concepts/ideas, such as religion,
freedom, slavery, ownership? Students will share ideas with a predetermined partner.
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Hold a brief class discussion to share students’ ideas. Guide students
to remember what they have learned previously about navigational
technology, and reasons for exploration, such as increased wealth
through land ownership or resources, power, and religion. Add student
suggestions to the chart, including misconceptions.
Discussion Questions:
4. Why were Europeans systematically exploring the world between the
15th and 17th centuries?
5. What happened when Europeans and indigenous civilizations collided?
6. In what ways did the Eastern Hemisphere and the Western Hemisphere
of our world differ prior to 1492? How does exploration and
interactions among different groups of people lead to change? How do
these interactions impact our lives today? Is change good or bad? How
do we decide?
Grade 7, Social Studies, U.S. History, Beginnings to 1607 2014
important thing that people should know about each of the three pointsof-view on the Encounter. Finally, come up with ideas that convey what
they are after. The best designs have three parts that are complementary
but three separate monuments in the same park, for example is
acceptable.
http://hti.osu.edu/connect/classroom-activities/columbus-freind-or-foe
(Create a trial and go over procedures) Create a Wiki on the various
explorers and events of this unit.
Students will weigh the evidence for each of the claims of preColumbian transatlantic exploration.
Create a chart that compares the general political, social, economic, and
religious features of each area- West Africa, Central and South America,
and Western Europe.
Equipment Needed
 Internet
 IWB
 Class computers