Surplus food Having access to more food than a civilization needs, through farming, hunting, etc., which allows the civilization to sustain and advance itself; the geography of a place often dictates how food is produced or gathered (e.g., settling around waterways provides drinking water and water for animals and crops) Agricultural specialization (Louisiana grows sugar cane and rice that can’t be grown in northern states), Food processing factories Planned infrastructure Physical and organizational structures, such as buildings, roads, tombs, etc. needed for a civilization to function; planned roads or transportation via waterways support trade and expansion, both of which help sustain and advance a civilization As the population grows, there are additions to the existing infrastructure (e.g. more roads, wider interstates, more buildings) Trade Exchange of a good or service for something else (typically a monetary exchange); goods must be moved easily (e.g., via waterways or roads); a food surplus results in trade opportunities Louisiana exports petroleum and sugar cane throughout the world. We import goods that are not widely available here such as potatoes. Accumulated learning Gathering of knowledge that results in achievements in communication (e.g., language, writing), math, science, and technology/innovation Parents teaching children (speaking, manners, etc.), Public education, Arts Creative and cultural expression via music, dance, sculpture, architecture, etc. People enjoy many different genres of music and dance today. Art and architecture are showcased in homes, offices, museums, etc. Unit One Instruction Topic Two: The Aztec Empire (5.1.1-2, 5.1.4, 5.2.1, 5.4.1-3) Connections to the unit claim: Students examine various sources from Tenochtitlán, the capital city of the Aztec Empire, to determine advancements made by the Aztec Empire, including social hierarchy (e.g., those closer to the Templo Mayor had a higher status in the society), agriculture, markets and job specialization, system of tribute (e.g., vassals contributed clothing, honey, feathers, etc.), organized religion, and an organized system of government (e.g., the Triple Alliance maintained power over the surrounding areas and required tribute), and to understand how those advancements exemplify the characteristics of civilization. Suggested Timeline: 8 class periods Use this sample task:
Following the source analysis, conduct a brief discussion. Possible questions: How did the agricultural innovations feed into the Aztecs’ larger economic systems, including the tribute system and the marketplace? How did Tenochtitlán sustain itself? What in Tenochtitlán are revealed by your chaînes opératoires? As students discuss, record class notes of examples of the for the Aztec Empire. Post the for students to refer to throughout the task and as they work on the next task in unit one. Mapping Tenochtitlán Title of Map What information about the Aztec Empire and Tenochtitlán is revealed in the map? What is significant about the information? Map 1, page 17 Extent of the Aztec Empire in 1519 Map 2, page 18 Growth of the Empire, 1427-1520
Map 5, page 21 Tenochtitlán- Tlatelolco and Its Causeways Tenochtitlán was on an island in Lake Texcoco. There was a grid of causeways or roads. The center of the city was a “Ritual Centre.” The causeways/roads likely allowed the Aztecs to travel more easily within and around the city. Having an infrastructure, like a system of roads, is a characteristic of a civilization. It looks like they had some kind of organized religion based on the “Ritual Centre” sitting in the middle. Map 7, page 23 Model of the Aztec City of Tenochtitlán at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City The last map is a three-dimensional model of the Tenochtitlán. They had many buildings. Tenochtitlán had advanced buildings/structures, which is a characteristic of a civilization. The city is buried under present-day Mexico City; something significant must have happened to end this city that was so well-built. Digging for Templo Mayor Artifact Analysis, Part One Object Name Object Description How do you think the Aztecs used the object? Coyolxauhqui
Small-Group Civilization Research The following research task is on the developed for the New York State Social Studies Resource Toolkit. The task is licensed under a , which allows for it to be shared and adapted as long as the user agrees to the terms of the license. Indigenous Group Maya Aztec Inca Step One: Context On your and your timeline, identify where and when this indigenous group existed. Step Two: Research Using the sources below, research the question: “How did the Maya use writing to represent activities in their culture?” Source A: Excerpt from Writing in Maya Glyphs () Source B: “Maya symbols and Glyphs” chart () Source C: 19th-century reproduction of the Dresden () Using the sources below, research the question: “What did the Aztecs do to master their watery environment?” Source A: Description of the chinampa system () Source B: Illustration of a chinampa () Source C: Photograph of a modern chinampa () Using the sources below, Why were roads important to the Inca Empire? Source A: “Inca Roads and Chasquis” () Source B: Image bank: Inca roadways () Source C: An Inca Chasqui runner () Step Three: Present your findings Write a paragraph describing how the Maya used writing and how others have worked to understand it. Make a of the benefits of swamp agriculture and the use of chinampas. Make a diagram illustrating how the Inca road system functioned and how Inca runners used that system. Step Four: Make connections to the unit topic Write a paragraph independently explaining whether the indigenous group you researched is an example of a civilization. Use evidence from your research and your knowledge of social studies to support your answer. Independent Civilization Research
Resources for Research: Indigenous Cultures General Sources Kid-Friendly Search Engine: “The Native American World” section from “” Northeast Native Americans Southeast Native Americans Plains Native Americans Southwest Native Americans Great Basin Native Americans Plateau Native Americans Northwest Coast Native Americans Chapter 11 of The First Americans: Prehistory- 1600 by Joy Hakim Chapter 11 of The First Americans: Prehistory- 1600 by Joy Hakim Chapter 9 of The First Americans: Prehistory- 1600 by Joy Hakim Chapter 6 of The Americans: Prehistory- 1600 by Joy Hakim Chapter 11 of Before Columbus: The Americas of 1491 by Charles Mann (read aloud) Chapter 7 of The First Americans: Prehistory- 1600 by Joy Hakim Unit One Assessment Description: Students participate in a Socratic seminar in response to the question: What does it mean to be civilized? Suggested Timeline: 4 class periods
Sir Francis Drake Samuel Champlain European Explorers (Completed) Who? Explorer What? Nation When? Timeline Where? Location/Discovery Why? Motivations How? Challenges John Cabot England 1497-1498 Greenland, Labrador, Newfoundland, northeastern coast of North America Wanted to find a northwest passage to the east (wealth) Violent storms, strong winds, food and water shortages, diseases crew problems. Bartolomé de Las Casas Spain 1502-1547 Hispaniola, Cuba, Venezuela, Santo Domingo, Mexico, Guatemala Soldier; wanted to spread Christianity and worked to free Native Americans (moral obligation) Unknown Hernán Cortés Spain 1504- Mexico Sought to find gold (wealth) and conquer land for Spain (power) Disease; conflicts with indigenous groups Jacques Cartier France 1535 Canada, St. Lawrence River Establish presence in New for France (power); gold and riches (wealth); new route to Asia Disease; harsh winters; conflicts with the Iroquois population
Columbus shy and scared “As soon as they saw our men arrive, fled without a moment’s delay” poor weapons “Generous with what they possess” “protected them from injury” “took by some of the natives” Columbus like he owns the Native Americans. He says he has taken possession of land that belonged to the Native Americans. “I took by force some of the Natives.” Cartier believes in nature god “no belief in God that amounts to anything” turned away from their traditional beliefs begged to be baptized “showed them their error and informed them that their Cudouagny was a wicked spirit” “Also that one must receive baptism or perish in hell.” Cartier feels that the Native Americans believed in false gods and that they are trusting and easily swayed. Chief and John White in “awe” of the Europeans because they had never seen anyone like that not afraid, just “not our nature to resist” were giving because “receive you with the sobriety due to so kingly and famous a lord” painting shows Native American as human new and different; invaders “astride the fierce brutes, your horses, entering with such speed and fury into my country” The Creek Chief believes the natives reacted the way they did because they had never seen men like this before and that welcoming others is their custom. John White sees the Native Americans as fellow humans with their own customs. Bartolomé de las Casas large population “swarming with people” simple and kind “they are without malice,” “Never quarrelsome” did not want material things or “neither ambitious nor greedy, and are totally uninterested in worldly power” slaughtered the natives “the Spanish fell like ravening wolves” destroyed population “the indigenous population...stood at some three million; today only two hundred survive.” de las Casas believes that the Spanish were brutal in their treatment of the kind, obedient, simple natives and they killed off a whole population of people. Unit Two Assessment
Project the “” and ask students to create a map key and color code the three colonial regions. SOUTHERN COLONIES MIDDLE COLONIES NEW ENGLAND COLONIES Georgia South Carolina North Carolina Virginia Maryland Delaware Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Connecticut Rhode Island Massachusetts New Hampshire Direct students to review their and compare the map to their map of to establish the context of where the thirteen colonies were established and what other civilizations were there prior to their establishment. Briefly discuss the geography of the landscape on the Eastern coast of the United States. Direct students to recall from unit three why British colonists settled where they did (e.g., access to trade routes, water, fertile soil). Say: “The purpose of this task is to explore what made the thirteen British colonies successful. Given the we’ve been studying, what should we explore about the colonies?” Then explain that the focus of the next few tasks will be on the government, religion, economy, and trade of the British colonies and how each contributed to the colonies becoming permanent settlements/civilizations. Colonial Government (approximately 3 class periods) Provide students with a copy of “.” Read aloud the text while students follow along. Ask students the following questions to check for understanding: What documents established the government of each British colony? In colonial settlement did the Virginia House of Burgesses begin? We learned about the Pilgrims in unit three. According to this article, what was unique about the first government of the Pilgrims? In what ways does this foreshadow what we know eventually happens to the colonies? Considering travel and communication in the and 1700s, how did the location of the British colonies in relation to Great Britain impact how they were actually governed? Reread aloud the second paragraph of the text. Ask students to identify the parts of a typical British colonial government (i.e., charter, king of England, British Parliament, governor, colonial legislature, council, assembly). Divide the into pairs and direct each pair to draw an initial diagram of the structure of a typical British colonial government. As needed, provide students with a blank structural frame for them to fill in. Provide students with a copy of “” from USHistory.org. Direct them to read the text with their partner. Then project section ii of the . Ask students to explain the purpose of a charter and then explain that you are going to read from the Charter of Delaware. Read aloud section ii of the .
Typical British Colonial Government United States Government Identify how each part of the government gets its role. The governor was appointed by the king. The governor appointed the council. The assembly members were chosen by the colonists. Identify how each part of the government gets its role. The president is elected through the electoral college. Supreme court judges are nominated or appointed by the president and approved by Congress. Congress members are elected. Describe the duties of each part of the government. The governor carried out the king’s orders. The governor managed trade and had final approval of laws. The council also carried out the king’s orders (when the governor was absent) and, when needed, the council was the high court. The assembly paid the governor, collected taxes, and made laws. Describe the duties of each part of the government. The president signs bills into law and can veto, nominates and appoints judges to courts, and is in charge of the armed forces. The courts weigh in on matters of law and ensuring they follow the constitution. Congress passes laws. They can also impeach the president and can declare war. British Colonial Regionalism
From North America to Europe From America to Africa From Europe to North America From Europe to Africa From Africa to North America From Africa to Europe Triangular Trade Route Commodities (Completed) A commodity is a good, something valuable, a product that is bought and sold, such as corn or wheat.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, triangular trade routes were used among Europe, Africa, and the thirteen colonies in North America. Triangular trade involves the exporting of commodities from one location to another. Using the chart below, identify what commodities were exported from/to and why. From America to Europe From North America to Africa From Europe to North America From Europe to Africa From Africa to America From Africa to Europe whale oil lumber furs rice silk indigo tobacco sugar molasses wood These commodities were important to Europeans because they were scarce in Europe (the supply was low and it was expensive to produce them), but there was demand for these goods in Europe. So, the Europeans could cheaply import these goods from the colonies to satisfy their demand. rum iron gun powder cloth tools These commodities were important to Africans because they were scarce in Africa (the supply was low and it was expensive to produce them), but there was demand for these goods in Africa. Iron can be used to create tools or weapons. Cloth is useful for clothing and shelter. Africans imported these goods from the colonies to satisfy their demand. manufactured goods luxuries These commodities were important to colonists because they were scarce (e.g., colonists didn’t have easy access to and couldn’t make them on their own). So, the colonists imported them from Europe to supply the demand in the colonies. guns iron beer These commodities were important to Africans because they were scarce in Africa (the supply was low and it was expensive to produce them), but there was demand for these goods in Africa. Africans imported these goods from Europe to supply their demand. gold ivory spices hardwood slaves commodities, including slave labor, were important to the colonists because they were scarce in the colonies (the supply was low and it was expensive to produce them or they couldn’t produce them (e.g., slaves, gold)), but there was demand in the colonies. Colonists needed slaves to produce goods to ship to Europe and Africa. So, they imported these commodities to supply their demand. slaves Slave labor was important to the Europeans because they relied on slaves as house servants and they also provided slaves to the colonies to support the production of commodities that colonists then exported to Europe and Africa. Adapted Excerpt from “Smuggling”
Describe the experiences of people in the Middle Passage. How is this account similar to or different from the other sources? Is this a reliable source to understand the Middle Passage? Why or why not? Document A: Portuguese textbook account The Middle Passage was dangerous. There wasn’t enough room for the number of people on the ship. The ship was hot and dirty. Because the conditions were so bad, slaves sometimes revolted. This source gives an overview of the conditions of the Middle Passage. It doesn’t have specific information like the other two sources. No, this source is a textbook which is a secondary source. The textbook is also from Portugal which was one of the first countries to begin making money off of the slave trade. In the text, it describes benefits of the slave trade that seem to be rationalizing their involvement in the practice. Document D: Slave Ship Diagram Ships that carried slaves on the Middle Passage were overcrowded. The slaves were packed in tight and had very little room to move. People were even kept under shelves. This source gives more specific information than source A. Yes, this source is a primary source from legislation that was supposed to improve conditions for slaves. Document E: Autobiography of a Former Slave The conditions on the Middle Passage were very bad for slaves. The ships were crowded and dirty. The smell was so bad it made people sick. Slaves were often treated harshly. Slaves were beaten if they didn’t eat, and they were punished if they tried to jump off the ship. This source gives some of the same information as the other sources, but it describes the conditions in more detail because the author was actually there. Yes, this source is a primary source that gives a account of what it was like to be on a Middle Passage ship. Unit Four Instruction
Southern Colonies Population (% African American) 400 (0%) 11,000 (1.8%) 36,400 (4.7%) 68,100 (7.3%) 104,600 (21.5%) 192,300 (28.1%) 395,300 (31.6%) 716,000 (39.7%) North America, 1762-1783 Map by Jon Platek. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Available online at . Grades 3-5 Conversation Stems Purpose: Clearly express your ideas. Listener Prompt Speaker Response What do you about ____? How did you answer __[the question]__? What is the most important idea you are communicating? What is your main point? Overall what I’m trying to say is ____. My whole point in one sentence is ____. Purpose: Make sure you are listening carefully and clearly understand the ideas presented. Listener Prompt Speaker Response Let me see if I heard you correctly. Did you say ____? I heard you say ____. Is that correct? Put another way, are you saying ____? Yes/no. I said ____. Tell me more ____ or Say more about ____. I’m confused when you say ____. Say more about that. Give me an example. Sure. I said __[restate what was said and add further explanation or examples]__. An example is ____ because __[explain why]__. Who can rephrase what X said? ____ said ____. Purpose: Dig deeper and provide evidence to support your claims. Listener Prompt Speaker Response What from the source(s) you think so? According to the source ____. This means ____.
Provides a vague, unclear, or illogical explanation of the connections among ideas, people, events, and/or contexts within or across time and place. 0 The student’s response is blank, incorrect, or does not address the prompt. Discussion Tracker [TYPE OF CONVERSATION]: [QUESTION(S)] Fill in student names prior to the seminar. Capture your notes about each student’s participation and knowledge. Student Name Draws on preparation and other information to support ideas in discussion and demonstrate understanding Uses Continues conversation by posing and responding to questions, connecting ideas, and reviewing and explaining ideas