Essential Question: To what extent have the contributions of ancient Rome influenced modern society?

In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students learn about the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the Byzantine Empire. They examine contributions of ancient Rome and assess their influences on modern society.

Essential Question: How well did feudalism establish order in Europe in the Middle Ages?

In an Experiential Exercise, students assume the roles of serfs, knights, lords, and a monarch to understand the various inter-connections, responsibilities, and vassal-lord relationships that defined European feudal society.

Essential Question: How influential was the Roman Catholic Church in medieval Europe?

In an Experiential Exercise, students "visit" six medieval sites, such as Chartres Cathedral in France and the University of Bologna in Italy, to analyze the influence of the Catholic Church in medieval Europe.

Essential Question: What was life like in medieval European towns?

In a Problem Solving Groupwork activity, students create six dramatizations to learn about aspects of life in medieval European towns.

Essential Question: How did events in Europe contribute to the decline of feudalism and the rise of democratic thought?

In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze key events in Europe between the 12th and 15th centuries to understand contributing factors to the decline of feudalism and the rise of democratic thought.

Why Teach This Lesson?

Essential Question: How did the Byzantine Empire develop and form its own distinctive church?

In a Visual Discovery activity, students act out images that represent Constantinople, Justinian's rule, the development of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the schism between Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians in 1054.

Essential Question: How did Islam originate and spread?

In a Writing for Understanding activity, students explore the origins and spread of Islam by taking on the role of Arab nomads, listening to a recording about the origins of Islam, and creating an illuminated manuscript retelling the story of the origins of Islam.

Essential Question: How do the beliefs and practices of Islam shape Muslims' lives?

In a Problem Solving Groupwork activity, students read, create illustrations, and make presentations to demonstrate an understanding of eight main beliefs and practices of Islam.

Essential Question: What important innovations and adaptations did medieval Muslims make?

Pairs of students visit nine stations in a Social Studies Skill Builder to read and learn about Muslim innovations and adaptations in fields such as science, geography, mathematics, philosophy, medicine, art, and literature.

Essential Question: How did the Crusades affect the lives of Christians, Muslims, and Jews?

In an Experiential Exercise, students experience the challenges facing various groups as they compete to acquire and control the same territory, and compare their experience to the competition over Jerusalem during the Middle Ages.

Essential Question: What was the most significant factor in the development of early societies in West Africa?

In a Response Group activity, students respond to three possible situations faced by early West African societies, and then read to learn what really happened in each situation.

Essential Question: To what extent did trans-Saharan trade lead to Ghana's wealth and success?

In an Experiential Exercise, students role-play trans-Saharan trade in gold and salt, using the silent-barter system to explore how it helped to make Ghana a powerful empire.

Why Teach This Lesson?

Essential Question: In what ways did Islam influence West African society?

In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students work in pairs to learn about various Islamic influences during the Middle Ages and use this knowledge to identify Islamic influences on West Africa today.

Essential Question: In what ways do the cultural achievements of West Africa influence our culture today?

In a Problem Solving Group activity, students listen to a griot tell the story of Sundjata and create a griot performance of scenes from the story.

Essential Question: Which method of selecting officials led to the best leaders for China?

In an Experiential Exercise, students role-play figures from medieval China as they debate the advantages and disadvantages of three methods used by rulers to select government officials.

Essential Question: How did the Chinese improve their economy during the Tang and Song dynasties?

In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze images of advancements in agriculture and trade and commerce in medieval China, and evaluate their influence on China's economy.

Essential Question: How have medieval Chinese discoveries and inventions influenced the modern world?

Students work in pairs in a Social Studies Skill Builder to investigate Chinese discoveries and inventions to determine their influence on the modern world.

Essential Question: How did the foreign-contact policies of three medieval Chinese dynasties affect China?

In a Response Group activity, students consider the benefits and drawbacks of foreign contact during three Chinese dynasties and evaluate the effects on China of their foreign-contact policies.

Essential Question: In what ways did neighboring cultures influence Japan?

In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students create playing cards to study the influences of India, China, and Korea on the development of Japanese culture, and play a game to learn about cultural diffusion in medieval Japan.

Essential Question: What was life like for aristocrats during the Heian period?

In a Writing for Understanding activity, students learn about aristocratic life and the cultural accomplishments of Japan during the Heian period by "visiting" the home of a Japanese aristocrat. They learn how a Japanese aristocrat might act in certain situations, and then write a diary entry describing a day in the life of a Heian noble.

Essential Question: What was the role of the samurai in the military society of medieval Japan?

In an Experiential Exercise, students learn about the rise of a warrior class and the pivotal role these samurai played from the end of the 12th century to the 19th century.

Why Teach This Lesson?

Essential Question: What led to the rise, flourishing, and fall of the Mayan civilization?

In a Response Group activity, students use a Sacred Round to solve problems related to four aspects of Mayan culture.

Essential Question: How did the Aztecs rise to power?

In a Visual Discovery activity, students learn about the origins of the Aztecs and the growth of their empire by analyzing images representing key stages in the development of the Aztec Empire and by using information they have learned through historical reenactments.

Essential Question: What was daily life like for Aztecs in Tenochtitlán?

In a Writing for Understanding activity, students"visit" the Great Market of Tenochtitlán and barter for information about additional aspects of daily life before creating illustrated journal entries from the perspective of a fictional Aztec character.

Essential Question: How did the Incas manage their large and diverse empire?

In an Experiential Exercise, students work in groups to role-play Incan chasquis (messengers) to communicate information about aspects of Incan culture to their classmates.

Essential Question: What were the significant achievements of the Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas?

In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students learn about important achievements of the Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas by identifying and categorizing a series of artifacts representing achievements of the three civilizations that they "discover" in a fictitious museum.

Why Teach This Lesson?

Essential Question: What changes in Europe led to the Renaissance?

In a Visual Discovery activity, students trace the changes in Europe that led to the birth of the Renaissance, and then create a live Renaissance tableau.

Why Teach This Lesson?

Essential Question: What advances were made during the Renaissance?

In an Experiential Exercise, Students take a "walking tour" of Florence, visiting seven sites to learn about various aspects of the Renaissance. Students apply their knowledge by creating a scrapbook page about their visit to Florence.

Essential Question: In what ways have various leading figures of the Renaissance affected modern society?

In a Response Group activity, students create illustrated pedestals for ten prominent Renaissance figures that highlight their lives and achievements. Groups then examine the pedestals in the class "gallery," identify which Renaissance figure each represents, and discuss two critical thinking questions related to these figures.

Essential Question: What factors led to the weakening of the Catholic Church and the beginning of the Reformation?

In a Visual Discovery activity, students explore the factors that contributed to the weakening of the Catholic Church and then examine the leaders whose ideas led to Reformation.

Essential Question: What were the effects of the Reformation?

In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students work in pairs to explore the beliefs and practices of three denominations of Protestantism, and then create an illustrated cause-and-effect poster to show how the Reformation affected Europe and the world.

Essential Question: How did the Age of Exploration change the way Europeans viewed the world?

In an Experiential Exercise, students explore "uncharted territory" to discover some of the rewards, challenges, and dangers during the Age of Exploration. Students then compare their experience to those of actual European explorers.

Essential Question: How did the Scientific Revolution change the way people understood the world?

In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze a series of images that represent key scientists, inventions, and discoveries of the Scientific Revolution. They "step into" these images to bring them to life.

Essential Question: How have the ideas of the Enlightenment influenced modern government?

In a Response Group activity, students "visit" an Enlightenment-era salon to learn about the ideas of five important Enlightenment thinkers. Students then analyze excerpts from significant historical documents and try to match them to the correct source.