Download West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District Social Studies

West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District
Social Studies Grade 6
Unit 1: Beginnings of Human Society Content Area: Social Studies Course & Grade Level: Ancient World Grade 6 Summary and Rationale Humans are part of a universe that is older and larger than we can begin to imagine. How was this universe created? How was the earth created? How and when were our ancestors created? What is our place in the universe? Are we important, or are we insignificant? This unit sets the stage for human history. It is about the creation of our environment, of the world we live in, its landscapes, its plants and animals. It is also about the evolutionary steps that led to the creation of our species, Homo sapiens. Understanding this era is vital if we are to grasp how human history fits into the larger history of our earth and the universe as a whole. About 12,000 years ago some human communities began to move in a new direction. For the first time, they began to produce food in a systematic way rather than hunt or collect all their food in the wild. The emergence of farming and the far‐reaching social and cultural changes that led to revolutionary changes. *Information adapted from http://worldhistoryforusall.sdsu.edu/eras/era2.php
Recommended Pacing 30 Days State Standards Standard 6.2 World History/Global Studies: All students will acquire the knowledge and skills to think analytically and systematically about how past interactions of people, cultures, and the environment affect issues across time and cultures. Such knowledge and skills enable students to make informed decisions as socially and ethically responsible world citizens in the 21st century. CPI # Cumulative Progress Indicator (CPI) 6.2.8.A.1.a Compare and contrast the social organization of early hunters/gatherers and those who lived in early agrarian societies. 6.2.8.B.1.a Explain the various migratory patterns of hunters/gatherers who moved from Africa to Eurasia, Australia, and the Americas, and describe the impact of migration on their lives and on the shaping of societies. 6.2.8.B.1.b Compare and contrast how nomadic and agrarian societies used land and natural resources. 6.2.8.C.1.a Relate the agricultural revolution (including the impact of food surplus from farming) to population growth and the subsequent development of civilizations. 6.2.8.C.1.b Determine the impact of technological advancements on hunter/gatherer and agrarian societies. 6.2.8.D.1.a Demonstrate an understanding of pre‐agricultural and post‐agricultural periods in terms of relative length of time. 6.2.8.D.1.b Relate the development of language and forms of writing to the expression of ideas, creation of cultural identity, and development of more complex social structures. 6.2.8.D.1.c Explain how archaeological discoveries are used to develop and enhance understanding of life prior to written records. Instructional Focus
Unit Enduring Understandings 
Prior to any written records, archaeology provides historical and scientific explanations for how our ancient ancestors lived based on artifacts and inference.  The life of early hunter‐gatherer societies was most influenced by their physical environment.  The process that produced Homo sapiens (the “wise human”) from which all current races are descended, involved not only anatomical changes and greater tool‐making skills but also the emergence of social communities that consciously shared a life of symbols, ceremonies, and aesthetic expression.  The use of technology to adapt to and overcome the environment was a significant factor in the evolution of species and continues to influence how we continue to develop as a species.  Farming is considered a “revolution” providing the necessary foundation for the great civilizations that followed because the surplus led to an increase in population, specialization of labor, new forms of social organization, and the beginnings of a civilization. Unit Essential Questions  How do we know what we know when there’s no written record?  How did geography and climate determine the lives of early humans?  What made humans human?  How did technology change the way people lived?  Why farming was considered a “REVOLUTION?” Objectives Students will know:  Explain the various migratory patterns of hunters/gatherers who moved from Africa to Eurasia, Australia, and the Americas, and describe the impact of migration on their lives and on the shaping of societies.  Relate the agricultural revolution (including the impact of food surplus from farming) to population growth and the subsequent development of civilizations.  Determine the impact of technological advancements on hunter/gatherer and agrarian societies.  Demonstrate an understanding of pre‐agricultural and post‐agricultural periods in terms of relative length of time.  Relate the development of language and forms of writing to the expression of ideas, creation of cultural identity, and development of more complex social structures.  Explain how archaeological discoveries are used to develop and enhance understanding of life prior to written records. Students will be able to:  Compare and contrast the social organization of early hunters/gatherers and those who lived in early agrarian societies.  Compare and contrast how nomadic and agrarian societies used land and natural resources. Resources
Core Text: The Ancient World, Prentice‐Hall Suggested Resources: History Alive: The Ancient World, TCI Unit 2: Ancient River Valley Civilizations Content Area: Social Studies Course & Grade Level: Ancient World Grade 6 Summary and Rationale The emergence of societies based on agriculture, what we call agrarian societies, involved a complex interplay of plants, animals, topography, climate, and weather with human tools, techniques, social habits, and cultural understandings. The fundamental technological element of this interplay was domestication, the ability to alter the genetic makeup of plants and animals to make them more useful to humans. Systematic food production contributed hugely to the amazing biological success of Homo sapiens. This meant that by producing resources from domesticated plants and animals, humans could settle and thrive on a given land area in much greater numbers and density than ever before, the consequences of which were astonishing. We refer to these big concentrations of people as complex societies, or, more traditionally, as civilizations. From 10,000 BCE to 1000 BCE, world population rose from about 6 million to about 120 million, a change involving a much faster rate of increase than in the previous eras. Such growth, in turn, required unprecedented experiments in human organization and ways of thinking. The customs and rules that governed social relationships in a foraging band of twenty‐five or thirty people were no longer adequate. Their most conspicuous characteristic was cities. Early cities were centers of power, manufacturing, and creativity. After the appearance of complex societies, humans stepped up their efforts to manipulate and control their physical and natural environment. This had great benefits but also produced a negative feedback cycle. Only after about 4000 BCE did truly staggering changes occur in social customs and institutions. The complex societies that arose in the Tigris‐Euphrates, Nile, and Indus valleys, and somewhat later in China’s Huang River (Huang He) valley, were cauldrons of intensification. That is, people lived and worked together in much larger, denser communities than had ever existed. These societies shared a number of fundamental characteristics, which we generally associate with civilizations: 
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Cities arose, the early ones varying somewhat in their forms and functions. By 2250 BCE, there were about eight cities in the world that had 30,000 or more inhabitants. By 1200 BCE there were about sixteen cities that big. Some people took up full‐time specialized occupations and professions (artisans, merchants, soldiers, priests, and so on) rather than spending most of their time collecting, producing, or processing food. A hierarchy of social classes appeared in which some men and women—the elite class—had more wealth, power, and privilege than did others. Also, men became dominant over women in political and social life, leading to patriarchy. The state, that is, a centralized system of government and command, was invented. This meant that a minority group—kings, queens, high officials, priests, generals—exercised control over the labor and social behavior of everyone else. Complex exchanges of food and other products took place within the complex society, and lines of trade connected the society to neighbors near and far. Technological innovations multiplied, and each new useful invention tended to suggest several 
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others. Monumental building took place—city walls, temples, palaces, public plazas, and tombs of rulers. A system of writing, or at least a complex method of record‐keeping, came into use. Spiritual belief systems, public laws, and artistic expressions all became richer and more complex. Creative individuals collaborated with the ruling class to lay the foundations of astronomy, mathematics, and chemistry, as well as civil engineering and architecture. A society did not have to exhibit every one of these characteristics to qualify as a civilization. The checklist is less important than the fact that all these social, cultural, economic, and political elements interacted dynamically with one another. The synergism among them made the society complex, that is, made it recognizable as a civilization. Within complex societies, such as those that emerged in the great river valleys, the interchange of information and ideas tended to be so intense that each society developed a distinct cultural style. We can discern these distinctive styles today in the surviving remnants of buildings, art objects, written texts, tools, and other material remains. We should, however, keep two ideas in mind. One is that all complex societies were invariably changing, rather than possessing timeless, static cultural traits. The style of a civilization changed from one generation to the next because cultural expressions and values were invariably bound up with the natural environment, economic life, and politics, which were continuously changing as well. The second point is that early civilizations were not culturally self‐contained. All of them developed and changed as they did partly because of their connections to other societies near and far, connections that played themselves out in trade, migration, war, and cultural exchange. *Information adapted from http://worldhistoryforusall.sdsu.edu/eras/era3.php Recommended Pacing 60 Days State Standards Standard 6.2 World History/Global Studies: All students will acquire the knowledge and skills to think analytically and systematically about how past interactions of people, cultures, and the environment affect issues across time and cultures. Such knowledge and skills enable students to make informed decisions as socially and ethically responsible world citizens in the 21st century. CPI # Cumulative Progress Indicator (CPI) 6.2.8.A.2.a Explain why different ancient river valley civilizations developed similar forms of government. 6.2.8.A.2.b Explain how codifying laws met the needs of ancient river valley societies. 6.2.8.A.2.c Determine the role of slavery in the economic and social structures of ancient river valley civilizations. 6.2.8.B.2.a Determine the extent to which geography influenced settlement, the development of trade networks, technological innovations, and the sustainability of ancient river valley civilizations. 6.2.8.B.2.b Compare and contrast physical and political maps of ancient river valley civilizations and their modern counterparts (i.e., Mesopotamia and Iraq; Ancient Egypt and Modern Egypt; Indus River Valley and Modern Pakistan/India; Ancient China and Modern China), and determine the geopolitical impact of these civilizations, then and now. 6.2.8.C.2.a 6.2.8.D.2.a 6.2.8.D.2.b 6.2.8.D.2.c 6.2.8.D.2.d Explain how technological advancements led to greater economic specialization, improved weaponry, trade, and the development of a class system in ancient river valley civilizations. Analyze the impact of religion on daily life, government, and culture in various ancient river valley civilizations. Explain how the development of written language transformed all aspects of life in ancient river valley civilizations. Analyze the factors that led to the rise and fall of various ancient river valley civilizations and determine whether there was a common pattern of growth and decline. Justify which of the major achievements of the ancient river valley civilizations represent the most enduring legacies. Instructional Focus
Unit Enduring Understandings  The first civilizations all sprang up alongside the banks of major rivers in order to irrigate their agricultural fields until more sophisticated technology was developed to overcome and adapt to less favorable environments.  Formal states, writing, cities, and specialized labor interacted dynamically with one another to make a society complex, that is, more recognizable as a civilization (The attributes of the “civilization wheel”).  The advent of language and writing gave humans the ability to learn from one generation to the next (collective learning) thus greatly increasing the rate of technological advancement. As well, basic achievements like the wheel, alphabets, mathematics, and divisions of time along with the development of art and monotheistic religion (Judaism) are all vital legacies of the ARVC’s.  The rise of ARVC’s was based on: strong leadership, strong economy, common culture, and favorable geographic conditions while the decline was in general caused by weak leadership, internal strife (such as food shortages or dissatisfaction with spending priorities), environmental degradation, and eventual invasion by outside forces.  The ARVC’s all had similarities in the type of ruler they chose, the polytheistic nature of their religions, and a distinct social hierarchy. Their differences, though distinct, were more cultural in what/who they worshiped, the title of the leader, and which group(s) was “on top.” These similarities were a product of the time period and are a result of early humans trying to figure out and control their environment.  The gods, the laws, and the artifacts of these ancient civilizations give historians great insight into the way people lived and what they valued. Unit Essential Questions  What advantages does an agriculturally‐based society have over a hunter‐gatherer society? Why did early humans settle where they did?  What characteristics are critical for a society to become a civilization? In comparing the ARVC’s, what made them similar and what made them unique?  How did writing and record keeping allow civilizations to grow more complex?  Why are written laws so important?  How did technology improve the lives of ancient humans? How did technology help people overcome their geography? In what ways does technology improve our lives today?  Why did the ARVC’s all rise and eventually fall by around 1000 BCE?  What are the most important legacies of the ARVC’s? Objectives Students will know:  Explain why different ancient river valley civilizations developed similar forms of government.  Explain how codifying laws met the needs of ancient river valley societies. 
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Determine the role of slavery in the economic and social structures of ancient river valley civilizations. Determine the extent to which geography influenced settlement, the development of trade networks, technological innovations, and the sustainability of ancient river valley civilizations.  Explain how technological advancements led to greater economic specialization, improved weaponry, trade, and the development of a class system in ancient river valley civilizations.  Explain how the development of written language transformed all aspects of life in ancient river valley civilizations. Students will be able to:  Compare and contrast physical and political maps of ancient river valley civilizations and their modern counterparts (i.e., Mesopotamia and Iraq; Ancient Egypt and Modern Egypt; Indus River Valley and Modern Pakistan/India; Ancient China and Modern China), and determine the geopolitical impact of these civilizations, then and now.  Analyze the impact of religion on daily life, government, and culture in various ancient river valley civilizations.
 Analyze the factors that led to the rise and fall of various ancient river valley civilizations and determine whether there was a common pattern of growth and decline.  Justify which of the major achievements of the ancient river valley civilizations represent the most enduring legacies. Resources
Core Text: The Ancient World, Prentice‐Hall Suggested Resources: History Alive: The Ancient World, TCI Unit 3: The Classical Civilizations of the Mediterranean World, India, and China Content Area: Social Studies Course & Grade Level: Ancient World Grade 6 Summary and Rationale During this time period world population increased (doubling from approximately 120 million to 250 million) and more cities appeared. Population growth was linked to expansion of agriculture and iron technology that led to the increase in population density and job specialization in farming communities. The increase in population and densities in cities meant that humans had to experiment with new ways of organizing their social, economic, and cultural relations. Therefore, city‐states that emerged in this era became larger, more complex, and more efficient at waging war and collecting taxes from ordinary people. As well, though most people were of the farming class, the growth of cities and trade led to more concentrated amounts of wealth, producing sharper class distinctions between elite minorities that held wealth, power, and privilege and everyone else. In urbanized societies there might also be a sizeable class of merchants, artisans, scholars, and other people with special skills who accumulated substantial wealth, though not necessarily much political power or privilege. At the bottom of the social scale were increasing numbers of slaves. This era witnessed a huge expansion of slavery (particularly in the Roman Empire in which slaves may have numbered as much as 40% of the total population). For most of human history, human labor has been the main source of energy. Therefore controlling slaves was like controlling oil or coal today. Organized agriculture brought large populations within close proximity of one another. Issues connected to land and water use, surplus food, and military readiness had to be managed. Whoever became the ultimate arbiter of these questions was inherently more powerful. With that power came inequality in terms of societal decision‐
making as well as political/economic inequality becoming a social norm. The assumption of inequality was considered the norm to all three societies (Mediterranean slavery; Indian caste system; Chinese Confucian sense of hierarchy). Most leading thinkers (Buddha the exception) did not oppose these inequalities and none took the modern, Western‐inspired route of arguing for opportunities of upward mobility. While none of these approaches consistently united the society they did provide some social cohesion. Expanded networks of exchange are a web of connections that allowed people, goods, and ideas to move and circulate over thousands of miles. During this era (notably between 300 B.C. and 300 A.D.) trade routes across Inner Eurasia (Silk Road) and sea routes extended and strengthened trade between Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. As well, the Roman road system, though created for military and political reasons, spurred the ability to trade over long distances. The development of alphabetic writing systems speeded up the transfer of information. Also, people who met, shared ideas, and conducted business with one another helped spread the new world religions. During this time period, various conquerors from the western Mediterranean to East Asia brought large areas of populations under their own centralized authority. These ancient states were empires not only because they were big, but also because a single government, and an elite class of particular origin, ruled over peoples of diverse linguistic, ethnic, and religious identities. The challenge for these empires was to not only expand territory but to integrate and unite the new territory into the greater empire. Gradually, many of these conquerors came to realize that although military might was necessary to gain control over an area, sheer force of arms was not sufficient to govern effectively and ensure the loyalty and obedience of one’s subjects. The Chinese would say: “You can win a kingdom from horseback, but you cannot rule from there.” Attempts at integration took the form of imposing central political values and institutions, promoting a common culture and social values, as well as commercial links. As well, leaders developed a variety of strategies and policies besides force to maintain their control and authority. Such appeals for legitimacy came in the various forms of heredity, divinity, charisma, tolerance, law, and appeal to moral authority. After the rise of new religions, would‐be emperors and kings had available a rich storehouse of ethical and religious symbols on which to draw to try and establish a more popular base for absolute rule. Newly victorious leaders applied religious principles to support claims that they were legitimate, resting their authority on a moral basis, not merely on the exercise of military power and fear. A world religion is defined as a faith of unusual durability and drawing power, which wins the devotion of many different kinds of people that cuts across language and cultural traditions. Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Daoism, and Confucianism (which some scholars characterize as an ethical system rather than a religion) all appeared during this era. While most people still practiced local religions (systems centered on local gods and goddesses) an increasing number began to follow one of these world religions that embraced people of differing languages and cultural traditions. Many scholars ask why all the major world religions (except Islam) emerged during this time period? One possibility that led to the development of these religions was that population levels and commercial/cultural exchange reached a level of intensity that required larger systems of morality and shared belief. These new religious systems provided foundations of cultural communication, moral expectation, and personal trust among people who were meeting, sharing ideas, and doing business with one another far beyond their local neighborhoods. These new belief systems, however, were by no means all the same. Each one offered distinctive answers to persistent questions about the human condition and different ways of approaching worship, ritual, and communal life. Christianity and Judaism were the most firmly monotheistic. Buddhism and Christianity emphasized their universalism and spread widely across ethnic and linguistic frontiers. While people were religious, they also sought specific answers to what governed our natural universe. These scientific thinkers saw no contradiction between the efforts to detect universal patterns in nature and their conviction that the god/gods fundamentally ruled it. As well, it should be noted that seminal thinkers arose in all 3 civilizations (550‐400 BCE) – Confucius and Lao‐zi, Buddha, and Socrates. Each inspired by the common need to articulate central values in their respective societies, as part of a larger process of generating a shared culture. Integration and contacts along with empires in decay helped spread world religions. Chinese traders learned of Buddhism while in India, Christianity spread along the trading routes of Rome, and empires in decline and deadly plagues created a desire to focus on spiritual matters. Both Christianity and Buddhism, different in many ways but similar in their emphasis on spiritual life and importance of divine power, reshaped much of Europe and Asia just as the structures in those regions declined or disappeared. They along with Hinduism (and Islam later on) all emphasized intense devotion and piety, stressing the importance of spiritual concerns beyond the daily cares of earthly life. All three offered the hope of a better existence after this life had ended, and each one responded to new political instability and to the growing poverty of people in various parts of the world. The spread of these religions meant that hundreds of thousands of people underwent a conversion process as the period drew to a close. Radically changing beliefs is an unusual human experience (symptomatic of the pressures faced). At the same time, many of the people blended new beliefs with the old and took on the local flavor of that civilization (such as Buddhism in China promoting paternalism rather than gender equality and Christianity moving the celebration of Christ’s birth to the widely celebrated winter solstice or church buildings retaining Roman architectural style). States of unprecedented size arose during this time period partly because of new technological developments that permitted rulers to extend their systems of central command farther away from their capitals. Perhaps the single most important invention of the era was the technology of iron production. Beginning around 1200‐1000 B.C., knowledge of how to smelt iron and work it into useful objects spread. Consequently, farmers wielding iron axes, hoes, spades, and plows opened millions of acres of virgin land. City artisans used iron hammers, chisels, and saws to erect great buildings of wood and stone. And monarchs increasingly armed soldiers with iron weapons and armor. The successful domestication of horses allowed for an armed cavalry that could operate on almost any terrain, and could transmit orders and information more quickly. Further development of alphabetic (rather than logographic) writing systems, which enabled literacy to spread more rapidly. As well, advanced road construction (particularly the Persians and Romans) and canal building (the Chinese) enabled the empire to connect culturally, militarily, and economically. Through much of recorded human history, nomadic peoples have been key agents of contact between sedentary farming peoples and town dwellers across civilizations. Nomadic peoples pioneered all the great overland routes that linked the civilized cores of Eurasia in ancient times and in the Middle Ages (most famous is the Silk Road). Religions such as Buddhism and Islam spread peacefully along trading routes as did artistic motifs and styles. Inventions that were vital to the continued growth and expansion of the civilized cores were carried in war and peace by traders and nomadic peoples such as paper making and new military technologies. Defense against nomadic assaults inspired the Great Wall of China as well as the development of gunpowder and cannons. Nomads also transferred new seeds as well as disease (plague) and eventually invaded the major civilizations directly, helping to bring the classical period as a whole to an end. Between 200 and 600 C.E. all three classical civilizations collapsed entirely or in part. During this four century span, all suffered from outside invasions, the result of growing incursions by groups from central Asia (Rome, though falling to Germanic invaders, fought on partly because they were harassed by the Asiatic Huns). The Huns swept into Rome as well as overthrowing the Guptas of India and similar tribes had earlier toppled the Chinese Han Dynasty. *Information adapted from http://worldhistoryforusall.sdsu.edu/eras/era4.php
Recommended Pacing 90 Days State Standards Standard 6.2 World History/Global Studies: All students will acquire the knowledge and skills to think analytically and systematically about how past interactions of people, cultures, and the environment affect issues across time and cultures. Such knowledge and skills enable students to make informed decisions as socially and ethically responsible world citizens in the 21st century. CPI # Cumulative Progress Indicator (CPI) 6.2.8.A.3.a Compare and contrast the methods (i.e., autocratic rule, philosophies, and bureaucratic structures; communication and transportation systems) used by the rulers of Rome, China, and India to control and unify their expanding empires. 6.2.8.A.3.b Compare and contrast the rights and responsibilities of free men, women, slaves, and foreigners in the political, economic, and social structures of classical civilizations. 6.2.8.A.3.c Determine the foundational concepts and principles of Athenian democracy and the Roman Republic that later influenced the development of the United States Constitution. 6.2.8.A.3.d Compare and contrast the roles and responsibilities of citizens in Athens and Sparta to those of United States citizens today, and evaluate how citizens perceived the principles of liberty and equality then and now. 6.2.8.A.3.e Compare and contrast the American legal system and the legal systems of classical civilizations, and determine the extent to which the early systems influenced the current legal system. 6.2.8.B.3.a Determine how geography and the availability of natural resources influenced the development of the political, economic, and cultural systems of each of the classical civilizations and provided motivation for expansion. 6.2.8.B.3.b Explain how geography and the availability of natural resources led to both the development of 6.2.8.C.3.a 6.2.8.C.3.b 6.2.8.C.3.c 6.2.8.D.3.a 6.2.8.D.3.b 6.2.8.D.3.c 6.2.8.D.3.d 6.2.8.D.3.e 6.2.8.D.3.f Greek city‐states and to their demise. Analyze the impact of expanding land and sea trade routes through the Mediterranean Basin, India, and China. Explain how the development of a uniform system of exchange facilitated trade in classical civilizations. Explain how classical civilizations used technology and innovation to enhance agricultural/manufacturing output and commerce, to expand military capabilities, to improve life in urban areas, and to allow for greater division of labor. Compare and contrast social hierarchies in classical civilizations as they relate to power, wealth, and equality. Relate the Chinese dynastic system to the longevity of authoritarian rule in China. Determine common factors that contributed to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, Gupta India, and Han China. Compare the golden ages of Greece, Rome, India, and China, and justify major achievements that represent world legacies. Compare and contrast the tenets of various world religions that developed in or around this time period (i.e., Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, and Taoism), their patterns of expansion, and their responses to the current challenges of globalization. Determine the extent to which religions, mythologies, and other belief systems shaped the values of classical societies. Instructional Focus
Unit Enduring Understandings  In general, it can be said that all classical civilizations were built upon advances made in the ARVC period. However, Classical civilizations were not mere extensions of civilizations past. They created large, more sophisticated political structures to help solidify and administrate territory taken in battle or through economic expansion. They established more refined systems of philosophy, spirituality, as well as scientific and mathematical knowledge.  Each classical civilization spread beyond its immediate geography to absorb greater numbers of distinctly different people. This created a need for institutions that could accommodate diverse populations without compromising the existing systems that accounted for success in the first place. The challenge was to not only expand but to integrate/unite the new territory into the greater empire. The problems of expansion and integration, and the subsequent means to overcome those issues, in part became the characteristics of the classical period.  The increase in population and densities in cities meant that humans had to experiment with new ways of organizing their social, economic, and cultural relations. Therefore, civilizations that emerged in this era became larger, more complex, and more efficient at waging war and collecting taxes from ordinary people.  All these states and empires enjoyed extended periods of political order and economic prosperity. In turn, those conditions stimulated long‐distance exchange. Interregional systems of communication and transportation connected much of Africa, Europe, and Asia, allowing for goods, technologies, and ideas to move over thousands of miles.  While most people still practiced local religions (systems centered on local gods and goddesses) an increasing number began to follow one of the world religions that embraced people of differing languages and cultural traditions. These new belief systems, however, were by no means all the same. Each one offered distinctive answers to persistent questions about the human condition and different ways of approaching worship, ritual, and communal life. The spread of these religions meant that hundreds of thousands of people underwent a conversion process as the period drew to a close. Radically changing beliefs is an unusual human experience (symptomatic of the pressures faced). At the same time, many of the people blended new beliefs with the old and took on the local flavor of that civilization (such as Buddhism in China promoting paternalism rather than gender equality and Christianity moving the celebration of Christ’s birth to the widely celebrated winter solstice or church buildings retaining Roman architectural style).  Through much of recorded human history, nomadic peoples have been key agents of contact between sedentary farming peoples and town dwellers across civilizations. During this time period, all the classical civilizations suffered from outside invasions, the result of growing incursions by groups from central Asia.  Greece and Rome do not merely constitute a westward push of civilization from its earlier bases but also represent the formation of new institutions and values that would reverberate in the later history of the Middle East and Europe alike. The framers of the American Constitution were extremely conscious of Greek and Roman precedents and greatly influenced the framing of our government.  While democracy provides individual’s the greatest opportunity for liberty, freedom, and equality – it can be short‐sighted (when tending to the passions of the majority), inefficient, indecisive, and open to criticism; making it less desirable for aspiring powerful nations. Unit Essential Questions  What distinguishes the classical civilizations in this period from the ARVC’s?  What are the benefits and challenges for expanding an empire?  How do the government, economy, society, and culture change as a result of increased growth and connection?  How does the spread of religion change how people lived? What they thought? How they viewed themselves and others?  Were the nomads more “criminals” or “change agents”?  Which form of democracy served as a model for American democracy and why?  How did democracy contribute both to the rise and fall of Greece and Rome? How did these failures inform our system of government? Objectives Students will know:  Determine the foundational concepts and principles of Athenian democracy and the Roman Republic that later influenced the development of the United States Constitution.  Determine how geography and the availability of natural resources influenced the development of the political, economic, and cultural systems of each of the classical civilizations and provided motivation for expansion.  Explain how geography and the availability of natural resources led to both the development of Greek city‐
states and to their demise.  Explain how the development of a uniform system of exchange facilitated trade in classical civilizations.  Explain how classical civilizations used technology and innovation to enhance agricultural/manufacturing output and commerce, to expand military capabilities, to improve life in urban areas, and to allow for greater division of labor.  Relate the Chinese dynastic system to the longevity of authoritarian rule in China.  Determine common factors that contributed to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, Gupta India, and Han China.  Determine the extent to which religions, mythologies, and other belief systems shaped the values of classical societies. Students will be able to:  Compare and contrast the methods (i.e., autocratic rule, philosophies, and bureaucratic structures; communication and transportation systems) used by the rulers of Rome, China, and India to control and unify their expanding empires.  Compare and contrast the rights and responsibilities of free men, women, slaves, and foreigners in the 
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political, economic, and social structures of classical civilizations. Compare and contrast the roles and responsibilities of citizens in Athens and Sparta to those of United States citizens today, and evaluate how citizens perceived the principles of liberty and equality then and now. Compare and contrast the American legal system and the legal systems of classical civilizations, and determine the extent to which the early systems influenced the current legal system. Analyze the impact of expanding land and sea trade routes through the Mediterranean Basin, India, and China. Compare and contrast social hierarchies in classical civilizations as they relate to power, wealth, and equality. Compare the golden ages of Greece, Rome, India, and China, and justify major achievements that represent world legacies. Compare and contrast the tenets of various world religions that developed in or around this time period (i.e., Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, and Taoism), their patterns of expansion, and their responses to the current challenges of globalization. Resources
Core Text: The Ancient World, Prentice‐Hall Suggested Resources: History Alive: The Ancient World, TCI