Unit Description: The consolidation of economic and political power within the Classical civilizations, including imperial expansion, contributed to new encounters and conflicts, as well as the eventual decline of these classical civilizations.
Stage 1- Desired Results
Essential Questions
Enduring Understandings
Students understand that...
How did Classical civilizations in Eurasia and Mesoamerica expand and maintain their vast empires?
What significant and enduring contributions and achievements did these Classical civilizations make?
What factors contributed to the decline and fall of these Classical Empires?
Classical civilizations in Eurasia and Mesoamerica employed a variety of methods to expand and maintain control over vast territories. They developed lasting cultural achievements. Both internal and external forces led to the eventual decline of these empires.
Common Core Standards and Performance Indicators:
Unifying Themes:
Development, Movement, and Interaction of Cultures (MOV)
Time, Continuity, and Change (TCC)
Geography, Humans, and the Environment (GEO)
Power, Authority, and Governance (GOV)
Social Studies Content Area Standards:
Social Studies Practices (begin on page 3)
Common Core Learning Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science,and Technical Subjects (begins on page 76)
Knowledge
Students know that...
9.3a Geographic factors encouraged and hindered a state’s/empire’s expansion and interactions.
9.3b Empires used belief systems, systems of law, forms of government, military forces, and social hierarchies to consolidate and expand power.
9.3c A period of peace, prosperity, and cultural achievements can be designated as a Golden Age.
9.3d Political, socioeconomic, and environmental issues, external conflicts, and nomadic invasions led to the decline and fall of Classical empires.
Skills
Students will be able to...
Key Vocabulary:
Classical
Empire
Golden Age
consolidate
Republic
aristocracy
oligarchy
polis
democracy
imperialism
expansionism
aqueducts
mercenaries
inflation
tolerance
dissent
bureaucracy
Students will examine the locations and relative sizes of classical political entities (Greece, Gupta, Han, Maurya, Maya, Qin, Rome) noting the location and size of each in relation to the amount of power each held within a region.
Students will investigate how geographic factors encouraged or hindered expansion and interactions within the Greek, Roman, and Mayan civilizations.
Students will compare and contrast how the Mauryan, Qin, and Roman civilizations consolidated and increased power.
Students will examine the achievements of Greece, Gupta, Han Dynasty, Maya, and Rome to determine if the civilizations experienced a Golden Age.
Students will compare and contrast the forces that led to the fall of the Han Dynasty, the Mayan civilization, and the Roman Empire.
Stage 2- Assessment Evidence
Summative Tasks
Formative Tasks
Ancient Greek Contributions DBQ (page 10)
Fall of the Western Roman Empire DBQ (page 17)
End of unit assessment: 24 multiple choice questions, followed by a thematic essay on classical civilizations and a DBQ on Qin and Roman empires.
Maps of Classical Civilizations with Questions:
The Rise and Fall of Han, Roman, and Ottoman Empires: students make lasting connections from the empires to today
Students will create a Venn diagram comparing the decline and fall of the Roman and Han Empires.
Students will rank the Classical civilizations in importance based upon which civilizations (they believe) have most influenced the modern world.
They will write an argument for the placement of each in that ranking.
Students will create a Venn diagram comparing the consolidation of power under Asoka (Maurya Empire) and Shi Huangdi (Qin).
Student will create a flowchart showing the factors that contributed to the fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire.
Governing a Chinese Empire: Han Feizi and Legalism Reading with Questions
Stage 3- Related Lessons
Lesson Plans and Content
Videos, Documents, and Resources
Asoka's Edicts: Primary source with questions about themes and inference
Comparing Roman Governments: Republic vs. Empire
How Democratic was the Roman Republic? (SHEG)
How Democratic was Athens? (SHEG)
Reasons for Decentralization in Mayan Civilization (page 57)
Inquiry Unit: Did Emperor Shi Huangdi improve China?
Inquiry unit: Did the Roman Empire fall?
Suggestions for Diverse Learners
Roman Republic resume: after consulting a diagram showing powers of all branches of the Roman Republic, students create a resume for one of the jobs listed. (Pages 20, 23)
12 Tables: Excerpts from the Roman laws; asks students to connect examples to the laws (pages 35-37)
Maya Disunity: (pgs. 60-63) short readings describe different aspects of Mayan life and students explain if each would help unify the Mayan people. Great for small groups or "around the world" activity.