This unit introduces students to the principles of historical inquiry with a focus on enduring issues in Modern World History. By engaging with compelling and supporting questions, students will develop the skills to identify and analyze major historical themes and problems that have persisted across time. Emphasis will be placed on evaluating diverse perspectives and determining the appropriate sources for addressing historical questions. This unit will lay the groundwork for critical thinking, analytical writing, and effective research methods to be used throughout the course.

4-5 Days

Standards Coding Key: 

Civ= Civics Geo= Geography Eco= Economics His= History Inq= Inquiry

Content Standards

MW.Hist.2.b

Summarize significant global developments from 1200 to 1400, including the expansion of trade networks such as the Silk Roads, the rise and influence of the Mongol Empire, the spread of major world religions, and the impact of political, economic, and cultural interactions across Afro-Eurasia. 

Inquiry Standards (all units) 

MW.Inq.1.a. 

Explain how a question reflects an enduring issue in Modern World History.

MW.Inq.1.b.

Explain how supporting questions contribute to an inquiry and how new compelling and supporting questions emerge when engaging sources that represent varied perspectives.

MW.Inq.1.c.

Determine the kinds of sources that will be helpful in answering compelling and supporting questions, taking into consideration multiple points of view represented in the sources, the types of sources available, and the potential uses of the sources.

Aligned to District Vision of a Graduate

An Effective Communicator 

• clearly and concisely conveys information for shared understanding

  • MW.Hist.2.b.

  • MW.Inq.1.a.

  • MW.Inq.1.b.

  • MW.Inq.1.c.

• command of the language; written and verbal

  • MW.Hist.2.b.

  • MW.Inq.1.a.

  • MW.Inq.1.b.

Skilled Socially 

• uses effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills

  • MW.Hist.2.b.

  • MW.Inq.1.a.

  • MW.Inq.1.b.

A Critical Thinker 

• applies unbiased analysis and evaluation

  • MW.Hist.2.b.

  • MW.Inq.1.a.

  • MW.Inq.1.b.

  • MW.Inq.1.c.

• willing to adapt new information and question things

  • MW.Hist.2.b.

  • MW.Inq.1.a.

  • MW.Inq.1.b.

  • MW.Inq.1.c.

A Problem Solver

• can persevere and adapt

  • MW.Inq.1.b.

  • MW.Inq.1.c.

1. Why does it matter what stories we tell about the past, and how we tell them?

2. What enduring issues can be identified in Modern World History, and why are they significant?

3. How do compelling and supporting questions guide historical inquiry?

4. How can diverse sources help us understand different perspectives on historical events?

5. How did the expansion of trade networks, the rise of the Mongol Empire, and the spread of major world religions shape interactions and cultural exchange across Afro-Eurasia between 1200 and 1400?

Make connections between the past and present and understand the long-term impact of historical events. 

Understand compelling and supporting questions are essential tools for guiding historical inquiry, helping students think critically, analyze evidence, and build a deeper understanding of complex historical events. 

Describe how the expansion of trade networks, the influence of empires like the Mongols, and the spread of major religions between 1200 and 1400 created significant cross-cultural interactions and exchanges across Afro-Eurasia. 

MW.Hist.2.b

• Silk Roads and trade networks

• Trans-Saharan trade routes

• Indian Ocean trade network

• Mongol Empire

• Pax Mongolica

• Cultural diffusion

• Major world religions (Islam, Christianity, Buddhism)

• Empires and states (Song China, Islamic Caliphates, Mali)

• Goods (silk, gold, spices)

• Technologies (paper, compass)

• Economic exchange

• Political systems

• Afro-Eurasia

SMW.Inq.1.a. 

• Compelling questions

• Enduring issues (conflict, power, inequality, innovation)

• Historical significance

• Continuity and change

• Global connections

MW.Inq.1.b.

• Supporting questions

• Inquiry process

• Sources (primary and secondary)

• Perspectives

• Historical evidence

• Interpretation

MW.Inq.1.c.

• Primary sources

• Secondary sources

• Point of view

• Bias

• Source type (text, image, artifact, map)

• Credibility

• Use of evidence

MW.Hist.2.b

• Summarize key global developments from 1200–1400

• Explain how trade networks connected regions across Afro-Eurasia

• Analyze the impact of the Mongol Empire on trade and communication

• Describe how religions spread through trade and interaction

• Identify examples of cultural diffusion across regions

• Compare political and economic systems across empires

• Evaluate how interactions shaped societies, economies, and cultures

SMW.Inq.1.a. 

• Explain how a question connects to an enduring historical issue

• Identify enduring issues within historical topics

• Develop compelling questions about world history topics

• Justify why a question is historically significant

• Connect past issues to present-day concerns

MW.Inq.1.b.

• Develop supporting questions that break down a larger inquiry

• Explain how supporting questions guide research

• Revise questions based on new information from sources

• Compare different perspectives found in sources

• Generate new compelling and supporting questions during investigation

MW.Inq.1.c.

• Identify types of sources useful for answering questions

• Evaluate sources for perspective and bias

• Select appropriate sources for specific inquiry questions

• Compare sources representing multiple points of view

• Explain how different sources can be used as evidence

• Justify why certain sources are more useful than others

Formative Assessments: 

REQUIRED:

• Pretest - Geography/Reading 

• CFA - Unit 1

Suggested:

• Annotations and close reading analysis

• Quick writes and on-demand writing samples

• Do Nows/Bell Ringers

• Exit tickets

• 1:1 or small group conferring

Summative Assessments: 

REQUIRED:

• In development 

Suggested:

• Reading written response to text/thinking during reading assessment 

• On-demand writing assessment to revise/add to an existing story using style and craft of the author

• Performance task (see below)

• Independent Reading survey/reflection

• Book club/short story discussion observations

• Enduring issue

• Primary source

• Secondary source

• Silk road

• Trade

• Geography

Technology:

• Actively Learn

• Blooket

• BreakoutEDU

• EdPuzzle

• Kahoot!

• Kami

• Padlet

• SORA

• YouTube

Suggested Texts:  

• OER Project 1200 - Present - Unit 1 

• McGraw Hill Textbook Topics 5-9

  • Topic 5: The Islamic World

  • Topic 6: Medieval Europe 

  • Topic 7: Medieval South Asia and East Asia

  • Topic 8: Early Africa

  • Topic 9: Early Americas

• 
  

Cross Cycle Tasks:

Suggestions: 

• Have students begin reading a brief connected text at the end of the academic and finish during trade cycle.

• Use Google Forms for a questionnaire or survey about upcoming topic.

• Brief writing task related to end of cycle lesson or as a discussion piece for upcoming lesson.

• Student question development about upcoming topic. Provide question starters: Classroom Question Stems by Cormier; Hess; DOK; Bloom's Taxonomy.

• Quizlet Study Sets activity.

Last day of the Cycle:

• Students meet in small groups to read and discuss upcoming text for next cycle.

First day of the New Cycle:

• Students meet in small groups to discuss reflection, response, and question posts from previous cycle (approx. 15 minutes)

Connecticut Core Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science Technical Subjects

    https://learning.ccsso.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ELA_Standards1.pdf

• Students present their data visualizations and models, linking STEM findings to historical and literary insights. They write reflective essays based on their research. 

• Have students write essays or speeches comparing the ideals in these documents with issues, fostering analytical and persuasive skills.

Connecticut Secondary Social Studies Standards: Social Studies Inquiry Arc

Mathematical Practice Standards

Next Generation Science Standards 

    Standards for students that are aligned to priority standards

    https://www.nextgenscience.org/search-standards

• Collect qualitative data from historical documents and speeches.

• Use spreadsheets or software to chart trends.

• Construct decision trees or flowcharts.

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) 

    Standards for students that are aligned to priority standards

    https://iste.org/standards/students

Arts

• Creative Projects: Encourage students to create multimedia presentations or artistic works expressing their understanding of world history inspired by these texts.

CTE Competency Standards

• Utilizing tasks, projects and assignments that connect to trade technologies:

  • Aerospace Manufacturing

  • Architecture

  • Automotive Technology

  • Automotive Collision Repair and Refinishing

  • Bioscience and Environmental Technology

  • Biotechnology

  • Building and Civil Construction

  • Culinary Arts

  • Criminal Justice and Protective Services

  • Digital Media

  • Diesel and Heavy - Duty Equipment Repair

  • Electrical

  • Graphic Design

  • Heating

  • Ventilation and Air Conditioning

  • Health Technology

  • Hairdressing and Cosmetology

  • Information Technology

  • Landscape Design

  • Installation and Equipment

  • Masonry

  • Mechanical Design and Engineering Technology

  • Precision Machining Technology

  • Plumbing and Heating

  • Plumbing, Heating and Cooling

  • Robotics and Automation

  • Tourism

  • Hospitality and Guest Services Management

  • Veterinary Science

  • Welding and Metal Fabrication

Components of Social, Emotional, and Intellectual Habits 

• Develop logic and reasoning/Critical and analytic thinking

• Use evidence and critical thinking to support claims, make arguments and critique the reasoning of others; explain own thinking and responds to others’ thinking 

• Develop logic and reasoning/Applying known information to new experiences

• Compare, contrast and evaluate experiences, tasks and events building on prior knowledge 

• Develop logic and reasoning/Reasoning and problem solving

• Analyze attributes to classify, compare and contrast objects, events and experiences (similarities, differences and associations) 

• Develop a positive attitude toward learning/Cooperation during learning experiences

• Listen, discuss, and negotiate ideas in order to discover new learning with peers

Enduring Issues Gallery Walk

Standards Addressed: MW.Inq.1.a

Activity: Students rotate through stations with historical images, quotes, or events from different time periods (e.g., conflict, trade, migration, inequality). At each station, students identify a possible enduring issue and write a question that reflects it.

Outcome: Students practice linking questions to recurring themes in world history.

2. Question Builder Workshop

Standards Addressed: MW.Inq.1.b

Activity: Provide students with a compelling question (e.g., "How did the Mongols impact global trade?"). Students develop at least three supporting questions, then read a source and revise or create new questions based on what they learn.

Outcome: Students understand how questions evolve and support deeper inquiry.

3. Source Sorting Challenge

Standards Addressed: MW.Inq.1.c

Activity: Give students a variety of sources (primary/secondary, maps, texts, artifacts, images). Students sort them based on usefulness for answering specific supporting questions, citing perspective, type, and reliability.

Outcome: Students analyze source types and justify why and how sources are helpful for inquiry.

4. Interactive Timeline Project: Afro-Eurasia 1200–1400

Standards Addressed: MW.Hist.2.b

Activity: In groups, students research and create a digital or physical timeline of key developments between 1200–1400 (Silk Roads, Mongol Empire, religious spread, trade interactions).

Outcome: Students summarize global developments and understand historical interconnectivity.

5. Jigsaw Reading: Mongol Influence & Trade

Standards Addressed: MW.Hist.2.b, MW.Inq.1.b–c

Activity: Assign each group a different source (e.g., a Chinese trader, Persian historian, European merchant). Each group reads and summarizes their source’s view on the Mongols and trade, then teaches it to others.

Outcome: Students engage with multiple perspectives and learn how source type and origin affect interpretation.

Use these reflective questions to enhance critical consciousness for diversity and equity for both educators and students.

• Why is it important for me and my students to be critically conscious for diversity and equity?

• How do I define diversity? How do my students define diversity? What do I need to learn? What do my students need to learn?

• How do I define equity? How do my students define equity? What do I need to learn? What do my students need to learn?

• How does my identity and my students’ identities impact my teaching and classroom practices? How does it impact my students’ learning and engagement?

• What do I know about various aspects of identity? What do I need to learn?

• What do my students know about various aspects of identity? What do they need to learn?

In developing our social studies curriculum, we place a strong emphasis on cultural relevance to captivate and empower our students. It’s important to create inclusive spaces for meaningful dialogues where students not only engage with previous lessons but also share their unique life narratives, contributing to a collective awareness of diverse perspectives. The aim is to thoughtfully integrate the rich cultural tapestry of students' homes into the social studies classroom, mindful of the multifaceted diversity within our communities. 

Cultivate authentic connections with families through reciprocal conversations that honor their cultures as invaluable assets for promoting both equity and learning. This approach prioritizes experiences that place students at the forefront, ensuring activities not only mirror their lives but also provide windows to a broader understanding of an equitable world. 

One crucial context, language serves as a powerful conduit to students' diverse cultural backgrounds. Embrace a translanguaging approach, recognizing and appreciating the varied linguistic repertoires our students bring to the social studies classroom. This approach acknowledges that individuals draw upon diverse languages and language varieties, such as English and Spanish, to construct a meaningful understanding of equity and diversity in their educational journey. 

For information on how to support English Learners in this unit, refer to the Connecticut English Language Proficiency (CELP) Standards with Correspondences to the K-12 Practices and Connecticut Core Standards. 

Use the EL Strategies Desk Cards (Tip Sheets for ALL Classroom Teachers) for specific questioning techniques and teaching strategies to support students’ learning.