What to expect in our class!

This year we will be diving into the history of a variety of cultures! Our historical timeline will span from the Fall of Rome to Enlightenment! Together we will discuss the America's, Rome, Medieval Europe, Islamic Civilization, India in the Middle Ages, Imperial China, Japan, Korea, world religions, explorations and trade!

By 300 CE, when the 7th grade curriculum “begins,” the key regions of Afroeurasia - China, South Asia or India, the Middle East or Southwest Asia, and the Mediterranean or Europe- and extensive areas around these key regions, were connected by trade routes. 

Exports derived from natural resources, such as luxury products , metals, and spices, crisscrossed Afroeurasia, as did armies of nomads, migrating tribes of settlers/warriors, travelers and merchants. They carried with them religious and philosophical ideas, such as Christianity and Buddhism, art styles, languages, and medical techniques. 

By 1550, the flow of trade encircled the earth, linking environments, cultures, and economics. The globalization of the modern world is part of this continuing pattern of increasing interaction. 

Questions: 

How did the distant regions of the world become more interconnected through medieval and early modern times? 

How did major religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism) and cultural systems (Confucianism, the Scientific Revolution, and the Enlightenment) develop and change over time? How did they spread to multiple cultures? 

What were the multiple ways people of different cultures interacted at the sites of encounter? What were the effects of their interactions? 

Why did many states and empires gain more power over people and territories over the course of medieval and modern times? 

How did the environment and technological innovations affect the expansion of agriculture, cities, and human population?  What impact did human expansion have on the environment? 

Classroom Driving Questions 

1. Why is it important to learn about the past?

2. How can understanding patterns help to make predictions and/or influence outcomes?

3. How do people’s experiences impact who they are?

4. Why is it essential to defend human rights?

5. Why does fear of the unknown lead to prejudice?

6. How does conflict create change?