Click the link above to see the list of 7th Grade Essential Standards. These are the California State Standards and the topics in BOLD are standards the MMS History Department has identified as important and essential to cover in depth during the year.
Mr Dowling’s Electronic Passport: Ancient Africa
Mr. Dowling’s Electronic Passport helps kids browse the world in his virtual classroom. He introduces you to many civilizations with clear explanations, engaging graphics for kids, and “cool links”. His study guides, homework assignments and exams are free and available for you to print or to edit.
From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians
Part of PBS’s Frontline series, this site explores archeological clues to Jesus’ life, paints a portrait of the Roman world, examines the gospels and first Christians, and discusses why Christianity succeeded. There are maps, a timeline, an anthology of primary sources, a discussion forum, and a biblical quiz. An excellent introductory site.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/
Additional reading materials for the Roman Empire
http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/index.html
Scroll down and download the lessons and activities
https://www.mrdowling.com/613chinesehistory.html
Takla Makan Mummies: Mysterious Mummies of China
In the late 1980’s, perfectly preserved 3000-year-old mummies began appearing in a remote Chinese desert. They had long reddish-blond hair, European features, and didn’t appear to be the ancestors of modern-day Chinese people. Archaeologists now think they may have been the citizens of an ancient civilization that existed at the crossroads between China and Europe. PBS NOVA Online presentation.
This site from Columbia University offers an on-line curriculum about East Asia including lectures, discussion questions, handouts and supplementary materials. Some excellent teaching resources to be found here. I suggest you explore the teaching units under “history to 1800” and “history, 1800 to present.”
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/
Mongols Web Quest
Women and Confucianism
http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/lesson3.html
This extensive BBC offering presents the Middle Ages as a period of “massive social change, burgeoning nationalism, international conflict, terrible natural disaster, climate change, rebellion, resistance and renaissance.” The site is essentially a series of extended essays by various academics accompanied by related images.There are seven main sections: Overview; Henry II; John and Richard; Hundred Years War, The Black Death, Richard II, House of Lancaster and York; and Art & Architecture. A useful introduction to the period, though lacking in user interactivity.
Click on this link: Renaissance
This informative Annenberg/CPB site introduces the visitor to the intellectual, political, technological, and economic forces that drove cultural rebirth in Europe, and in Italy in particular. There are five sections: Out of the Middle Ages, Exploration and Trade, Printing and Thinking, Symmetry, Shape, Size, and Focus on Florence. Out of the Middle Ages covers the plague, a new middle class, and the resurgence of cities. Exploration and Trade discusses the beginning of trade in the period and the impact of explorers. Printing and Thinking focuses on the demand for books, the emergence of humanism, and how thinking changed in the Renaissance. Symmetry, Shape, Size covers proportions in architecture, as well as painting and music. This interactive site also has a role-playing trade game and a learning module. Related Resources include web links and book recommendations.
Japan by period
https://kids.kiddle.co/History_of_Japan
Crash Course History video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnZEoOJ-cxE&disable_polymer=true
Google Slides on the Samurai Era
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/10QMfs3U165LyCfh4Hxoaec8ui7nX9gQj4gDlnsoptZs/edit?usp=sharing
Student Edition: Sun Gods and Jaguar Kings
https://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/eei/unitdocs/grade07/771/771se.pdf
Student Edition: Broken Jade and Tarnished Gold
https://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/eei/unitdocs/grade07/773/773se.pdf