GRADE 9 FOCUS QUESTIONS
UNIT 1 - Introduction
1.1 Introduction
1.2 What are the basic geographyterms that we need to know for this year?
1.3 How do different social scientists work together to better understand the past?
1.4 How did early humans adapt to their environment to survive?
1.5 How did the development of agriculture during the Neolithic Revolution change the way early people lived?
1.6 What are the characteristics of early civilizations?
UNIT 2 – Early Civilizations
2.1 Why was Ancient Egypt such a successful civilization?
2.2 How did government and religion impact the daily lives of ancient Egyptians?
2.3 Why was Mesopotamia such a successful civilization?
2.4 How does the Code of Hammurabi reflect Mesopotamian culture?
Review: How do the ancient civilizations of Egypt and the Fertile Crescent compare?
2.5 Why was the Indus River Valley such a successful civilization?
2.6 Why were the ancient Chinese civilizations of the Huang He and Yangzi river valleys successful? (Shang Dynasty)
2.7 How do the ancient river valley civilizations compare to each other?
2.8 How did changing geography bring about migration in Africa?
(Case study: Bantu migration)
UNIT 3 – part 1: Classical Civilizations of the East
3.1 How did Hinduism develop in India and how has it influenced Indian civilization?
3.2 How did Buddhism develop in India?
3.3 Why was the MauryaEmpire so successful?
3.4 Why was the Gupta Empire so successful?
3.5 India: Timeline
3.6 How did the Zhou dynasty impact China? (Confucianism and Taoism)
3.7 How did Shi Huangdi and the Qin dynasty transform China?
(Legalism and the Great Wall)
3.8 Why was the Han dynasty considered a golden age in Chinese history?
3.9 How did the Tang and Song dynasties expand China’s wealth and power?
3.10 China: Timeline
UNIT 3 – part 2: Classical Civilizations of the West
3.11 How did Greece’s geography lead to the creation of city-states?
How did the two most powerful city-states, Athens and Sparta, compare?
3.12 SOAPStone (Pericles’ Funeral Oration during the Peloponnesian War)
Homework: Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian War
3.13 How did Alexander the Great help create Hellenistic culture?
3.14 Timeline: Greece
3.15 How did the Roman Empire become so powerful?
3.16 What were the most significant contributions of the Roman Empire?
3.17 How does the Roman Empire compare to the Han dynasty?
UNIT 4 – Eurasian Interaction
4.1 How did the people of the classical period interact through trade?
4.2How was Judaism different from all of the belief systems that came before it?
4.3 How did Christianity build on Jewish beliefs while developing new ideas?
4.4 How do Judaism and Christianitycompare?
4.5 How did belief systemsspread and expand?
4.6 How do belief systems compare?
4.7 Why was the Byzantine Empire so important to Europe’s history?
4.8 Was the Byzantine Empire better or worse off under the rule of Justinian?
4.9 What were the major achievements of the Byzantine Empire?
4.10 How did the Byzantine Empireimpact Russia?
4.11What are they key beliefs of Islam?
4.12 How is Islam similar to Judaism and Christianity? How is it different?
4.13 Where did Islam spread and why was it successful in gaining followers?
4.14 How were people impacted by the spread of Islam and the creation of Muslim Empires?
4.15 Why was the height of Islamic civilization considered a golden age?
UNIT 5 – Feudalism
5.1 Why did feudalism and manorialism develop?
5.2 Feudalism document work
5.3 How did the Catholic Church impact life in the middle ages?
5.4 What were the cultural achievements of medieval times?
5.5 Why did Alexius I and Pope Urban II want Christians to fight?
5.6 Why did the Crusades occur and what was the outcome?
5.7 How did the Crusadesimpact the world?
5.8 How did Japan’s geography impact its development?
5.9 How was feudalism structured in Japan?
5.10 How did the Tokugawa Shogunate change Japan?
5.11 How do European feudalism and Japanese feudalism compare?
UNIT 6 – Resurgence of Europe
6.1 Why was there a resurgence of trade after the Crusades?
6.2 How did the bubonic plague begin and how did it impact the world?
6.3 Bubonic plague document work
6.4 How did the commercial revolution impact Europe?
6.5 How did the Renaissance change life in Europe?
6.6 Renaissance document work
6.7 How does the painting “The School of Athens” illustrate many of the ideas of the Renaissance?
6.8 Why did the Protestant Reformation occur?
6.9 How did the Catholic Church respond to the Protestant Reformation? (Counter Reformation)
6.10 How did nation-states develop in Europe? Case study: France
UNIT 7 – Powerful Civilizations Outside of Europe
7.1 Why were the early West African civilizations significant? (Ghana, Mali, Songhai) (2 days)
7.2 How was Africa involved in global trade?
7.3 What are the characteristics of the Olmec civilization?
7.4 What are the characteristics of the Maya civilization?
7.5 How did the Aztecs build and control their empire?
7.6 How did the Inca build and control their empire?
7.7 What factors led to the rise of the Mongols?
7.8 How did Mongol rule change Eurasia?
7.9 Why did the Ming dynasty send Zheng He on seven expeditions?
7.10 How did the decision to stop overseas expeditions reflect changes within the Ming dynasty?
7.11 How did the Ottoman Empire come to power and how did this disrupt life for Europeans?
7.12 What are the legacies of the Ottoman Empire?
7.13 Why did the Ottoman Empire decline?
UNIT 8 – Exploration and Expansion
8.1 Why are the Vikings significant?
8.2 Why did Europeans explore and expand their influence starting in the 1400s?
8.3 Discussion: Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress, an excerpt from Howard Zinn’s The People’s History of the United States
8.4 What is imperialism and how did it affect the world?
8.5 How did the Spanish conquests affect life in the Americas?
8.6 How did the Columbian exchange change the world?
8.7 Why were Europeans interested in Africa?
8.8 Why did mercantilism begin and how did it affect Europeans?
8.9How did nation-states develop in Europe? Case study: France
8.10How did absolute monarchs centralize their power?
8.11How did Louis XIV impact France? Why is Louis XIV often considered the epitome of absolute monarchy?
8.12 How did democratic traditions evolve in England?