Unit 4: Classical Traditions and Major Empires Lesson 1

Seventh Grade Social Studies SS070401

Unit 4: Classical Traditions and Major Empires Lesson 1

Graphic Organizer

Big Idea Card

Big Ideas of Lesson 1, Unit 4
·  In the time period from 1000 B.C.E. – 500 C.E., large civilizations developed in present-day China and India, as well as in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and Northeast Africa. Many of these civilizations became major empires that spanned large portions of Afroeurasia.
·  These empires were organized around a core city center but reached well beyond urban areas through trade and imperial expansion over time.
·  People in these empires developed governments and militaries as well as networks for transportation and trade that connected diverse peoples across Afroeurasia.
·  A somewhat different version of empire was developing independently in the Americas during the same time period.

Word Cards

1
city-state
a city that, with its surrounding territory, forms an independent state
Example: Athens and Sparta were powerful city-states in Greece that influenced much of the surrounding area.
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dynasty
a line of hereditary rulers of a country or empire
Example: China was ruled by several different dynasties that passed power from person to person within the same family.
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3
empire
an extensive group of states or countries under a single, supreme authority
Example: The Roman empire was large and powerful.
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trade route
a series of paths or roads used for the exchange of goods and services across and within regions
Example: People from all over Afroeurasia exchanged ideas and good over the 4000 mile long Silk Road.
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Student Handout 1 - Argument Formation Note Tracker

Driving question: What does it take to become an Empire?

Over the course of this unit, you will think, write, and talk about what it takes for a civilization to become and maintain an empire. You will take notes and record your thinking on this sheet (or in your own notes using this same format).

Your goal will be to identify important things that a society needs to have and do in order to become an empire. You will also need to keep track of examples (places, people, dates, events, etc.) to use as evidence to support your argument about what it takes to become an empire.

Model: What does it take to form an agricultural village?

Location of Information / Things people need to have or do to change from foraging to agriculture: / Examples / Evidence
Unit 2 / ·  Geographic Luck – access to plants and animals that can be domesticated
·  Temperate climate
·  Enough people to populate a village
·  The ability to communicate and learn from each other / Catal Hoyuk, the village in present day Turkey... an early agricultural village
·  There were humans living as foragers in the area
·  They had access to several types of grains
·  The climate there is mild

What does it take to become an empire?

Location of Information / Things a society needs to have or do to become an empire / Examples / Evidence
What I think right now (at the beginning of Lesson 1) after I have studied agricultural civilizations.
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
Location of Information / Things a society needs to have or do to become an empire / Examples / Evidence
Lesson 3
Lesson 4
Lesson 5
Lesson 6
Lesson 7
Lesson 8
Lesson 9

Reflections

Describe how your thinking has changed or developed since the beginning of the unit about the question: What does it take to become an empire?

Student Handout 2: Thinking about Empires

1. Using the timeline on Slide 11, engage in a small group conversation and jot down your thoughts to each of the questions below:

a)  What is the time frame of Era 3?

b)  Why do the dates change from BCE to CE? What does this mean?

c)  What is happening on the top half of this timeline?

d)  What is happening on the bottom half?

e)  What seems to be the pattern of change during this era?

f)  Why do you think empires rise and fall?

2. Use the chart below to record information about empires during Era 3.

Empire Name / Slides / Time period / Thinking Questions.... record an answer in the space below.
12 / What happens to the area under Assyrian control between 911 and 680 BCE?
13 / What happens to the Persian Empire between 550 and 490 BCE?
Who controlled much of this area before the Persian Empire?
14 / What do you think trade routes and royal roads had to do with the growth of the Persian Empire?
15 / Persepolis was a core city in the Persian Empire. What is a core (think about apples)?
Why would core cities have been important to the formation of empires?
Empire Name / Slides / Time period / Thinking Questions.... record an answer in the space below.
Key Empires and Trade Routes of the Era / 16 / What do you notice about this map?
What were some of the key empires at this time (around 200 to 330 BCE)?
How and why do you think Alexander the Great used trade routes?
17 / The empire of Alexander the Great joined together areas previously controlled by Greece and Persia. How do you think having such a large area under the control of one empire changed both areas?
Why do you think Alexander is called “the Great”? Would the people he conquered have called him that? How do you think these types of titles become part of history?
18 / What do you notice about the changing size and shape of the Roman Empire?
What do you think made this possible?
Trade and Communication / 19 / How were the empires of Afroeurasia connected in 100 CE (AD)?
Why do you think these connections may have been important?
What were the benefits and drawbacks of these connections?
Turn and Talk / 20 / What seems to be the pattern of change during this time period?
Timeline / 21 / Why do you think the timeline is structured the way it is? Why did the timeline author separate out the Americas from Afroeurasia?

Student Handout 2 – Unit 4, Lesson 1 Note Tracker – Teacher Reference Sheet

Timeline Questions – Slide 10:

Small group conversations... Two Turn and Talk pairs discuss answers and jot down your thoughts.

·  What is the time frame of Era 3?

·  Why do the dates change from BCE to CE? What does this mean?

·  What is happening on the top half of this timeline?

·  What is happening on the bottom half?

·  What seems to be the pattern of change during this era?

·  Why do you think empires rise and fall?

Name of empire / Slides / Time period – dates
on slides / Thinking Questions.... record an answer in the space provided.
Assyria / 11 / 911 BCE to 680 BCE / What happens to the area under Assyrian control between 911 and 680 BCE?
It gets quite a bit bigger; the empire grows from two city-states to a large area from the Persian Gulf to Egypt.
Persia / 12 / 550 BCE to 490 BCE / What happens to the Persian Empire between 550 and 490 BCE?
It grows... expanding outward from a city-state near the Persian Gulf. It looks like it expands into the area of Assyria and beyond, all the way from the Indus River to Egypt.
Who controlled much of this area before the Persian Empire?
Assyria
13 / What do you think trade routes and royal roads had to do with the growth of the Persian Empire?
Road and trade routes helped the Persian army move into new areas as they tried to conquer other peoples and increase the size of the empire. Trade also lead to contact which helped spread Persian culture, and also helped the Persians learn new ideas from other people.
14 / Persepolis was a core city in the Persian Empire. What is a core (think about apples)?
A central area or part... the middle.
Why would core cities have been important to the formation of empires?
Maybe they provided a place for the government to organize and build an army. Cities have large populations, and lots of people are needed for big armies. Cities also have lots of technology and innovation because there are more people, and this might help an empire grow.
Key Empires and Trade Routes of the Era / 15 / 221 BCE / What do you notice about this map?
There are various empires in Afroeurasia, along similar lines of latitude. The empires overlap with the locations of the river valley civilizations.
What were some of the key empires at this time (around 200 to 330 BCE)?
Qin; Mauryan; Seleucid; Ptolemaic; Xiongnu
How and why do you think Alexander the Great used trade routes?
He probably used the trade routes as roads to take his army and conquer areas that had lots of resources. We can see this better if we compare slides 15 and 16 and compare the trade routes with the extent of Alexander’s empire.
Hellenic – Alexander the Great / 16 / The empire of Alexander the Great joined together areas previously controlled by Greece and Persia. How do you think having such a large area under the control of one empire changed both areas?
Answers will vary; possible answers might include mixing of cultures and traditions, adding in Macedonian traditions; spread of technologies; increased ease of travel and exchange.
Why do you think Alexander is called “the Great”? Would the people he conquered have called him that? How do you think these types of titles become part of history?
Answers will vary; should mention that Alexander conquered a huge area in a relatively short time. Students should consider the perspectives of conquered people who might not have seen Alexander as a hero. Students might conclude something along the lines of the “victors write the history.” Those who control territory produce their own histories which get passed on.
Rome / 17 / What do you notice about the changing size and shape of the Roman Empire?
It gets bigger and ends up surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.
What do you think made this possible?
A strong government and a large army with good weapons and technology.
Trade and Communication / 18 / How were the empires of Afroeurasia connected in 100 CE (AD)?
Trade routes connected these empires -- on land and on water.
Why do you think these connections may have been important?
These connections helped people exchange goods, technology, culture, and ideas.
What were the benefits and drawbacks of these connections?
People could interact and learn from each other across empires and get new goods and ideas. On the other hand, things like diseases could spread, and invasions could happen along these routes.
Turn and Talk: / 19 / What seems to be the pattern of change during this time period?
Answers will vary, but students should notice that empire grew quickly, but were also taken over or absorbed by other empires.... control of the same areas changed hands over time. Networks and contacts seem to increase as well (intensification of contact).
Timeline – / 20 / Why do you think the timeline is structured the way it is? Why did the timeline author separate out the Americas from Afroeurasia?
It shows both space and time, with different areas lumped together within the larger passage of time. The Americas had a different story and didn’t follow the same pattern.

Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum Page 11 of 11

Oakland Schools February 20, 2013