Grade 7 Social Studies Tennessee standards Standards

Southwest Asia and North Africa: 400-1500s CE

Identify and locate the geographical features of East Asia, including: China, Gobi Desert, Korean Peninsula, Sea of Japan (East Sea), Himalayan, Pacific Ocean, Yangtze River Mountains, Plateau of Tibet, Yellow River, Japan

Describe how the reunification of China prior to the Tang Dynasty helped spread Buddhist beliefs.

Summarize agricultural, commercial, and technological developments during the Song Dynasties, and describe the role of Confucianism during the Song.

Examine the rise of the Mongol Empire, including the conquests of Genghis Khan

Describe Kublai Khan’s conquest of China, and explain how he was able to maintain control of the Yuan Empire.

Summarize the effects of the Mongolian empires on the Silk Roads, including the importance of Marco Polo’s travels on the spread of Chinese technology and Eurasian trade.

Analyze the achievements of the Ming Dynasty and reasons for its isolationism, including building projects (e.g., the Forbidden City and reconstruction of the Great Wall) and Zheng He’s sea voyages

Describe the origins and central features of Shintoism: Key Person(s): None; Sacred Texts: No sacred text; Basic Beliefs: localized tradition that focuses on ritual practices that are carried out with discipline to maintain connections with ancient past; animism and Kami

Explain how Japanese culture changed through Chinese and Korean influences (including Buddhism and Confucianism) as shown in the Constitution of Prince Shotoku and the adoption of the Chinese writing system.

Describe how the Heian aristocracy contributed to the development of a Japanese national culture.

Analyze the rise of a military society in the late 12th century and the role of the shogun and samurai in Japanese society.

Identify the continuation of the Eastern Roman Empire as the Byzantine Empire, and describe the diffusion of Christianity and the Latin language.

Explain the importance of Justinian’s political, social, and architectural achievements.

Analyze the importance of regional geography and the location of Constantinople in maintaining European culture.

Identify and locate the geographical features of Southwest Asia and North Africa, including: Arabian Peninsula; Euphrates River; Persian Gulf; Arabian Sea; Mecca; Red Sea; Black Sea; Mediterranean; Tigris River; Caspian Sea Sea

Describe the origins and central features of Islam: Key Person(s): Mohammad; Sacred Texts: The Quran and The Sunnah; Basic Beliefs: monotheism, Five Pillars

Describe the diffusion of Islam, its culture, and the Arabic language.

Summarize the contributions of the region’s scholars in the areas of:  Art; Medicine; Geography; Philosophy; Literature; Science; Mathematics

Explain the importance of Mehmed II the Conqueror, the fall of Constantinople, and the establishment of the Ottoman Empire.

Analyze the development of trade routes throughout Asia, Africa, and Europe and the expanding role of merchants

Identify and locate the geographical features of West Africa, including:  Atlantic Ocean; Niger River; Djenne; The Sahara; Gulf of Guinea; Timbuktu

Explain indigenous African spiritual traditions, including: ancestor worship, animism, and the relationship between humans and deities.

Analyze the growth of the kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai, including cities such as Djenne and Timbuktu as centers of trade, culture, and learning.

Describe the role of the Trans-Saharan caravan trade in the changing religious and cultural characteristics of West Africa and in the exchange of salt, gold, and slaves.

Explain the importance of griots in the transmission of West African history and culture.

Explain the importance of the Malian king Mansa Musa and his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324

Identify and locate geographical features of Europe, including: Alps; Influence of the North Atlantic Drift; Atlantic Ocean; North European Plain; English Channel; Ural Mountains; Mediterranean Sea

Describe the role of monasteries in the preservation of knowledge and spread of the Catholic Church beyond the Alps.

Explain how Charlemagne shaped and defined medieval Europe, including: his impact on feudalism, the creation of the Holy Roman Empire, and the establishment of Christianity as the religion of the Empire.

Describe the development of feudalism and manorialism, their role in the medieval European economy, and the way in which they were influenced by physical geography (i.e., the role of the manor and the growth of towns).

Analyze the Battle of Hastings and the long-term historical impact of William the Conqueror on England and Northern France.

Describe how political relationships both fostered cooperation and led to conflict between the Papacy and European monarchs.

Analyze the impact of the Magna Carta, including: limiting the power of the monarch, the rule of law, and the right to trial by jury

Analyze the causes, effects, and key people of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Crusades, including: Pope Urban II, Saladin, and Richard I.

Explain how the Crusades impacted Christian, Muslim, and Jewish populations in Europe, with emphasis on the increasing contact with cultures outside Europe.

Describe the economic and social effects of the spread of the Black Death (i.e., Bubonic Plague) from Central Asia to China, the Middle East, and Europe, and its impact on the global population.

Analyze the importance of the Black Death on the emergence of a modern economy, including: Agricultural improvements; A merchant class; Commerce; Technological improvements; Growth of banking; Towns

Describe the significance of the Hundred Years War, including the roles of Henry V in shaping English culture and language and Joan of Arc in promoting a peaceful end to the war.

Explain the significance of the Reconquista, Inquisition, and the rise of Spanish and Portuguese kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula.

Explain how the location of the Italian Peninsula impacted the movement of resources, knowledge, and culture throughout Italy’s independent trade cities.

Identify the importance of Florence, Italy and the Medici Family in the early stages of the Renaissance

Explain humanism, and describe how Thomas Aquinas’s writings influenced humanistic thought and fostered a balance between reason and faith.

Explain the development of Renaissance art, including the significance of: Leonardo da Vinci; Michelangelo; William Shakespeare; Systems of patronage

Analyze Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press and William Tyndale’s translation of the Bible into the English language as vehicles for the spread of books, growth of literacy, and dissemination of knowledge.

Explain the significant causes of the Protestant Reformation, including: the Catholic Church’s taxation policies, the selling of indulgences, and Martin Luther’s 95 Theses.

Analyze the development of the Protestant Reformation and the split with the Catholic Church, including: the emphasis on scripture alone, salvation by faith, and predestination.

Explain the political and religious roles of Henry VIII and Mary I in England's transition between Catholicism and Protestantism.

Analyze how the Catholic Counter-Reformation emerged as a response to Protestantism and revitalized the Catholic Church, including the significance of: St. Ignatius of Loyola, the Jesuits, and the Council of Trent.

Examine the Golden Age of the Tudor dynasty (i.e., Queen Elizabeth I), including the defeat of the Spanish Armada and the rise of English power in Europe.

Compare and contrast heliocentric and geocentric theories of the Greeks (geocentric), Copernicus (heliocentric), and Kepler (elliptical orbits).

Examine Galileo Galilei’s theories and improvement of scientific tools, including the telescope and microscope.

Explain the significance of the following in regards to the Scientific Revolution: Sir Francis Bacon in establishing the scientific method and Sir Isaac Newton’s three Laws of Motion.

Identify and locate the geographical features of the Americas, including: Andes Mountains; Appalachian; Great Plains; Pacific Ocean Mountains; Gulf of Mexico; Rocky Mountains; Atlantic Ocean; Mississippi River; South America; Caribbean Sea; North America; Yucatan Peninsula; Central Mexican Plateau

Explain the impact of geographic features on North American Indian cultures (i.e., Northeast, Southeast, and Plains), including: clothing, housing, and agriculture

Describe the existence of diverse networks of North American Indian cultures (within present day United States) including: varied languages, customs, and economic and political structures.

Explain the impact of geographic features and climate on the agricultural practices and settlement of the Maya, Aztec, and Incan civilizations.

Describe the social, economic, and political characteristics of the Maya, Aztec, and Incan civilizations, including: oral traditions, class structures, religious beliefs, slavery, and advancements (e.g., astronomy, mathematics, and calendar)

Analyze why European countries were motivated to explore the world, including: religion, political rivalry, and economic gain (i.e., mercantilism).

Identify the significance of the voyages and routes of discovery of the following explorers by their sponsoring country: England: Henry Hudson; France: Jacques Cartier; Portugal: Vasco da Gama, Bartolomeu Dias; Spain: Christopher Columbus, Hernando de Soto, Ferdinand Magellan, Amerigo Vespucci

Describe Prince Henry the Navigator’s influence on exploration, voyages, cartographic improvements, and tools related to exploration (i.e., compass, caravel, astrolabe, and Harrison’s chronometer) during the Age of Discovery.

Locate and identify French, Spanish, English, Portuguese, and Dutch colonies in the Americas, and explain how religion impacted the location of settlement by each country.

Describe how the Aztec and Inca empires were eventually defeated by Spanish Conquistadors (i.e., Hernan Cortes and Francisco Pizarro).

Locate and identify the European regions that remained Catholic and those that became Protestant and how that division affected the distribution of religions in the New World.

Explain the impact of the Columbian Exchange on people, plants, animals, technology, culture, ideas, and diseases among Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas in the 15th and 16th centuries, and examine the major economic and social effects on each continent.

Explain how Spanish colonization introduced Christianity, the mission system, and the encomienda system to the Americas as well as Bartolome de la Casa’s role in the transition to African slavery.

Social Studies Practices

Collect data and information from a variety of primary and secondary sources, including: Printed materials (e.g., literary texts, newspapers, political cartoons, autobiographies, speeches, letters, personal journals), Graphic representations (e.g., maps, timelines, charts, photographs, artwork), Artifacts, Media and technology sources

Critically examine a primary or secondary source in order to: Extract and paraphrase significant ideas and relevant information, Distinguish the difference between fact and opinion, Draw inferences and conclusions, Recognize author’s purpose, point of view, and bias, Assess the strengths and limitations of arguments

Synthesize data from multiple sources in order to: Recognize differences among multiple accounts, Establish validity by comparing and contrasting multiple sources, Frame appropriate questions for further investigation

Construct and communicate arguments citing supporting evidence to: Demonstrate and defend an understanding of ideas, Compare and contrast viewpoints, Illustrate cause and effect, Predict likely outcomes, Devise new outcomes or solutions

Develop historical awareness by: Recognizing how and why historical accounts change over time, Perceiving and presenting past events and issues as they might have been experienced by the people of the time, with historical empathy rather than present-mindedness, Evaluating how unique circumstances of time and place create context and contribute to action and reaction, Identifying patterns of continuity and change over time, making connections to the present

Develop a geographic awareness by: Using the geographic perspective to determine relationships, patterns, and diffusion across space at multiple scales (e.g., local, national, global), Determining the use of diverse types of maps based on their origin, structure, context, and validity, Analyzing locations, conditions, and connections of places and using maps to investigate spatial relationships, Analyzing interaction between humans and the physical environment, Examining how geographic regions and perceptions of regions are fluid across time and space

World History and Geography: The Middle Ages to the Exploration of the Americas

The Age of Exploration: 1400-1700s CE

Byzantine Empire: 400-1500s CE

East Asia: 400-1500s CE

Indigenous Civilizations of the Americas: 400-1500s CE

Early Modern Europe: 1400-1700s CE

West Africa: 400-1500s CE

Middle Ages in Western Europe: 400-1500s CE

The Age of Exploration: 1400-1700s AD: Students will analyze the motivations for the movement of people from Europe to the Americas and the impact of exploration by Europeans.

Indigenous Civilizations of the Americas: 400-1500s AD: Students will analyze the geographic, political, economic, and cultural structures of indigenous civilizations of the Americas.

Early Modern Europe: 1400-1700s AD: Students will analyze the origins, accomplishments, and geographic diffusion of the Renaissance as well as the historical developments of the Protestant Reformation and Scientific Revolution.

Middle Ages in Western Europe: 400-1500s AD: Students will analyze the geographic, political, economic, and cultural structures of Europe during the Middle Ages.

East Asia: 400-1500s AD: Students will analyze the geographic, political, economic, and cultural structures of China and Japan.

West Africa: 400-1500s AD: Students will analyze the geographic, political, economic, and cultural structures of West Africa.

Southwest Asia and North Africa: 400-1500s AD: Students will analyze the geographic, political, economic, and cultural structures of Southwest Asia and North Africa.

Byzantine Empire: 400-1500s AD: Students will analyze the geographic, political, economic, and cultural structures of the Byzantine Empire.

Social Studies Practices

Identify the continuation of the Eastern Roman Empire as the Byzantine Empire including its use of Greek culture, and describe the diffusion of Christianity and the preservation of the Latin language.

Explain the importance of Justinian's political, social, and architectural achievements, including:

Expanding the empire

Spreading Christianity

The role of Theodora

Justinian Code

The Hagia Sophia

Analyze the importance of regional geography, trade, and the location of Constantinople in maintaining European culture.

Identify and locate on a map the geographical and political features of Southwest Asia and North Africa, including:

Arabian Peninsula

Arabian Sea

Black Sea

Euphrates River

Mecca

Mediterranean Sea

Persian Gulf

Red Sea

Tigris River

Describe the origins and central features of Islam:

Key Person(s): Mohammad

Sacred Texts: The Quran and The Sunnah

Basic Beliefs: monotheism, Five Pillars

Describe how trade and expansion led to the diffusion of Islamic culture and the Arabic language.

Summarize the contributions of the region’s scholars in the areas of:

Art

Literature

Mathematics

Medicine

Navigation

Science

Explain the importance of Mehmed II the Conqueror, the fall of Constantinople, and the establishment of the Ottoman Empire.

Analyze the development of trade routes throughout Asia, Africa, and Europe and the expanding role of merchants, including the trade in spices, paper, textiles, and navigational tools.

Identify and locate on a map the geographical and political features of West Africa, including:

Atlantic Ocean

Djenne

The Sahara

The Niger River

Timbuktu

Explain indigenous African spiritual traditions, including ancestor worship, animism, and the relationship between humans and deities.

Analyze the growth of the kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai, including cities such as Djenne and Timbuktu as centers of trade, culture, and learning.

Analyze how the exchange of salt, gold, and enslaved people along the Trans-Saharan trade route led to religious and cultural changes, such as the growth of Islam and the Arabic language.

Describe the role of griots and their use of oral traditions in the transmission of West African history and culture.

Explain the importance of the Malian king Mansa Musa and his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324.

Identify and locate on a map the geographical and political features of East Asia, including:

China

Yellow River

Gobi Desert

Himalayan Mountains

Japan

Korean Peninsula

Pacific Ocean

Plateau of Tibet

Sea of Japan (i.e., East Sea)

Yangtze River

Describe the reunification of China during the Sui Dynasty, including the spread of Buddhism and the building of the Grand Canal.

Describe the developments (e.g., gunpowder and the reopening of the Silk Road) during the Tang Dynasty, including the expansion of Confucianism.

Describe the developments (e.g., fast-ripening rice and mariner’s compass) during the Song Dynasty, and examine the role of Neo-Confucianism in instituting merit-based civil service exams.

Examine the rise of the Mongol Empire, including the conquests of Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan's establishment of the Yuan Dynasty.

Summarize the effects of the Mongolian empires on the Silk Roads, including the importance of Marco Polo’s travels on the spread of Chinese technology and Eurasian trade.

Analyze the achievements of the Ming Dynasty and reasons for its isolationism, including building projects (e.g., the Forbidden City and reconstruction of the Great Wall) and Zheng He’s sea voyages.

Describe the origins and central features of Shintoism:

Key Person(s): None

Sacred Texts: No sacred text

Basic Beliefs: localized tradition that focuses on ritual practices that are carried out with discipline to maintain connections with ancient past; animism and Kami

Explain how Japanese culture changed through Chinese and Korean influences (including Buddhism and Confucianism) as shown in the Constitution of Prince Shotoku and the adoption of the Chinese writing system.

Describe how the Heian aristocracy contributed to the development of a Japanese national culture, including politics, art, language, and literature (e.g., Tale of Genji as the world's first novel).

Analyze the rise of a military society in the late 12th century, and the role of the shogun and samurai in Japanese society.

Identify and locate on a map geographical features of Europe, including:

Alps

Atlantic Ocean

English Channel

Iberian Peninsula

Mediterranean Sea

North European Plain

Describe the role of monasteries in the preservation of knowledge and the spread of the Catholic Church across Central and Western Europe.

Explain how Charlemagne shaped and defined medieval Europe, including his impact on feudalism, the creation of the Holy Roman Empire, and the establishment of Christianity as the religion of the Empire.

Describe the development of feudalism and manorialism, and their influence on the medieval European economy (i.e., the role of the manor and the growth of towns).

Explain the Battle of Hastings and the long-term historical effects of William the Conqueror on England and Northern France, including the impact on language and the spread of feudalism.

Describe how political relationships both fostered cooperation (i.e., Charlemagne and Pope Leo III) and led to conflict (i.e., Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII) between the Papacy and European monarchs.

Analyze the impact of the Magna Carta, including limiting the power of the monarch, the rule of law, and the right to trial by jury.

Analyze the overarching causes, effects, and key people of the Crusades, including Pope Urban II, Saladin, and Richard I.

Explain how the Crusades impacted Christian, Muslim, and Jewish populations in Europe, with emphasis on the increasing contact with cultures outside Europe.

Describe the economic and social effects of the spread of the Black Death (i.e., Bubonic Plague) from Central Asia to China, the Middle East, and Europe, and its impact on the global population.

Analyze the importance of the Black Death on the emergence of a modern economy, including:

Agricultural improvements

Commerce

Decline of feudalism

Growth of banking

Growth of towns

A merchant class

Describe the significance of the Hundred Years War, including the roles of Henry V in shaping English culture and language, and Joan of Arc becoming a symbol of French pride and cultural identity.

Describe the rise of Spanish and Portuguese kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula, and explain the significance of the Reconquista and Inquisition.

Describe the Moorish (i.e., Muslim) and Jewish influences on the Renaissance in cities such as Toledo, Cordoba, and Granada.

Explain how the location of the Italian Peninsula impacted the movement of resources, knowledge, and culture throughout Italy’s independent trade cities.

Identify the importance of Florence, Italy, and the Medici Family in the early stages of the Renaissance, including the role of patronage.

Define humanism, and explain how maintaining a balance between faith and reason influenced Renaissance thinkers.

Analyze the development of Renaissance art, including the significance of:

Leonardo da Vinci (e.g., Last Supper, Mona Lisa)

Michelangelo (e.g., Sistine Chapel, The David)

Filippo Brunelleschi (e.g., Florence Cathedral Dome, linear perspective)

William Shakespeare (e.g., literature, language, and plays)

Analyze Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press and William Tyndale’s translation of the Bible into the English language as vehicles for the spread of books, growth of literacy, and dissemination of knowledge.

Explain the significant causes of the Protestant Reformation, including the Catholic Church’s taxation policies, the selling of indulgences, and Martin Luther’s 95 Theses.

Analyze the development of the Protestant Reformation and the split with the Catholic Church, including the emphasis on scripture alone, salvation by faith, and predestination (e.g., John Calvin).

Explain the political and religious roles of Henry VIII, Mary I, and Elizabeth I in England's transition between Catholicism and Protestantism.

Examine the Golden Age of the Tudor dynasty (i.e., Queen Elizabeth I), including the defeat of the Spanish Armada and the rise of English power in Europe.

Analyze how the Catholic Counter-Reformation emerged as a response to Protestantism and revitalized the Catholic Church, including the significance of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the Jesuits, and the Council of Trent.

Compare and contrast scientific theories of the Greeks (i.e., geocentric), Copernicus (i.e., heliocentric), and Kepler (i.e., elliptical orbits).

Examine Galileo Galilei’s theories and improvement of scientific tools, including the telescope and microscope.

Explain the significance of the following in regards to the Scientific Revolution: Sir Francis Bacon in establishing the scientific method and Sir Isaac Newton’s three Laws of Motion.

Identify and locate on a map the geographical features of the Americas, including:

Andes Mountains

Pacific Ocean

Rocky Mountains

South America

Yucatan Peninsula

Appalachian Mountains

Atlantic Ocean

Caribbean Sea

Central Mexican Plateau

Great Plains

Gulf of Mexico

Mississippi River

North America

Explain the impact of geographic features on North American Indian cultures (i.e., Northeast, Southeast, Plains, Southwest, Pacific Northwest), including clothing, housing, and agriculture.

Describe the existence of diverse networks of North American Indian cultures and sovereign nations (within present-day United States), including varied languages, customs, and economic and political structures.

Explain the impact of geographic features and climate on the agricultural practices and settlement of the Maya, Aztec, and Incan civilizations.

Describe the social, economic, and political characteristics of the Maya, Aztec, and Incan civilizations, including oral traditions, class structures, religious beliefs, slavery, and advancements (e.g., astronomy, mathematics, and calendar).

Describe Prince Henry the Navigator’s influence on exploration, voyages, cartographic improvements, and tools related to exploration (i.e., compass, caravel, astrolabe) during the Age of Discovery.

Analyze why European countries were motivated to explore the world, including religion, political rivalry, and economic gain (i.e., mercantilism).

Explain the significance of the voyages and routes of discovery of the following explorers by their sponsoring country:

England: Henry Hudson

France: Jacques Cartier

Portugal: Vasco da Gama, Bartolomeu Dias

Spain: Christopher Columbus, Hernando de Soto, Ferdinand Magellan, Amerigo Vespucci

Identify on a map French, Spanish, English, Dutch and Portuguese colonies in the Americas, and describe how the distributions of religions (e.g., Catholic and Protestant) in Europe affected the distribution of religions and colonization in the New World.

Explain the impact of the Columbian Exchange on people, plants, animals, technology, culture, ideas, and diseases among Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas in the 15th and 16th centuries, and examine the major economic and social effects on each continent.

Describe how the Aztec and Inca empires were eventually defeated by Spanish Conquistadors (i.e., Hernan Cortes and Francisco Pizarro).

Explain the impact of Spanish colonization in the Americas, including the introduction and spread of Christianity, the mission system, the encomienda system, and the role of Bartolome de la Casa.

Collect data and information from a variety of primary and secondary sources, including:

Printed materials

Graphic representations

Artifacts

Media and technology sources

Oral History

Critically examine a primary or secondary source in order to:

Extract, summarize, and paraphrase significant ideas and relevant information

Distinguish the difference between fact and opinion

Recognize author’s purpose and point of view, and potential bias

Draw logical inferences and conclusions

Assess the strengths and limitations of arguments

Synthesize data from multiple sources in order to:

Recognize differences among multiple accounts

Establish validity by comparing and contrasting multiple sources

Frame appropriate questions for further investigation

Construct and communicate arguments by citing supporting evidence to:

Demonstrate and defend an understanding of ideas

Compare and contrast viewpoints

Illustrate cause and effect

Predict likely outcomes

Devise new outcomes or solutions

Engage in appropriate civic discourse

Develop historical awareness by:

Recognizing how and why historical accounts change over time

Perceiving and presenting past events and issues as they might have been experienced by the people of the time, with historical empathy vs. present mindedness

Evaluating how unique circumstances of time and place create context and contribute to action and reaction

Identifying patters of continuity and change over time, making connections to the present

Develop geographic awareness by:

Using the geographic perspective to determine relationships, patterns, and diffusion across space at multiple scales

Determining the use of diverse types of maps based on their origin, structure, context, and validity

Analyzing locations, conditions, and connections of places and use maps to investigate spatial relationships

Analyzing interaction between humans and the physical environment

Examining how geographic regions and perceptions of the regions are fluid across time and space