Grade 6 World History, Quarter 4, Unit 3 of 3 Early Development in Mesoamerica. Overview

Transcription

1 Grade 6 World History, Quarter 4, Unit 3 of 3 Early Development in Mesoamerica Overall days: 12 (1 day = minutes) Purpose Overview The peoples of the Americas and Afroeurasia had no sustained contact with each other from at least 12,000 years ago until In this unit, students investigate early developments in the Americas, where several societies took up farming, built cities, and established large states despite having no wheeled transport, few large domesticated animals, and no iron metallurgy. Students first examine why maize (corn) became such an important crop in the Americas as a foundation for complex societies. Then they focus on the Olmec along the Gulf of Mexico, the earliest society we know of in Mesoamerica (Middle America) to show evidence of city construction, monumental architecture, a social class system, and large-scale government. Content to be learned Trace when and under what circumstances agricultural societies appeared in the Americas starting about 8000 BCE. Analyze the relationship between farming centered on maize (corn) cultivation and the early development of dense settled societies in Mesoamerica and the Andes Mountain region of South America. Analyze the geographical and climatic conditions under which the Olmec urban society arose from about 1500 BCE. Identify basic social characteristics of Olmec society and its major cities. Appreciate Olmec achievements in architecture, sculpture, writing, and a calendar system. Processes to be used Construct historical narratives in relation to the development and spread of agriculture in the Americas. Investigate the development of crop-growing societies in the ancient Americas. Infer from data in maps the success of the Olmec in creating a dense agrarian society. Cite evidence of physical structures and artifacts to describe Olmec society. Draw upon visual data to evaluate Olmec cultural achievements. Essential questions students should be able to answer by end of unit What were the benefits and drawbacks of farming based on maize, and why did peoples of the Americas have so few large domesticated animals? How did domestication and cultivation of maize, squash, beans, and numerous other plants affect the growth of population and cities in Mesoamerica? How did the Olmec society build large urban centers, transport huge stones dozens of miles, and carve giant stone heads in the absence of wheeled transport, horses, oxen, or metal tools? Providence Public Schools, in collaboration with the D-87

2 Grade 6 World History, Quarter 4, Unit 3 Early Development in Mesoamerica (12 days) Written Curriculum Grade-Span Expectations HP 1: History is an account of human activities that is interpretive in nature. HP 1 (5-6)-1 Students act as historians, using a variety of tools (e.g., artifacts and primary and secondary sources) by c. asking and answering historical questions, organizing information, and evaluating information in terms of relevance National Standards for History (World History, Grades 5 12) Era 1: The Beginnings of Human Society Standard 2: The processes that led to the emergence of agricultural societies around the world. 2B The student understands how agricultural societies developed around the world. Therefore, the student is able to Analyze how peoples of West Africa, Europe, Southeast Asia, East Asia, and the Americas domesticated food plants and developed agricultural communities in response to local needs and conditions. [Compare and contrast behaviors and institutions] Era 3: Classical Traditions, Major Religions, and Giant Empires, 1000 BCE-300 CE Standard 4: The development of early agrarian civilizations in Mesoamerica. 4A The student understands the achievements of Olmec civilization. Analyze the relationship between maize cultivation and the development of complex societies in Mesoamerica. [Analyze cause-and-effect relationships] Interpret archaeological evidence for the development of Olmec civilization in the second and first millennia BCE. [Formulate historical questions] Evaluate major Olmec contributions to Mesoamerican civilization, including the calendar, glyphic writing, sculpture, and monumental building. [Appreciate historical perspectives] Common Core State Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies Reading Key Ideas and Details RH Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions. Writing Text Types and Purposes WHST Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes. a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, D-88 Providence Public Schools, in collaboration with the

3 Early Development in Mesoamerica (12 days) Grade 6 World History, Quarter 4, Unit 3 and information into broader categories as appropriate to achieving purpose; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. b. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples. c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts. d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. e. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone. f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented. Production and Distribution of Writing WHST Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. Range of Writing WHST Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. Notes, Clarifications, and Prerequisites Instruction should include how to formulate historical questions. It should also model evaluating information for relevance to students present situations. These units include Common Core literacy standards in reading and literacy and Historical Thinking Standards. The impact on instruction of these new and additional standards is noted in the Planning and Instructional Delivery Considerations and Assessment sections of this unit. Providence Public Schools, in collaboration with the D-89

4 Grade 6 World History, Quarter 4, Unit 3 Early Development in Mesoamerica (12 days) Taught Curriculum Learning Objectives Students will be able to: Hypothesize why hunting and foraging peoples in the Americas took up farming, and describe the major food plants that Mesoamericans and Andean South Americans domesticated. (3 days) Analyze how farming changed the way of life of people in Mesoamerica and Andean South America. (2 days) Identify the region where Olmec society developed and analyze how the natural and physical environment of that region might have been friendly to the emergence of a dense urban society. (2 days) Explain how researchers have been able to interpret the character of Olmec farming and urban society relying mainly on material remains. (2 days) Identify and account for Olmec architectural and artistic achievements. (3 days) Resources History of Our World, Pearson, 2008 (pp ) Assessment Rubrics (p. 24) World History for Us All, Big Era 3, Panorama Teaching Unit Big Era 3, Landscape Teaching Unit 3.5 Big Era 5, Landscape Teaching Unit 5.6 Facing History and Ourselves Identity Charts, resources/strategies/identity-charts Step Up to Writing, Sopris West, 2008 Elements of Accordion Essays and Reports (pp ) Tool 5-1a Instructional Considerations Key Vocabulary city-state domestication earthen platform foraging maize Planning and Instructional Delivery Considerations In this unit, students examine the origins, character, and location of agriculture in the Americas. Students examine the impact of agriculture upon population growth and political and social change. Students are introduced to the importance of archeological evidence in history in general and for understanding the Olmec in particular. Select from the activities and readings in the Pearson text to provide students with background information and critical thinking opportunities that align to the learning objectives. The strategies listed represent a menu of choices and possibilities to support each learning objective. D-90 Providence Public Schools, in collaboration with the

5 Early Development in Mesoamerica (12 days) Grade 6 World History, Quarter 4, Unit 3 To ensure that students will be able to hypothesize why hunting and foraging peoples in the Americas took up farming and describe the major food plants that Mesoamericans and Andean South Americans domesticated (3 days): Have students in groups create a heavily captioned map of the Americas that locates the major food plants domesticated in the Americas. To ensure that students will be able to analyze how farming changed the way of life of people in Mesoamerica and Andean South America (2 days): Teach strategies and activities in World History for Us All, Big Era 3, Landscape Teaching Unit 3.5 (Early Complex Societies in the Americas, BCE). Using pages and pages in the textbook, have students identify causes and effects using the graphic organizer on page 342 to explain how farming changed the peoples into organized societies and shaped their cultures. To ensure that students will be able to identify the region where Olmec society developed and analyze how the natural and physical environment of that region might have been friendly to the emergence of a dense urban society (2 days): For a comparative approach to the emergence of complex societies, including the Olmec society, teach strategies and activities in World History for Us All, Big Era 3, Panorama Teaching Unit (Farming and the Emergence of Complex Societies, BCE), Lesson 3: Who is Civilized? Teach Lesson 2 in World History for Us All, Big Era 3, Landscape Teaching Unit 3.5 (Early Complex Societies in the Americas, BCE). Have students fill in a map identifying the main physical geographic features of the land inhabited by the Olmecs. To ensure that students will be able to explain how researchers have been able to interpret the character of Olmec farming and urban society relying mainly on material remains (2 days): Have groups of students create a map on butcher paper of an archeological dig at an Olmec site. Have students explain what types of items they might expect to find and how those items provide evidence about the character of Olmec civilization. To ensure that students will be able to identify and account for Olmec architectural and artistic achievements (3 days): Using World History for Us All, Big Era 3, Landscape Teaching Unit 3.5 (Early Complex Societies in the Americas, BCE), Lesson 1: Rise of the Olmec and a review of Lesson 2: The Olmec Colossal Heads, have students examine images of Olmec statues and architecture and answer the questions located on page 5 of Lesson 1. Additional Teaching Strategies Identity Charts: To help students understand early developments in the Americas and the formation of complex societies there, have them create identity charts for the various groups being studied. Use the charts as a tool to elicit and introduce Key Vocabulary and concepts for the unit. The World History for Us All, Big Era 5, Landscape Teaching Unit 5.6 contains some ideas for extended learning about agriculture and trading in Mesoamerica. Providence Public Schools, in collaboration with the D-91

6 Grade 6 World History, Quarter 4, Unit 3 Early Development in Mesoamerica (12 days) Assessed Curriculum Formative Assessments Provide feedback to students through daily monitoring of student understanding using a variety of methods. For example, use exit cards. Have students answer questions on paper before they leave the class. Keep the activity prompt specific and brief to check for understanding of the day s concepts. For instance, to check students comprehension of the magnitude of the Olmecs achievements, ask students to respond to the following question: What is one invention/development that prehistoric Europeans had that would have simplified life for the Olmecs? To assess the progress of understanding: how to hypothesize why hunting and foraging peoples in the Americas took up farming, and describe the major food plants that Mesoamericans and Andean South Americans domesticated, have students use the Step Up to Writing Accordion Essays and Reports process (pp , Tool 5-1a) to write an essay in response to the Essential Question What were the benefits and drawbacks of farming based on maize, and why did peoples of the Americas have so few large domesticated animals? Standard 3: Historical Analysis and Interpretation. Take the opportunity to implement writing standard for literacy in history/social studies WHST how to analyze how farming changed the way of life of people in Mesoamerica and Andean South America, students will construct a table chart depicting how farming shaped the daily lives of the peoples of Mesoamerica and Andean South America (government, religion, public buildings, social classes, art and architecture, and writing systems). Standard 3: Historical Analysis and Interpretation. Take the opportunity to implement reading standard for literacy in history/social studies RH and writing standard WHST how to identify the region where Olmec society developed and analyze how the natural and physical environment of that region might have been friendly to the emergence of a dense urban society, students will list the positive aspects/features of the physical environment and write a fully developed paragraph about how the features contributed to the dense urban society of the Olmecs. Standard 3: Historical Analysis and Interpretation. Take the opportunity to implement writing standard for literacy in history/social studies WHST how to explain how researchers have been able to interpret the character of Olmec farming and urban society relying mainly on material remains, assess the student maps and presentations about archaeological evidence. how to identify and account for Olmec architectural and artistic achievements, students will put together a historical fiction narrative in which they hypothesize how these architectural and artistic achievements came to be, who was responsible, and the purpose of their representation. Standard 5: Historical issues-analysis and decision-making. Take the opportunity to implement writing standard for literacy in history/social studies WHST Summative Assessment Students will refer to their notes and formative assessments to create a tri-fold addressing the Olmecs. They will give three key facts about each of the following components: location, culture, and art/architecture. Standard 3: Historical Analysis and Interpretation. Take the opportunity to implement writing standard for literacy in history/social studies WHST D-92 Providence Public Schools, in collaboration with the

7 Early Development in Mesoamerica (12 days) Grade 6 World History, Quarter 4, Unit 3 Post or provide the following rubric for the students. Tell students that their scores will be determined by adding up all the points and dividing by 12. Use the same rubric to assess. Number of components addressed: Number of components having 3 key facts: Number of accurate facts overall (out of a possible 9 facts) about the Olmecs: All three. Only two. Only one. Any attempt at all about the peoples discussed in this unit. All three. Only two. Only one. Any attempt at all about the peoples discussed in this unit. 8 or 9. 5, 6, or 7. 2, 3, or 4. 0 or 1. Notes Providence Public Schools, in collaboration with the D-93

8 Grade 6 World History, Quarter 4, Unit 3 Early Development in Mesoamerica (12 days) D-94 Providence Public Schools, in collaboration with the