7th Grade Jump Start - Social Studies: Week 3

Social Studies

Week 3 - Day 1

(Africa) Essential Questions: 

How does geography influence the way people live? Why do people trade? How do new ideas change the way people live?

• Read this article about Trading for Salt and Gold (Ghana)- Newsela to review how trade impacted the economies of West Africa and played a major role in spreading ideas.
• Check out these images from Timbuktu- Center of Learning and Trade (Primary Sources). Read the descriptions to learn about trade and sharing ideas in the Sahara’s greatest medieval site of encounter. 
• Watch this Mansa Musa- TED Ed video about the king of Mali who had an impact on trade, culture, and religion.

Social Studies

Week 3 - Day 2

(China) Essential Questions: 

Why do people trade? How do new ideas change the way people live?

• Check out Google Earth- Early Explorers to learn about how Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, and Zheng He connected cultures previously unknown to each other, paving the way for trade, innovation, and the exchange of ideas.
• Watch Silk Roads and Trade- PBS Video to understand how the Silk Road served as the major avenue for trade and cultural diffusion.
• IXL- The Medieval Silk Road

Social Studies

Week 3 - Day 3

(Japan) Essential Questions: 

How does geography influence the way people live? How does culture shape society?

• Explore Google Arts and Culture - Japan to find stories, images, and links to Japanese museums showcasing the culture of Japan.
• Read The Samurai and Bushido- Newsela to review the importance of honor and ethics in feudal Japanese society.
• Watch A Day in the Life of a Teenage Samurai- TED Ed to get a glimpse of what daily life in Japan was like as a samurai.
• IXL- Medieval Japan

Social Studies

Week 3 - Day 4

(Medieval Europe) Essential Question: 

What do people do in order to create stability?

• Explore this Life in the Middle Ages website to read background information on different aspects of life in Medieval Europe.
• Read Dark Ages, Middle Ages, or Medieval Times- Newsela to review what this time period was like and why it was referred to by these titles.
• IXL- Feudal Europe

Social Studies

Week 3 - Day 5

(Medieval Europe) Essential Question: 

Why does conflict develop? What do people do in order to create stability?

• Check out this Primary Source- The Black Death which describes what Europe was like during the plague.
• Watch this Magna Carta video to learn about the document that helped give individual liberties to people in England.
• IXL- The Middle Ages After 1100