Common Core
Key Ideas and Details
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2 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.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.3 Identify key steps in a text’s description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).
Craft and Structure
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.5 Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.6 Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.7 Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.8 Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.9 Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.10 By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Tennessee Standards
The Age of Exploration
Students compare and contrast the geographic, political, religious, social, and economic structures of the Mesoamerican and Andean civilizations. Students analyze reasons for movement of people from Europe to the Americas, describing the impact of exploration by Europeans and American Indians.
7.64 Identify the locations of the Olmecs, Mayans, Aztec, and Incas and explain the impact of the geographical features and climates of Mexico, Central America, and South America on their civilizations. (C, E, G, H, P)
7.65 Describe the highly structured social and political system of the Maya civilization, ruled by kings and consisting of agriculturally intensive centers around independent city-states. (C, H, P)
7.66 Create a graphic organizer or concept map explaining how and where each empire arose (how the Aztec and Incan empires were eventually defeated by the Spanish in the 16th century). (C, G, H, P)
7.67 Explain the roles of peoples in the Aztec and Incan societies, including class structures, family life, warfare, religious beliefs and practices, and slavery. (C, H)
7.68 Use multimedia components and visual displays in presentations to describe the artistic and oral traditions and architecture in the four civilizations (Olmecs, Mayan, Aztec, and Incan civilizations). (C, H)
7.69 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support the analysis of the impacts of the Mesoamerican developments in astronomy and mathematics, including the calendar, and the Mesoamerican knowledge of seasonal changes to the civilizations’ agricultural systems. (C, H)
7.70 Compare the varied economies and trade networks within and among major indigenous cultures prior to contact with Europeans and their systems of government, religious beliefs, distinct territories, and customs and traditions. (C, E, G, H, P)
7.71 Identify the European countries responsible for North American exploration and the modern day countries in which they settled, including France, Spain, England, Portugal, and the Dutch. Summarize the reasons for the success of these countries in colonization or North and South America. (E, G, H, P)
7.72 Analyze why European countries were motivated to explore including religion, political rivalry, and economic gain. (C, E, H, P)
7.73 Identify the voyages of discovery, the locations of the routes, and the influence of technology in the developments of a new European worldview including cartography, compass, caravel, astrolabe. (C, E, G, H, P)
7.74 Examine the impact of the exchanges of plants, animals, technology, culture, ideas, and diseases among Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas in the 15th and 16th centuries and the major economic and social effects on each continent. (C, E, G, H)
7.75 Write an opinion piece with supporting details that describes the effects of exploration on the indigenous American cultures. (C, H)
Primary Documents and Supporting Texts to Read: excerpts from the journals of Christopher Columbus
Primary Documents and Supporting Texts to Consider: excerpts from Indigenous Peoples of North America, James D. Torr
