History/Social Science Curriculum Guide
7th Grade
2016-2017
(Quarters 3-4)
Paramount Unified School District
2016-17 History/Social Science Pacing Calendar
Grade 7 – Medieval and Early Modern Times
Shifts for Literacy in History/Social Studies
1. Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and
informational texts
2. Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from text,
both literary and informational
3. Regular practice with complex text and its academic language
Unit 2 The Middle Ages
Content
Standards
(** = high emphasis)
7.5
7.5.1 Describe the significance of
Japan’s proximity to China and
Korea and the intellectual,
linguistic, religious, and
philosophical influence of those
countries of Japan.
7.5.2 Discuss the reign of Prince
Shotoku of Japan and the
characteristics of Japanese society
and family life during his reign.
7.5.3** Describe the values,
social customs, and traditions
prescribed by the lord-vassal
system consisting of shogun,
daimyo, and samurai and the
lasting influence of the warrior
code throughout the twentieth
century.
7.5.4 Trace the development of
distinctive forms of Japanese
Buddhism.
7.5.5 Study the ninth and tenth
centuries’ golden are of literature,
art and drama and its lasting
effects on culture today, including
Murasaki Shikibu’s Tale of Genji.
7.5.6** Analyze the rise of a
military society in the late
twelfth century and the role of
the samurai in that society.
Dec. 1 – Jan. 19
Chapter 5 – Medieval Japan
 Section 1 – Early Japan,
pp. 297-301
 Section 2 – Shoguns and
Samurai, pp. 303-308
 Section 3 – Life in Medieval
Japan, pp. 309-315
Chapter 5 Planning Guide and
Resources, pp. 292A-292F
Materials
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
ARNT
69-74
75-81
82-86
RESG
83-87
88-94
95-100
Assessment Options:
 Section 5-1 Quiz
 Section 5-2 Quiz
 Section 5-3 Quiz
 Chapter 5 Assessment,
pp. 318-319
Understandings:
5-1 Physical geography plays a role in how civilizations develop
5-2 Conflict often brings about great change
5-3 Religion influences how civilizations develop and culture spreads
Essential Questions:
5-1 How does geography affect your everyday life?
How did Japan’s geography influence Shintoism?
How did Japanese use their surroundings to survive?
5-2 What does “Law and Order” Mean?
How was Japan’s culture and society affected by war and conflict?
How would you describe Japanese social structure?
5-3 How does religion influence society?
How did Shinto shrines differ from Buddhist shrines?
What activities help strengthen your mind and body?
Thinking Map Opportunity:
5-1&3 Double Bubble Map “Compare and Contrast Buddhism and
Shintoism”
5-2 Tree Map “Japanese Social Classes”
Constructed Response Prompt:
5-1&3 Describe how Shinto and Buddhist religions meet the needs of their
Followers.
5-2
How did conflict shape Japanese social structure?
Paramount Unified School District
2016-17 History/Social Science Pacing Calendar
Grade 7 – Medieval and Early Modern Times
Shifts for Literacy in History/Social Studies
1. Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and
informational texts
2. Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from text,
both literary and informational
3. Regular practice with complex text and its academic language
Unit 3 A Changing World
Content
Standards
(** = high emphasis)
7.7
7.7.1 Study the locations,
landforms, and climates of Mexico,
Central America, and South
America and their effects on
Mayan, Aztec, and Incan
economies, trade, and
development of urban societies.
7.7.2** Study the roles of people
in each society, including class
structures, family life, war-fare,
religious beliefs and practices,
and slavery.
7.7.3** Explain how and where
each empire arose and how the
Aztec and Incan empires were
defeated by the Spanish.
7.7.4 Describe the artistic and oral
traditions and architecture in three
civilizations.
7.7.5 Describe the Meso-American
achievements in astronomy and
mathematics, including the
development of the calendar and
the Meso-American knowledge of
seasonal changes to the
civilizations’ agricultural systems.
Jan. 23 – Feb. 10
Chapter 9 – The Americas



Section 1 – The First
Americans, pp. 450-455
Section 2 – Life in the
Americas, pp. 456-464
Section 3- The Fall of the
Aztec and Inca Empires,
pp. 470-477
Resources:
Content and Academic Vocabulary:
p. 450, 456, 470
Chapter 9 Planning Guide and
Resources, pp.446A-448F
Materials
Section 2
Section 3
ARNT
150-156
157-160
Assessment Options:
 Section 9-2 Quiz
 Section 9-3 Quiz
RESG
175-182
183-189
Understandings:
9-1 Physical geography plays a role in how civilizations develop
9-2 The interaction of different societies brings about the
development of new ideas, art, and technology
9-3 Conflict often brings about great changes
Essential Questions:
9-1 How have geographic features shaped the lives of people in
our region of the country?
How did the Agricultural revolution begin in America?
9-2 How did the Maya use astronomy and math?
What were the similarities between Mayans and Aztecs?
What technology did the Inca use to develop their culture?
9-3 Do you think that conflict is impossible to avoid when two
different cultures come into contact with each other?
Do you think the conflict between the Europeans and the
Aztecs was inevitable?
How were Cortes and Pizarro able to conquer the Aztec and
Inca?
Thinking Map Opportunity:
9-2 Double Bubble Map “Aztec and Mayan Societies”
9-3 Multi-Flow Map “The Fall of the Aztec and Inca Empires” p.
470
Writing Task:
Write a multi-paragraph essay in which you explain which
factors led to the decline of the Aztec and Incan Empires,
include textual evidence to support your answer.
 Explain the causes of the fall of the Aztecs
 Explain the causes of the fall of the Incans
 Explain how the Conquistadors benefited from this
conquest
Paramount Unified School District
2016-17 History/Social Science Pacing Calendar
Grade 7 – Medieval and Early Modern Times
Shifts for Literacy in History/Social Studies
1. Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and
informational texts
2. Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from text,
both literary and informational
3. Regular practice with complex text and its academic language
Unit 2 The Middle Ages
Content
Standards
(** = high emphasis)
7.6
7.6.1 Study the geography of the
Europe and the Eurasian land mass,
including its location, topography,
waterways, vegetation, and climate and
their relationship to ways of life in
Medieval Europe.
7.6.2 Describe the spread of Christianity
north of the Alps and the roles played by
the early church and by monasteries in
its diffusion after the fall of the western
half of the Roman Empire.
7.6.3** Understand the development
of feudalism, its role in the medieval
European economy, the way in which
it was influenced by physical
geography (the role of the manor and
the growth of towns), and how feudal
relationships provided the
foundation of political order.
7.6.4** Demonstrate an
understanding of the conflict and
cooperation between the Papacy and
European monarchs (e.g.
Charlemagne, Gregory VII, Emperor
Henry IV).
7.6.5 Know the significance of
developments in medieval English legal
and constitutional practices and their
importance I the rise of modern
democratic thought and representative
institutions (e.g., Magna Carta,
parliament, development of habeas
corpus, an independent judiciary in
England).
Feb. 14– March 10
Chapter 6 – Medieval Europe
 Section 1 – The Early Middle
Ages, pp. 324-333
 Section 2 – Feudalism,
pp. 334-345
 Section 3 – Kingdoms and
Crusades, pp. 346-354
 Section 4 – The Church
Society, pp. 355-363
Resources:
Content and Academic Vocabulary:
p. 324, 334, 346, 355
Chapter 6 Planning Guide and
Resources, pp.320A-320F
Materials
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
ARNT
87-91
92-96
97-102
103-108
Assessment Options:
 Section 6-1 Quiz
 Section 6-2 Quiz
 Section 6-3 Quiz
 Section 6-4 Quiz
RESG
101-108
109-116
117-125
126-132
Understandings:
6-1 The interaction of different societies brings about the
development of new ideas, art, and technology
6-2 Different social, economic, and political classes can exist in a
society
6-3 Studying the past helps to understand the present
6-4 Religion influences how civilization develops and how culture
spreads
Essential Questions:
6-1 How are traditions influenced by different cultures?
How did Christian, Roman, and Germanic ideas influence
Western Europe?
How did Gregory the VII and Henry IV disagree?
6-2 Are there any similarities or differences with social classes we
see today?
How was Feudal Europe’s culture and society affected by war
and conflict?
How would you describe Feudal European social structure?
6-3 What political changes have occurred in your lifetime?
How have they affected you daily life?
6-4 How does religion influence culture today?
Thinking Map Opportunity
6-1 Flow Map - “Rise of the Catholic Church” p. 331
6-2 Multi-Flow Map - How did trade increase towns and cities
6-3 Circle Map – Magna Carta
Constructed Response Prompt:
6-1 Were popes were more concerned with controlling rulers or
providing spiritual leadership for Catholic people? Support your
opinion by citing specific examples.
6-3 How has the Magna Carta influenced modern government?
7.6.6** Discuss the causes and
course of the religious Crusades and
their effects on the Christian, Muslim,
and Jewish populations in Europe,
with emphasis on the increasing
contact by Europeans with cultures
of the Eastern Mediterranean world.
7.7.8 Understand the importance of the
Catholic church as a political,
intellectual, and aesthetic institution
(e.g., founding of universities, political
and spiritual roles of the clergy, creation
of monastic and mendicant religious
orders, preservation of the Latin
language and religious texts, St.
Thomas Aquinas’s synthesis of classical
philosophy with Christian theology, and
the concept of “natural law”).
Paramount Unified School District
2016-17 History/Social Science Pacing Calendar
Grade 7 – Medieval and Early Modern Times
Shifts for Literacy in History/Social Studies
1. Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and
informational texts
2. Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from text,
both literary and informational
3. Regular practice with complex text and its academic language
Unit 3 A Changing World
Content
Standards
(** = high emphasis)
7.8
7.8.1** Describe the way in
which the revival of classical
learning and the arts fostered a
new interest in humanism (i.e., a
balance between intellect and
religious faith).
7.8.4 Describe the growth and
effects of the new ways of
disseminating information (e.g., the
ability to manufacture paper,
translation of the Bible into the
vernacular, printing).
7.8.5** Detail advances made in
literature, the arts, science,
mathematics, cartography,
engineering, and the
understanding of human
anatomy and astronomy (e.g., by
Dante Alighieri, Leonardo da
Vinci, Michelangelo di
Buonarroti Simoni, Johann
Gutenberg, William
Shakespeare).
Mar. 16 – Apr. 4
Introduce Unit 3 – A Changing
World, pp. 376-379
Chapter 7 – The Renaissance
 Section 1 – The
Renaissance Begins, pp.
384-391
 Section 2 – New Ideas and
Literature, pp. 394-400
 Section 3 – Renaissance Art,
pp. 408-413
Resources:
Content and Academic Vocabulary
p. 384, 394, 408
Chapter 7 Planning Guide and
Resources, pp. 380A-380F
Materials
Section 2
Section 3
ARNT
119-123
124-128
RESG
145-149
150-153
Assessment Options:
 Section 7-2 Quiz
 Section 7-3 Quiz
 Chapter 7 Assessment, pp.
416-417
Quarter 3 Benchmark assessment
March 14-15, 2017 Ch. 5,9,6
Understandings:
7-1 Exploration and trade spread ideas and goods
7-2 Studying the past helps to understand the
present
7-3 The interaction of different societies brings about
the development of new ideas, art, and
technology
Essential Questions:
7-1 How does trading benefit those who are taking
part in it?
How did Italian City-States gain their wealth?
7-2 How do Renaissance ideas influence us today?
How has the Printing Press influenced the
spread of knowledge?
How did Renaissance thinkers view ancient
writings?
7-3 What is Beauty?
Why did many works of Renaissance art have
religious themes?
How did artists differentiate their work from
Medieval Art?
How did Northern Renaissance differ from Italian
Renaissance?
Thinking Map Opportunity:
7-1 One-sided Multi-Flow Map “Rise of Italian CityStates” p.387
7-2 Flow map – Influence of Humanism on thinkers
Constructed Response Questions:
7-1 Summarize the rise of Italian City-States and
how they grew wealthy.
7-2 Explain the beliefs of Humanists during the
Renaissance
Paramount Unified School District
2016-17 History/Social Science Pacing Calendar
Grade 7 – Medieval and Early Modern Times
Shifts for Literacy in History/Social Studies
1. Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and
informational texts
2. Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from text,
both literary and informational
3. Regular practice with complex text and its academic language
Unit 3 A Changing World
Content
Standards
(** = high emphasis)
7.9
7.9.1** List the causes for the internal
turmoil and weakening of the Catholic
church ( e.g., tax policies, selling of
indulgences)
7.9.2** Describe the theological, political,
and economic ideas of the major figures
during the Reformation (e.g., Desiderius
Erasmus, Martin Luther, John Calvin,
William Tyndale).
7.9.3 Explain Protestants’ new practices of
church self-government and the
influence of those practices on the
development of democratic practices and
ideas of federalism.
7.9.4** Identify and locate the European
regions that remained Catholic and
those that became Protestant and
explain how the division affected the
distribution of religions in the New
World.
7.9.5 Analyze how the Counter-Reformation
revitalized the Catholic church and the
forces that fostered the movement (e.g., St.
Ignatius of Loyola and the Jesuits, the
Council of Trent).
7.9.7 Describe the Golden Age of
cooperation between Jews and Muslims in
medieval Spain that promoted creativity in
art, literature, and science, including how
that cooperation was terminated by the
religious persecution of individuals and
groups (e.g., the Spanish Inquisition and the
expulsion of Jews and Muslims from Spain
in 1492).
April 5 – May 5
Chapter 8 – The Reformation
 Section 1 – The
Reformation Begins,
pp. 418-429
 Section 2 – The
Reformation Spreads,
pp. 430-434
 Section 3 – The CounterReformation, pp. 435-443
Resources:
Content and Academic Vocabulary
p. 422, 430, 435
Chapter 8 Planning Guide and
Resources, pp. 418A-418F
Materials
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
ARNT
129-134
135-139
140-144
Assessment Options:
 Section 8-1 Quiz
 Section 8-2 Quiz
 Section 8-3 Quiz
RESG
154-159
160-164
165-169
Understandings:
8-1 Religion influences how civilization develops and how culture
spreads
8-2 All civilizations depend upon leadership for survival
8-3 Conflict often brings about great change
Essential Questions:
8-1What kind of events encourage people to make changes in their
lives?
Why did indulgences become controversial?
8-2 How do religious ideas influence societies?
What were Calvin’s beliefs about God’s will?
8-3 How effective is a government ruled by a central authority?
What was the Counter-reformation?
Thinking Map Opportunity:
8-1 & 2 Double Bubble Map - “Who was Martin Luther” p.424;
“What is Calvinism” p. 431; “Calvin and Predestination” p. 443
8-3 Multi-flow Map – Causes and effects of the CounterReformation
Constructed Response Prompt:
8-1 & 2 Compare and Contrast Luther and Calvin’s views about
salvation.
8-3 Why was the Counter-Reformation unsuccessful in reuniting the
Holy Roman Empire?
Paramount Unified School District
2016-17 History/Social Science Pacing Calendar
Grade 7 – Medieval and Early Modern Times
Shifts for Literacy in History/Social Studies
1. Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and
informational texts
2. Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from text,
both literary and informational
3. Regular practice with complex text and its academic language
Unit 3 A Changing World
Content
Standards
(** = high emphasis)
7.11
7.11.1** Know the great voyages
of discovery, the locations of the
routes, and the influence of
cartography in the development
of a new European worldview.
7.11.2 Discuss the exchanges of
plants, animals, technology,
culture, and ideas among Europe,
Africa, Asia, and the Americas in
the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries and the major economic
and social effects on each
continent.
7.11.3** Examine the origins of
modern capitalism; the influence
of mercantilism and cottage
industry; the elements and
importance of a market
economy in seventeenth-century
Europe; the changing
international trading and marketing patterns, including their
locations on a world map; and
the influence of explorers and
map makers.
May 8 – May 26
Chapter 10 – The Age of
Exploration
 Section 1 – Europe
Explores the World, pp.
482-492
 Section 2 – Trade and
Empire, pp. 493-501
 Section 3 – A Global
Exchange, pp. 502-507
Resources:
Content and Academic Vocabulary:
p. 487, 493, 502
Chapter 10 Planning Guide and
Resources, pp. 482A-482F
Materials
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
ARNT
161-166
167-171
172-176
RESG
190-195
196-201
202-205
Assessment Options:
 Section 10-1 Quiz
 Section 10-2 Quiz
 Section 10-3 Quiz
Understandings:
10-1&2 The interaction of different societies brings about the
development of new ideas, art, and technology.
10-3 Exploration and trade spread ideas and goods.
Essential Questions:
10-1 Why were Europeans able to begin exploring?
Which explorer was the most accomplished?
10-2 What makes a product have value?
How did Mercantilism lead to the establishment of colonies?
How did the cottage industry give rise to Capitalism?
10-3 What are some of the positive and negative effects of trade?
What was the Columbian Exchange?
Thinking Map Opportunity:
10-1 Tree Map – “European Explorers” p.491
10-2 Bubble Map – Commercial Revolution
10-3 Double Bubble Map - “Columbian Exchange” p. 502
Constructed Response Prompt:
10-2 What new economic ideas encouraged countries to build trade
empires?
10-3 Explain whether or not you think the Columbian Exchange was
beneficial to the world.
Paramount Unified School District
2016-17 History/Social Science Pacing Calendar
Grade 7 – Medieval and Early Modern Times
Shifts for Literacy in History/Social Studies
1. Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and
informational texts
2. Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from text,
both literary and informational
3. Regular practice with complex text and its academic language
Unit 3 A Changing World
Content
Standards
(** = high emphasis)
7.10
7.10.1** Discuss the roots of the
Scientific Revolution (e.g., Greek
rationalism; Jewish, Christian, and
Muslim science; Renaissance
humanism; new knowledge from
global exploration).
7.10.2** Understand the significance
of the new scientific theories (e.g.,
those of Copernicus, Galileo,
Kepler, Newton) and the
significance of new inventions (e.g.,
the telescope, microscope,
thermometer, barometer).
7.10.3 Understand the scientific
method advanced by Bacon and
Descartes, the influence of new
scientific rationalism on the growth of
democratic ideas, and the coexistence
of science with traditional religious
beliefs.
7.11.4*
7.11.5** Describe how democratic
thought and institutions were
influenced by Enlightenment
thinkers (e.g., John Locke, CharlesLouis Montesquieu, American
founders).
7.11.6 Discuss how the principles in
the Magna Carta were embodied in
such documents as the English Bill of
Rights and the American Declaration of
Independence
May 30 – June 8
Chapter 11 – The Age of
Enlightenment
 Section 1 – The Scientific
Revolution, pp. 517-523
 Section 2 – The Ideas of
the Enlightenment, pp.
524-530
 Section 3 – Politics and
The Enlightenment, pp.
531-543
Resources:
Content and Academic Vocabulary:
p. 514, 524, 531
Chapter 11 Planning Guide and
Resources, pp. 110A-110F
Materials
ARNT
RESG
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
177-183
184-188
189-194
206-213
214-219
220-236
Quarter 4 Benchmark
Assessment –
Week of May 22, 2017
Understanding :
11-1&3 Studying the past helps to understand the present
11-2 Systems of order, such as law and government,
contribute to stable societies
Essential Questions:
11-1 Why do people seek knowledge?
Should we believe every theory?
What changed from the time of Ptolemy to the time of Galileo?
11-2 What would society be like without laws or government?
Why do you think educated Europeans believed in reason rather
than religion?
11-3 Can a government survive without a plan to govern?
Thinking Map Opportunity:
11-1 Double Bubble Map - “New View of the Universe” p. 517
11-2 Tree Map – Enlightenment Thinkers
Constructed Response Prompt:
11-1 Did the Catholic Church support the Scientific Revolution?
11-2 Why did Enlightenment Thinkers believe that reason would help
create a society better?