Unit #: 5
Subject(s): World History
Grade(s): 9th
Designer(s): Emily Pleasants, Sulayman Kadir, Lauren Faust
STAGE 1 – DESIRED RESULTS
Unit Title: In Search of More: Expansion
Transfer Goal(s): Students will be able to independently use their learning to explain how the motivations and impacts of the Age of Exploration led to the
development of our modern global economy.
Enduring Understandings:
Essential Questions:
Students will understand that…




Expansion leads to conflict, compromise, competition, and human
migration.
When cultures interact there is positive and negative change for both
parties.
Social and political instutions of the past can have a dramatic impact
on the social and political implications of today
Access to resources determines the sustainability and success of a
nation-state.
Students will know:
 Terms: mercantilism, joint stock company, Columbian Exchange,
Middle Passage, Triangular Trade, capitalism, conquistador,
encomienda system, Gold and Salt trade, trans-Saharan trade routes,
mestizo, zamidar, creole, mulatto
 Major empires in various locations (Inca, Aztec, Mali, Songhai,
Ghana, British Empire, Spanish Empire, etc.)
 Major trade routes of this time period
 The 3 Gs
 Major geographic areas of colonization
 New technology that made exploration possible
 Methods of colonization and control of indigenous people


Just because we can, does it mean we should?
o Explore the world
o Expand our boundaries
o Colonize other people
o Enslave others
What happens when cultures collide?
Students will be able to:
 Analyze the causes and effects of exploration on trade networks,
indigenous cultures, and global interactions
 Analyze and evaluate varying historical perspectives on the impact of
European exploration, interaction, and/or colonization on the
Americas, Africa, and Europe
 Analyze and evaluate a variety of primary sources to explain the
motivations behind and consequences of colonization
 Analyze the impact of exploration on the creation of a global
economy
Adapted from Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)
Last revision 7/25/16
1
Unit #: 5
Subject(s): World History
Grade(s): 9th
Designer(s): Emily Pleasants, Sulayman Kadir, Lauren Faust
STAGE 1– STANDARDS
Essential Standards
Apply the four interconnected dimensions of
historical thinking to the Essential Standards
WH.H.1 for World History in order to understand the
creation and development of
societies/civilizations/nations over time.
Analyze ancient civilizations and empires in
WH.H.2 terms of their development, growth and
lasting impact.
Analyze the political, economic, social, and
WH.H.4 cultural factors that led to the development of
the first age of global interaction.
WH.H.5
Analyze exploration and expansion in terms
of its motivations and impact.
Clarifying Objectives
WH.H.1.1 Use Chronological thinking to: 1. Identify the structure of a historical narrative or
story: (its beginning, middle and end). 2. Interpret data presented in timelines and
create timelines.
WH.H.1.3 Use Historical Analysis and Interpretation to: 1. Identify issues and problems in the
past. 2. Consider multiple perspectives of various peoples in the past. 3. Analyze
cause-and-effect relationships and multiple causations. 4. Evaluate competing
historical narratives and debates among historians. 5. Evaluate the influence of the
past on contemporary issues.
WH.H.2.4 Analyze the rise and spread of various empires in terms of influence, achievements,
and lasting impact (e.g., Mongol, Mughal, Ottoman, Ming, Mesoamerica, Inca,
imperial states in Africa, etc.).
WH.H.4.4 Analyze the effects of increased global trade on the interactions between nations in
Europe, Southwest Asia, the Americas, and Africa (e.g., exploration, mercantilism,
inflation, rise of capitalism, etc.).
WH.H.5.1 Explain how and why the motivations for exploration and conquest resulted in
increased global interactions, differing patterns of trade, colonization, and conflict
among nations (e.g., religious and political motives, adventure, economic investment,
Columbian Exchange, commercial revolution, conquistador destruction of Aztec and
Incan civilizations, Triangular Trade, Middle Passage, trading outposts, plantation
colonies, rise of capitalism, etc.).
WH.H.5.2 Explain the causes and effects of exploration and expansion (e.g., technological
innovations and advances, forces that allowed the acquisition of colonial possessions
and trading privileges in Africa, Asia, the Americas and the Colombian exchange).
WH.H.5.3 Analyze colonization in terms of the desire for access to resources and markets as
well as the consequences on indigenous cultures, population, and environment (e.g.,
commercial revolution, Columbian exchange, religious conversion, spread of
Christianity, spread of disease, spread of technology, conquistadors, slave trade,
encomienda system, enslavement of indigenous people, mixing of populations, etc.).
WH.H.5.4 Analyze the role of investment in global exploration in terms of its implications for
international trade (e.g., transatlantic trade, mercantilism, joint-stock companies,
trading companies, government and monarchial funding, corporations, creation of
capital markets, etc.).
Adapted from Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)
Last revision 7/25/16
2
Unit #: 5
Performance Tasks:

Subject(s): World History
Grade(s): 9th
Designer(s): Emily Pleasants, Sulayman Kadir, Lauren Faust
STAGE 2 – ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE
Other Evidence: There may not be an assessment of each type listed below for
each unit. Examples of other types of assessment may include:
None at this time.
Academic Prompts
Quiz and Test Items
Informal Checks for Understanding


Unit 5 Constructed Response Questions
Unit 5 Multiple Choice Questions
Click here to access the other evidences described above.
Adapted from Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)
Last revision 7/25/16
3
Unit #: 5
Subject(s): World History
Grade(s): 9th
Designer(s): Emily Pleasants, Sulayman Kadir, Lauren Faust
STAGE 3 – RESOURCES FOR THE LEARNING PLAN
District Resources:
Supplemental Resources:
When designing the learning plan, these resources are intended to be a
These are considered additional resources that are recommended by the
primary resource used by all teachers.
Curriculum Writing Teams. Those resources with an asterisk (*) may be
purchased by each individual school.
 None at this time.
 300-1500 Spheres of Interaction – World History For Us All
Additional resources can be found using these digital tools:
 Columbian Exchange – World History For Us All
 Defined Stem (main site)
 DBQ Civilizations of Americas
 Discovery Education (main site)
 DBQ Mercantilism
 iCurio (main site)
 DBQ Maya and Aztecs
 Des Las Casa Reading and Questions
 Equiano Reading and Questions
 Mercantilism Role Play Activity
 Two Cheers for the Conquistadors Reading and Questions
 Unit 5 Web Resources
 West African Kingdoms Reading
 Who am I? Explorer Activity
Click here to access the resources listed above.
Considerations for Differentiating Instruction (AIG, EL, EC, etc.):
These resources are intended to be used when differentiating instruction to meet the varied needs of students in your classroom.




Honors Supplement – DBQ European Exploration
Honors Supplement – The World Shrinks Article
Honors Supplement – West and South Asia Graphic Organizer
Honors Supplement – World Traveler Scavenger Hunt
Click here to access the resources listed above.
Adapted from Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)
Last revision 7/25/16
4