Social Studies Grades 7-9

John Green teaches you about Nationalism. Nationalism was everywhere in the 19th century, as people all over the world carved new nation-states out of old empires. Nationalist leaders changed the way people thought of themselves and the places they lived by reinventing education, military service, and the relationship between government and governed.

Resources to use with students to explore Japan's history of isolation. If you click the links, there is a sign-in prompt -- but you can bypass the sign-in by clicking the image instead and you will be able to access all the Google slides associated with that image

The Interactive Timeline of Japan covers main events from the 1500's to the 1800's. As you move along the timeline, special events are highlighted and linked to more information contained in Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire from PBS.

For nearly 220 years, Japan lived in relative isolation. During this time, Japan traded goods and ideas between Korea, China, and Holland but people-to-people interaction was limited. Teachers will find primary sources, secondary sources, and activities for their classroom in this resource.

As students read this article about the various Imperial and shogunal attempts to control Japan’s external relations, they will try to sort out the different policies of the different elements of leadership in Japan.

On this site teachers will find translated copies of primary resources from the government of the Tokugawa Shôgunate.

This TED video tracks the evolution of kabuki, the Japanese dance and theater art, from the streets of seventeenth-century Kyoto. Be sure to check out Think and Dig Deeper for a quiz and further information.

The first episode of a series on the Tokugawa period in Japan. This episode covers the period of Japan's first contact with the West and the consequences of that contact.

This is the second episode of a series on the Tokugawa period in Japan--from the late 16th century through the mid-19th century.

An article that discusses how typical houses in Japan were constructed and decorated in medieval times.

An article that explains how the drinking of tea became a significant cultural event in Japan

Japan is renowned for it's martial arts -- but did you know that martial arts started in China and were later introduced to Japan? In this article, you will discover the many types of martial arts that were popular in medieval Japan

The Renaissance was a cultural revitalization that spread across Europe, but one city-state in Italy was in many ways the epicenter of the thing. Florence was the home to a seemingly inordinate amount of cultural output of the Renaissance. Artists like Michelangelo, Leonardo daVinci, and Sandro Boticelli were associated with the city. Today you'll learn about how the Renaissance came to be, and what impact it had on Europe and the world.

John Greene teaches you about the Protestant Reformation which was an important part of the Renaissance. Prior to the Protestant Reformation, pretty much everyone in Europe was a Roman Catholic. Not to get all "great man," but Martin Luther changed all that.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, Europeans developed a bunch of tools and techniques that would allow them to travel around the world, in numbers and force heretofore unseen on the planet. And a lot of the results weren't great for the people who already lived in the places Europeans were "visiting."

The European Renaissance may have started in Florence, but it pretty quickly moved out of Italy and spread the art, architecture, literature, and humanism across Europe to places like France, Spain, England, and the Low Countries.

This is an 11-minute video that takes a somewhat funny and interesting view of the Renaissance. The video discusses the key countries and people involved and how trade played a role.

Take a look at this map showing how the Black Death (plague) spread across Europe. Start in Central Asia in the 13th Century and move west to Weymouth, England.

Discover about who received education in the Renaissance and what people thought it was important to learn

A freely available resource, this site features eight units, each of which explores a different theme in Italian Renaissance art

What was happening in architecture, science, politics and religion during the Renaissance? In addition to being politically active, the Medicis were a family that sponsored some of the great artists of the time. Check out the timeline of events directly involving the Medicis.

Resources to explore the Renaissance period in Europe with your students.If you click the links, there is a sign-in prompt -- but you can bypass the sign-in by clicking the image instead and you will be able to access all the Google slides associated with that image

"Join us as we explore the Renaissance and discover the forces that drove this rebirth in Europe, and in Italy in particular." (site) This site takes you through a study of the Renaissance in Europe. It includes text and activities.

“Renaissance” is the French word for “rebirth,” which is given to the period of time between the 14th and 17th centuries in Europe when there was a marked resurgence in classical art, education, philosophy, architecture, and natural sciences. Watch this 8 minute crash course to learn more

This article looks at the role of the Medici in patronizing artists that led to the birth of the Renaissance in Florence.

Take a virtual tour of the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter. Click on any of the menu items on the left side to go directly to that area. You can also tour the Square. Use your mouse to move right and left to explore each area.

Who exactly were the Aztecs? Where did they come from? How did they rise to control such a wide expanse of land? And if they were so powerful, how was it possible for them to fall from power and dominance just three years after contact was first made with the Spaniards?

During the reign of Moctezuma, the empire continued its growth, but it was during this period the Spaniards of Hernan Cortes landed in the region and the fight between the Aztecs and the Conquistadors began.

A 45 minute documentary that examines the achievements of the Aztecs who rose from a nomadic people to having created an empire in just 200 years.

This PBS site is a great resource for studies of how the Aztec civilization fell. It includes an interactive timeline and an introduction to what happens when two civilizations meet. Make sure that you click on on the hyperlinks for additional information and images.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, Europeans developed a bunch of tools and techniques that would allow them to travel around the world, in numbers and force heretofore unseen on the planet. And a lot of the results weren't great for the people who already lived in the places Europeans were "visiting."

In which John Green explores how Spain went from being a middling European power to one of the most powerful empires on Earth, thanks to their plunder of the New World in the 16th and 17th centuries. Learn how Spain managed to destroy the two biggest pre-Columbian civilizations, mine a mountain made of silver, mishandle their economy, and lose it all by the mid-1700s

Use the many links on the map to explore more about: the Aztec calendar, the Aztec Empire and Aztec ways of life (arts, crafts, diet, hunting and fishing).

How well do you understand the Aztec Empire? You’ll need to know all about Aztec cities, gods, and culture to get these answers correct.

Although the first meeting between the Spanish conquistadors of Hernan Cortes and the Aztec civilization led by Moctezuma was cordial, soon their relationship turned hostile. In this video we will show the results of this hostility - La Noche Triste (The Night of Sorrow) and the Fall of Tenochtitlan.

One of the great mysteries of ancient Peru is that the Inca did not have a system of writing, but communicated with a system of strings tied with knots. For the first time, centuries-old knotted textile accounting records known as quipus were found buried with well-preserved organic material.

The Spanish gained an early foothold in the colonies during the Renaissance, quickly becoming the most powerful European power in the New World. Learn about the Spanish conquests in the New World

It was the western hemisphere's largest empire ever, with a population of nearly 10 million subjects. Yet within 100 years of its rise in the fifteenth century, the Inca Empire would be no more. What happened? Gordon McEwan details the rise and fall of the Inca Empire.

This is a photo gallery filled with fantastic images of Peru, both its land and its people.

An encyclopedia article that introduces readers to the structures and roles of Aztec society

In this interactive resource, you can explore a fictitious society, conducting interviews with its citizens in an attempt to understand their worldview. Your observations will help you see how beliefs, values and knowledge shape worldviews.

Resources to use with students to examine the conflict between the Aztec and the Spanish after contact. If you click the links, there is a sign-in prompt -- but you can bypass the sign-in by clicking the image instead and you will be able to access all the Google slides associated with that image