These activities have two intentions:

• to teach concepts that relate to the worldviews and cultures studied

• help students understand what it took to make the worldviews and cultures of today

The first unit explores Japan during the Edo Period and the Meiji Period. The students will travel back to when the people of Japan lived in a tradition of isolation and faced moments of rapid adaptation.

The next unit introduces students to Renaissance Europe. This was a time of trade, discovery, exchange of ideas, growth, competition, and imperialism. Students will consider the role of an expansionist worldview on world history and on the citizens of the world.

The third unit turns to conflict between worldviews. The Spanish exploration of the North American, Central American and South American geography introduced many opportunities and choices. Technology, disease, desires of dominance, and acquisition all contribute to the clash between these societies. Just as important, students will examine the consequences of these pursuits and worldviews for both the Aztecs and the Spanish.

Concluding lessons offer chances for the students to consolidate their learning with cumulative activities. Also, students may reflect on how these attitudes, values and worldviews still influence us by applying concepts they learned to today’s currents events.

The lessons have been designed to work independently or as units of study, with high interest and low vocabulary as leading goals. 

LESSON TOPICS

Unit 1 From Isolation to Adaptation: JAPAN

• Introduction for Historical Worldviews Examined - Alberta Grade 8 Social Studies

• Teacher Notes: Cultural Isolation During the Edo Period

• Answer Key - From Isolation to Adaptation Japan - Alberta Grade 8 Social Studies

• Vocabulary and Pronunciation Sheet - From Isolation to Adaptation Japan

Lesson 1 - Cultural Isolation During the Edo Period

Lesson 2 - Japan’s Edo Period – Feudal Lords and Samurai Warriors

Lesson 3 - Japan’s Edo Period – Military Dictators and Strict, Stable Peace

Lesson 4 - Japan’s Edo Period – Timeline of Leaders and Events

Lesson 5 - Japan’s Edo Period – How Can Culture and Art Flourish in Isolation

Lesson 6 - Edo Period – The Fall of Edo

Teacher Notes: The Edo Period – Government, Worldview, Citizenship and Identity

Lesson 8 - 2A Japan’s Edo Period – Features of the Feudal Government

Lesson 9 - 2B Japan’s Edo Period – How a Worldview Affects Decision-Making

Lesson 10 - 2C Japan’s Edo Period – Citizenship and Identity

Lesson 11 - 2D Japan’s Edo Period – From Isolation to Crisis to Adaptation

Teacher Notes: The Meiji Period – Rapid Adaptation in a Changing World

Lesson 12 - 3A Japan’s Meiji Period – Radical Change in Government

Lesson 13 - 3B Japan’s Meiji Period – Changes at Work and At Home

Lesson 14 - 3C Japan’s Meiji Period – Looking Back and Comparing to the Past

Teacher Notes: The Meiji Period – Consequences of Rapid Change to Citizenship and Identity

Lesson 15 - 4A Japan’s Meiji Period – How Do Citizens Adapt to Radical Change?

Lesson 16 - 4B Japan’s Meiji Period – Maintaining Traditions While Facing Progress

Lesson 17 - 4C Japans’ Meiji Period – Review –Isolation, Adaptation and More

Unit 2 Origins of a Western Worldview: Renaissance Europe

• Teacher Notes - Origins of a Western Worldview: Renaissance Europe

• Answer Key - Origins of a Western Worldview: Renaissance Europe

• Vocabulary and Pronunciation Sheet - Origins of a Western Worldview: Renaissance Europe

Lesson 1 - 1A What was Europe Before the Renaissance?

Lesson 2 - 1B Small Fires in Europe – Before the Renaissance

Lesson 3 - 1C Spreading the Fire – Events and Ideas from Renaissance Europe

Lesson 4 - 1D The Role of Towns, Guilds, Money, Religion, and Education in the Renaissance

Teacher Notes: Renaissance Europe – The Emergence of Powerful City-States and Influential Thinkers

Lesson 5 - 2A Renaissance Europe – Geography, Trade, and the City-State

Lesson 6 - 2B Renaissance Europe – Rebirth of Classical Writings and Exchange with the East

Lesson 7 - 2C Renaissance Europe – Influential Thinkers and Ideas about Humanism

Teacher Notes: Spreading the Fire of Renaissance Europe – Discovery, Exploration, Expansion and Imperialism

Lesson 8 - 3A Renaissance Europe – Discovery

Lesson 9 - 3B Renaissance Europe – Exploration

Lesson 10 - 3C Renaissance Europe – Expansion

Lesson 11 - 3D Renaissance Europe – Imperialism and Citizenship

Unit 3 The Spanish and the Aztecs

• Answer Key - Worldviews in Conflict: The Spanish and the Aztecs

• Teacher Notes - The Spanish and the Aztecs – Before Intercultural Contact

• Vocabulary and Pronunciation Sheet - Worldviews in Conflict: The Spanish and the Aztecs

Lesson 1 - 1A The Aztecs Before the Spanish

Lesson 2 - 1B The Aztecs – Mythology, Customs, and Worldview

Lesson 3 - 1C The Aztecs – Exchange, Expansion and Empire

Lesson 4 - 1D The Spanish – Before the Aztecs

Lesson 5 - 1E The Spanish and the Aztecs – Comparing Worldviews

Teacher Notes: Meeting, Miscommunication, Conflict, Conquest – The Spanish and the Aztecs

Lesson 6 - 2A The Spanish and the Aztecs –Discovering Each Other

Lesson 7 - 2B The Spanish and the Aztecs – Meeting

Lesson 8 - 2C The Spanish and the Aztecs – Miscommunication, Conflict, Disease, and Religion

Lesson 9 - 2D The Spanish and the Aztecs – Changes in Society

Lesson 10 - 2E The Spanish and the Aztecs –Conquest and Consequences

Teacher Notes: The Spanish and the Aztecs – Have We Learned to Control Expansionism, Imperialism, and Domination?

Lesson 11 - 3A The Spanish and the Aztecs – A Mix of Worldviews

Lesson 12 - 3B The Spanish and the Aztecs – Technology and Expansion

Lesson 13 - 3C The Spanish and the Aztecs – Challenge: Is There a Way to Control Domination and Imperialism