| REGIONAL STUDY: EUROPE |
OVERARCHING QUESTION: How did diverse civilizations and systems develop in Europe?
Indicators and Supporting Content
Suggested Time: 7 weeks
A. analyze geographic characteristics of Europe in order to construct support for regional designations such as Northern Europe, Southern Europe, Eastern Europe, and Western Europe.
define geographic characteristics
identify geographic characteristics of European regions
construct support for geographic regional designations in Europe
B. analyze the achievements of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome in order to draw conclusions about their impact on the world community.
analyze the achievements of Ancient Greece
analyze the achievements of Ancient Greece during the Hellenistic period
analyze the achievements of Ancient Rome
C. examine key leaders in Ancient Rome and the Middle Ages in order to analyze decisions made by individuals in other times and places, and evaluate the consequences.
Construct a timeline of key European leaders from the Roman era to the Middle Ages
Examine the actions/decisions of European leaders
D. examine European society during the Middle Ages in order to analyze how groups and institutions sustain and influence culture.
describe the problems of daily life in the Early Middle Ages after the collapse of the Roman Empire
define and examine the system of feudalism
examine the manorial system and analyze its role in providing stability in the Middle Ages
identify the social, economic, and political role of the church in medieval society.
analyze the causes and effects of the Crusades
E. examine the emergence of democratic principles in England in order to draw conclusions about their influence on basic underlying ideals of American society.
recall from prior knowledge rights of US citizens
identify reasons for the decline in power of the church
draw conclusions about the changing role of the English monarchy
analyze the English Bill of Rights for its impact on the English monarchy and English citizens
About this Unit
From the Mediterranean to the British Isles, from Scandinavia to the Slavic nations of Eastern Europe, cultural identity assumes great importance for Europeans. As a point of fact, there are many Europes. While constituting only the second smallest continent in the world, Europe is immense in its diversity. Northern Europe is as different from southern Europe as the East is from the West.
Many Europeans hold as great an allegiance to their national or regional identity as they do to a united Europe. Geography alone has much to do with the Europeans self-identity. For example, a Norwegian might consider himself a Norwegian first, a Scandinavian second, and lastly, a European. Climatic and natural features such as the English Channel, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Alps had much to do with the division of Europe into distinct geographic regions.
Geographically, Europe can de divided into four regions. These are Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Northern Europe and Southern Europe. These regions are defined by selected geographic characteristics that influence the culture of the people that live there. For example, Southern Europe is characterized by extensive coastline and a Mediterranean climate. Therefore, primary economic activities in this region are fishing and agriculture.
Understanding the historical developments in Europe is important to understanding much of the heritage of western civilization. An analysis of major achievements of European society from antiquity to the Middle Ages leads one to conclude that these achievements not only had an immediate influence but also have had a lasting impact on the world community. Some of these achievements include ideas such as political liberty, values such as human rights, and institutions such as parliaments and national assemblies. As well, architectural, literary, and artistic forms that originated in Europe are still replicated today.
At the conclusion of this unit, students should recognize the significance of the following statements of enduring knowledge.
Europe is a politically, culturally and geographically diverse continent.
Europe is a geographic region as defined by common physical characteristics.
Ancient Greece and Rome have impacted the western world.
Decisions made by individuals throughout history have had short and long-term effects.
Institutions created stability during the Middle Ages.
The development of representative government in England influenced the development of American democracy.
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