This unit mostly addresses Connecticut’s social studies standards, but there are certainly applications to the Common Core literacy standards and the Next Generation Science Standards used in Connecticut.
CT Social Studies Standards (CSSS)7.Inq.1.c. – Determine the kinds of sources that will be helpful in answering compelling and supporting questions, taking into consideration multiple points of views represented in the sources. – In this unit, students will be exposed to a broader set of primary and secondary sources than they may be used to in a social studies class, but will have plenty of opportunities to develop compelling and engaging questions about both history and geology.
CSSS.7.Geo.10.a. – Analyze how cultural characteristics vary among regions and shape diversity of local communities (e.g., cultural centers, diasporas, cultural universals, taboos, linguistics). – By using case studies, this unit will cover a vast swath of the ancient Roman world. Primary source readings have been included to illuminate the distinct cultural characteristics of the peoples of the Roman Empire.
CSSS.7.Geo.10.b. – Analyze how environmental characteristics vary among regions (e.g., climate, natural disasters, waterways, mountain ranges, deserts). – Again, the adoption of the case study format used in this unit serves as an excellent gateway into the skills of comparative analysis.
CSSS.7.Eco.6.a. – Explain how changes in supply and demand have influenced the price and quantity of a good or service in a region (e.g., gold inflation related to Mansa Musa’s Hajj, Dutch fur trade in North America, Rainforest logging, Cobalt mining in Democratic Republic of the Congo, global agriculture, Venezuela oil production, illegal poaching) – The analysis of the mines at Rio Tinto and its importance to Roman minting demonstrates not just the concepts of supply and demand, but likewise to the rules regarding the role of currency in the exchange of goods.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.1 – Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources. – Students will need to use this skill frequently in analyzing the readings across the unit.
Next Generation Science Standard (NGSS) MS-ESS2-2 – Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth's surface at varying time and spatial scales. – Our analysis of Vesuvius and plate tectonics support the teaching of this standard, as we see how Italy came to its present shape and location in mainland Europe while likewise recognizing the dangers it posed to people.
NGSS.MS-ESS3-1 – Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how the uneven distributions of Earth's mineral, energy, and groundwater resources are the result of past and current geoscience processes. – The analysis of the ore deposits at Rio Tinto perfectly addresses this standard.
