Small-group activities encourage students to become historians as they evaluate letters from Hernando Cortés, poetry from the Aztecs, and pictures of the Danza de la Conquista. They come away from this unit with a richer knowledge of the Aztec/Spanish encounters; an understanding of concepts such as bias, perspective, interpretation, and balance; and an appreciation for the complexity of writing history.
This curriculum unit uses cooperative activities and games to introduce students to the physical and political geography of Latin America. Students examine different world maps to help them understand that maps are created for specific purposes and convey different information based on their perspective and design.
Teaching the geographic concepts of region, cultural boundary, and movement can be challenging. This unit helps students explore these ideas as they learn about the geographic distribution and spread of major world religions throughout Asia.
Students study cultural perceptions in this unit, based on encounters among Europeans, Americans, and the Japanese in the mid-1800s. Historic images from woodblock prints and paintings, journal entries, and other primary sources bring these interactions alive for students as they think about issues such as perceptions and stereotypes.
In this unit, students examine two important episodes in the history of U.S.–Mexico relations: the Mexican-American War and the Bracero Program, created to fill a critical need for farm labor in the United States. This unit is Part I of the U.S.–Mexico Relations bundle.
In this unit, students explore key historical episodes in U.S.–Japan relations, such as the first Japanese embassy to the United States in 1860, the "picture bride" immigration from Japan to the United States, and the U.S. occupation of Japan.
In this unit, students examine three key contemporary issues: immigration, North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the environment.
Note: This unit is Part II of the U.S.ñ Mexico Relations bundle.
This unit introduces students to feudal Japan, its castles, and the towns that grew up around them. The lessons in this unit can be used to complement teaching about the Middle Ages in Europe.