Curriculum

6.6 Which Chinese philosophy would be most effective for running your school?

In this 2 to 3 day lesson students will use information from primary sources and a PowerPoint to learn about the three main Chinese philosophies—Taoism, Confucianism, and Legalism, analyzing and organizing the information from the documents on a worksheet. They will then use the information to write an eight-sentence paragraph in which they answer the guiding question.

6.6 How should we remember Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di?

In this 2-day lesson students will read and analyze multiple sources about Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di. Students will discuss his accomplishments, how people felt about his rule, and the impact he had on future dynasties.

6.6 How did belief systems influence society in China?

Students will understand the role of belief systems as they shape cultures and cultural interaction. By matching pairs of artifacts, descriptions, quotes, and literature excerpts, students will learn about, discuss, and write about Confucianism, Taoism, and mysticism and their impact on ancient Chinese culture.

Evidence Sort & Claim 6th Grade Ancient Greece

Many historians have written about the freedoms associated with Athenian democracy, while others have argued that slavery was vital in supporting Athens’ Golden Age. Argument/Claim: The Athenian Golden Age would have occurred with or without the existence of slavery.

Evidence Sorts are a low-stakes strategy that allows students to practice the skill of connecting evidence to a claim. In this strategy, the claim, or argument, is provided alongside a series of primary and secondary sources. Working individually, or in groups, students read and analyze each piece of evidence and determine if it supports the provided argument or it if counters it.

7.2 How does poetry help us understand how people thought and felt in 1200s-1300s Southwest Asia?

In this lesson, students will read several poems from Jahan Malek, a famous Persian poet from the 1300s, and write journal entries as responses to these poems. Students will also gain an understanding of poetry in the pre-Islamic Arabian Peninsula and in Persia, along with the significance of the Quran on poetry in the region.

This lesson seeks to provide a culturally relevant approach to understanding people in Southwestern Asia. Modifications are considered for distance learning.

7.2 How was the city of Nishapur a Site of Encounter?

In this lesson, students will explore the city of Nishapur as a site of cultural encounter along the Silk Road. Through a warm-up mapping activity, background reading, and guided analysis of four primary sources, including artifacts and artwork from the Sasanian and Abbasid empires, students will investigate how trade, art, and geography positioned Nishapur as a place of cultural exchange. Students will then synthesize their learning by writing a short argumentative paragraph using evidence from the sources to answer the essential question: How was the city of Nishapur a site of encounter?

7.3 Can looking at the past help rulers succeed in the future?

Students will examine what characteristics cause a great empire to rise to power, stay in power, and subsequently fall from power. Specifically, students will identify major components of the fall of the Han and Sui Empires in medieval China, and discover how the fall of those empires created an environment that allowed the Tang Dynasty to rise to power.

7.4 How did trade connections between the Gupta Empire in India facilitate the spread of Buddhist and Hindu ideas and beliefs in Srivijaya?

In this lesson, students will be introduced to the Kingdom of Srivijaya as a center of tradeband commerce as well as site of religious conversion by analyzing primary and secondary sources of information. The primary sources are grouped in pairs for comparison and depth of analysis, in order: maps, artifacts from shipwrecks, traveler accounts, and stone inscriptions. Next, students will conduct an internet tour of Borobudur and Prambanan Temple Compounds by accessing online the UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) website. Students will explore the history and construction of the Buddhist and Hindu temples that were built by the Saliendra and Sanjaya Dynasties, respectively. Students will discuss how and why the monuments were selected to become a World Heritage Site and how conservation is needed for further research and understanding of the past. Upon completion of these tasks students will have the information and knowledge needed to write a 3-4 essay response to either (or both) historical inquiry question(s).

7.3 How did the Mongols control their vast empire?

In this 3-day lesson students examine the rise and fall of the Mongolian empire by reading thevBackground Reading on the Mongolian Empire together. Partners analyze a chronology of events (two corresponding timelines) and an organizational chart to frontload and conceptualize information. Five Literature Groups analyze selected primary and secondary sources by sourcing documents, conducting a close read, corroborating data and contextualizing events. Small groups with representation from all five literature circles develop a hypothesis about the content of the lesson by relating it to one of the “11 Universal Themes” in a poster. Students then respond to the prompt in an essay supported by a thesis
statement and evidence.

7.5 How did the lives of women, as reported by writers of Heian Period, compare to the lives of women today?

Using literature, diaries, and art, students will examine women’s beliefs, observations, biases, and values during the Heian Period and compare it to women of today. Students will process each text and artwork using text-dependent and analysis questions, collaborative conversations, and charts. Students will write a five-paragraph essay in response to the inquiry question.

7.4 How Should Historians Remember Prince Shotoku?

In this lesson students will be introduced to the historic figure Prince Shotoku by analyzing primary and secondary sources of information that highlight the origins, ascension to power, and leadership style of Prince Shotoku. Next, students will conduct an internet tour of the Buddhist monuments in the Horyuji Area site by accessing online the UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) website. The website provides an introduction to the organization, its mission and goals, as well as a library of all of the identified world heritage sites. Students will explore the architecture and history of the Buddhist monuments that originated during the reign of Prince Shotoku. Students will discuss how and why the monuments were selected to become a World Heritage Site for outstanding cultural value. Upon completion of these tasks students will have the information and knowledge needed to write a multi-paragraph response to the historical inquiry question.

In what ways are Mayans living in Los Angeles connected to Quetzaltenango?

In this lesson, students will explore the city of Quetzaltenango (Xela) as a site of encounter across time and geography. Students examine how Mayan cultural heritage is maintained and reimagined among indigenous communities in both Guatemala and Los Angeles. Through image analysis, document studies, and critical inquiry, students investigate cultural identity, migration, remittances, and indigenous resilience. They engage with diverse primary sources—including oral histories, photographs, and textile art—to reflect on how people connect to place across distance and generations.

10.4/10.8 To what extent did Japanese imperialism of Manchukuo incorporate pan-Asianism?

Using multiple examples of propaganda (both visual and written) and written primary source accounts, students will analyze different aspects of Japanese imperialism in Manchuria/Manchukuo. Specifically, students will analyze the messages of Japanese propaganda and the ways that Japan used propaganda to promote the idea of pan-Asianism. Students will then compare that treatment with two primary source accounts, and critically evaluate the extent to which Japanese imperialism in Manchukuo incorporated pan-Inquiry Question: To what extent did Japanese Imperialism of Manchukuo
incorporate Pan-Asianism? Students will demonstrate their understanding of the content and
Essential Question by creating a written response with evidence from both propaganda and written accounts.

10.9 Why did the US intervene in Chile?

In this lesson, students analyze the causes of the Cold War, with the free world on one side and Soviet client states on the other, including competition for influence in such places as Egypt, the Congo, Vietnam, and Chile.

10.9.1 How did the United States address social, political, and economic issues in post WWII Japan?

This lesson is designed for collaborative group work that includes pair shares, structured discussion and analysis.
In this lesson, students develop a plan for the US to rebuild Japan (post WWII) and later analyze how their plan compares to key developments under actual US occupation of Japan using primary and secondary sources provided.
There is a strong emphasis on remembering the lessons of the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I in developing student plans. This activity is done in collaborative groups, triads or quads (based on teacher preference). Students will complete the activity by writing a short response addressing the inquiry question.

Post-Ottoman Immigration to LA: Syrian Mestizaje

Do you agree that Syrian Americans can be defined with the term Mestizaje?

Immigration to Los Angeles from Syria and Palestine in the 1880s-1920s was due to both ‘push factors’ from the Ottoman Empire, and ‘pull’ factors to North America. Migrants followed routes into the US through family and social ties in Mexico before arriving in Los Angeles. Students will look at immigration documents of Syrian immigrants to the US to generate questions about immigrants, immigration, and the concept of mestizaje.

What was the promise of the August Revolution?

This lesson explores the ideals of the 1945 August Revolution and compares those promises to the realities live(d) by everyday Vietnamese as a result of this independence movement. To learn more about the August Revolution, see this talk by historian Alex-Thai Vo.

How should we remember the Haitian Revolution?

In this unit of instruction, students learn about the causes and consequences of the Haitian Revolution. This unit was created using the Inquiry Design Model. The unit plan includes links to supporting sources and strategies. This can be taught as an entire unit, or teachers can use the individual lessons embedded in the unit.

How did everyday people assert their power and agency during the Arab Spring?

This unit of instruction was designed by Vanessa Herrera, one of UCLA HGP’s Teacher Leaders. The unit, done in the C3 IDM format, explores the Arab Spring through the lens of power dynamics. Students engage in a series of lessons that will help them understand the causes of the uprising and how folks in Tunisia and Egypt used collective power to make change. The unit also includes updated articles that help students understand the impact of this event.

Talk by Dr. Mohamed Daadaoui:

What types of power did women access and exert during the Mexican Revolution?

In this lesson, students explore the ways that women exerted their power during the Mexican Revolution. The lesson, uses the “Expressions of Power” chart, developed by our colleagues at the UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project. Using the chart, students analyze a series of primary and secondary sources and create a written argument using the 11-sentence paragraph strategy.

In this video, the model lesson’s author walks you through the activities and you can also watch the historian talk by Dr. Marie Francois.