In this Visual Discovery activity students map the development of the Roman Empire from a tiny settlement to its greatest size in A.D. 117. Students use their maps to see how geography profoundly influenced both the expansion and decline of the Empire.

In this Experiential Exercise students arrange themselves into the shape of the Roman Empire and its height. They are assigned roles to play--Romans, Provincials, and Barbarians--as they recreate the Empire's struggle to maintain its wealth and defend its boundaries from barbarian invasions.

In this Response Group activity students explore ten theories about the fall of the Roman Empire. Examining political cartoons that illustrate similar problems facing modern America, students compare Rome's past with contemporary society.

In this Writing for Understanding activity students write a eulogy for the fallen Roman Empire that praises the Empire's lasting achievements and notes how these affect architecture, government, and religion in their communities today.

In this Visual Discovery activity students view and discuss transparencies which show the Byzantine Empire at its height, and explore Constantinople's role as a center for trade, government, and religion.

In this Response Group activity students apply laws from the Code of Justinian and the California Penal and Probate Codes to four hypothetical legal dilemmas--a marriage, a robbery, an assault, and the writing of a will--as they argue the merits of each code.

In this Problem Solving Groupwork activity students work in groups to create monuments--using only their bodies--to one of nine aspects of daily life in Constantinople and decide where to place their monuments in the glorious Byzantine city.

In this Experiential Exercise students play the roles of serfs, knights, lords, and a monarch and recreate the relationships that defined European feudal society.

In this Visual Discovery activity students view and discuss the historical events, ideas, and figures that shaped the development of feudalism.

In this Social Studies Skill Builder students identify the eight elements of music as they listen to three songs from medieval Europe.

In this Problem Solving Groupwork activity students recreate and act out scenes of medieval life--from feasts to trial by ordeal--with the help of an image from the era, rich primary and secondary sources, and their own flair for the dramatic.

In this Response Group activity students compare the harsh lifestyle of medieval serfs with the living conditions of America's homeless. Students analyze four aspects of the lives of serfs and the homeless: food, shelter, clothing, and personal safety.

In this Visual Discovery activity students view five transparencies that reflect the foundations of the Catholic Church and its influence in western Europe during the Middle Ages.

In this Experiential Exercise students experience the demanding lifestyle of medieval monks as they rotate among four stations that illustrate different aspects of monastic life.

In this Social Studies Skill Builder activity students identify features of a Gothic cathedral and analyze how its architecture reveals the role of the Christian church in medieval life.

In this Culminating Project students create illuminated poems that use verse and design to illustrate how life changed in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire.

Explore how people have adapted to the geophysical features of the Arabian Peninsula.

Discuss images depicting the life of the prophet Muhammad and the revelation of the message of Islam.

Write a dialog that reveals how a Muslim might live out the teachings of the Qur'an and Hadith.

Extrapolate information from population data to code a map of the modern Muslim world.

Discuss images illustrating the growth of a Muslim empire.

Translate a message from Arabic to English about the spread of Islam after the seventh century A.D.

Create and map symbols for the achievements of the Golden Age.

Discover how the major architectural features of a mosque reflect Muslim beliefs and practices.

Trace geometric shapes, create unique patterns, and discover geometric designs in Islamic art.

Sketch responses to the vivid imagery of Muslim poems and compose their own.

Investigate the major crusades to the Holy Land, the figures involved, and the outcomes.

Wear masks of nine figures and discuss their widely differing views during a historical symposium.

Write an editorial "from diverse viewpoints" on a major event from the Crusades.

Create museum exhibits using a variety of graphic devices to commemorate the rise of Islam.

Label 18 key physiographic features of Africa to discover the physical diversity of the continent.

Explore how people in four contrasting climate zones have adapted to their environments.

Reenact gold and salt trades between the Soninke and the Wangarans.

Discuss a series of images that chronicle the development and decline of the three empires.

Assume the roles of North African traders to create a traveler's guide for crossing the Sahara.

Discuss images of the migrations of the Bantu, the Zimbabwe state, and the Kongo Kingdom.

Create spoke diagrams to illustrate the Kongo Kingdom, the Zimbabwe state, and Kilwa.

Songs Perform original praise songs to the Kongo Kingdom, the Zimbabwe state, and Kilwa.

Interpret a series of Shona proverbs and apply the teachings to real-life situations.

Analyze a variety of African art to discover its beauty, richness, function, and complexity.

Explore the influences of traditional African art on works created by contemporary artists.

Create songs reflecting the style of both traditional and contemporary African music.

Create and perform a four-part story to share the important aspects of sub-Saharan African history.

Label and discuss 16 key physiographic features of China.

Debate whether to appoint government officials on the basis of aristocracy, nepotism, or meritocracy.

Research Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism and match quotes to the Buddha, Confucius, or Laozi.

Discuss a series of images depicting the political history of China from 600 through the 1600s

Practice writing a series of Chinese characters to explore the pictographic roots of the language.

Draw symbols to represent 15 cultural achievements.

Match the poems of six Chinese scholar-painters to paintings of the landscapes they describe.

Write a newspaper editorial recounting life in imperial China to support Marco Polo’s descriptions.

Use their bodies (population) and desks (land) to model the population densities of three countries.

View and discuss a series of images depicting Japan’s early history.

Create Kabuki dramas on the life of eight groups in feudal Japan.

Explore the Chinese influence on topics such as music and government in Japan.

Discover how Buddhism, Shinto, and Japan’s geography have influenced each other.

Write and illustrate haiku poems based on images of Japan’s natural environment.

Create an illustrated, annotated Venn diagram that compares imperial China and feudal Japan.

Map physiographic features and cities of western Europe and graph population data of key cities.

Discuss images depicting the breakdown of the feudal system and the rise of trade and commerce.

Identify the period in which seven pieces of art were created: classical, medieval, or Renaissance.

“Visit” several sites in Florence and write an illustrated letter to a friend describing the “trip.”

Discover the importance of Gutenberg’s printing press as a vehicle for spreading ideas.

Learn the steps to a Renaissance dance and dance in pairs to a Renaissance song.

Attend a ball in the roles of such prominent figures as Leonardo da Vinci, Elizabeth I, and El Greco.

Write poems describing the beliefs and accomplishments of one of 18 Renaissance figures.

Compare exchanging 10 cents for an academic point to the Church’s practice of selling indulgences.

View and discuss a series of images depicting the spread of Protestantism throughout Europe.

Create visual spoke diagrams depicting the major features of one of five Christian religions.

Complete a flowchart that chronicles the development of five revolutionary scientific breakthroughs.

Examine a variety of goods that might have been found on a European explorer’s ship.

Create human monuments to European explorers from diverse perspectives.

Design a news magazine on the Renaissance, Reformation, and Age of Exploration.

Map the major physiographic features of Latin America and identify them in a series of images.

Assemble a timeline to represent 11 of the early complex civilizations of the Americas.

Explore Maya adaptations to life in the rainforest, social and political systems, and cultural achievements.

Interpret the Sacred Round, the 260-day Maya calendar, and solve a series of word problems.

Maya Investigate clues as to why the Maya centers Tikal, Palenque, and Copán collapsed.

Analyze the rise to power of the Inca and explore their unique social and political characteristics.

Assume the roles of Sapa Inca, Inca governors, and peoples conquered by the Inca.

Create symbols representing Inca accomplishments and place them on a map of the empire.

Discuss the Aztec Empire from the settlement of the Valley of Mexico to the Spanish conquest.

Examine Aztec codex images and write an illustrated journal about daily life in the Aztec empire.

Create dramatizations, from Spanish and Aztec perspectives, of events during the Spanish conquest.

Evaluate a variety of factors to explain why the Spanish were able to conquer the Aztecs and the Inca.

Design murals that commemorate cultural achievements of the Maya, Aztecs, and Inca.