Unit Plan 27 (Grade 7 Social Studies): Midyear Project—Ideas That Changed the World
Create a digital exhibit tracing how one transformative idea—law, liberty, science, or art—evolved across regions and centuries, showing its causes, continuities, and global impact on justice, rights, and human progress.
Focus: Create a digital exhibit that traces one transformative idea—law, liberty, science, or art—across multiple regions and time periods, explaining how and why it changed.
Grade Level: 7
Subject Area: Social Studies (World History • Civics/Ideas • Inquiry)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
Students become curators, selecting one big idea (law, liberty, science, or art) and following its evolution, diffusion, and debates from the medieval to early modern world (and beyond). Using guided inquiry, they gather and evaluate sources, build a claim-driven storyline, and publish a digital exhibit with captions, media, and citations.
Essential Questions
- How do ideas travel, change, and persist across cultures and time?
- Who benefits and who is excluded when powerful ideas spread?
- What kinds of evidence help us explain continuity and change in an idea?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Frame compelling/supporting inquiry questions about an idea’s evolution and global connections (Inq.1).
- Gather, organize, and vet diverse sources (maps, objects, texts, visuals, data) for relevance and credibility (Inq.2–3).
- Construct explanations/claims with multiple pieces of evidence and clear citations; show continuity, change, and causation (Inq.4; Hist.4–5).
- Connect the idea to civic ideals (justice, rights, rule of law, participation) and discuss tradeoffs (Civ.1–4).
- Communicate conclusions in a multimedia exhibit that is accurate, accessible, and persuasive (Inq.5).
Standards Alignment — 7th Grade (C3-based custom)
- 7.C3.Inq.1–5 — Questions, sources, evaluation, argument, communication.
- 7.C3.Civ.1–4 — Foundational civic ideals; power/authority/legitimacy; roles/rights; civic values.
- 7.C3.Hist.4–5 — Turning points/big ideas and legacies; explanations with multiple causes and continuity/change.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can write a focused question and map a storyline that tracks an idea across at least two regions/time periods.
- I can select relevant, credible sources, explain how each source supports my claim, and cite them.
- I can show continuity and change with specific evidence and explain why the change happened.
- I can publish a clear, accessible exhibit with accurate captions, alt text, and a concise thesis.