Unit Plan 10 (Grade 7 Social Studies): The Silk Road and Beyond
Trace goods, people, and ideas across Silk Road and Indian Ocean networks to explain diffusion and interdependence using maps and sources.
Focus: Trace goods, people, and ideas across Silk Road and Indian Ocean networks; explain diffusion and interdependence using maps and sources.
Grade Level: 7
Subject Area: Social Studies (World History • Geography • Inquiry)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
Students investigate how overland caravan routes and monsoon-driven sea lanes linked Afro-Eurasia. Using maps, travelers’ accounts, artifacts, and route diagrams, they track commodities (silk, spices, porcelain, gold), beliefs (Buddhism, Islam), and technologies (paper, compass) and compare how geography shaped exchange.
Essential Questions
- How did geography (oases, mountain passes, monsoon winds) shape what moved where and when?
- In what ways did these networks create diffusion of ideas and interdependence among regions?
- Which sources and map layers best support a claim about Silk Road vs. Indian Ocean exchange?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Gather and organize information from maps, texts, visuals, and data sets on Afro-Eurasian exchange (Inq.2).
- Describe and map diffusion of goods, beliefs, and technologies across continents (Geo.5).
- Explain interdependence using examples from Silk Road and Indian Ocean trade (Econ.4).
- Compare overland and maritime logistics (caravanserai vs. ports; seasonal winds; costs/risks).
- Produce a thematic map + short explanation that integrates evidence and clear legends.
Standards Alignment — 7th Grade (C3-based custom)
- 7.C3.Geo.5 — Global networks of exchange and diffusion across continents.
- 7.C3.Econ.4 — Interdependence through trade networks (Silk Road, Indian Ocean, trans-Saharan).
- 7.C3.Inq.2 — Gather/organize information from multiple source types.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can trace a commodity or idea across nodes and explain how geography enables the route.
- I can show interdependence with specific evidence (who produced, who transported, who consumed).
- I can create a readable map (title, scale, legend, source line) and a clear, cited explanation.