Astronomy - Solar System - Neptune - Overview

The Kingfisher Space Encyclopedia

Discussion:
Neptune - named for the Roman god of the sea
Discovery
Visibility/viewing from Earth

Activity:
Chart where Neptune is and if visible, attempt to view it

Imperial China - Geography

The Han Dynasty by Sheila Wyborny

Discussion:
Basic geography review - major rivers, cities, mountains, deserts, regions, bodies of water

Activity:
Map activity - correctly place elements on map with labels

Astronomy - Solar System - Uranus - Orbit and Moons

Uranus by Melissa Stewart

Discussion:
Orbit and time on Uranus
Accounting for Uranus' unusual tilt in measuring time and seasons
Major moons - size, composition

Activity:
Draw Uranus' orbit

Marco Polo - The Silk Road

Adventures on the Ancient Silk Road by Priscilla Galloway with Dawn Hunter

Discussion:
Mongol improvements to safety, infrastructure
Life in a caravan
Deserts, mountains, cities

Activity:
History journal
Map study
Picture study

Astronomy - Solar System - Uranus - Composition and Rings

Uranus by Melissa Stewart

Discussion: 

Inside Uranus 

Temperature

Formation of Uranus' rings

Activity: 

Draw a schematic of Uranus' composition

Marco Polo - Journey to the East

Marco Polo: The Boy Who Traveled the Medieval World by Nick McCarty

Discussion:
Leg 1: Venice to Hormuz
Length of journey - time it will take
Traveling on boat and in desert caravans

Activity:
History journal
Picture study
Map study

The Mongols - Kara-Kitan Khanate

Adventures on the Ancient Silk Road by Priscilla Galloway with Dawn Hunter

Discussion:
Ghaznavids vs. Seljuqs
Kwarezmid Empire
The Mongols take over the Kwarezmids - Kara-Kitan Khanate established

Activity:
History journal
Map study

Astronomy - Solar System - Uranus - Overview

Uranus

Uranus by Melissa Stewart
The Kingfisher Space Encyclopedia

Discussion:
Uranus - named for Greek sky god
Appearance of Uranus from Earth
Visibility of Uranus - need for telescope

Activity:
Use Night Watch by Terence Dickinson to determine when Uranus is visible

Medieval India - Trade Systems and Wealth

Trade from India - raw materials, city locations, weights and measures

Spice consumption costs (see data)

Discussion: 

Maritime trade routes - ports in India

The spice trade

Costs of the journey vs. profits from sales

Activity: 

History journal

Map study - Chalukya spice routes and cities

Astronomy - Solar System - Saturn - Moons and Orbit

Saturn's Largest Moon Titan - A World Much Like Earth

Saturn by Dana Meachen Rau

Discussion:
Saturn's orbit and time on Saturn
Interesting features of some of Saturn's moons
Titan - atmosphere and other features

Activity:
Draw Saturn's orbit
Picture study: Saturn's moons

Medieval India - Islam and the Delhi Sultanate

Islam and the Delhi Sultanate
Read-aloud: Stories from the Silk Road by Cherry Gilchrist and Nilesh Mistry

Discussion:
Mahmud of Ghazni and the Ghaznavids
Muslim conquests of northern India
Establishing the Delhi Sultanate

Activity:
History journal
Map study
Picture study - India by Michael Wood

Astronomy - Solar System - Saturn - Composition, Size, Rings

Saturn by Dana Meachen Rau

Discussion:
Size, density, composition
Temperature
Saturn's rings

Activity:
Draw a schematic of Saturn

Medieval India - Southern Rulers

Southern Rulers
Read-aloud: Tales from India by Jamila Gavin and Amanda Hall

Discussion:
Southern Hindu rulers
Temple building

Activity:
History journal
Map study - southern India
Picture study - India by Michael Wood

Astronomy - Solar System - Saturn - Overview

Saturn - Space School

The Kingfisher Space Encyclopedia

Discussion:
Saturn - named for the Roman god of agriculture and the treasury
Saturn's appearance - gas planet plus giant rings
Viewing Saturn from Earth

Activity:
Observe Saturn in the night sky

Astronomy - Solar System - Jupiter - Orbit and Moons

Jupiter's Moons

Jupiter by Dana Meachen Rau

Discussion:
Jupiter's orbit - time on Jupiter
Moons of Jupiter
Composition of Jupiter's moons

Activity:
Draw Jupiter's orbit

Medieval India - Harsha Vardhana

Harsha Vardhana
Read-aloud: Tales from India by Jamila Gavin and Amanda Hall

Discussion:
Harsha rises to power and reunites northern India
Religious devotion - important advances for Buddhism
Culture and arts

Activity:
History journal
Map study - extent of Harsha's Empire

Astronomy - Solar System - Jupiter - Composition and Size

Jupiter by Dana Meachen Rau

Discussion:
Temperature on Jupiter; its effect on states of gas
Jupiter's composition
Size of Jupiter; gravitational pull

Activity:
Draw a schematic of Jupiter's composition

Medieval India - The Gupta Empire

The Gupta Empire
Read-aloud: Tales from India by Jamila Gavin and Amanda Hall

Discussion:
Further stratification of the Hindu caste system
Advances in science and art, literature - exporting Gupta culture to Southeast Asia
The Hun Invasion, weakening of the government and its collapse

Activity:
History journal
Map study - extent of the Gupta Empire
Picture study: India by Michael Wood

Astronomy - Solar System - Jupiter - Overview

Jupiter: The Largest Planet

The Kingfisher Space Encyclopedia
Jupiter by Dana Meachen Rau

Discussion:
Jupiter - named for the Roman chief god
Jupiter's appearance - swirling clouds, red spot, storms
Visibility of Jupiter - observing from Earth

Activity:
Spot Jupiter in the night sky - pretty easy this time of year

Medieval India - Review of Religious Beliefs and Social Structures

Read-aloud: Tales from India by Jamela Gavin and Amanda Hall

Discussion:
Review of caste system
Review of major Hindu gods and their roles
Review of Buddhism
Review of basic history through Chandragupta

Activity:
(Review is enough; this is a large amount of information to recall)

Medieval India - Geography

India: Enchantment of the World by Don Nardo

Discussion:
Major rivers, mountain ranges, bordering oceans and seas
Regions
Ancient city centers

Activity:
Map study - blank map of India

Astronomy - Solar System - Meteors

Meteor Hits Russia 2013 - Best Footage Collection

The Kingfisher Space Encyclopedia
Asteroids by Isaac Asimov

Vocabulary Added:
meteoroid: rocky or metallic body travelling through space
meteor: a meteoroid caught in gravitational pull and falling toward a planet
meteorite: a meteoroid that has hit the ground

Discussion:
Impact craters - on Earth and other bodies
Meteor showers
Meteorites as sources of iron for early peoples

Activity:
Draw a picture explaining the three stages of the meteor

Astronomy - Solar System - Review of the Rocky Planets and the Sun

Review the major features of the four rocky planets, particularly what they have in common.

Review the Sun.

Visit the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Planetarium

The Mongols - Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire by Miriam Greenblatt
Chingis Khan by Demi

Discussion:
Youth and rise to power over Mongolian tribes
Conquering northern China; Korea pays tribute
Wars against Khwarazm Empire

Activity:
History journal
Map study
Playmobil re-enactment of battles and sieges

Astronomy - Solar System - Asteroids

Dawn Mission 2007 Asteroid Belt
NASA | Animation of Dawn's Visit to Vesta

Asteroids by Isaac Asimov

Vocabulary Added:
asteroid: planet-like

Discussion:
Origins of asteroids
Asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter
Trojan asteroids

Activity:
Make asteroids out of playdough

The Mongols - Geography and Overview

Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire  by Miriam Greenblatt
Barbarians!  by Steven Kroll and Robert Byrd

Discussion:
Mongol way of life
Social structure and religion
Invasion of Central Asia

Activity:
History journal
Map study

Medieval Russia and Central Asia - Early Settlements

Russia: Enchantment of the World by Stillman D. Rogers
Read-aloud: Koshka's Tales: Stories from Russia by James Mayhew

Discussion:
The Rus and the Varangians
Rurik
Kiev and minor princedoms

Activity:
History journal
Map study - Kiev, Novgorod

Astronomy - Solar System - Mars - Orbit and Satellites

Mars by Elaine Landau
Seven Wonders of the Rocky Planets and Their Moons by Ron Miller

Discussion:
Mars' orbit
Time on Mars
Phobos and Deimos - Mars' moons

Activity:
Draw Mars' orbit

Astronomy - Solar System - Mars - Composition and Geography

NASA | Mars Evolution

Mars by Dana Meachen Rau
Seven Wonders of the Rocky Planets and Their Moons by Ron Miller

Discussion:
Mars from the inside out - core to atmosphere
Water
Valles Marineris and Olympus Mons

Activity:
Draw and label a schematic of Mars

Medieval Russia and Central Asia - Geography

Russia: Enchantment of the World by Stillman D. Rogers
Read-aloud: Koshka's Tales: Stories from Russia by James Mayhew

Discussion:
Major rivers, mountains, regions
Climate and habitats (tundra, taiga, forest, steppes)

Activity:
Map coloring and labeling - Blank map of Asia and Europe (print it large)
Picture study - Russia and Central Asian landscape

Medieval Europe - Marco Polo - Childhood and Early Travels

Marco Polo: The Boy Who Traveled the Medieval World by Nick McCarty

Discussion:
Marco Polo grows up in Venice
Marco's father and uncle travel throughout Asia and the Middle East
Why travel took so long back then

Activity:
History journal
Blank map of Europe and Asia (need to print it full size or this is pointless) - mark important stops on Niccolo and Maffeo's trip, and their route from Venice to Mongolia and back; learn/review important regions, rivers, and mountains in northern Asia and the Middle East

Astronomy - Solar System - Mars - Overview

Don't Know Much About the Solar System by Kenneth C. Davis
The Kingfisher Space Encyclopedia

Discussion:
Mars - named for the Roman god of war
Mars' red appearance, from rusty soil
Viewing Mars from Earth

Activity:
Locate Mars in the night sky (have to get up in the middle of the night for this one.  The sacrifices we make for our children....)