Imperial China - Song Dynasty - Economic Advances

The Song Dynasty by Scott Ingram

Discussion:
Agrarian reforms lead to creation of wealth in rural and urban centers
Expansion of merchant class and trade
Urbanization/diversification of urban trades catering to merchants and the wealthy

Activity:
History journal

Imperial China - Song Dynasty - Agrarian Reforms

The Song Dynasty by Scott Ingram

Discussion:
Government investment in commoners' lives - increase food supply
Development of the iron industry - mass production of tools
Cash crops rotated with subsistence crops - market economy

Activity:
History journal

Medieval Middle East - Abbasid Empire - Food, Music, Festivals

Foods of Iran by Barbara Sheen
Cooking Up World History by Suzanne Marchers and Patricia Marden
1001 Inventions & Awesome Facts from Muslim Civilization by National Geographic Kids

Discussion:
Important religious festivals and traditions
Foods of the region, methods of production and preparation
Music

Activity:
History journal
Listen to music of the Abbasid Empire - Safiy ad-Din et al.
Abbasid Feast! (Make Caliph's favorite pancakes in particular)

Ancient Rome - The Republic - Food

Life in the Roman Empire: The City by Kathryn Hinds
The Ancient Romans by Allison Lassieur
Ancient Roman Art by Susie Hodge

"A Wild-Goose Chase" from Roman Myths by Geraldine McCaughrean and Emma Chichester Clark

Discussion:
Foods available
Food economy
Country - Market - Villa

Activity:
Roman feast!
Review of Falernus and Liber myth

Ancient Greece - Food

Food & Feasts in Ancient Greece by Imogen Dawson
Cooking Up World History by Patricia C. Marden and Suzanne I. Barchers
Ancient Greece: Daily Life by Stewart Ross

D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths

The Wanderings of Odysseus: The Story of The Odyssey, "Telemachus Seeks His Father" by Rosemary Sutcliff and Alan Lee

Discussion:
Foods in Athens
Food production occupations (farmer, shepherd, goatherd, winemaker)
Food culture - sitting at feast, how people were served, ate

Activity:
Make Arni Psito (Leg of Lamb) for dinner

The Americas - South America - Amazon River Basin

South America by Libby Koponen
How the Birds Changed Their Feathers by Joanna Troughton
"Kinkajou and the Food Tree," "Star Girl Brings Yuca From the Sky" from When Jaguars Ate the Moon and Other Stories About Animals and Plants of the Americas by Maria Cristina Brusca and Tona Wilson

Discussion:
Foods from the Amazon: potatoes, quinoa, beans, corn, peanuts, sweet potatoes, manioc
Geoglyphs
Forest Gardening

Activity:
Locate the Amazon River and its basin on a map
What is a geoglyph?
Eat some South American foods

The Americas - South America - West Coast and Andes

BBC - Wild South America 

"The Lost Llama" from When Jaguars Ate the Moon and Other Stories About Animals and Plants of the Americas by Maria Cristina Brusca and Tona WilsonSouth America by Libby Koponen

Discussion:
Norte Chico - coastal civilization with river irrigation
Chavin - camelid domestication
Tiwanaku - trade, pilgrimage

Activity:
Locate the Andes on a map of South America
Picture Study: Norte Chico proto-writing, Chavin gold, Tiwanaku - Gate of the Sun

The Americas - Mesoamerica - The Mayans

"The Beans" and "Corn and Chocolate" from When Jaguars Ate the Moon and Other Stories About Animals and Plants of the Americas by Maria Cristina Brusca and Tona Wilson

Discussion:
Foods (corn, chocolate, beans, squash, avocado, tomato)

Activity:
Find Mayan lands on a map
Make foods using some Mesoamerican ingredients

The Americas - Mesomerica - The Olmec and the Zapotec

The Tree That Rains: The Flood Myth of the Huichol Indians of Mexico by Emery & Durga Bernhard

Discussion:
Compare the world flood stories discussed this year
Climate and geography of Mesoamerica
Food staples (corn, beans, squash) and early farming practices
Animals: jaguar, quetzal, snake, eagle

Activity:
Map Study: where did the Olmec and Zapotec live?

Picture Study: Warrior Head

The Americas - North America - Review

How did people arrive in the Americas?

What are some principal religious beliefs held by most major Native North American nations?

Style recognition: look at pictures of objects, explain who made them and why.

Cut/paste: match nation names to their location, main foods, and shelter types.

The Americas - North America - the Hopi/Zuni and Dine

The Navajo by Kevin Cunningham and Peter Benoit
Pueblo by R. Kent Drasmussen and Kimberly L. Dawson Kurnizki
"Why Moon Has One Eye" and "The Hero Twins" from The Girl Who Helped Thunder and Other Native American Folktales by James and Joseph Bruchat and Stefano Vitale
Coyote Steals the Blanket by Janet Stevens

Discussion:
Climate of the American southwest (food, shelter)
Ceremonies and rituals

Activity:
Field trip to the National Museum of the American Indian

The Americas - North America - The Haudenosaunee and Muskogee

The Iroquois  by Emily J. Dolbear and Peter Benoit
The Creek and Their History by Natalie M. Rosinsky
"Big Duck and the Ducks" and "Why the Oppossum's Tail is Bald" from When Jaguars Ate the Moon and Other Stories About Animals and Plants of the Americas by Maria Cristina Brusca and Tona Wilson
"The Girl Who Helped Thunder" and "The Ball Game Between the Birds & Animals" from The Girl Who Helped Thunder and Other Native American Folktales by James and Joseph Bruchat and Stefano Vitale

Discussion:
Life in the north vs. the south (food, shelter)
The Five Nations, wampum

Activity:
Picture study in The Iroquois and The Creek and Their History
Narration of a favorite story

The Americas - North America - The Dakota

The Sioux by Kevin Cunningham and Peter Benoit
Native American Religions by Paula R. Hertz
Crow Chief by Paul Goble
The Legend of the Blue Bonnet by Tomie de Paola
"How the Buffalo Came to Be" from The Girl Who Helped Thunder and Other Native American Folktales by James and Joseph Bruchat, and Stefano Vitale

Discussion:
The Great Plains - geography, climate
Food (buffalo)
Shelter (tipi)
Art

Activity:
Learn how tipis are constructed; make a model tipi
Story Narration

The Americas - North America - The Arctic and Northwest

Lifeways: The Inuit by Raymond Bial
The Boy Who Lived with the Seals by Rafe Martin and David Shannon
"The Boy and the Loon" from Echoes of the Elders: The Stories and Paintings of Chief Lelooska, edited by Christine Normandin
"Grizzly Bear Gets Left Behind" and "The Raven and the Loon" from When Jaguars Ate the Moon and Other Stories About Animals and Plants of the Americas by Maria Cristina Brusca and Tona Wilson

Native American Religions by Paula R. Hartz

Discussion:
Climate affects way of life
Basic Native North American religious beliefs
Storytelling

Activity:
Locate the Arctic on a map
Locate the Northwest coast on a map
Picture Study from Lifeways: The Inuit and Echoes of the Elders

Australia - Technology

Aborignes hunting kagaroo with spear
Hunting bats with a boomerang (in Spanish)
Fire Hunting in Australia

Australia and Oceania by Mel Friedman
Australia by Allan Fowler
Useful reference: New South Wales K-6 Curriculum on Aboriginal Technology

Activity:

Learn to throw a boomerang
Try tracking animals

Australia - Food

Australia and Oceania by Mel Friedman
Australia by Allan Fowler
Read Aloud: Bootoolgah the Crane and Goonur the Rat, the Fire Makers

Discussion:
What did native Australians eat?  What food plants grow in Australia?
Bush Food (Bush Tucker) and recipes from Outback Chef

Activity:
Make something to eat inspired by Australian food plants
Narration of the Fire Makers