Alberta Grade 8 Social Studies Historical Worldviews Examined

Aligned to Alberta Curriculum, this resource has been designed to give students an understanding and appreciation of the issues related to contact between societies with differing worldviews. Inquiry and examination into the elements of these worldviews will give students the chance to reflect upon their own worldviews and consider how their past has influenced their present. Examples of worldviews will come from Japan, Renaissance Europe, and the early Spanish explorations of Aztec societies. 219 pages.

Divided into three parts:
8.1 From Isolation to Adaptation: Japan
Students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the ways in which beliefs, values, and knowledge shape worldviews and contribute to a society’s isolation or adaptation, using Japan as a key example.
Vocabulary and Pronunciation Sheet
Cultural Isolation During the Edo Period
The Edo Period – Government, Worldview, Citizenship and Identity
The Meiji Period – Rapid Adaptation in a Changing World
The Meiji Period – Consequences of Rapid Change to Citizenship and Identity
Answer Key

8.2 Origins of a Western Worldview: Renaissance Europe
Students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of how the exchange of ideas and knowledge contributed to shaping the worldview of the Western world, using Renaissance Europe as a key example.
Vocabulary and Pronunciation Sheet
Starting a Fire in Europe – The Sparks of the Renaissance
Renaissance Europe – The Emergence of Powerful City-States and Influential Thinkers
Spreading the Fire of Renaissance Europe – Discovery, Exploration, Expansion and Imperialism
Answer Key

8.3 Worldviews in Conflict: The Spanish and the Aztecs
Students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of how intercultural contact affects the worldviews of societies, using the meeting of Spanish and Aztec societies as a key example.
Vocabulary and Pronunciation Sheet
The Spanish and the Aztecs – Before Intercultural Contact
Meeting, Miscommunication, Conflict, Conquest – The Spanish and the Aztecs
The Spanish and the Aztecs – Have We Learned to Control Expansionism, Imperialism, and Domination
Answer Key

Meeting Your Student’s Needs
Depending on the needs of the students in a class, the teacher may want to scan any Teacher Notes into a digital format. By doing this, no matter the reading abilities of your students, they will be able to access the information of the text. When appropriate, teachers are also encouraged to allow students to collaborate on as many activities as possible. This allows all students to be successful without modifying the text significantly.