NYCDOE: Passport to Social Studies – Grade 9 Unit 3 Guide

Note to Teachers: To help with remote learning, student graphic organizers for this unit are available on the NYCDOE TeachHub in a Google Drive folder along with Passport to Social Studies lessons that have been adjusted for remote learning. Access these materials by following these instructions.

This Passport to Social Studies teacher’s guide is for the third unit of the Global History and Geography I course, titled: The Ottoman and the Ming Dynasties (pre-1600 CE). This curriculum was developed by a team of NYCDOE staff and teachers, in collaboration with scholars of global history and history education. Students immerse themselves in the topic by discussing historical questions, reading and analyzing a rich collection of diverse primary and secondary sources, examining artifacts, and interpreting images, such as paintings, photographs, and maps.

In this unit, students will examine aspects of two powerful kingdoms, the Ming Dynasty and the Ottoman Empire, to create a comparative analysis of the two Eurasian civilizations. They will gather evidence from historical case studies of both dynasties to explore how governments use power and authority to control people and groups inside and outside a civilization. Throughout the unit, students will be asked to revisit their definitions of “political power” and revise their analytical framework as needed. Through this analysis, they will connect historical developments to specific circumstances of time and place, and to broader regional, national, or global processes.

This guide includes multiple components:
• Overview
• Day-by-Day Planner
• Model Lesson
• Unit Assessment (and rubric)
• Historical Thinking Tools and Analysis Strategies
• Key Standards
• Connections to the Regents Exam in Global History and Geography II

To evaluate student mastery of content knowledge, cognitive processes, and critical thinking skills, this unit includes opportunities for formative assessments and a performance-based unit assessment. Please note that the NYCDOE 9-12: Passport to Social Studies materials also include a separate student Text Set for each unit.