Social Studies Supplement

Students label the continents, oceans, key countries, landforms, and climate zones of the Western Hemisphere on a printed outline map.

Materials: a blank outline map of the Western Hemisphere (National Geographic Education or USGS), colored pencils, and a ruler.

Part 1 — Continents and oceans

1. Label North America and South America.
2. Label the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
3. Draw and label the equator.
4. Draw and label the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.

Part 2 — Countries

1. Canada, United States, Mexico.
2. Guatemala, Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico.
3. Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Argentina.

Part 3 — Landforms

1. Rocky Mountains, Appalachians, Sierra Madre, Andes.
2. Mississippi, Amazon, St. Lawrence, Orinoco rivers.
3. Great Lakes, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Hudson Bay.

Part 4 — Climate zones (color + legend)

• ✓Green = tropical (near the equator).
• ✓Yellow = temperate.
• ✓Blue = polar.
• ✓Brown = desert (Atacama in Chile, Sonoran in Mexico/U.S.).
• ✓Add a complete legend with title, scale, and compass rose.

Scoring: 20 pts: 8 labels + 4 landforms + 4 zones + 4 map-element completeness.

12 short-answer questions on Maya geography, achievements, daily life, and decline.

Part 1 — Geography

1. In which modern countries did the Maya live? List four.
2. What kind of environment did the Maya live in?
3. Name one famous Maya city.

Part 2 — Achievements

1. The Maya used a base-___ number system that included the symbol for ___.
2. The Maya had a writing system with more than ___ different symbols called ___.
3. Name two things the Maya tracked with their calendars.
4. Why was the Maya understanding of zero so impressive?

Part 3 — Daily life

1. The Three Sisters crops were ___, ___, and ___.
2. How did farmers grow more food on steep hillsides?
3. What were Maya temples like?

Part 4 — Decline and legacy

1. List two possible reasons why many Classic Maya cities were abandoned around 900 CE.
2. About how many people still speak Mayan languages today?

Scoring: 12 pts: 1 per blank, 2 for the open-response on zero.

13-question worksheet on Aztec origins, government, engineering, and the Spanish conquest.

Part 1 — Geography & origins

1. In what modern country was the Aztec capital?
2. What was the name of the Aztec capital city?
3. In what year was it founded?
4. It was built on an island in which lake?

Part 2 — Government & society

1. Who was the supreme ruler of the Aztec Empire?
2. Other than the emperor, list two other social classes.
3. What was the "tribute system"?

Part 3 — Engineering

1. Name the floating-garden technique the Aztecs used to grow crops on the lake.
2. Name two engineering achievements of the Aztecs.
3. How did the Aztecs supply Tenochtitlán with fresh water?

Part 4 — Religion and the fall

1. Aztec religion was based on what kind of cosmology? (one god / many gods / no gods)
2. Who led the Spanish forces that conquered the Aztec Empire?
3. In what year did Tenochtitlán fall to the Spanish?

Scoring: 13 pts: 1 per blank, 2 for tribute-system explanation.

15 questions covering the Inca's Andean geography, mit'a system, road network, and quipus.

Part 1 — Geography

1. Across which mountain range was the Inca Empire built?
2. What was the Inca capital city?
3. List three modern countries that were part of the Inca Empire.
4. What did the Inca call their empire? (meaning "the four regions")

Part 2 — Government

1. Who was the supreme ruler?
2. What was the "mit'a" system?
3. What language did the Inca speak?

Part 3 — Engineering

1. About how many miles long was the Inca road system?
2. What were "tambos"?
3. Who were "chasquis" and what did they do?
4. What was special about Inca stone masonry?
5. Name one famous Inca city built high in the Andes.

Part 4 — Record-keeping & the fall

1. What were "quipus"?
2. Who led the Spanish conquistadors who conquered the Inca?
3. In what year did Cusco fall?

Scoring: 15 pts: 1 per blank, 2 for the mit'a explanation.

Graphic organizer comparing the three civilizations across nine features. Score on completeness and accuracy.

Fill in the chart with at least one specific detail in each cell. Use this week's worksheets and the curriculum readings.

Scoring: 27 pts: 1 per cell; 3 bonus pts for citing a source per row.

10-question quiz on hemispheres, continents, oceans, and major landforms.

1. The Western Hemisphere lies west of which line? (a) equator (b) Prime Meridian (c) Tropic of Cancer
2. Name the two continents in the Western Hemisphere.
3. Which ocean borders the U.S. East Coast?
4. Which mountain range runs through Peru, Bolivia, and Chile?
5. The largest river by volume in the world is the ____ River.
6. Which line of latitude marks 0°?
7. List two countries in Central America.
8. What is the capital of Mexico?
9. What climate is found near the equator?
10. Open response: Why does climate change as you move away from the equator?

Scoring: 10 pts (1 per item; final open response worth 2).

10-question quiz comparing the Maya, Aztec, and Inca civilizations.

1. The Maya developed a base-___ number system.
2. The Aztec capital was named _________.
3. The Inca built their empire across the ________ Mountains.
4. Which civilization built Machu Picchu?
5. Which civilization used quipus to keep records?
6. Floating gardens in Tenochtitlán were called _________.
7. Which European led the conquest of the Aztec Empire?
8. Which European led the conquest of the Inca Empire?
9. Name one achievement shared by all three civilizations.
10. Open response: Which civilization's engineering impresses you most, and why?

Scoring: 10 pts; final open response worth 2.

20-pt mixed-format unit assessment: 10 multiple choice + 5 short answer + one rubric-scored short essay.

Section A — Multiple choice (10 pts)

1. 10 questions across geography, Maya, Aztec, Inca: capitals, achievements, conquerors, key dates.

Section B — Short answer (5 pts)

1. Explain the mit'a system in 2–3 sentences.
2. Compare the Aztec tribute system to Inca taxation.
3. Identify two factors that shaped Maya farming practices.

Section C — Short essay (5 pts, 4-pt rubric scaled to 5)

1. Choose ONE civilization (Maya, Aztec, or Inca). Explain how its environment shaped its achievements. Use at least two specific facts.

Scoring: 20 pts total — see Section C rubric below.

Students identify the political, economic, religious, and technological motives behind 15th-century European voyages.

The Three G's + tech

1. List the "Three G's" of exploration and define each.
2. How did the fall of Constantinople (1453) push Europeans to look for new sea routes?
3. Name two technologies (e.g., caravel, astrolabe, magnetic compass) that made longer voyages possible.
4. Which European country pioneered Atlantic exploration first, and why?
5. Open response: Were these motives mostly economic, religious, or political? Defend your choice with one example.

Scoring: 10 pts; open response 2.

Paired primary-source readings: a passage from Columbus's 1492 log alongside the Taíno perspective recorded by Bartolomé de las Casas.

Source analysis

1. What does Columbus see when he looks at the Taíno? Quote one phrase.
2. What does Las Casas see when he looks back fifty years later?
3. Why might these two Europeans describe the same event so differently?
4. What perspective is missing entirely from both sources?
5. Open response: Which source is more useful for understanding the Taíno experience? Explain.

Scoring: 10 pts; open response 4.

Two-column chart of plants, animals, and diseases that crossed the Atlantic in each direction after 1492.

Fill in at least three items per cell. Use the Columbian Exchange reading from the curriculum.

1. Estimate the percentage of the indigenous population of the Americas that died from European diseases within 50 years of contact.
2. Open response: Was the Columbian Exchange more of a benefit or more of a tragedy? Defend your answer.

Scoring: 16 pts: 12 (4 cells × 3 items) + 4 for the open response.

Students compare Spanish, Portuguese, English, and French colonial systems and identify acts of indigenous resistance.

1. Define "encomienda" in one sentence.
2. Name one resistance leader (e.g., Tupac Amaru II, Metacom/King Philip).
3. Open response: Which colonial system caused the most lasting harm in the Western Hemisphere, and why?

Scoring: 16 pts: 12 chart + 4 open response.

10-question quiz on key explorers, sponsoring countries, and routes.

1. Who sailed for Spain in 1492?
2. Which explorer is credited with reaching India by sea in 1498?
3. Which explorer's expedition first circumnavigated the globe?
4. Hernán Cortés conquered which empire?
5. Francisco Pizarro conquered which empire?
6. What was the purpose of the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)?
7. Which body of water did Henry Hudson explore for the Dutch?
8. Name one ship-design improvement that helped long voyages.
9. Match the country to the explorer: Cabot ↔ ___; Cartier ↔ ___; da Gama ↔ ___.
10. Open response: Why is calling 1492 a "discovery" misleading?

Scoring: 10 pts.

10-question quiz on the directions and consequences of the Columbian Exchange.

1. Name two crops that traveled FROM the Americas to Europe.
2. Name two animals brought FROM Europe to the Americas.
3. Name the disease that caused the largest death toll among indigenous peoples.
4. Roughly what percent of the indigenous population died within 50 years of contact?
5. How did the horse change life on the North American Great Plains?
6. Which African crop became central to Caribbean plantations?
7. What was the Middle Passage?
8. True/False: The Columbian Exchange affected only the Americas.
9. Match the crop to the continent of origin: maize ↔ ___; wheat ↔ ___; potato ↔ ___; coffee ↔ ___.
10. Open response: Choose ONE exchange item and explain its long-term effect.

Scoring: 10 pts; open response 2.

20-pt assessment: 10 MC + 5 short answer + one rubric-scored DBQ-style essay using the Las Casas / Columbus pairing from 2B.

Section A — Multiple choice (10 pts)

1. Mixed MC: explorers, motives, exchange items, treaties.

Section B — Short answer (5 pts)

1. Define encomienda.
2. Name two diseases of the Columbian Exchange and which direction they traveled.
3. Identify one act of indigenous resistance and the year.

Section C — Short DBQ essay (5 pts)

1. Using both sources from Worksheet 2B, answer: How did European views of indigenous peoples change between 1492 and 1542? Quote one source.

Scoring: 20 pts.

Students define the purposes of government, identify the three branches, and connect to historical influences (Iroquois Confederacy, Magna Carta, Enlightenment).

1. List four purposes of government.
2. Name the three branches of the U.S. federal government and the job of each.
3. What is "checks and balances" in your own words?
4. Name one influence on the U.S. system: Iroquois Confederacy, Magna Carta, or Enlightenment thinkers.
5. Open response: Why is separating power among branches important?

Scoring: 10 pts.

Close reading of the Preamble plus a matching activity for the first ten amendments. Connects to civil-rights work in Q4.

1. Who is the "We" in "We the People"? Who was originally included — and who was not?
2. Pick TWO purposes from the Preamble and explain each in your own words.
3. Match the right to the amendment number: free speech, jury trial, no unreasonable search, due process, no quartering soldiers.
4. Why is the Bill of Rights important to a citizen today?
5. Open response: Which Bill of Rights protection matters most in a school? Defend your choice.

Scoring: 12 pts; open response 4.

Side-by-side comparison of four Western Hemisphere governments.

1. Which of these is a constitutional monarchy?
2. Which is a one-party (authoritarian) state?
3. Open response: Why might citizens in different countries have different rights?

Scoring: 20 pts: 16 cells + 4 open response.

Students distinguish market, command, and mixed economies and identify examples in the Western Hemisphere.

1. Define market, command, and mixed economies in one sentence each.
2. Place one country from the Western Hemisphere in each category.
3. Define supply and demand using one example.
4. What is GDP and why does it matter?
5. Why is trade between countries important?
6. Open response: Which system best balances freedom and fairness? Use evidence.

Scoring: 12 pts; open response 4.

10-question quiz on branches, checks and balances, and Bill of Rights protections.

1. The branch that makes laws is the ___.
2. The branch that interprets laws is the ___.
3. The branch that enforces laws is the ___.
4. Which amendment protects free speech?
5. Which amendment guarantees a jury trial in criminal cases?
6. Define "democracy."
7. Define "republic."
8. Cuba's government type is best described as ___.
9. Canada's head of state is the ___.
10. Open response: How does "checks and balances" prevent tyranny?

Scoring: 10 pts.

10-question quiz on market vs. command economies, supply/demand, and trade.

1. A ___ economy has private businesses and consumer choice.
2. A ___ economy is controlled by the government.
3. Most modern economies are best described as ___.
4. When supply rises and demand stays the same, price tends to ___.
5. Define GDP.
6. Name two natural resources of South America that drive trade.
7. What is an import?
8. What is an export?
9. Why might two countries form a trade agreement?
10. Open response: Pick a Western Hemisphere country and identify one strength of its economy.

Scoring: 10 pts.

20-pt assessment combining civics, comparative government, and economic-systems content.

Section A — Multiple choice (10 pts)

1. Branches, amendments, types of government, types of economies.

Section B — Short answer (5 pts)

1. Compare U.S. and Canadian governments in two specific ways.
2. Define mixed economy and give one example.
3. Explain why the Bill of Rights was added.

Section C — Short essay (5 pts)

1. Pick ONE right from the Bill of Rights and explain why it matters in a Western Hemisphere democracy.

Scoring: 20 pts.

Students distinguish push vs. pull factors and trace three major migration waves: Bering Land Bridge, transatlantic slave trade, 20th-century immigration.

1. Define "push factor" and give one example.
2. Define "pull factor" and give one example.
3. Roughly when did the first peoples cross the Bering Land Bridge?
4. About how many enslaved Africans were forcibly brought to the Americas?
5. Name two countries that received the most immigrants in the 20th century.
6. Open response: How does migration shape the culture of a country today?

Scoring: 10 pts; open response 2.

Students locate cultural traditions (food, music, language, festivals) on a Western Hemisphere map and identify their origins.

1. Tex-Mex cuisine originated where?
2. Reggae originated in: ___.
3. Tango originated in: ___.
4. Mariachi music is associated with: ___.
5. Most spoken language in the Western Hemisphere by population: ___.
6. Carnival is celebrated in which country most famously?
7. Maple syrup production is associated with: ___.
8. Bachata music originated in: ___.
9. Salsa music has roots in: ___.
10. Samba originated in: ___.

Scoring: 10 pts.

Students research one contemporary issue (climate change, migration, indigenous rights, inequality) and propose a civic action.

Steps

1. Choose ONE issue: climate change in the Americas, migration policy, indigenous rights, or inequality.
2. Find at least three sources (one news, one government, one NGO).
3. Identify the cause(s), the people most affected, and the proposed solutions.
4. Propose ONE civic action you could take (letter, fundraiser, awareness campaign).

Scoring: Project: 20 pts on the 4-pt essay rubric × 5 dimensions.

10-question quiz on push/pull factors and cultural origins.

1. A drought that forces farmers to leave is a ___ factor.
2. A higher-paying job in another country is a ___ factor.
3. The Great Migration moved which group within the U.S.?
4. Reggae music originated in ___.
5. Most Brazilians speak ___.
6. About how many enslaved Africans were forcibly brought to the Americas?
7. Define "diversity" in one sentence.
8. Name one positive effect of immigration on a country.
9. Name one challenge of immigration for receiving countries.
10. Open response: Why is the Western Hemisphere so culturally diverse?

Scoring: 10 pts.

10-question quiz on contemporary issues, NAFTA/USMCA, and human-rights organizations.

1. USMCA replaced what older trade agreement?
2. Name two members of the USMCA.
3. What does the OAS stand for?
4. Climate change has the strongest direct effect on which Western Hemisphere region first?
5. Name one international organization that protects human rights.
6. What is the purpose of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples?
7. Define "sustainability."
8. Why do contemporary migration patterns matter for the U.S.?
9. Name one renewable resource produced in South America.
10. Open response: Pick one contemporary issue and explain how citizens can act on it.

Scoring: 10 pts.

20-pt assessment + the contemporary-issues civic action plan completed in 4C.

Section A — Multiple choice (10 pts)

1. Mixed MC: migration, USMCA/OAS, cultural origins.

Section B — Short answer (5 pts)

1. Compare push and pull factors with one example each.
2. Identify one global organization and what it does.
3. Identify one cultural tradition and where it originated.

Section C — Civic action plan (5 pts)

1. Submit the action plan from 4C. Score on Ideas, Organization, Evidence, Conventions, Feasibility (5 pts).

Scoring: 20 pts.

20-pt cumulative midterm: geography map ID + ancient civilizations short answer + Columbian Exchange essay.

Section A — Map identification (5 pts)

1. On the provided outline map, label: 2 oceans, 2 mountain ranges, 3 countries, equator, Prime Meridian (loose tolerance).

Section B — Civilizations (5 pts)

1. 5 fill-in-the-blank items pulled from the Q1 comparison chart (capital, language, ruler, achievement, end).

Section C — Exploration short answer (5 pts)

1. Identify three explorers, sponsoring country, and one outcome each.
2. Define "Columbian Exchange" and give one example each direction.

Section D — Short essay (5 pts)

1. How did European exploration permanently change the Americas? Use one fact from Q1 and one from Q2.

Scoring: 20 pts; essay scored on the 4-point essay rubric.

25-pt cumulative final spanning all four units and the year-end civic action plan capstone.

Section A — Map identification (5 pts)

1. Label 5 countries, 3 landforms, 2 climate zones on outline map.

Section B — Civilizations & exploration MC (5 pts)

1. 10 multiple-choice items pulled from Q1 + Q2.

Section C — Government & economics short answer (5 pts)

1. Define democracy, republic, market economy in one sentence each.
2. Name two amendments and what they protect.

Section D — Modern hemisphere short answer (5 pts)

1. Identify one cultural tradition with its origin.
2. Identify one contemporary issue and one organization addressing it.

Section E — Civic action capstone (5 pts)

1. Defend your civic action plan from 4C in 6–8 sentences. Cite one source.

Scoring: 25 pts; capstone scored on the 4-pt essay rubric.