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Communities in the Americas and Oceania

Driving Question: How were communities organized in the Americas and Oceania?

From 1200 to 1450 CE, the Americas and Oceania were both large geographic regions in which complex societies were connected by expansive networks of exchange. In this lesson, you will explore a variety of communities that existed during this period, which will help you make historical comparisons across both time and space.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Understand how Indigenous communities in the Americas and the Pacific were organized and how these communities interacted with each other.
  2. Understand the similarities and differences between societies that developed in Oceania and the Americas.
  3. Use a graphic biography to support, extend, or challenge the overarching narratives of this period.

Vocab Terms:

  • empire
  • hierarchy
  • migration
  • polytheistic
  • ritual
  • society
  • state
STEP 1

Opener: Communities in the Americas and Oceania

STEP 2

Communities of the Americas

Teaching Tools

Make sure all your students are able to engage with each part of lesson step. Check out the OER Project Differentiation Guide Locked  to help you make materials accessible to all.

Communities in the Americas developed into a diverse tapestry of states, empires, chiefdoms, and tribal systems. Use the article, video, and graphic biography below to explore how these societies emerged and evolved. Then, describe these communities from the perspective of an explorer.

Communities of Movement External link

The Ancestral Pueblo built large farming communities, big cities, and monumental architecture in the American Southwest. How did they use migration to help their societies thrive?

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
STEP 3

Communities of Oceania

Teaching Tools

Want to know even more about Oceanic history? This blog post External link outlines how much history has happened off land!

Imagine living among thousands of islands. How would you connect with or get to know the people on the other islands? Somehow, the peoples of Oceania connected with each other across thousands of miles of open ocean.

STEP 4

Closer: Communities in the Americas and Oceania

Teaching Tools

Interested in how other teachers have approached Oceania and the Americas? Take a look at this conversation External link in the OER Project Teacher Community.

Extension Materials
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The Aztec and Inca Empires were the largest, most powerful states in the Americas during this period. These videos will provide additional coverage for state standards.
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Empires in Mesoamerica

The Aztec Empire was the most powerful state in Mesoamerica, but it took work to stay in power. Find out how conquests and tribute made the Aztecs a force to be reckoned with.

Aztec Empire External link

The Aztec Empire was formed through an alliance of Tenochtitlan with other city-states in Mesoamerica. A complex system of tribute and conquest allowed this empire to dominate the region.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
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Extension Materials

Under the Inca’s Mit’a system, tribute and mandatory service resulted in magnificent monuments, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects.

Inca Empire External link

Under the leader Pachacuti, the Inca brought other groups under their tribute system. This system helped the Inca build their famous monuments and grow into a sophisticated empire with ten million residents.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.