Mr. Cadenhead - 7th Grade Social Studies – Counts as 2 homework assignments p. 1 of 4“The power of the Press” (Adapted from “A History of Us – Book One; the First Americans”, by Joy Hakim, Oxford University Press, 2015)

Name: _____________________________________________ Date: ___________ Class #: _____________This article contains the following “tier 2” vocabulary words: Centuries: Periods of 100 years Efficient: Doing something quickly and cheaply Movable: Something that can be moved from one place to

another Type: Letters that can be dipped in ink to make copies Democratic: Something free and available to all the people Renaissance: Time of scientific & artistic “rebirth” in Europe Landlord: The person who owns the land you live on

Invention:

Illustrate: To draw pictures in a book Acquire: Get Compass: a device that is used to find direction by means of a needle

that always points north Reliable: trusted to do or provide what is needed Civilizations: well-organized and developed societies Portugal: European country between Spain & the Atlantic Ocean Navigation: The process of finding your way around by ship, Exploration: The act of exploring something

Do Now Reading: “The power of the Press” By Joy Hakim (Adapted from “A History of Us – Book One; the First Americans”, by Joy Hakim, Oxford University Press, 2015)

We have to get something straight - right now, before we go on with this book. It has to do with the centuries. You need to be sure you understand about them. Do you know that when you see “12th century” it means the years that begin with 11? The numbers are always 100 years behind the centuries. It’s the same when you have a birthday. Your birthday celebrates the number of years you’ve already finished. You may say, “I took a trip when I was nine,” but you actually took the trip in your tenth year. (That’s because after your ninth birthday you start on your tenth year in the world.) It’s a bit confusing, but once you have it, it’s easy. If something happened in 1456, it happened in the 15th century.

The Printing Press: And something did happen in 1456 – something big. A German inventor named Johannes Gutenberg (GOOT-en-burg) printed a beautiful book, a Bible. That may not seem like a big deal, but it was. Gutenberg had invented an efficient way to use a printing press. He did it with movable type – letters that could be used over and over again. Before 1456 most books were copied by hand. Think about that!

Then think about a big book like a Bible – or any big book. Guess how long it would take to copy it. Think about illustrating it. How much might each book cost? Do you think you’d be doing much reading if you lived before Gutenberg and his printing press? Of course not! Chances are no one would teach you to read. It wouldn’t be worth it. Unless you were very rich or very lucky, you might live a full life and never even see a book.

If you never saw a book or a newspaper or a magazine (and of course there was not TV), you wouldn't know much. You’d have to believe whatever you were told – by your landlord or the king or the priest at your local church. It would be hard to acquire knowledge for yourself. It has been said that the printing press created “a whole new democratic world.”

Before the invention of the printing press Europe was a place of superstition, poverty, war and disease. After the printing press things began to change. Suddenly books were everywhere. In Italy, poets and painters (like Leonardo da Vinci) began creating new works of art. It was called a Renaissance, a time of rebirth. New ideas and inventions were in the air… and they were changing the world. The printing press was not the only invention that changed the world. Another was the compass.

The Compass: Actually, the compass had been around for thousands of years. The ancient Chinese discovered that a magnet, swinging freely, will always point north. But early compasses were not always reliable. In the 15th century (the years beginning with 14) the compass was improved; it could now be depended upon at sea.

Having a little needle that always pointed north meant new worlds could be discovered. Imagine you’re in a small ship in a great ocean. You can’t see land – just water in every direction. If you don’t have a compass, you do you know which way to go to get home? You might sail in the wrong direction and run out of food before you find your way back – if you get back.. Storms at sea are tough to survive. All of which explains why ships stayed close to home before the compass was perfected.

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Johannes Gutenberg

Copying a book by hand

The compass

Howard Zinn

You left something out Joy!

Mr. Cadenhead - 7th Grade Social Studies – Counts as 2 homework assignments p. 2 of 4“The power of the Press” (Adapted from “A History of Us – Book One; the First Americans”, by Joy Hakim, Oxford University Press, 2015)

Prince Henry the Navigator: Every good story needs a hero. Now we’re still in the 15th century when (just like in the fairy tales) a “prince” appears; Prince Henry of Portugal, also known as Henry the Navigator. A navigator is someone who knows where he is going; a kind of super sailor. Prince Henry never went far himself. But he was fascinated with sailing and mapmaking, and he inspired and encouraged others. Prince Henry had an inquisitive mind. That means he was curious about the world around him and wanted to learn as much about it as he could. He also wanted power and riches for his country. He wanted his sailors to sail to China and India because they were the world’s most advanced civilizations, and because they had gold and jewels and spices.

Henry wasn’t the only one who wanted to explore the world. Most Europeans were wild to find a way to get to China and India. And mostly because of a book. Almost everyone who could read had seen it. (At first there were only handwritten copies but then, thanks to Gutenberg, there were lots of copies.) The book was by a man named Marco Polo, and it told of his trip to China (back in the 13th century). It told of golden palaces and jewels and riches beyond imagining!

Whoever could find a fast safe way to get to China would become rich and famous. Prince Henry was determined to have his sailors get to China by sailing around Africa, and finally the Portuguese did it. But one man dreamed of reaching China by another, even faster, route. His name was Christopher Columbus.

1In what century was Mr. Cadenhead born?

2The printing press created “a whole new democratic world” because…

The 20th century It made voting easier

The 21st century It make knowledge available to all the people

The 19th century It was used by Kings to print more bibles

The 18th century Democracy was invented at the same time

3 Before the compass was “improved” in the 15th century 4The author includes the story about Marco Polo to show that…

Sailboats were seldom used Guttenberg’s invention helped spread knowledge of the world beyond Europe

Europeans never went to Asia China is the most advanced civilization on earth

Sailors usually stayed close to home You can’t believe everything you read

Portugal was the poorest country in Europe Traveling to china is very dangerous

Bonus Question - worth 5 class participation points – What did Joy Hakim “leave out”? Use your prior knowledge to support the argument that Prince Henry

the Navigator is not the “hero” Joy Hakim thinks he is…

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Columbus, you are a villain!

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Prince Henry: Hero or villain?

Mr. Cadenhead - 7th Grade Social Studies – Counts as 2 homework assignments p. 3 of 4“The power of the Press” (Adapted from “A History of Us – Book One; the First Americans”, by Joy Hakim, Oxford University Press, 2015)

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Question of the Day: "How did the inventions of the 15th century change the world?” Support your answer with three examples from the article.

Step 1: GROUP WORK: Work with your group to:1. Identify 3 pieces of evidence that demonstrate how the inventions of the 15th century changed the world 2. Find quotes from the article to support each argument.

Mr. Cadenhead - 7th Grade Social Studies – Counts as 2 homework assignments p. 4 of 4“The power of the Press” (Adapted from “A History of Us – Book One; the First Americans”, by Joy Hakim, Oxford University Press, 2015)

Argument #1 (in your words): ______________________________________________________________

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Quote from the text that supports your argument ______________________________________________

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Argument #2: (in your words): _____________________________________________________________

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Quote from the text that supports your argument ______________________________________________

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Argument #3 (in your words): ______________________________________________________________

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Quote from the text that supports your argument ______________________________________________

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Homework/Independent Practice (Counts as 2 homework assignments)

Write a rough draft (one paragraph using three pieces of evidence from the article) Write your final draft in the space provided below (MAKE SURE YOUR FINAL

RESPONSE IS NEATLY WRITTEN AND BULLITEN BOARD READY!):

Mr. Cadenhead - 7th Grade Social Studies – Counts as 2 homework assignments p. 5 of 4“The power of the Press” (Adapted from “A History of Us – Book One; the First Americans”, by Joy Hakim, Oxford University Press, 2015)

FINAL DRAFT: "How did the inventions of the 15th century change the world?” (Support your answer with 3 examples from the article)

Content Grading Rubric

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3 Points: Author restates the question and provides THREE pieces of evidence to support his/her answer 2 Points: Author restates the question and provides TWO pieces of evidence to support his/her answer 1 Points: Author provides only ONE piece of evidence to support his/her answer 0 Points: Author provides no evidence to support his/her answerWord Choice

and Style 2 Points: Author restates the question and response is clear and readable 1 Points: Author restates the question but response is confusing 0 Points: Author does not restate the question and response is confusing

Total Score: _________ Points (out of 5)