SOCIAL

SCIENCE
5th Grade
2014-2015

Name: _________________________
Number: _______
Class: ________

UNIT 4: THE MEDIEVAL SOCIETY

THE STRUCTURE OF MEDIEVAL SOCIETY
During the Middle Ages in Europe there was a Feudalism system, where the
king was at the apex (point at the top) and the peasants of the country
were at the base.
The most important groups were:
-

Nobles: The Nobles and bishops had to provide the king with knights,
money, advice and a place to stay while travelling.

Knights: they protected the nobles in exchange of land. They also

protected the king if they had to

Peasants: they lived and worked in nobles land. They paid taxes and
gave crops to the nobles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lts_1HSOQhY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX5AL43BXhc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SVHuTfiDTs

CHRISTIANITY, ISLAM AND JUDAISM

In the Middle Ages, Christians, Muslims and Jews coexisted in Spain.
There were periods of relative peace, but there were conflicts too.
Sometimes Christians persecuted Jews. Jews could not live in the same
neighborhoods or they could not married with Christians. But some Jews
were able to become merchants, doctors or craftsmen.
Muslims invaded the peninsula in the 8th century. Some of them became
Christians, they were the Mozarabs, and some Christians became
Muslims, they were the Muwallads.
Under the reign of Castillian king Alfonso X the Wise, this mix of
cultures thrived, but during the Reconquista, Christians began to force
Jews and Muslims to convert. They live in separated communities,
moreras and juderas.
In the 15th century, the Catholic Monarchs, took more extreme
measures against Jews and Muslims. They created the Tribunal of the
Holy Office of the Inquisition.

ROMANESQUE AND GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE

The Romanesque style refers to the types of cathedrals, monasteries,
and places of religion built during the 1000s-1100s in Europe. These are
the main features of Romanesque architecture:
-

Buildings had very thick walls and a few small windows.

Interiors features semi-circular arches, and the ceilings were

constructed using barrel vaults.

Buildings faades were decorated with religious carvings and

sculptures.

Gothic architecture replace Romanesque style in the 12th century and it was
the dominant style until the 16th century. The main features are:
-

Churches and cathedrals were much taller.

Walls were thinner with large stained-glass windows.

The pointed arch and ribbed vaults was used.

Faades and interiors were decorated with paintings, sculptures and

stained glass windows with religious themes.

THE WAY OF SAINT JAMES

The Way of Saint James has existed for over a thousand years. It
was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during medieval
times.
In the early 9th century, the grave of St. James the apostle was
supposedly discovered in Galicia.
The news of the discovery spread quickly and soon the city turned
into an important pilgrimage site. The most well-known of these
routes is the French Way or Jacobean Route.
The large number of pilgrims attracted merchants and artisans to
the towns along the route and they, in turn, brought cultural and
economic progress to the region.

Activities:
1. Match:
Nobles

they protected the nobles in exchange of land.

Knights

they lived and worked in nobles land.

Peasants

had to provide the king.

2. In your own words, describe the words below.

Jew:_____________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
Muslim:___________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
Mozarabs:_________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
Muwallads:_________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________

3. Are the sentences true or false?

1. Christian, Muslim and Jewish cultures were always in conflict.
2. During the Reconquista, Christians had to live in moreras.
3. The Catholic Monarchs forced Jews and Mudejars to convert
or be expelled from Spain.

4. Write Romanesque or Gothic:

Semi-circular arches
Ribbed vaults
Few small windows
Large stained-glass windows
Pointed arch
Barrel vaults

5. True or false?
1. The grave of St James was discovered in France in the 9th
century.
2. Santiago de Compostela became an important pilgrimage site.
3. St. James pilgrims brought cultural and ecomomic ruin with them.
4. The most well-known of the routes to Santiago is the Iberian Way.

UNIT 5: THE MODERN PERIOD

THE CATHOLIC MONARCHS
In the 15th century, the Iberian Peninsula was divided into five large
territories: the Crown of Castile, the Crown of Aragon, the Kingdom of
Navarre, the Kingdom of Portugal and the Islamic Kingdom of Granada.
In 1469, Ferdinand of Aragon married Isabella of Castile. Their marriage
united both crowns under the same family. The Catholic Monarchs governed
their territories together, but each kingdom had its own laws and
institutions. It was the beginnings of modern Spain.
The Kings wanted to finish with the Christian Reconquest of the Iberian
Peninsula and to conquer the Muslim kingdom of Granada. After 10 years of
many battles, the Granada War ended in 1492. Then they annexed the
Kingdom of Navarre and Portugal.
The Catholic Monarchs wanted religious unification for their kingdoms. So
they founded the Tribunal of the Inquisition to prosecute heretics. The
tribunal was known for its severe sentences and punishments. Ferdinand
and Isabella ordered the expulsion from Spain or forced conversion to
Catholicism of all Muslims and Jews. Hundreds of those who had converted
(conversos and moriscos) were accused of secretly practising their original
religion and arrested, imprisoned, interrogated under torture by the
Inquisition.
The Spanish nobility was powerful in the Middle Ages, but this was changed
by Ferdinand and Isabella. They strengthened their own power by setting
up royal councils, groups of professional advisers who assisted the
monarchs with specific affairs or territories. The Catholic Monarchs also
strengthened the justice system by creating royal tribunals called
Audiencias, improved tax collection and maintained a standing army loyal to
the Crown.

THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA

For many years, Spain had been caught up in civil war. As a result, they
were behind much of Europe in their development. Catholic Monarchs were
anxious to prove that Spain could be as powerful and successful as their
neighbor Portugal.
In August of 1492, they granted Christopher Columbus the supplies, men
and ships that he needed to carry out his expedition. Columbus was given
three sailing ships. These ships were named the Nia, the Pinta and the
Santa Mara.
Columbus and his men discovered an island in the Caribbean, which they
named Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic).
Columbus did not realize that he had arrived in a new part of the world. He
was convinced that he was in India. For this reason, he called the natives
who lived on these islands the Indians.
Columbus returned to the Americas three more times. During his life, he
never realized what he had discovered.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pvcb1IK6aw0

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CHARLES I
Charles I was the Catholic Monarchs grandson. He was King of Spain and
Holy Roman Emperor. His title as emperor was Charles V.
Charles was unpopular in Spain. He had not grown up in Spain, he appointed
foreigners to positions of power and imposed heavy taxation. As a result
there were revolts in Castile, Valencia and Balearic Islands.
In addition, the reign of Emperor Charles V was marked by three main
problems:
- Wars with France: Charles spent many years fighting over the
territories of Navarre, France-Comte and Naples.
- The threat of the Ottoman Turks: They were a threat to the Central
European and Mediterranean Empire.
- The spread of Protestantisms: In 1520, Martin Luther separated
from the Roman Catholic Church. His followers were called
Protestants. Protestants princes in German formed an alliance and
forced Charles I to sign a treaty called the Peace of Augsburgn,
which formally recognized religious freedom in Germany.

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THE REVOLT OF COMUNEROS

The reign of Charles V meant that Spain became part of the biggest Empire
in European history. It included his three major kingdoms, the Americas
which Spain had just begun to conquer, as well as the African territories.
Clearly, Spanish affairs were taking place very far away from Spain.

But that was a problem. Despite acquiring new territories was highly
prestigious for the monarchs and the courts, the lower classes and
peasants the ones who were paying for wars received no direct benefit
from them. All they knew about Charles V was:
He barely had any knowledge of the Spanish language.
He was more concerned with non-Spanish affairs than anything else
In early 1520 things reached boiling point. Charles V left for Brussels to
attend his other affairs, leaving Castile in the hands of a Dutch Bishop,
Adrian of Utretch. But this pushed the peoples patience to breaking point.
Adrian didn't see the problem here and did what Bishops did best back
then: favor the economic interest of the nobles over that of the peasants.
The people had had enough. Soon rebellion sprang up all over Spain.

In February, Toledo kicked their Corregidor Real (something like a general

manager) out and became an independent community. Other cities began to
follow suit. The men behind these people where called the Comuneros. Soon
many patriotic nobles decided to join them.
The rebellion had escalated into a revolution. It was so organised that the
Comuneros already knew exactly what they wanted. They wanted to
have Charles' mother, Joan (nicknamed 'La Loca') as queen. If that
couldn't happen, they wanted Charles V to return and do his job as a king.

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After lots of battles, the 23rd of April of 1521, the Comuneros lost all hope
when they were defeated in the battle of Villalar, where Padilla, Bravo and
Maldonado were catched.
PHILIP II
Charles I was succeeded by his son Philip II in 1556.
Philip had to face some problems:
- In Spain:

The rebellion by Moriscos in Granada

The Revolt of Aragon

- Abroad:

Wars with France.

The Ottoman Turks.

The Low Countries: the Protestants wanted the independence

from Spain.

England: English pirates were disrupting trade with the

Americas.

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Activities
1. Complete the sentences:
a. In the 15th century, the Iberian Peninsula was divided in
_________territories:_______________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
________________________________________
b. The
Catholic
Monarchs
wanted
___________
and
_______________ unification.
c. The Catholic Monarchs created royal tribunals called
________________________.
d. Columbus returned to the Americas ___________ more times.
e. Charles
I
was
the
Catholic
Monarchs
_______________________.
f. Comuneros
was
defeated
in
the
battle
of
_______________________.

2. True or false? Correct the mistakes:

a. In 1492, Ferdinand of Castile married Isabella of Aragon.
b. The Catholic Monarchs wanted to conquer the Jewish kingdom of
Granada.
c. In the Middle Ages the nobility wasnt powerful.
d. Columbus and his men discovered and island called Hispaniola.
e. Charles I grown up in Spain.
f. One of the problems of Philip II was the Revolt of Comuneros.

3. Explain the three main problems of Charles V:

______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
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4. Draw a map of Columbus voyages

5. Match:

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UNIT 6: THE DECLINE OF THE SPANISH EMPIRE

THE DECLINE OF THE SPANISH EMPIRE
During the 17th century, Spain experienced many changes:
-The population dropped: because of plagues and famines. There was an
economic recession.
-A new trade system: based on exchanging goods for gold and silver.
-Absolute monarchies
-Spanish hegemony: came to an end.
-Piracy: trade between Spain and America were threatened by piracy.
A new figure in Spanish politics emerged, the valido (royal favourite). The
monarchs delegated their power to their validos.
In 1665, Charles II inherited the throne. He was
weak and sickly so his mother and his validos
handled the affairs. He died without offspring
and his death marked the end of the Habsburg
Spain. His successor was Louis XIV, known as
Philip V. He became the first Bourbon king in
Spain.

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THE WAR OF SPANISH SUCCESION

The main European powers were not happy with the choice of Philip V as
King because they feared it would mean the union of Spain and France. The
European powers supported the Archduke Charles of Austria. This conflict
resulted in the War of Spanish Succession. From 1700, Spain and France
fought against Austria, Britain, Portugal and Savoy. But Spain was also
divides. Castile was in favour of Philip and the Crown of Aragon was in
favour of the Archduke Charles.
The war ended with the Treaty of Uttrecht where Philip V agreed to three
main concessions:
- Guarantee that there would be no union between Spain and France.
- Give territories in the low countries and Italy to Austria.
- Give the territories of Gibraltar and Minorca to Great Britain.

ENLIGHTENED DESPOTISM
During the 18th century Bourbon kings (Philip V, Ferdinand VI, Charles III
and Charles IV) had the ultimate power to make legal, social and educational
reforms. This style of governing became known as enlightened despotism.
Charles III modernized the economy and the public education, encouraging
the study of sciences, arts, etc.

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FRANCISCO DE GOYA
Francisco de Goya y Lucientes was born in Fuendetodos (Zaragoza) in 1746.
His paintings were mainly of historical characters, like Charles IV and his
family and historical events like the Spanish War of Independence. He was
also interested in the lifestyle of the aristocrats.
In 1799, he was appointed first court painter, the highest artistic position
attainable.
Goyas style would influence many of the painters of the 19th and 20th
century.

The Third of May

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Activities:
1. Complete with the words in the box
Spanish hegemony-Valido-Absolute monarchy-The decline of Spanish
empire

.: The end of Spains imperial dominance.

.: A system in which the ruler held unrestricted
power.
...: A person who ruled Spain on behalf of a
monarch.
..: Spains imperial dominance.

2. Answer the questions:

a. Where was Goya born?
..................................................................................................................................
b. What did Goya mainly paint?
..................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................
c. When was Goya appointed first court painter?
..
d. What did Goya find interesting?

..

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3. During the 17th century, Spain experienced changes. Name 3 of them:

4. Complete the sentences:

a. . Was the successor of Charles II. He was the
first . King.
b. During the War of Spanish Succession the European powers
supported . The war ended with
the ..
c. Charles III modernized the . and the

d. In 1799, Francisco de Goya was appointed

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UNIT 7: THE UNIVERSE AND THE SOLAR SYSTEM

1. The Universe
The Universe consists of planets, stars, solar systems and galaxies. No one knows how big the
Universe is.
Stars: giant spheres of gas. They produce enormous amounts
of energy. This energy gives off light and heat. Stars are classified
by three characteristics: colour, size and luminosity.
Constellation: a group of stars which make a pattern in the
sky. During the night, different constellations appear and
disappear.
Gallaxy: a collection of thousands

Classification of galaxies

of millions of stars. They can have

different shapes: elliptical, spiral or
irregular. Our Solar Sytem belongs
to a spiral galaxy called The Milky
Way.
Planets and dwarf planets: celestial bodies that orbit a star and do not emit light.
Meteoroids: Small pieces of metal or
rock from an asteroid or comet that
orbit the Sun. When a meteoroid passes
through the Earths atmosphere, it
burns. This burning rock is called a
meteor . The pieces of meteor which hit
the Earths surface are meteorites.

Comet: made of ice, dust and gases. Is made up by a

nucleus, a coma and a bright tail.

Asteroid: a rocky and irregular mass that orbits the

Sun. They take three to six years to orbit the Sun.

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Activities
1. Write true or false according to each sentence:
-

We classify stars according to their shape. ___

A constellation is a group of stars. ___

Stars do not produce energy. ___

Pluto is classified as a dwarf planet. ___

2. Explain the difference between a meteoroid, meteor and meteorite.

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
3. Choose the correct answer:
-

Our solar system is a part of what galaxy?

a. Comet Galaxy.
b. Milky Way Galaxy.
c. Black Eyed Galaxy.

The Milky Way galaxy is a(n):

a. Spiral Galaxy.
b. Elliptical Galaxy.
c. Irregular Galaxy.

The Universe consists of:

a. Planets and stars.
b. Planets, stars and galaxies.
c. Planets, stars, solar systems and galaxies.

The energy of the stars gives off:

a. Heat.
b. Light.
c. Heat and light.

Pieces of meteor which heat the Earths surface are:

a. Meteors.
b. Meteoroids.
c. Meteorites.

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2. The Solar System

The Solar System is made up of the Sun and the celestial bodies that orbit it: planets,
asteroids, satellites, comets, dwarf planets and meteoroids.

The Sun: is a star at the centre of the solar system. It is a huge ball of gases. It is about 110
times larger than the Earth. The Sun rotates on its axis. It orbits around the centre of the
Milky Way. It completes one orbit in about 220 million years.

Planets orbit the Sun and they are classified into:

INNER PLANETS: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.
OUTER PLANETS: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

Activities
1. Look at the picture of the solar system. Which planet is closest to the
Sun? ____________
2. What do these sentences refer to?
a. It is the biggest planet in the solar system. ____________
b. It is the only star in the solar system. ____________
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4. The Earth
The Earth is constantly moving. It describes two movements:
ROTATION: From West to East. It means that the
Sun rises in the East and sets in the West. The Earth
completes one turn around its axis in 24 hours. Rotation causes day and night.
REVOLUTION: Causes the seasons. In summer, the Earth is at the furthest point
from the Sun, but receives the Sun rays in the most direct angle. In winter, the
opposite happens.

Earth completes a whole turn around the Sun in about 365 days and 6
hours. To compensate for these 6 hours, every four years the calendar has
366 days instead. These are called leap years.

Because of the Earths rotation, there are different time zones.

Activities
1. Is it the same time in every part of the planet?
________________________________________________________
2. When was the last leap year? When will the next leap year be?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
3. Explain how the distance from the Earth to the Sun and the angle of the
Sun rays change throughout the seasons.
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

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4. The Moon
The Moon is the Earths natural satellite and its nearest neighbor. It is about 384.000 km.
from the Earth.
It is about four times smaller than the Earth. It rotates on its axis and revolves around the
Earth. It takes the Moon about 28 days to complete one revolution and the same time to
complete one rotation. This is the reason why we always see the same side of the Moon.
Tide. Is a generic term used to define
the alternating rise and fall in sea level
with respect to the land, produced by the
gravitational attraction of the Moon. The
Moons gravity pulls at the ocean water
and creates tides. These are periodic
changes in sea level; we can see two high tides and two low tides every day.

Eclipse. It occurs when a celestial body moves into shadow of another. They can be:
SOLAR: the Moon blocks the sunlight and casts a shadow on the Earth.
LUNAR: the Earth blocks the sunlight and casts a shadow on the Moon.

Activities
1. Complete the
picture with the
words lunar and
solar.

2. What are the different types of tides?

________________________________________________________

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