Grade 7 Lesson at a Glance: Chapter 9, Lesson 3

Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
Across the Centuries

Lesson at a Glance
Chapter 9, Lesson 3, The Power of the Shoguns (pp. 231-236)

The Big Idea
Framework Concepts: Conflict and Values During its medieval period, Japan developed a powerful military class that eventually clashed with the shogunate. In the meantime, Japanese culture was greatly influenced by Buddhism and Shinto.

Discuss the rise of the military class in medieval Japan. Define with students "shogun," "daimyo," and "samurai." Then ask for student volunteers to go to the board to create graphic organizers that show the relationship between the emperor, shogun, daimyos, and samurai. Why do they think this social structure emerged in Japan? What were its benefits and drawbacks? Make sure students see and understand the implications of having a government by warriors.

Lesson Outline
Use the Lesson Outline to preview the content of the lesson. You may wish to print it for your students as a guide during reading.

Check for Understanding

Look at the "Moment in Time" on page 233. It is now ten years later, and you -- the samurai shown on page 233 -- have been among the victorious at the final defeat of the Mongols. However, you are fairly poor and have not been paid for your service. Write a letter of petition to the shogun explaining why you should be paid and what steps you will have to take if you are not paid.
Have students create miniature zen-style gardens (in small cardboard boxes) that tell a story of medieval-era Japan. Remind students that zen-style gardens are not for beds of pretty flowers, but rather every single element in the garden is, in a way, a symbol. Students should sketch out ideas first on paper before working with gravel, rocks, small boughs, pieces of driftwood, etc. They need to work out first what story or piece of information they want to symbolize and what the symbols are. For example, their sketches might show a single large tree as symbol for the shogun, with a small tree underneath it, indicating the emperor is subordinate to the shogun.

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