California State Standard 7.6 is delineated in the following manner: "Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the civilizations of Medieval Europe." Seventh-grade students study the geography of Europe and the Eurasian land mass; describe the spread of Christianity north of the Alps and the roles played by the early church and by monasteries in its diffusion; understand the development of feudalism, its role in the medieval European economy, and the way it was influenced by physical geography; demonstrate an understanding of the conflict and cooperation between the Papacy and European monarchs; know the significance of developments in medieval English legal and constitutional practices and their importance in the rise of modern democratic thought; discuss the causes and course of the Crusades and their effects on Christian, Muslim, and Jewish populations in Europe; map the spread of the bubonic plague from central Asia to China, the Middle East, and Europe; understand the importance of the Catholic Church as a political, intellectual, and aesthetic institution; and know the history of the decline of Muslim rule in the Iberian Peninsula that culminated in the Reconquista and the rise of Spanish and Portuguese kingdoms. This lesson discusses the uses and significance of the topic; chronology in periods of Japanese history ("Beginning the Topic"; "Developing the Topic"; "Culminating the Topic"); activities for other topics; extended and correlated activities; resources for the sample topic; general resources; and visual and performing arts resources. Six appendices contain additional information and activities. (BT)