Students will:

• Examines the concept of identity.
• Develop class norms and goals  for themselves and the class.

Students will consider:

• How do our identities impact the way we understand the world around us and the experiences of others?
• In what way have  environmental factors (systems, structures, institutions etc.) shaped our identities and beliefs?
• How can I, as a student, use an understanding of identity to inform my work in this class?

Students will demonstrate skills for historical thinking, geographical analysis, economic decision making, and responsible citizenship by:

• Synthesizing evidence from artifacts and primary and secondary sources to obtain information about events and life in world history.
• Using geographic information to determine patterns and trends in world history.
• Interpreting charts, graphs, and pictures to determine characteristics of people, places, or events in world history.
• Evaluating sources for accuracy, credibility, bias, and propaganda.
• Comparing and contrasting historical, cultural, economic, and political perspectives in world history.
• Explaining how indirect cause-and-effect relationships impacted people, places, and events in world history.
• Analyzing multiple connections across time and place.
• Using a decision-making model to analyze and explain the incentives for and consequences of a specific choice made.
• Identifying the rights and responsibilities of citizens and ethical use of materials and  intellectual property.
• Investigating and researching to develop products orally and in writing.

Students will consider:

• Whose voices are emphasized, marginalized, and silenced in social studies courses?
• Which perspectives (political, economic, social, cultural, environmental, global, military) are emphasized, marginalized, and silenced in social studies courses?
• How does shifting between scales of study (macro to micro) impact your thinking and learning and make the past usable?
• What are the benefits of using inquiry, comparison, and connections to construct my knowledge of the world?
• How does learning about history impact your understanding of yourself, your lived experiences, a concept, a UN Sustainable Development Goal, or a contemporary world issue/event?

Students will apply social science skills to understand the period from the Paleolithic Era to the agricultural revolution by:

• Explaining the impact of the geographic environment on hunter-gatherer societies.
• Describing characteristics of hunter-gatherer societies, including their use of tools and fire.
• Analyzing how technological and social developments gave rise to sedentary communities.
• Analyzing how archaeological discoveries are changing current understanding of early societies.

Students will consider:

• How does physical geography influence the lives of humans? 
• What does archaeology and anthropology teach us about prehistoric humans?
• How does learning about the Paleolithic Era and the Agricultural Revolution impact your understanding of yourself, your lived experiences, a concept, a UN Sustainable Development Goal, or a contemporary world issue/event?

Students will apply social science skills to understand the ancient river valley civilizations, including those of Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus River Valley, and China and the civilizations of the Hebrews and Phoenicians, by:

• Locating these civilizations in time and place and describing their major geographic features.
• Describing the development of social, political, and economic patterns, including slavery.
• Explaining the development and interactions of religious traditions.
• Describing the origins, beliefs, traditions, customs, and spread of Judaism.
• Explaining the development of language and writing.

Students will consider:

• How does geography affect the development of civilizations?
• What does it mean to be civilized, and are modern civilizations more “civilized” than ancient ones?
• How does learning about River Valley Civilizations  impact your understanding of yourself, your lived experiences, a concept, a UN Sustainable Development Goal, or a contemporary world issue/event?

Students will apply social science skills to understand the civilizations of Persia, India, and China in terms of chronology, geography, social structures, government, economy, religion, and contributions to later civilizations by:

• Locating Persia in time and place, including Zoroastrianism and the development of an imperial bureaucracy.
• Locating India in time and place, including its origins, early development, and the debate over the Aryan migrations.
• Describing the origins, beliefs, traditions, customs, and spread of Hinduism.
• Describing the origins, beliefs, traditions, customs, and spread of Buddhism.
• Locating China in time and place, including the development of an empire and the construction of the Great Wall.
• Describing the impact of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism.

Students will consider:

• Why, and to what extent, do philosophies impact cultures over time?
• How do I approach understanding the past with empathy?
• How does learning about Persia, India, and China impact your understanding of yourself, your lived experiences, a concept, a UN Sustainable Development Goal, or a contemporary world issue/event?

Students will apply social science skills to understand ancient Greece in terms of its impact on Western civilization by:

• Locating Greek civilizations in time and place and describing their major geographic features.
• Describing the social and religious structure of ancient Greece.
• Describing the cultural development of Athens and Sparta, with emphasis on the significance of citizenship and the development of democracy.
• Evaluating the political and economic development of Greece, with emphasis on the Persian and Peloponnesian wars.
• Evaluating the significance of the conquest of Greece by Macedonia and the formation and spread of Hellenistic culture by Alexander the Great.
• Citing and explaining contributions in drama, poetry, history, sculpture, architecture, science, mathematics, and philosophy, with emphasis on Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.

Students will consider:

• How is cultural, political, and/or economic power gained, used, and justified? 
• What are the challenges and opportunities that exist in a diverse democratic society and whose voices address those? 
• How is citizenship defined and who benefits from the definition?
• How does learning about Ancient Greece impact your understanding of yourself, your lived experiences, a concept, a UN Sustainable Development Goal, or a contemporary world issue/event?

Students will apply social science skills to:

• Understand ancient Rome from about 700 B.C. (B.C.E) to 500 A.D. (C.E.) in terms of its impact on Western civilization by:
  • Locating Roman civilizations in time and place and describing their major geographic features.
  • Describing the social and religious structure of ancient Rome.
  • Describing the social structure and cultural development of the Roman Republic.
  • Describing and evaluating the political and military structure of the Roman Republic under the rule of Julius Caesar.
  • Describing and evaluating the political structure of the Roman Empire under the rule of Augustus Caesar.
  • Assessing the economic structure of Rome, Rome’s imperial conquests, and the Pax Romana.
  • Evaluating the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the Germanic invasions.
• Understand the development of Christianity by:
  • Describing the origins, beliefs, traditions, customs, and spread of Christianity in time and  place.
  • Explaining the unifying role of the Church in Europe after the collapse of Rome.
  • Sequencing events related to the spread and influence of Christianity and the Catholic Church throughout Europe.

Students will consider:

• How can citizens in a democratic society enact change and impact societal systems?
• What roles and responsibilities do religious institutions  have in society? 
• How does learning about Ancient Rome and Christianity impact your understanding of yourself, your lived experiences, a concept, a UN Sustainable Development Goal, or a contemporary world issue/event?

Students will apply social science skills to understand the Byzantine Empire and Eastern Europe from about 300 to 1000 A.D. (C.E.) by:

• Explaining the influence of geography on the establishment of Constantinople as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire and describing the Byzantine Empire in time and place.
• Describing Justinian and his contributions, including the codification of Roman law, and the expansion of the Byzantine Empire and economy.
• Characterizing the role Byzantine art and architecture played in the preservation of Greek and Roman traditions.
• Explaining the disputes that led to the split between the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church.
• Analyzing and explaining the influence of Byzantine culture on Eastern Europe.

Students will consider:

• How do economic systems and networks develop and maintain power in societies?
• How do progressive ideas change a civilization, and who benefits from those changes? 
• In what ways do urban centers impact the social, cultural, political and economic system of a civilization?
• How does learning about the Byzantine Empire and Eastern Europe  impact your understanding of yourself, your lived experiences, a concept, a UN Sustainable Development Goal, or a contemporary world issue/event?

Students will apply social science skills to:

• Understand the Islamic civilization from about 600 to 1000 A.D. (C.E.) by:
• Describing the origin, location, beliefs, traditions, customs, and spread of Islam, with emphasis on the Sunni-Shi’a division and the Battle of Tours.
• Assessing the influence of geography on Islamic economic, social, and political development, including the impact of conquest and trade.
• Explaining the cultural and scientific contributions and achievements of Islamic civilization.

Students will consider:

• What can the art and architecture of a civilization tell you about a society’s values? 
• What interactions or events  are the most “important” or “historical” ones  in a society or between nations?
• How does learning about Islamic Civilizations impact your understanding of yourself, your lived experiences, a concept, a UN Sustainable Development Goal, or a contemporary world issue/event?

Students will apply social science skills to understand the civilizations and empires of Asia, with emphasis on Japan and China, by:

• Locating and explaining major global and regional trade routes.
• Explaining technological advances and transfers, networks of economic interdependence, and cultural interactions.
• Explaining the impact of Shinto and Buddhist traditions and the influence of Chinese culture on the region.
• Evaluating the impact of the Mongol Empire throughout Asia.

Students will consider:

• How does trade facilitate the diffusion of goods and ideas  and who benefits from that interaction? 
• What motivates countries to invade other countries and who benefits from that conflict? 
• In what ways does new  technology disrupt social norms, systems, and identities? 
• How does learning about Asian Civilizations impact your understanding of yourself, your lived experiences, a concept, a UN Sustainable Development Goal, or a contemporary world issue/event?

Students will apply social science skills to understand the civilizations and empires of Africa, with emphasis on the African kingdoms of Axum and Zimbabwe and the West African civilizations of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai, by:

• Locating early civilizations and kingdoms in time and place and describing major geographic features.
• Explaining the development of social, political, economic, religious, and cultural patterns in each region.
• Evaluating and explaining the European interactions with these societies, with emphasis on trading and economic interdependence.

Students will consider:

• How does our understanding of the past impact our understanding of the present?
• What factors impact a society’s success, who benefits from that success, and how is that success measured?
• How does learning about African Civilizations  impact your understanding of yourself, your lived experiences,  a concept, a UN Sustainable Development Goal, or a contemporary world issue/event?

Students will apply social science skills to understand the major civilizations of the Western Hemisphere, including the Mayan, Aztec, and Incan, by:

• Locating early civilizations in time and place and describing major geographic features.
• Explaining the development of social, political, economic, religious, and cultural patterns in the civilizations of the Americas.
• Evaluating and explaining the European interactions with these societies, with emphasis on trading and economic interdependence.

Students will consider:

• How did interactions between civilizations impact both groups?
• To what extent can one use religion to justify certain actions?
• Can changes to a group’s culture still be felt by the people generations after a disruption takes places?
• Can bias and injustice to one culture from another impact the development of each group?
• How does learning about the Maya, Aztec, and Inca impact your understanding of yourself, your lived experiences, a concept, a UN Sustainable Development Goal, or a contemporary world issue/event?

Students will apply social science skills to:

• Understand Western Europe during the Middle Ages from about 500 to 1000 A.D. (C.E.) in terms of its impact on Western civilization by:
  • Locating and describing the societies of Western Europe during the Middle Ages in time and place.
  • Describing the social, religious, and cultural development of the Franks, with emphasis on the Age of Charlemagne.
  • Explaining the social, religious, and cultural development of the Magyars and Anglo-Saxons.
  • Describing the social, religious, and cultural patterns of the Vikings.
  • Evaluating and explaining the development of feudalism and the manor system.
• Understand the social, economic, and political changes and cultural achievements in the high and late medieval periods by:
  • Describing the emergence of centralized monarchies (England, France, Spain, and Russia) and distinctive political developments in each.
  • Explaining conflicts across Europe and Asia, including the Crusades and the fall of Constantinople.
  • Explaining patterns of crisis and recovery related to the Black Death (bubonic plague).
  • Evaluating and explaining the preservation and transfer to Western Europe of Greek, Roman, and Arabic philosophy, medicine, and science.
• Understand the developments leading to the Renaissance in Europe in terms of its impact on Western civilization by:
  • Determining the economic and cultural foundations of the Italian Renaissance.
  • Sequencing events related to the rise of Italian city-states and their political development, including Machiavelli’s theory of governing as described in The Prince.
  • Citing the contributions of artists and philosophers of the Renaissance, as contrasted with the medieval period, including Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Petrarch.
  • Comparing and contrasting the Italian and the Northern Renaissance, and citing the contributions of writers.

Students will consider:

• How has the influence of religious institutions changed over time? 
• To what extent does the spread of diseases impact interactions between regions? 
• How does learning about Europe’s Middle Ages and the Renaissance impact your understanding of yourself, your lived experiences, a concept, a UN Sustainable Development Goal, or a contemporary world issue/event?