School Curriculum: World History
This page is designed to enable parents to understand what their child should be learning, when they should be learning it, and what degree of mastery the child should have attained (at a median level) by a certain grade level. For Homeschoolers, we hope that this page will serve as a valuable asset in establishing a baseline curriculum. For parents whose children attend public or private schools (or for the inquisitive student) this page should give some guidance as to whether or not the school curriculum and methods are providing students with an adequate standard of education.
What is meant by "World History," why is it important, and how is it approached ? Below is a description of the core discipline and its components, and the answers to why-how-when these components are taught. World History components have median level goals to be attained by the end of Grade 2, by the end of Grade 4, and by the end of Grade 12.
This page
does not contain articles for education in this discipline.
For educational articles, go to: World
History: The
Birth of Civilization to 1000 BCE (BC), Early
Human Societies to 500 CE (AD), Expanding
Zones of Exchange and Interaction to 1400 CE (AD), The
Age of Global Encounters (1400-1750), The
Age of Revolutionary Change (1750-1914), The
Era of the Great Wars (1914-1945), The
Modern World (1945-1979), Looking
to the Future (1980-present)
|
STANDARD 6.3 (WORLD HISTORY) ALL STUDENTS WILL DEMONSTRATE KNOWLEDGE OF WORLD HISTORY IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND LIFE AND EVENTS IN THE PAST AND HOW THEY RELATE TO THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE. |
Descriptive Statement: This standard includes content relating to eight periods of world history, including:
The standards do not outline specific world history content and skills for students in grades K-4. Students in grades K-4 need to develop the social studies skills outlined in Standards 6.1 in order to understand the complex information presented in grades 5-8. Standard 6.2: Civics and Standard 6.4: United States and State History provide a foundation for the study of home, family, community, culture, international education, and global issues. In addition, as elementary students begin the study of a world language, they will learn about the history and culture of countries where the target language is spoken. Finally, the visual and performing arts standards require that students study works of art from various historical periods and diverse cultures. Thus, K-4 students will have multiple opportunities to study world history from different perspectives through a more integrated approach.
The Cumulative Progress Indicators (CPIs) are grouped primarily in two grade clusters, grades 5 to 8 and grades 9 to 12. In order to study the periods of history in more depth, students in grades five through eight study the first four periods, from the development of human civilization in prehistory to the beginning of the post-medieval world. Students in grades 9 through 12 study the last five periods from global encounters to the contemporary world. Throughout the teaching of history, teachers are encouraged to connect events being studied to similar occurrences at different times in history and to current events. Teachers should endeavor to address the following critical questions of historical study:
Are there general
lessons to be learned from history?
How and why do societies change?
What is civilization and how has it been defined? Why do civilizations decline
and perish?
Why is there political and social conflict?
How does religion influence the development of individual societies as well as
global processes?
Are individuals as important as underlying structures in explaining change?
How have social institutions and groups failed to function in a positive way
when people have behaved in cruel or inhumane ways?
How have people worked to combat instances of prejudice, cruelty, and
discrimination?
The history topics listed for each of the eight eras of world history are organized around the following geographic areas: Eastern Europe, Western Europe, East Asia, Africa, the Middle East, North America, and Latin/Mesoamerica. They are grouped around the following topics:
Students need to learn critical and historical thinking as they study history and cultures, the role of geography and the development of social, economic and political structures throughout the world at various times. There should also be a balanced look at some of the political, social, cultural and technological changes that occurred in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia and the Americas from earliest times to the present. Students should trace the evolution of selected important ideas, beliefs, practices, and technologies as they shaped major developments.
Strands and Cumulative Progress Indicators
By the end of Grade 2, students will:
Learn content and skills found in Standards 6.1 (Social Studies Skills) and 6.2 (Civics).
Building upon the knowledge and skills gained in the preceding grades, by the end of Grade 4, students will:
Learn content and skills found in Standards 6.1 (Social Studies Skills) and 6.2 (Civics).
Building upon knowledge and skills gained in the preceding grades, by the end of Grade 8, students will:
A. The Birth of Civilization to 1000 BCE
1. Describe the physical and cultural changes that shaped the earliest human communities as revealed through scientific methods, including:
Early hominid development, including the development of language and writing
Migration and adaptation to new environments
Differences between wild and domestic plants and animals
Locations of agricultural settlements
Differences between hunter/gatherer, fishing, and agrarian communities
2. Describe how environmental conditions impacted the development of different human communities (e.g., population centers, impact of the last Ice Age).
3. Compare and contrast the economic, political, and environmental factors (e.g., climate, trade, geography) that led to the development of major ancient civilizations including Mesopotamia (e.g., Hammurabi’s Code), Egypt, the Indus Valley, the Yellow River, and Kush (Nubia).
B. Early Human Societies to 500CE
1. Explain the historical context, origins, beliefs, and moral teachings of the major world religions and philosophies, including:
The origins of Judaism and Christianity and the emergence of the Judeo-Christian tradition
The influence of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism on the formation of Chinese civilization
Hinduism, the Aryan migrations, and the caste system in India
The influence of Buddhism in India
2. Describe the political framework of Athenian society and its influence on modern society, including:
The influence of Athenian political ideals on public life
The importance of participatory government
The role of women in Athenian society, their rights under law, and possible reasons why democracy was limited to males
Athenian ideas and practices related to political freedom, national security, and justice
3. Describe the social and political characteristics of the Greek city-states, including:
Similarities and differences between Athenian democracy and Spartan military aristocracy
Location and political structure of the city-states
Hierarchical relationships in Greek societies
Civic, economic, and social tasks performed by men and women of different classes
4. Describe the significant contributions of ancient Greece to Western Civilization, including:
Characteristics of Classic Greek art and architecture and how they are reflected in modern art and architecture
Socrates’ values and ideas
Philosophy, including Plato and Aristotle
Greek Drama, including Sophocles and Euripides
History, including Herodotus, Xenophon, and Thucydides
Greek mythology
5. Discuss the cultural influences of Greece, Egypt, Persia, and India on Mediterranean cultures through assimilation, conquest, migration, and trade.
6. Discuss the origins and social framework of Roman society, including:
The geographic location of various ethnic groups on the Italian peninsula and their influence on early Roman society
The legends of the founding of Rome and how they reflect the beliefs and values of its citizens
Daily life in Rome and Pompeii
7. Describe the political and social framework of Roman society, including:
Political and social institutions of the Roman Republic and reasons for its transformation from Republic to Empire
The influence of key Roman leaders
8. Analyze how shifts in the political framework of Roman society impacted the expansion of the empire and how this expansion transformed Roman society, economy, and culture.
9. Discuss the political events that may have contributed to the decline of the Roman Empire, including internal divisions, significant battles, invasions, and political changes.
10. Describe the development of the Mayan civilization from agricultural community to an urban civilization, including the influence of the environment on agricultural methods, water utilization, and herding methods.
11. Describe the significant features of Mayan civilization, including the locations of Mayan city-states, road systems, and sea routes, the role and status of elite men and women in Mayan society and their portrayal in Mayan architecture, the role of religion and ceremonial games in Mayan culture, and the structure and purpose of the Mayan pyramids.
C. Expanding Zones of Exchange and Interaction to 1400 CE
1. Discuss how Western civilization arose from a synthesis of Christianity and classical Greco-Roman civilization with the cultures of northern European peoples.
2. Discuss the spread of Islam in Southwest Asia, the Mediterranean region, and Northern Africa and the influence of Islamic ideas and practices on other cultures and social behavior, including:
The origin and development of Islamic law
The significance of the Quran and the Five Pillars of Islam
The diverse religious, cultural, and geographic factors that influenced the ability of the Muslim government to rule
The split into Sunni and Shi’ite factions
The importance of Muslim civilization in mediating long-distance commercial, cultural, intellectual, and food crop exchange across Eurasia and parts of Africa
3. Discuss the significance of the developing cultures of Asia, including the Golden Age in China and spread of Chinese civilization to Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia and the rise of the Mongol Empire and its impact on the Kievan Rus.
4. Analyze the rise of the West African Empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay and compare with changes in Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
5. Analyze the relationships between Mesoamerican and Andean societies, including:
The growth of urban societies and urban planning
Religions and rituals
Governing structure and economy
The construction of the Mesoamerican calendar
Similarities in agriculture, societal structures, and artisan crafts
6. Explain the medieval origins of constitutional government in England (e.g., Edward I, Magna Carta, Model Parliament of 1295, Common Law).
7. Discuss the evolution of significant political, economic, social and cultural institutions and events that shaped European medieval society, including Catholic and Byzantine churches, feudalism and manorialism, the Crusades, the rise of cities, and changing technology.
D. The Age of Global Encounters (1400-1750)
1. Discuss factors that contributed to oceanic travel and exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries, including technological innovations in ship building navigation, naval warfare, navigational inventions such as the compass, and the impact of wind currents on the major trade routes.
2. Describe the significant contributions of the Renaissance and Reformation to European society, including major achievements in literature, music, painting, sculpture, and architecture.
3. Compare the social and political elements of Incan and Aztec societies, including the major aspects of government, the role of religion, daily life, economy, and social organization.
Building upon knowledge and skills gained in preceding grades, by the end of Grade 12, students will:
A. The Birth of Civilization to 1000 BCE
Reinforce indicators from previous grade levels.
B. Early Human Societies to 500 CE
Reinforce indicators from previous grade levels.
C. Expanding Zones of Exchange and Interaction to 1400 CE
Reinforce indicators from previous grade levels.
D. The Age of Global Encounters (1400-1750)
1. Discuss the major developments in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, including China during the Ming and Qing Dynasty, Japan during the Tokugawa Period, the influence of Islam in shaping the political and social structure in the Middle East, including the Ottoman period, West Africa, including Mali and Songhay, India, including the Mughal Empire, and the impact of European arrival in the Americas.
2. Analyze and compare the ways that slavery and other forms of coerced labor or social bondage were practiced in East Africa, West Africa, Southwest Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
3. Describe the significant social and cultural changes that took place during the Renaissance, including advances in printing press technology, the works of Renaissance writers and elements of Humanism, the revival of Greco-Roman art, architecture, and scholarship, and differing ideas on the role of women.
4. Describe the early influences on the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment, including:
Renaissance Humanism with emphasis on human reason as opposed to total reliance on faith
Medieval theology
New global knowledge
The use of reason and freedom of inquiry as challenges to authoritarianism, including the works of Montesquieu, Locke, and Jefferson
5. Discuss the contributions of the Scientific Revolution to European society, including important discoveries in mathematics, physics, biology, and chemistry, and the significance of the scientific method advanced by Descartes and Bacon.
6. Discuss the major developments in European society and culture, including:
The Protestant Reformation as a result of the weakening of the Papacy and revolts against corruption in the Church
Martin Luther and John Calvin as leaders of new sects that establish the importance of the individual conscience, including religious choice
European explorations and the establishment of colonial empires
Trans-Atlantic slave trade and its impact on Africa
Commercial Revolution
The English Revolution and the strengthening of Parliament as a countervailing force to the monarchy and importance of the balance of powers, including the Glorius Revolution and the English Bill of Rights
Economic consequences of European expansion, including the role of the mercantilist economic theory, the commercial revolution, and the early growth of capitalism
The economic, social, religious, and political impact of the Plague
E. The Age of Revolutionary Change (1750-1914)
1. Discuss the causes and consequences of political revolutions in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, including:
The impact of the American Revolution on global political thought
The ideas and events that shaped the French Revolution (e.g., monarchy vs. social ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity; political beliefs and writings; development of the empire)
The spread of revolutionary ideas through the Napoleonic period (e.g., Napoleonic Code)
The emergence of a politically active middle class and the rise of ideologies which questioned class structure in many European countries contributing to socialism and communism
How the Industrial Revolution, based on new manufacturing processes and the availability of labor, began the preeminence of Europe in the world economy
The concept of laissez-faire and the ideas of Adam Smith in Wealth of Nations
Democratic and social reforms, including the struggle for women’s rights and the expansion of parliamentary government
The rise of European nationalism, imperialism, and its effect on the European balance of power, particularly the unification of Italy and Germany
2. Discuss how industrialization shaped social class (e.g., child labor, conditions of social class) and the development of labor organizations.
3. Explain the main patterns of global change in colonizing Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas, including the Indian Ocean and Pan Asian economies prior to the rise of Europe.
4. Trace the growth of independence movements and the rejection of colonialism including the Haitian Revolution and leaders such as Toussaint L’Ouverture, Simon Bolivar in Venezuela, and Jose Manti in Cuba.
5. Evaluate the changes brought about by the Meiji Restoration period in Japan (e.g., modernization, changes in policies on Western influence).
6. Describe how Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism spread during this period, including the areas of influence and reasons for the growth.
7. Discuss events that shaped the social structure of Russia in the 19th and early 20th century, including:
Peasants, aristocracy, and serfdom
Czarist reforms and the abolition of serfdom
Relations with the Ottoman Empire
Development of the Trans-Siberian railroad and other forms of modernization
F. The Era of the Great Wars (1914-1945)
1. Analyze the causes and aftermath of World War I, including:
The growth of European nationalism and increased competition for resources and markets
Technology and the changing face of war
The Russian Revolutions of 1905 and 1917 and the creation of the Soviet Union (e.g., Lenin’s political ideology, Marxist economic policies, Stalin’s policies on industrialization)
The League of Nations and the effects of the Versailles Conference on Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East
Nationalism and propaganda
Disintegration of the Ottoman Empire
2. Analyze the background and global consequences of actions leading to World War II, including:
The Great Depression, including the Stock Market Crash of 1929, massive business and bank failures, and 12 million lost jobs
The rise of totalitarian governments in the Soviet Union, Germany, and Italy
The fall of the democratic Weimar Republic and the rise of Nazism and European anti-Semitism resulting in the Holocaust and its impact on Jewish life and culture and European society
Other twentieth century genocides, (e.g., Turkey/Armenia, Soviet forced collectivization in the Ukraine, Japan’s occupations in China and Korea)
Evaluate the importance of the beginning of the Atomic Age in science, the technological revolution, and the implications of military technology used in war
G. The Modern World (1945-1979)
1. Analyze the transition from wartime alliances to new patterns of global conflict and cooperation, and the reconstruction of Europe and Asia, including:
The origin and major developments of the Cold War
Communist takeover in China, Korea, and Vietnam and the creation of NATO, SEATO, and CENTO
The formation, structure, and purpose of the United Nations
The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan
The growth and decline of Communism in Eastern Europe
The rise of nationalism and the beginning of nation-building movements in Africa, Latin America, and Asia
The international arms race and nuclear proliferation
The non-aligned nations during the Cold War as the voice of the Third World
2. Apply historical analysis to explain global political, economic, and social changes in the 20th century, including:
Growth and adaptation of Communism in China
Japan’s economic and political transformation and growth of East Asian economies
Conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East
- The Israel/Palestine conflict
The impact of Gandhi and the nonviolence movement
Apartheid and South Africa
H. Looking to the Future (1980-present)
1. Analyze global political, economic, and social changes in the 20th century, including:
The Gulf War
The war in Iraq
- Growth of a world economy with the information, technological, and communications revolutions
- The oil crisis and impact of oil producing countries on world economy
- The development of Third World nations
2. Assess the growth of a worldwide economy of interdependent regions and the development of a dynamic new world order of increasingly interdependent regions, including NATO, the World Bank, the United Nations, the World Court, the North American Free Trade Agreement, and the European Economic Union, IMF and OPEC.
3. Evaluate the paradoxes and promises of the 21st century, including:
Technological growth
Economic imbalance and social inequalities among the world’s people
New patterns of world migration shaped by international labor demands
Global market, economy, trade, and communications
Rapid population growth and increasing urbanization
The growth of terrorism as a means of warfare
Democratic reform
4. Analyze the development and effects of multinational corporations on trade, employment, and the environment.
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