World History I

Semester One:

• use timelines to establish the order of historical events
• identify terms relating to periods
• use latitude and longitude coordinates to understand the relationship between people and places on the Earth
• analyze the purposes and applications of political, physical, and special-purpose maps
• describe the Six Essential Elements of Geography
• interpret primary and secondary sources
• describe the methods and tools historians use
• describe how history relates to the other social sciences
• describe the roles of historians and recognize how historical interpretations may differ
• locate sites in Africa and Asia where archaeologists have found evidence of early human societies, and trace their migration patterns to other parts of the world
• analyze the challenges of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle
• interpret how geographic boundaries affect migration and interaction with others
• use maps to trace significant migrations and their results
• compare the lifestyles of hunter-gatherers with those of early agricultural settlers
• explain how the environment and resources affected the development and spread of agriculture
• describe how agriculture and metal-working relate to the settlement, growth, and development of civilization
• identify the characteristics of civilization
• explain how ancient civilizations were influenced by their locations and natural resources
• understand the workings of ancient civilizations’ governments
• identify examples of currencies used for trade and explain the importance of currencies in international trade
• identify the importance of major bodies of water
• explain the importance of central rivers to river valley civilizations
• compare the social, political, religious, intellectual, technological, and economic features of ancient river civilizations
• summarize ancient Egypt’s important achievements
• know the contributions of ancient Egypt’s key figures
• summarize ancient Mesopotamia’s important achievements
• know the contributions of ancient Mesopotamia’s key figures
• summarize key figures and basic beliefs of the ancient Israelites
• discuss the importance of Aryan migrations on Indian civilization
• compare the emergence of Mayan culture to the four early river valley civilizations
• compare the rise and advancement of the Aztec civilization to the four early river valley civilizations
• describe aspects of the Aztec culture
• identify factors that increase economic growth
• describe aspects of Mayan culture
• describe aspects of early Native American cultures
• compare civilizations in North America with the four early river valley civilizations
• compare maps of the world in ancient times with current political maps
• identify how democratic ideas from ancient Greece affected democracy in America
• identify how principles from ancient Greece and Rome are reflected in American politics today
• describe how the traditional economy of Greece led to the rise of a merchant class and trading partners
• use maps to identify characteristics and boundaries of ancient civilizations that have shaped the world today
• tell the difference between continents, regions, countries, and cities to understand different civilizations
• explain how the location of ancient civilizations contributed to their culture and politics
• interpret how boundaries invite or limit interaction with other regions and cultures; examples are China (limits) and Greece (invites)
• analyze the impact the ancient Phoenicians had on the Mediterranean world throught colonization, exploration, maritime commerce, and written communication
• explain the democratic concepts developed in ancient Greece
• compare life in Athens and Sparta
• explain the causes and effects of the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars
• summarize the important achievements and contributions of ancient Greek civilization
• determine the impact of key figures from ancient Greece
• summarize the significant contributions and figures associated with the Hellenistic Period

Semester Two:

• describe the growth of Rome before the Punic Wars
• explain the impact of the Punic Wars on the development of the Roman Empire
• describe the government of the Roman Republic
• explain how the Roman Republic contributed to the development of democratic principles
• describe the life and culture in the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire
• describe the social structure of the Roman Republic
• compare life in the Roman Republic for various social groups
• describe the impact of Rome’s expansion on the economy and society
• map the expansion of the Roman Republic and describe how the expansion impacted the spread of Roman culture
• explain the reasons for the decline of the Roman Republic

• identify critical figures associated with ancient Rome

• compare Roman life and culture in the Roman Republic to life and culture in the Roman Empire

• explain the causes for the growth and longevity of the Roman Empire
• explain the transition from the Roman Republic to Empire and Imperial Rome
• identify key figures associated with ancient Rome
• explain the reasons for the gradual decline of the Western Roman Empire after the Pax Romana
• analyze how geography contributed to the culture and politics of ancient Rome
• describe how history reveals the heritage and values of a culture
• identify key figures and the fundamental beliefs of early Christianity and how these beliefs impacted the Roman Empire
• describe the key achievements and contributions of Roman civilization
• explain the spread and influence of the Latin language on Western Civilization
• explore the relationship of civilizations to trade
• use scale, cardinal, and intermediate directions, and estimate distances between places on maps of the world
• explain the central beliefs and practices of Hinduism and the social structure of the caste system in ancient India
• recognize the political and cultural achievements of the Mauryan and Gupta empires
• explain the teachings of Buddha, the importance of Asoka, and how Buddhism spread across Asia
• summarize the important achievements and contributions of ancient Indian civilization
• compare ancient China with other ancient river civilizations
• describe bronze casting, silk making, and other contributions of classical Chinese civilization
• interpret how China’s geography affected its interaction with other regions
• describe the Mandate of Heaven
• explain how the Dynastic Cycle worked
• describe contributions of classical and post-classical China
• explain the basic teachings of Laozi, Confucius, and Han Fei Zi
• describe the contributions of classical and post-classical China
• identify key figures from classical and post-classical China
• explain how family and ethnic relationships influenced ancient cultures
• describe the contributions of classical and post-classical China
• identify key figures from classical and post-classical China
• describe the history of the Qin Dynasty
• describe the contributions of classical and post-classical China
• explain the importance of the silk roads and sea routes in Asia, Africa, and the Mediterranean
• explain why ancient civilizations developed transportation networks
• describe scarcity, opportunity cost, supply and demand, barter, trade, and productive resources
• describe the elements of traditional economies like Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Kush that led to the rise of a merchant class
• specify products traded among civilizations and the barriers that affected their trade
• identify natural wonders of the ancient world
• identify the influences of different ancient cultures on one another
• explain the distribution of population in the ancient world
• analyze the impact of human populations on the ancient world’s ecosystems
• describe the effect of famine, drought, and natural disasters on ancient civilizations
• describe the concept of the Mandate of Heaven and its connection to the Zhou and later dynasties
• describe the contributions of classical and post classical China
• identify key figures from classical and post classical China
• explain the importance of trade routes throughout Asia, East Africa, and the Mediterranean Basin
• explain the rise and expansion of the Mongol empire and its effects on peoples of Asia and Europe including the achievements of Genghis and Kublai Khan
• explain the rise and expansion of the Mongol empire and its effect on peoples of Asia and Europe
• identify the causes and effects of Chinese isolation and the decision to limit foreign trade in the 15th century