WORLD HISTORY I

Somebody discovered the wheel. Somebody discovered written communication. Somebody even figured out how to count to ten. From the ancient river civilizations to China and its ancient dynasties, different civilizations left their mark on history. They also left their mark on how we live today. In this course, students join travel agent Mr. Lightfoot to travel back in time digging out the past of these ancient civilizations.

In ancient Egypt students visit the pyramids and find out the secrets of preserving mummies. They see how the Mayans developed astronomy to a precise science. They even investigate the difference between the Athenians and the Spartans. Students will journey through India discovering their contributions to medicine, moving on to Africa to follow the rise and fall of the ancient east African kingdoms of Kush and Axum. Throughout the centuries, and still today, our world is made up of dozens of different cultures. They all are different, and they all have made big contributions to what we know and who we are.

Segment One –

• use timelines to establish the order of historical events
• identify terms relating to time 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, 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 relates 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 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 in order 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 with regard to 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 key achievements, contributions, and figures associated with the Hellenistic Period

Segment 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 key 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 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 basic 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 major 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 trades among civilization 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