Social Studies Curriculum Map

World History

Draft

Course Outline and Learning Outcomes for World History 2007-08

 

Unit

Topic

Length

Learning Outcomes: At the end of the unit, students will be able to:

1

The Beginnings/Cultural Diversity

7 Weeks

·         Explain how living experiences of the past have influenced the present with regard to religion and the beginning civilizations

·         Discuss the basic beliefs of the major polytheistic faiths (Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism) and the basic beliefs of the monotheistic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) as well as compare and contrast them

·         Discuss the concept of Imperialism giving examples of its abuse in the past and present

·         Identify the social/economic/political problems with many African nations and describe solutions to these problems

2

The Greeks

4 Weeks

·         Explain with specifics how the Greeks laid the foundation for how we live today.

·         Explain the different types of governments and how they differ from each other

·         Compare and contrast different Greek societies and relate them to your own

·         Discuss the different philosophical theories that arose out of the Greek empire:  epicureanism, stoicism, skepticism, and cynicism as well as your own philosophy of life

3

The Romans

6 Weeks

·         Explain how the political/economic/social choices of the Romans influenced current societies in the world today

·         Describe similarities and/or differences between the historical decline of the Roman Empire and social trends in the United States in recent past and currently

·         Discuss the events that took place during the Roman Republic that created the influence it has on life today

4

Changing Europe

6 Weeks

·         Explain the major events that took place during the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation that had an impact on life during that time and relate that to life today

·         Discuss the conflicts between Church and State during the Middle Ages and explain how the relationship between religion and politics has caused problems then and still today

·         Describe a Feudal society and compare it to a developed society giving advantages and disadvantages of both

5

Age of Exploration

4 Weeks

·         Discuss the realities that life during the Age of Exploration established and the impact of that on the world today

·         Describe the Aztec and Inca societies and their influences on our society today

6

Spread of New Ideas

2 Weeks

·         Discuss the impact that events of the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment had on society, politics, and economics and relate it to our society today

·         Discuss the causes and main events of the Napoleonic Wars

·         Describe why revolutions occur and compare the French Revolution to American Revolution including results and consequences

7

World at War

7 Weeks

·         Identify the causes and main events of WWI and WWII

·         Explain the Holocaust and other similar types of genocide that are occurring throughout the world today including examples of smaller scale type discriminations in the U.S.

·         Discus the impact that WWI & WWII had on the world – during, following, and still today

·         Identify the causes of the Cold War indicating the impact of that phenomenon on all countries involved then and since

 

*The above outcomes are world history content based.  Within each unit of study there are specific learning skills addressed as well such as; collaboration, compare/contrast, analysis, deduction, investigative research, metacognition, presentation skill, creativity, and craftsmanship, as well as; writing skills with an emphasis on thesis statement and paper writing structure.