Unit 1: Arrival & Contact40,000 BCE to 1670 AD

Major Skill #1

Students will use a combination of science, logical conjecture and skepticism to develop a more accurate view of historical events.

Major Concept #1

Students will be introduced to the original Land Bridge Theory. They will learn how and why this theory is being revised as new evidence emerges.

Major Concept #2

Students will learn that the New World was not an “untamed wilderness“ or virtually “empty” of people when Columbus discovered it in 1492 AD.

Major Concept #3

Students will learn about the political organization of the Five Nations.

Major Skill #2

Students will compare the political systems of medieval France and the Iroquoian Confederacy.

Major Concept #4

Students will learn about the consequences of contact between Europeans and First Nations peoples.

Major Concept #5

Students will learn why New France was established and its effect on the Huron First Nation.