World History Parent Guide Unit 1 - Atlanta Public Schools · World History Parent Guide Unit 4 Empires and Kingdoms –Growth and Expansion Unit Focus Concepts Explored This unit

World History Parent Guide

Unit 1 Connecting Themes in World History

Unit Focus This unit is designed to introduce students to the eight themes that will feature prominently in the World History course: Relating, location, culture, governance, institutions, conflict, change and continuity over time, movement and migration and technological innovation to students.

Concepts Explored

Location affects a society’s economy, culture, and development.

Movement or migration of people and ideas affects all societies involved.

Impact of technology on our lives.

Change occurs over time, there is continuity to the basic structure of that society

How You Can Support Your Child You can support your child by providing them quality text/resources related to the unit content. Below you will find a few suggested

resources.

Print Resource(suggested text only others may be used)

Newspaper and magazine articles pertaining to the eight theme discussed in the unit.

Digital Resources (suggested text only others may be used)

News stories pertaining to each theme: CNN.com; New York Times: http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/, and Atlanta Journal

Constitution: ajc.com

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/


Unit 2 First Civilizations – Social Complexity and the Need for Order

Unit Focus This unit is designed to examine the rise of early civilizations and the emerging social complexity of populous societies. Students will investigate how the need for structures within society to provide order and stability emerged. Activities will focus on relating how and where civilizations developed through the religious, cultural, economic, and political facets of society.

Concepts Explored

Development of early cultures

Impact of religion on the development of early societies

Complexity of government increases as a societies increase in complexity

Physical features of a region affect the development of the beliefs, customs and traditions of that society

Migration and movement lead to cultural diffusion

How You Can Support Your Child You can support your child by providing them quality text/resources related to the unit content. Below you will find a few suggested resources.


Trade Networks and Hierarchies, Authors: Geoffrey Hewings, Michael Sonis, and David Boyce


My Backpack – Modules and resources designed to help students obtain a better understanding of World History concepts. https://mybackpack.apsk12.org/Pages/myBackpack.aspx

World History Archives - The links are categorized by region, or you can search using keywords. The documents you find here can help broaden your teen’s perspective on important world issues. http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/index.html

https://mybackpack.apsk12.org/Pages/myBackpack.aspx

http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/index.html


Unit 3 Classical Empires

Unit Focus This unit is designed to examine the origin, rise and fall of the classical civilizations of India, China, Greece and Rome. Students will examine the various cultural mechanisms that these societies used to reach their golden ages.

Concepts Explored

Factors that led to the rise and fall of the Maurya Empire, Zhou, and Qin Empire, and the collapse of Rome.

Culture of a society is the product of the religion, beliefs, customs, traditions, and government of that society.

Similarities and differences between Hinduism and Buddhism.

How the teachings of Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, and Christianity affect the world

How the philosophical ideas of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle impact their society.

How movement and migration of people and ideas resulted in societal change.



Early Ancient China and Greece, Author: Steven Shankman




Site provides activities, resources, timelines, and other links to help students trace legacies of the Ancient Romans -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/romans/activities/index.shtml



http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/romans/activities/index.shtml



Unit 4 Empires and Kingdoms –Growth and Expansion

Unit Focus

This unit is designed to examine the impact of the Byzantine and Mongol Empires, the growth and scholarly contributions of the Islamic Empire and the diverse characteristics of African societies.

Concepts Explored

Emergence of conflicts between the Byzantine Empire and the Muslim World

How disagreements among Christians resulted in conflicting branches in their church.

How did the connection between trade, religious practice and political ties impact the emerging Russian state?

How did Christianity become the official religion of Byzantium and in what ways did the relationship between church and state affect the empire?

Migratory expansion and role of the of Mongol Empire

Actions of individuals, groups, and/or institutions affect society through intended and unintended consequences.

Growth and scholarly contributions of the Islamic Empire and diverse characteristics of African societies.





Byzantine Empire - http://www.history-world.org/byzantine_empire.htm

Growth and contributions of the Islamic Empire - http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/islam/islamsbook.asp

Fordham – Collection of historical primary source documents and articles http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/index.asp



http://www.history-world.org/byzantine_empire.htm

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/islam/islamsbook.asp

http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/index.asp



Unit 5 Emergence of Modern Europe

Unit Focus This unit will focus on social, political, economic, and technological changes and how those changes affected the growth of nations. Students will learn how individuals impacted change and brought about complexity in governance. The roles of the church and government are introduced through the study of the Renaissance and Reformation. This unit will show how the role of leaders, religious ideas and new innovations affected the future growth of Europe and how this growth affected movement and migration.

Concepts Explored

How the introduction of new ideas, concepts, and beliefs lead to political, economic, and social changes

Conflict within and/or between European societies resulted in change

Role of church and government during the Renaissance and Reformation

Actions of individuals, groups, and/or institutions affect society through intended and unintended consequences.

Positive and negative consequences of Renaissance and Reformation

How has exploration and migration been a product of economic, technological, social, and political forces.



Renaissance and Reformation: A History in Documents; Author: Mary Wiesner Hanks

Renaissance and Reformation, Author: William Estep

Digital Resources (suggested text only others may be used



Fordham – Search the historical texts related to key concepts in World History http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/index.asp Renaissance—Search areas for various aspects of the Renaissance and Reformation http://www.georgetown.edu/labyrinth/



http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/index.asp

http://www.georgetown.edu/labyrinth/



Unit 6 The Emerging Global World

Unit Focus

In this unit, students will investigate certain individuals, groups and institutions (famous explorers, Ottoman rulers, and European scientists) that played key roles in the development of the modern world. Students will learn that location played a crucial role in the development of the Muslim heartlands and kept the cultures of the New and Old Worlds apart before 1492. An investigation of the movement and migration of plants, animals, humans and diseases will enable students to see the impact of the Columbian Exchange. The influence of Islam on the Muslim heartland’s laws and art is discussed.

Concepts Explored

Analyze the impact of the age of discovery and expansion into the Americas, Africa, and Asia.

Examine the origins and contributions of the Ottoman, Saavid, and Mughal Empires.

Examine the intellectual, political, social, and economic factors that changed the world view of Europeans.

How the actions of explorers like Zheng He, Vasco Da Gama, Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, James Cook and Samuel de Champlain help forge a global world.

How plants, animals, diseases and people transported during the Columbian exchange create a much different world from what it was before 1492.


Print Resources (suggested text only others may be used)

The Ottoman Empire, Author: Stephen Turnbull

Early Explorers, Author: Ellen Mitten


History Channel – view videos of historical events – http://www.historychannel.com



http://www.historychannel.com/





Unit 7 Mounting Global Tensions

Unit Focus This unit will focus on conflict and change that occurred as a result of revolution and rebellions. Identifying individuals, groups and institutions that emerged identified and their role/contributions will be examined. As people migrated due to political, social, and economic reasons, the complexity of the government also increases. Technological innovations emerged as industrialization grew and expanded.

Concepts Explored

How the rise of nationalism impacted the world globally Impact of population growth on various regions of Europe, China, Japan

and the Western World. How technological changes have worldwide impact on future

generations How industrialization resulted in social, political, and economic changes. Actions of individuals, groups, and/or institutions affect society through

intended and unintended consequences.

Consequences of Enlightenment writings

How actions of various rulers resulted in change

As a society increases in complexity and interacts with other societies, the complexity of the government also increases

How imperialism changed the relationship countries previously experience.

How You Can Support Your Child You can support your child by providing them quality text/resources related to the unit content. Below you will find a few suggested

resources.


Enlightenment - http://www.pbs.org/search/?q=enlightenment

Hyperhistory - Timelines containing links to additional information on other history web sites related to a specific topic. http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/History_n2/a.html



http://www.pbs.org/search/?q=enlightenment

http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/History_n2/a.html





Unit 8 Title

The World at War

Unit Focus This unit is designed to examine the causes and results of the great conflicts of the first half of the 20th century, World War I and World War II. Students will examine the causes of each conflict, the nature of the technology, and strategic actions of the war and the resulting accommodations made by victors and the defeated.

Concepts Explored

Impact of the war on science, art, and social thinking.

How the forces of nationalism were increased by the outcomes of World War I and World War II.

Long-term causes of World War I and its global impact.

Major political and economic factors that shaped world societies between World War I and World War II.

As a society increases in complexity and interacts with other societies, the complexity of the government also increases (i.e., Battle of Verdun, Russia, Germany, and Italy).

Actions of individuals, groups, and/or institutions affect society through intended and unintended consequences (i.e., collapse of Russia and Austria, fascism, Mohandas Ghandi, Sun Yat Sen, and Mustafa Kemal Attaturk).

How You Can Support Your Child

You can support your child by providing them quality text that that is directly correlated with the content in this unit. There are a

host of print and digital resources that are available for your child to read, as well as reliable online interactive sites that will help

your child understand the information.



The War to End All Wars : World War I, (Author, Freedmen)

World War One, (Author, Stone)

Stalin's Curse : Battling for Communism in War and Cold War, (Author, Gellately)


Georgia Virtual Learning – My Backpack) – Online learning modules with content, quizzes, and projects aligned to the World History standards (Username and password should be obtained from the teacher).

Resources on the collapse of Russia - http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Russian-Revolution.htm

This sites contains videos and information regarding the world wars and significant people and events during the time period http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/0/23493076

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Russian-Revolution.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/0/23493076


Unit 9 Title

The Contemporary World

Unit Focus Unit Focus: In this unit, students will explore conflict and change as well as examine how different regions of the world adapt to the issues of the modern times; how the world has become more interdependent as a result of movement and migration; and the impact technological innovation on transportation, communication, and other key concepts.

Concepts Explored

How the movement or migration of people or ideas affects all people involved (i.e., Jews moving to Palestine after WWII, terrorism, nationalist movements contribution to conflict, and access to instantaneous information).

Change is the result of conflict: how revolutionary movements in India, China and Africa after WWII resulted in change; creation of the state of Israel and conflict; and how the struggle for freedom created change in South Africa, China, and East Germany.

How the role of ethnic conflict in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda engendered genocide in those countries.

Intended and unintended consequences of technological innovation for a society

How You Can Support Your Child

You can support your child by providing them quality text that is directly correlated with the content in this unit. There are a host of

print and digital resources that are available for your child to read, as well as reliable online interactive sites that will help your child

understand the information.



Globalization (Author: Manfred Steger)

Newspaper articles on terrorism impacting the U.S. today


Current events from New York Times and CNN.com

Georgia Public Broadcasting Learning Media - Interactive history resources - http://gpb.pbslearningmedia.org/

Links to Learning World History Resources – Information and games pertaining to each standard -

Georgia Virtual Learning – (My Backpack) – Online learning modules with content, quizzes, and projects aligned to the World History standards (Username and password should be obtained from the teacher).

This sites contains videos and information regarding the world wars and significant people and events during the time period http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/0/23493076

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/0/23493076