Middle M/J World History - 6th grade recommended

SEGMENT 1

Module One: Ancient Origins

• 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, 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 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

Module Two: Ancient River Civilizations

• compare the economic, political, social, and religious institutions of ancient river civilizations
• summarize the important achievements of Mesopotamian civilization
• determine the impact of key figures from ancient Mesopotamian civilizations
• analyze the relationship of physical geography to the development of ancient river valley civilizations
• summarize important achievements of Egyptian civilization
• determine the contributions of key figures from ancient Egypt
• explain the role of the Nile River in the growth of the Egyptian civilization
• describe and identify traditional and command economies as they appear in different civilizations
• describe traditional economies of Egypt and elements of Egyptian economy that led to the rise of a merchant class and trading partners
• compare the similarities and the uniqueness of the river valley civilizations
• discuss the significance of tribal migrations on Indian civilization
• compare the economic, political, social, and religious institutions of ancient river civilizations
• identify important individuals and key beliefs of the Israelite civilization
• identify examples of mediums of exchange
• explain why international trading requires a medium of exchange

Module Three: Ancient America

• describe aspects of Mayan culture
• 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
• compare advanced American civilizations with the four early river valley civilizations
• analyze map projections and explain uses of various types of maps
• explain why ancient civilizations developed networks of highways, waterways, and other transportation linkages
• 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

Module Four: Ancient Greece

• analyze the contributions of the ancient Phoenicians
• interpret how Greece’s geography invites interaction with other regions and cultures
• explain aspects of the democratic process as it was developed in ancient Athens
• trace the roots of the American political process to ancient Athens
• explain the relationship of citizens to the political process
• describe the location and physical features of Athens and Sparta
• explain the important characteristics and achievements of Athens and Sparta
• explain how people lived differently in Athens and Sparta
• describe how Athenians and Spartans interacted with other Greeks
• describe the causes of the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars
• identify key figures who lived during this time
• analyze how geography contributed to the fighting of the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars
• summarize the key achievements and contributions of the Hellenistic Age
• identify key figures of the Hellenistic Age
• use maps to identify the characteristics of Greek civilization and the changing boundaries of the Greek world
• summarize the important ideas, achievements, and contributions of ancient Greek civilization
• determine the impact of key figures from ancient Greece

 

SEGMENT 2

Module Five: Ancient Rome

• 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
• 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

Module Six: Ancient India

• explain the important contributions of ancient Indian civilization
• identify the relationship among civilizations that engage in trade
• describe the development and spread of Hinduism
• explain major beliefs and practices associated with Hinduism
• explain the teachings of the Buddha
• explain how Buddhism spread in India and to other parts of Asia
• recognize the political and cultural achievements of the Mauryan empire
• explain the teachings and spread of Buddhism
• explain Asoka’s role in the spread of Buddhism
• use scale, cardinal, and intermediate directions, and estimate distances between places on current and ancient maps of the world
• recognize the political and cultural achievements of the Gupta Empire
• summarize the important achievements and contributions of ancient Indian civilization

Module Seven: Ancient China

• 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
• identify key figures from classical and post-classical China
• explain how family and ethnic relationships influenced ancient cultures
• describe the history of the Qin Dynasty
• 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

Module Eight: Ancient Asia and Africa

• describe the connection between the Mandate of Heaven and post-classical China
• describe the contributions of post-classical China
• identify key figures from classical and post-classical China
• identify the causes and effects of Chinese isolation and the decision to limit foreign trade in the 15th century
• categorize products that were traded among civilizations, and give examples of barriers to trade of those products
• interpret choropleths or dot-density maps to explain the distribution of population
• explain the rise and expansion of the Mongol Empire
• explain the Mongol Empire’s effects on peoples of Asia and Europe
• discuss the achievements of Genghis and Kublai Khan
• describe the rise and fall of the ancient East African kingdoms of Kush and Axum
• describe Christianity’s development in Ethiopia
• explain the significance of the Silk Road and maritime routes across the Indian Ocean to the movement of goods and ideas among Asia, East Africa, and the Mediterranean Basin
• describe the traditional economies
• describe elements of those economies that led to the rise of a merchant class and trading partners
• describe the human and physical geography of West Africa
• describe the importance of ecosystems in West Africa
• describe the history of ancient African kingdoms
• describe the contributions of ancient African kingdoms to history

 

Besides engaging students in challenging curriculum, the course guides students to reflect on their learning and evaluate their progress through a variety of assessments. Assessments can be in the form of practice lessons, multiple choice questions, writing assignments, projects, research papers, oral assessments, and discussions. This course will use the state-approved grading scale. Each course contains a mandatory final exam or culminating project that will be weighted at 20% of the student’s overall grade.***

***Proctored exams can be requested by FLVS at any time and for any reason in an effort to ensure academic integrity. When taking the exam to assess a student’s integrity, the exam must be passed with at least a 59.5% in order to earn credit for the course.  

To achieve success, students are expected to submit work in each course weekly. Students can learn at their own pace; however, “any pace” still means that students must make progress in the course every week. To measure learning, students complete self-checks, practice lessons, multiple choice questions, projects, discussion-based assessments, and discussions. Students are expected to maintain regular contact with teachers; the minimum requirement is monthly. When teachers, students, and parents work together, students are successful.