Standard
2: World History
Students will use a variety of
intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes,
developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history
from a variety of perspectives.
Key Idea 1
The study of world history requires an
understanding of world cultures and civilizations, including an analysis of important
ideas, social and cultural values, beliefs, and traditions. This study also examines the
human condition and the connections and interactions of people across time and space and
the ways different people view the same event or issue from a variety of perspectives.
Performance Indicators
(Benchmarks)
Elementary Level
Students:
- read historical narratives; myths,
legends, biographies, and autobiographies to learn about how historical figures lived,
their motivations, hopes, fears, strengths, and weaknesses
- explore narrative accounts of important
events from world history to learn about different accounts of the past to beginto
understand how interpretations and perspectives develop
- study about different world cultures and
civilizations focusing on their accomplishments, contributions, values, beliefs, and
traditions
Middle Level Students:
- know the social and economic
characteristics, such as customs, traditions, child-rearing practices, ways of making a
living, education and socialization practices, gender roles, foods, and religious and
spiritual beliefs that distinguish different cultures and civilizations
- know some important historic events and
developments of past civilizations
- interpret and analyze documents and
artifacts related to significant developments and events in world history
Commencement Level
Students:
- define culture and civilization,
explaining how they developed and changed over time. Investigate the various components of
cultures and civilizations including socialcustoms, norms, values, and traditions;
political systems; economic systems; religions and spiritual beliefs; and socialization or
educational practices
- understand the development and
connectedness of Western civilization and other civilizations and cultures in many areas
of the world and over time
- analyze historic events from around the
world by examining accounts written from different perspectives
- understand the broad patterns,
relationships, and interactions of cultures and civilizations during particular eras and
across eras
- analyze changing and competing
interpretations of issues, events, and developments throughout world history
Key Idea 2
Establishing timeframes, exploring
different periodizations, examining themes across time and within cultures, and focusing
on important turning points in world history help organize the study of world cultures and
civilizations.
Performance Indicators
(Benchmarks)
Elementary Level
Students:
- distinguish between past, present, and
future time periods
- develop timelines that display important
events and eras from world history in terms of years, decades, centuries, and millennia,
using BC and AD as reference points
- compare important events and
accomplishments from different time periods in world history
Middle Level Students
- develop timelines by placing important
events and developments in world history in their correct chronological order
- measure time periods by years, decade,
centuries, and millennia
- study about major turning points in world
history by investigating the causes and other factors that brought about change and the
results of these changes
Commencement Level
Students:
- distinguish between the past, present, and
future by creating multiple-tier timelines that display important events and developments
from world history across time and place
- evaluate the effectiveness of different
models for the periodization of important historic events, identifying the reasons why a
particular sequence for these events was chosen
- analyze evidence critically and
demonstrate an understanding of how circumstances of time and place influence perspective
- explain the importance of analyzing
narratives drawn from different times and places to understand historical events
- investigate key events and developments
and major turning points in world history to identify the factors that brought about
change and the long-term effects of these changes
Key Idea 3
Study of the major social, political,
cultural, and religious developments in world history involves learning about the
important roles and contributions of individuals and groups.
Performance Indicators
(Benchmarks)
Elementary Level
Students:
- understand the roles and contributions of
individuals and groups to social, political, economic, cultural, scientific,
technological, and religious practices and activities
- gather and present information about
important developments from world history
- understand how the terms social,
political, economic, and cultural can be used to describe human activities or practices
Middle Level Students:
- investigate the roles and contributions of
individuals and groups in relation to key social, political, cultural, and religious
practices throughout world history
- interpret and analyze documents and
artifacts related to significant developments and events in world history
- classify historic information according to
the type of activity or practice: social/cultural, political, economic, geographic,
scientific, technological, and historic
Commencement Level
Students:
- analyze the roles and contributions of
individuals and groups to social, political, economic, cultural, and religious practices
and activities
- explain the dynamics of cultural change
and how interactions between and among cultures has affected various cultural change
throughout the world
- examine the social/cultural, political,
economic, and religious norms and values of Western and other world cultures
Key Idea 4
The skills of historical analysis include
the ability to investigate differing and competing interpretations of the theories of
history, hypothesize about why interpretations change over time, explain the importance of
historical evidence, and understand the concepts of change and continuity over time.
Performance Indicators
(Benchmarks)
Elementary Level
Students:
- consider different interpretations of key
events and developments in world history and understand the differences in these accounts
- explore the lifestyles, beliefs,
traditions, rules and laws, and social/cultural needs and wants of people during different
periods in history and in different parts of the world
- view historic events through the eyes of
those who were there, as shown in their art, writings, music, and artifacts
Middle Level Students:
- explain the literal meaning of a
historical passage or primary source document, identifying who was involved, what
happened, where it happened, what events led up to these developments, and what
consequences or outcomes followed (Taken from National Standards for World History)
- analyze different interpretations of
important events and themes in world history and explain the various frames of reference
expressed by different historians
- view history through the eyes of those who
witnessed key events and developments in world history by analyzing their literature,
diary accounts, letters, artifacts, art, music, architectural drawings, and other
documents
- investigate important events and
developments in world history by posing analytical questions, selecting relevant data,
distinguishing fact from opinion, hypothesizing cause-and-effect relationships, testing
these hypotheses, and forming conclusions
Commencement Level
Students:
- identify historical problems, pose
analytical questions or hypotheses, research analytical questions or test hypotheses,
formulate conclusions or generalizations, raise new questions or issues for further
investigation
- interpret and analyze documents and
artifacts related to significant developments and events in world history
- plan and organize historical research
projects related to regional or global interdependence
- analyze different interpretations of
important events, issues, or developments in world history by studying the social,
political, and economic context in which they were developed; by testing the data source
for reliability and validity, credibility, authority, authenticity, and completeness; and
by detecting bias, distortion of the facts, and propaganda by omission, suppression, or
invention of facts. (Taken National Standards for World History)
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