Learning Targets:

1. Map and explain how physical geography (e.g., rivers, landforms, resources) shaped settlement patterns, trade networks, and state development across selected units.

2. Interpret thematic maps, graphs, and demographic/economic datasets to explain observed spatial patterns and trends with supporting evidence.

3. Model diffusion pathways of religions, technologies, and ideas using annotated route maps and timelines, explaining catalysts and barriers to spread.

4. Assess environmental constraints and human adaptations (e.g., irrigation, terrace farming, industrial pollution controls) with case-based evidence.

5. Explain spatial dynamics of imperial expansion, nationalism, and decolonization using geospatial evidence and comparative regional analysis.

Modules

Learning Targets:

1. Determine and summarize central ideas and key details of narrative historical texts objectively, tracking how ideas develop over the course of the text.

2. Analyze how authors structure historical narratives and use rhetoric to shape meaning, point of view, and purpose, citing textual evidence.

3. Employ domain-specific vocabulary accurately in explanations and discussions, using strategies such as Frayer models and context-clue analysis.

4. Compose multi-paragraph narrative-analytic explanations of a historical development that integrate chronological sequence and causal analysis with cited evidence.

5. Edit and format texts for clarity, style, and conventions appropriate to audience and purpose, using digital tools to produce and share polished work.

Modules

Learning Targets:

1. Formulate an arguable, historically grounded thesis that addresses a specific prompt and previews a logical line of reasoning.

2. Organize multi-paragraph analytical essays with coherent introductions, evidence-based body paragraphs with topic sentences, and purposeful conclusions.

3. Integrate quotations, paraphrases, and data effectively with signal phrases, analysis, and consistent Chicago or MLA citations.

4. Revise drafts for argument clarity, cohesion, and style using rubric criteria and peer/teacher feedback, documenting substantive changes.

5. Deliver a timed oral presentation that defends a historical claim with well-designed visuals, clear pacing, and responses to audience questions.

Modules

Learning Targets:

1. Compare governance models (e.g., city-state, empire, nation-state, democracy, authoritarianism) using a criteria-based matrix and cite illustrative cases from multiple units.

2. Evaluate economic systems (e.g., agrarian, mercantilism, capitalism, socialism, communism) for their distributional impacts and incentives using historical evidence.

3. Analyze how religions and ideologies shaped law, social hierarchies, and cultural expression, noting continuity and transformation across eras.

4. Assess the impacts of imperialism, industrialization, and nationalism on various groups (colonizers, colonized, workers, minorities) through case-based analysis.

5. Trace legacies of past institutions to present governmental systems, explaining how historical precedents inform contemporary policies and civic life.

Modules

Learning Targets:

1. Formulate a focused, researchable question connected to course content and aligned to available sources and time constraints.

2. Locate and retrieve relevant sources from reputable databases, digital archives, and libraries, recording search strategies and access details.

3. Organize notes and manage citations with digital tools to produce an annotated bibliography that assesses source relevance and credibility.

4. Synthesize findings into a coherent product (e.g., research report, documentary, podcast, or exhibit) tailored to a defined audience and purpose.

5. Reflect on the research process, including source limitations, ethical use (plagiarism, fair use), and proposed next steps for further inquiry.

Modules