World History I and II

Avon Lake City Schools 

Curriculum Framework

World History I and II

Course Overview:

In this course students will study the history of the world from the Enlightenment through the Cold War. In doing so, they will address Essential Questions that will help them better understand the nature of power in the making of the modern world and how these power dynamics have expanded opportunities, but often at great cost. Students will also seek to understand the human impact revolutions, wars, political ideologies, and policy decisions have had and what legacies these decisions continue to leave on our world.  Most importantly, as a result of this class, students will become more skilled at thinking historically.  They will question sources, connect them to others, make inferences, consider other perspectives, and recognize that there are limits to our own abilities to understand why people made decisions in the past.

Textbook (Title and Publishing Company):

Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt: Modern World History (2018)

Online/Supplemental Materials:

Google Classroom, Google Docs, Google Slides, Google Forms, Quizizz, EdPuzzle

Assessments: 

Quarter 1 - Modules 12 and 13 - Summative Assessments, Formative Assessments, Projects

Quarter 2 - Modules 14, 15, and 17 - Summative Assessments, Formative Assessments

Quarter 3 - Modules 18 - 20 - Summative Assessments, Formative Assessments

Quarter 4 - Modules 21 - 23 - Summative Assessments, Formative Assessments, Projects



Content/Topics/Learning Goals

Subject to Pacing and Schedules

1st Quarter- 

Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment, French Revolution:

  • The Scientific Revolution impacted religious, political and cultural institutions by challenging how people viewed the world.

  • Enlightenment thinkers applied reason to discover natural laws guiding human nature in social, political and economic systems and institutions.

  • Enlightenment ideas challenged practices related to religious authority, absolute rule and mercantilism.

  • Enlightenment ideas on the relationship of the individual and the government influenced the American Revolution, French Revolution and Latin American wars for independence.

2nd Quarter- 

Latin American Revolutions, Industrial Revolution, Imperialism:

  • Enlightenment ideas on the relationship of the individual and the government influenced the American Revolution, French Revolution and Latin American wars for independence.

  • Industrialization had social, political and economic effects on Western Europe and the world.

  • Imperial expansion had political, economic and social roots.

  • Imperialism involved land acquisition, extraction of raw materials, spread of Western values and maintenance of political control.

  • The consequences of imperialism were viewed differently by the colonizers and the colonized.

  • Advances in technology, communication and transportation improved lives, but also had negative consequences.

3rd Quarter- 

Transformations Around the Globe, World War I, Revolutions and Nationalism:

  • Imperial expansion had political, economic and social roots.

  • Imperialism involved land acquisition, extraction of raw materials, spread of Western values and maintenance of political control.

  • The consequences of imperialism were viewed differently by the colonizers and the colonized.

  • Advances in technology, communication and transportation improved lives, but also had negative consequences.

  • The causes of World War I included militarism, imperialism, nationalism and alliances.

  • The consequences of World War I and the worldwide depression set the stage for the Russian Revolution, the rise of totalitarianism, aggressive Axis expansion and the policy of appeasement, which in turn led to World War II.

4th Quarter -  

Years of Crisis, World War II, Cold War Conflicts:

  • The consequences of World War I and the worldwide depression set the stage for the Russian Revolution, the rise of totalitarianism, aggressive Axis expansion and the policy of appeasement, which in turn led to World War II.

  • Oppression and discrimination resulted in the Armenian Genocide during World War I and the Holocaust, the state-sponsored mass murder of Jews and other groups, during World War II.

  • World War II devastated most of Europe and Asia, led to the occupation of Eastern Europe and Japan, and began the atomic age.

  • The United States and the Soviet Union became superpowers and competed for global influence.

  • Treaties and agreements at the end of World War II changed national boundaries and created multinational organizations.

  • Religious diversity, the end of colonial rule and rising nationalism have led to regional conflicts in the Middle East.

  • Post War global politics led to the rise of nationalist movements in Africa and Southeast Asia.

Last Updated: September, 2023