Unit 1: Human Origins, the Paleolithic & Neolithic Eras

• Unit Overview

• Inquiry Map

Cluster 1: Studying the Distant Past

• Lesson 1: Time and the Distant Past

• Lesson 2: Studying the Past (Part I)

• Lesson 3: Studying the Past (Part II)

Cluster 2: The Evolution of Homo Sapiens in the Paleolithic Era

• Lesson 4: Humankind’s Family Tree

• Lesson 5: Our Neanderthal Relatives

• Lesson 6: Tools and Toolmakers

• Lesson 7: Changes in Bodies and Brains Over Time

• Lesson 8: Using Fire and Using Language

• Lesson 9: The First Migration: What Happened? How Do We Know?

• Lesson 10: Turning Points in the Late Paleolithic: The Beginning of Art

• Lesson 11: Paleolithic Rock Art and Cave Painting

• Lesson 12: The Paleolithic Lifestyle

Cluster 3: The Neolithic Era and its Environmental Impact

• Lesson 13: The Neolithic Era: The Domestication of Plants and Animals

• Lesson 14:  The Invention of Metallurgy 

• Lesson 15: The Origins of Agriculture around the World

• Lesson 16: How Agriculture Brought “Revolutionary” Changes

• Lesson 17: Living the Neolithic Lifestyle

• Lessons 18-20: Inquiry Cycle: Did Farmers or Foragers Have a Better Life?

• Lesson 21: Learning from the Past to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

• Lessons 22 & 23: Summative Assessment: Turning Points in Early Human History  (Complete Materials)

• Lessons 24 & 25 (Bridge Lessons to Unit 6.2): Looking Ahead to Complex Societies 

Unit 2: Western Asia, the Middle East & North Africa

• Unit Overview

• Inquiry Map

Cluster 1: Geography of Western Asia, the Middle East & North Africa

• Lesson 1: The Physical & Human Geography of West Asia & North Africa

• Lesson 2: Using Geographers’ Tools to Get to Know the Region

• Lesson 3: What Maps and Mapmaking Can Show

• Lesson 4: The Geography of Water in the Middle East: Using a Scarce Resource Sustainably

• Lesson 5: Water in the Middle East: The Tigris and Euphrates, Past and Present

Cluster 2: First Civilizations: Ancient Mesopotamia 

• Lesson 6: It’s About Time! Meeting the Mesopotamians

• Lesson 7: City Life: Visiting a Sumerian City State

• Lesson 8: The World’s First Writers

• Lesson 9: Other Mesopotamian “Firsts” 

• Lesson 10: Hammurabi’s Stele: Analyzing a Monument and Its Meaning

• Lesson 11: The Code of Hammurabi: Law and Government in Ancient Mesopotamia

Cluster 3: First Civilizations: Ancient Egypt and Nubia

• Lesson 12: Life along the Nile

• Lesson 13: Organizing a Complex Society under a Divine Ruler

• Lesson 14: The Gods and Their Roles in Ancient Egypt

• Lesson 15:  Life as an Eternal Journey: Preparing for the Afterlife

• Lesson 16: Ancient Nubia “Lost” and Found

• Lessons 17-19: Inquiry Cycle: Were Women Powerful in Ancient Egypt and Nubia?

Cluster 4: New Models of Governing

• Lesson 20: System Collapse: The End of the Bronze Age

• Lesson 21: The Phoenicians: Maritime Traders of the Mediterranean

• Lesson 22: The Persian Empire: Balancing Unity and Diversity

Cluster 5: The Abrahamic Religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

• Lesson 23: An Introduction to the Abrahamic Religions

• Lessons 24-26: Judaism: Religion of the Book

• Lessons 27-29: The Origins, Beliefs and Practices of Christianity

• Lessons 30-32: Islam: Roots and Revelation

• Lesson 33: Similarities and Differences among the Abrahamic Religions

Summative Assessment

• Teacher Guidance for Parts I and II

• Complete Materials

Unit 3: Sub-Saharan Africa     

• Unit Overview

• Inquiry Map

Cluster 1: African Geography & Environment

• Lesson 1: Picturing Africa: A Unit Introduction

• Lesson 2: How Do Maps Show Africa?

• Lesson 3: Climates and Regions of Africa

• Lesson 4: Human Geography of Africa

• Lessons 5-7: Africa Postcard Project 

• Lesson 8: Human & Environmental Interaction: African Regions

• Lesson 9: William Kamkwamba and Harnessing the Wind

• Lesson 10: William Kamkwamba and the UN Global Goal on Energy

Cluster 2: Ancient Africa's Diverse Societies & Civilizations

• Lesson 11: How Do We See Africa’s History?

• Lessons 12-13: Characterizing and Comparing Complex Societies in Africa — An Archaeological Inquiry

• Lesson 14: Putting It Together: Comparing and Contrasting Societies

• Lessons 15-16: Scribes and Storytellers: The Power of Words in African Societies

• Lesson 17: Civic Values and Oral Tradition

• Lessons 18-19: Who Was the MVP of West African Societies? Conducting an Investigation with Sources

• Lesson  20: Who Was the MVP of West African Societies? Defending a Position through a Praise Poem

Cluster 3: Trade, Cross-Cultural Exchange, and Africa's Global Connections

• Lesson 21: Introducing African Trade Networks: A Bird’s’ Eye View

• Lessons 22-23: Travelers and Texts: What Can They Teach About Trade?

• Lesson 24: Global Africa in the Ancient World: Trade Goods and Their Consumers 

• Lesson 25: What Else is Exchanged through Trade? A Swahili Coast Case Study

• Lesson 26: Introduction to Trans-Saharan Trade: The “How” and “Why”

• Lessons 27-28: How Trade Built an Empire: A Case Study of Ghana

• Lesson 29: Global Africa in the Ancient World: Artistry and Influences

• Lesson 30: Putting It Together: Judging the Most Important Effects of Trade

Cluster 4: Religions in Ancient Africa

• Lesson 31: Christianity & Islam in Ancient Africa

• Lesson 32: Indigenous Religions in Ancient Africa and Today

• Lessons 33-34: Religious Tolerance in Africa Past and Present

Summative Assessment 

• Teacher Guidance

• Complete Materials

Unit 4: Central America, the Caribbean, & South America

• Unit Overview

• Inquiry Map

Cluster 1: Human Geography & Regional Geographical Systems of the Americas

• Lesson 1: Meeting the People and Places of Latin America

• Lesson 2: The Identities, Features, and Regions of Latin America, Part 1

• Lesson 3: The Identities, Features, and Regions of Latin America, Part 2

• Lessons 4-5: The Challenges and Adaptations of Latin America’s Largest Cities

Cluster 2: The Americas' Earliest Complex Societies

• Lesson 6: The Oldest Complex Society of the Americas: Caral-Supe

• Lessons 7-8: Innovation and Natural Resources: The Olmec

Cluster 3: Mesoamerican Societies: Teotihuacan and the Maya

• Lessons 9-10: Teotihuacan: Magnificence & Mystery in the “City of the Gods”

• Lesson 11: Daily Life in Sacred Spaces

• Lesson 12: Teotihuacan’s Influence and Long-Distance Trade Interactions

• Lessons 13-14: The Maya in the Mesoamerican World

• Lesson 15: Sacred Places and the Meaning of a Myth

• Lesson 16: Astronomers and Timekeepers Extraordinaire

• Lessons 17-18: The Ball Game and Sacrifice

• Lesson 19: Divine Rulers of the Classic City-States

• Lesson 20: What Maya Writing Reveals

• Lesson 21: Markets and Trade in the Maya World (A Game)

Cluster 4: Taíno Culture and the Ancient Caribbean

• Lesson 22: The Shape of Ancient Taíno Culture and Society

• Lesson 23: Legacies of Taíno Culture Today

Summative Assessment / Final Project: Cities of the Ancient Americas

• Teacher Guidance 

• Complete Materials