Class Overview 

6th Grade: Students will study several different periods of Eastern and Western Hemasphere history. Through their studies they will develop critical writing, thinking, and research skills.  Topics of study include: 

• Ancient Greece and Rome

• The Enlightenment

• The French Revolution

• The Industrial Revolution

• Independence in Latin America

• 1800-1900's Immigration

• Industrialization

• World Deserts

7th Grade: We will be switching gears and starting World History this 2nd quarter.  Through their studies they will develop critical writing, thinking, and research skills.  Topics of study include:

• Complex societies developed independently in different cradles of civilization, including Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, China, and Mesoamerica.

• Ancient Greece and Rome laid the foundations for Western civilization.

• The modern world religions of Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam have their roots in ancient and medieval civilizations.

• China introduced the world to new technologies—for example, silk making, paper, gunpowder, and new philosophies, such as Confucianism and Daoism.

• Mesoamerica and South America were home to developed civilizations such as the Maya, Aztec, and Inca before the arrival of European conquerors.

• The African kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai dominated West Africa during Europe’s medieval period.

• The Renaissance marked a renewed interest in the past as well as exploration of philosophy and artistic styles.

• The Protestant Reformation and the Counter-Reformation transformed European religion and politics.

• Interest in Asian trade and the development of new technologies sparked European exploration and colonization.

• During the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment, Western scientists and thinkers applied reason and systematic study to seek to understand the physical world, human nature, and society.

• World War I was shaped by new technologies such as tanks, machine guns, and poison gas.

• World War II was a global effort to stop German expansionism in Europe and Japanese expansionism in Asia.

• After World War II, the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union helped shape events in Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

• The dissolution of colonial empires after World War II included conflicts in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Southeast Asia, and Africa.

• The early twenty-first century has been shaped by globalization, migration, terrorism, regional conflict, eradication of disease, and climate change.