Launch Unit: I Survived Ancient World History

History is more than dates and battles. It’s made of stories—about people who survived. Some built cities. Some crossed deserts. Some followed rivers, hunted animals, or traded across seas. Some were rulers. Most were not. They lived, struggled, adapted—and left clues behind.

This year, you’ll travel through time and space. In each unit, you’ll face the same big question: Could I survive…?

Could you survive life in an ancient city? On a sailing ship? In a crumbling empire? Each time, you’ll explore what life was like—and decide what it would take to survive there.

We will start the class read aloud of Black Ships Before Troy.

Unit 1: I Survived the Paleolithic

This is the Paleolithic. And the question is simple: Would you survive?

In this unit, you’ll step into the lives of early humans. You’ll learn how they adapted—how they used tools, fire, teamwork, and creativity to stay alive in a world full of danger and change. You’ll read, imagine, and write about what life was like. You’ll compare your needs to theirs. You’ll reflect on what makes survival possible—and what it costs.

Final Project: Explain How You Survived Using Cave Art

Unit 2: I Survived the Neolithic

This is the Neolithic Era: a time of invention, growth, and struggle.

In this unit, you’ll step into that world. You’ll explore the rise of farming and the different paths people took—herders, foragers, city builders. You’ll learn how farming created both new possibilities and new problems. You’ll compare ways of life, evaluate who had it best, and decide for yourself:

Was farming a good idea?

Could you survive the Neolithic?

Final Project: Convince Others To Farm Or Forage

Unit 3: I Survived the Rise of Civilizations

In this unit, you’ll visit the first great civilizations—Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, and China. You’ll explore how people tried to survive in each place. Some did. Some didn’t.

Civilizations needed more than just farmers—they needed builders, priests, traders, soldiers, and scribes. They needed writing, leadership, and technology. When everything worked, these societies became strong. But if one part failed, the whole system could collapse.

Final Project: Explain How You Survived By Creating a Harrapan-Style Stamp

I Survived the Bronze Age

[Depending on Time]

The Bronze Age was an age of discovery, invention, and interdependence. Ships crisscrossed the seas carrying metal, grain, ideas, and power. Rulers signed peace treaties, formed alliances, and sometimes broke them. Trade brought riches. But it also brought risk.

You’ll explore four turning points: when Egypt and the Hittites clashed over control of trade; when Minoans and Mycenaeans turned sea routes into networks of war and cooperation; when the entire system fell apart during the Bronze Age Collapse; and when new powers like Phoenicia and Rome tried to rebuild it.

Markets helped civilizations rise. But what happened when those markets failed?

Final Project: Create A Plan To Survive A King's New Law

Unit 4: I Survived the Axial Age

Thinkers and prophets from Greece to India to China began asking: What is truth? What is justice? What makes life worth living?

They gave different answers. Some said to follow nature. Others said to follow reason. Some said serve the good. Others said end desire. These were not just ideas—they were paths to survive.

You’ll meet the people who shaped these belief systems—and those who had to decide whether to follow them.

Final Project: Create A Way To Survive The Burning of Books and Burying of Scholars