In World History I (WHI…), students study the history of the major empires and political entities that emerged after the fall of the Roman Empire, including the Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Moghul Empire, the Chinese dynasties, and the major pre-Columbian civilizations that existed in Central and South America. Students also examine the important political, economic, and religious developments of this period, including the development of democratic, scientific, and secular thought in Europe.
The evolution of the concepts of personal freedom, individual responsibility, and respect for human dignity Standards in World History I and II address the continued evolution of democratic principles and institutions in England.
The growth and impact of centralized state power. The World History I standards address the growth of civilizations and nations with increasingly stronger central governments, as well as many of the conflicts and effects associated with these developments.
The influence of economic, political, religious, and cultural ideas as human societies move beyond regional, national, or geographic boundaries. The standards for World History I address the encounters and conflicts between groups of people, and between different civilizations, such as Islam and Christianity. The World History I standards also address the growth of trade among nations and regions as well as diplomatic, religious, and cultural interaction among civilizations and nations.
The effects of geography on the history of civilizations and nations.. The standards, concepts, and skills for World History I address the relationship between geography and the rise and central characteristics of civilizations and nations.
The growth and spread of free markets and industrial economies. Many standards for World History I address the role of economic trade in spreading ideas, customs, and practices, as well as sparking new ones.
The development of scientific reasoning, technology, and formal education over time and their effects on people’s health, standards of living, economic growth, government, religious beliefs, communal life, and the environment. Standards for World I address advances in scientific and mathematical thought in the Islamic world and Europe.
The birth, growth, and decline of civilizations.. Standards in World History I address the growth and decline of Islamic civilization and the rebirth and dramatic growth of European civilization after 1500.
Concepts and Skills, Grades 8-12
History and Geography
1. Apply the skills of prekindergarten through grade seven.
2. Identify multiple ways to express time relationships and dates (for example, 1066 AD is the same as 1066 CE, and both refer to a date in the eleventh or 11th century, which is the same as the 1000s). Identify countries that use a different calendar from the one used in the U.S. and explain the basis for the difference. (H)
3. Interpret and construct timelines that show how events and eras in various parts of the world are related to one another. (H)
4. Interpret and construct charts and graphs that show quantitative information. (H, C, G, E)
5. Explain how a cause and effect relationship is different from a sequence or correlation of events. (H, C, E)
6. Distinguish between long-term and short-term cause and effect relationships. (H, G, C, E)
7. Show connections, causal and otherwise, between particular historical events and ideas and larger social, economic, and political trends and developments. (H, G, C, E)
8. Interpret the past within its own historical context rather than in terms of present-day norms and values. (H, E, C)
9. Distinguish intended from unintended consequences. (H, E, C)
10. Distinguish historical fact from opinion. (H, E, C)
11. Using historical maps, locate the boundaries of the major empires of world history at the height of their powers. (H, G)
Civics and Government
12. Define and use correctly the following words and terms: Magna Carta, parliament, habeas corpus, monarchy, and absolutism. (C)
General Economics Skills
13. Define and use correctly mercantilism, feudalism, economic growth, and entrepreneur. (E)
18. Explain how competition among sellers lowers costs and prices, and encourages producers to produce more. (E)
19. Describe the role of buyers and sellers in determining the equilibrium price, and use supply and demand to explain and predict changes in quantity and price. (E)
World History I
The World from the Fall of Rome through the Enlightenment
Students study the development of world civilizations after the fall of the Roman Empire. Students study the history of the major empires and political entities of this period: the Ottoman Empire, the Moghul Empire, the Chinese dynasties, the Byzantine Empire, and the major pre-Columbian civilizations that existed in Central and South America. Students examine the important political, economic, and religious developments of this period, including the development of Christianity and Islam, the conflicts between them in different parts of the world, and the beginnings of European influence on the Western Hemisphere. Finally, students study the development of democratic, scientific, and secular thought in the major events and developments of European history. To the extent practical, students study the origins and development of major civilizations in Africa, India and East Asia.
The Emergence and Expansion of Islam to 1500
WHI.1 On a map of the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Asia, identify where Islam began and trace the course of its expansion to 1500 AD. (H)
WHI.2 Describe significant aspects of Islamic belief. (H)
A. the life and teachings of Muhammad
B. the significance of the Qur’an as the primary source of Islamic belief
C. Islam’s historical relationship to Judaism and Christianity
D. the relationship between government and religion in Muslim societies
WHI.3 Analyze the causes, course, and effects of Islamic expansion through North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, and Central Asia. (H, G)
A. the strength of the Islamic world’s economy and culture
B. the training of Muslim soldiers and the use of advanced military techniques
C. the disorganization and internal divisions of Islam’s enemies
D. the resistance and/or assimilation of Christianized peoples in the Mediterranean
WHI.4 Describe the central political, economic, and religious developments in major periods of Islamic history. (H, E)
A. the sources of disagreement between Sunnis and Shi’ites
B. the importance of the trade routes connecting the Far East and Europe and the role of the Mongols in increasing trade along these routes, including the silk routes to China
C. the relationship of trade to the growth of Central Asian and Middle Eastern cities
D. the sources and uses of slaves in Islamic societies as well as the extent of the Islamic slave trade across Africa from 700 AD on.
WHI.5 Analyze the influence and achievements of Islamic civilization during its “Golden Age.” (H)
A. the preservation and expansion of Greek thought
B. Islamic science, philosophy, and mathematics
C. Islamic architecture
The Medieval Period in Europe to 1500
WHI.6 Describe the rise and achievements of the Byzantine Empire. (H)
A. the influence of Constantine, including the establishment of Christianity as an officially sanctioned religion.
B. the importance of Justinian and the Code of Justinian
C. the preservation of Greek and Roman traditions
D. the construction of the Church of the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia).
WHI.7 Describe the major economic, social, and political developments that took place in medieval Europe. (H, E)
A. the growing influence of Christianity and the Catholic Church
B. the differing orders of medieval society, the development of feudalism, and the development of private property as a distinguishing feature of western civilization
C. the initial emergence of a modern economy, including the growth of banking, technological and agricultural improvements, commerce, towns, and a merchant class
D. the economic and social effects of the spread of the Black Death or Bubonic Plague
E. the growth and development of the English and French nations
WHI.8 Describe developments in medieval English legal and constitutional history and their importance in the rise of modern democratic institutions and procedures, including the Magna Carta, parliament, and habeas corpus. (H, C)
The Encounters Between Christianity and Islam to 1500
WHI.9 Describe the religious and political origins of conflicts between Islam and Christianity, including the causes, course, and consequences of the European Crusades against Islam in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries. (H)
WHI.10 Describe the rise of the Ottoman Empire in the 14th and 15th centuries, including the capture of Constantinople in 1453. (H)
WHI.11 Describe the decline of Muslim rule in the Iberian Peninsula and the subsequent rise of Spanish and Portuguese kingdoms after the Reconquest in 1492. (H)
History of China, Japan, and Korea to 1800
WHI.23 Summarize the major reasons for the continuity of Chinese civilization through the 19th century. (H)
A. the role of kinship and Confucianism in maintaining order and hierarchy
B. the political order established by the various dynasties that ruled China
C. the role of civil servants/scholars in maintaining a stable political and economic order
WHI.24 Describe the growth of commerce and towns in China and the importance of agriculture to the development of the Chinese economy to 1800, including the limited role of slavery. (H)
WHI.25 Summarize the major economic, political, and religious developments in Japanese history to 1800. (H)
A. the evolution of Shinto and Japanese Buddhism
B. the development of feudalism
C. the rise of the Shoguns and the role of the samurai
WHI.26 Describe Japan’s cultural and economic relationship to China and Korea. (H, G)
WH.27 Describe the influence and consequences of Japanese isolationism to 1800. (H, G)
WH.28 Explain how Korea has been both a battleground and a cultural bridge between China and Japan. (H, G)
Renaissance and the Reformation in Europe
WHI.29 Describe the origins and development of the Renaissance, including the influence and accomplishments of Machiavelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Shakespeare, and Johannes Gutenberg. (H)
WHI.30 Describe origins and effects of the Protestant Reformation. (H)
A. the reasons for the growing discontent with the Catholic Church, including the main ideas of Martin Luther and John Calvin
B. the spread of Protestantism across Europe, including the reasons and consequences of England’s break with the Catholic Church
C. the weakening of a uniform Christian faith
D. the consolidation of royal power
WHI.31 Explain the purposes and policies of the Catholic Counter-Reformation, including the influence and ideas of Ignatius Loyola. (H)
WHI.32 Explain the role of religion in the wars among European nations in the 15th and 16th centuries. (H)
Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment in Europe
WHI.33 Summarize how the Scientific Revolution and the scientific method led to new theories of the universe and describe the accomplishments of leading figures of the Scientific Revolution, including Bacon, Copernicus, Descartes, Galileo, Kepler, and Newton. (H)
WHI.34 Describe the concept of Enlightenment in European history and describe the accomplishments of major Enlightenment thinkers, including Diderot, Kant, Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Voltaire. (H)
WHI.35 Explain how the Enlightenment contributed to the growth of democratic principles of government, a stress on reason and progress, and the replacement of a theocentric interpretation of the universe with a secular interpretation. (H)
The Growth and Decline of Islamic Empires
WHI.36 Describe the expansion of the Ottoman Empire in the 15th and 16th centuries into North Africa, Eastern Europe, and throughout the Middle East. (H, E)
WHI.37 Describe the expansion of Islam into India from the 13th through the 17th century, the role of the Mongols, the rise and fall of the Moghul Empire, and the relationship between Muslims and Hindus. (H, E)
WHI.38 Account for the declining strength of the Ottoman Empire beginning in the 17th century, including the failed siege of Vienna in 1683 and the rapid pace of modernization in European economic, political, religious, scientific, and intellectual life resulting from the ideas embedded in the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment, and the Industrial Revolution. (H, E)
Impact of the Mongols on the Medieval World (Medfield Only…)
WHI 359.1
Describe the approximate size and location of the 13th century Mongol expansion throughout Asia.
WHI 359.2
Understand the positive and negative impacts that Mongol occupation had on the medieval history of the Russian and Islamic cultures, including the destruction of Kiev and Baghdad as cultural centers.
WHI 359.3
Understand the role of the Mongol Empire as protectors of Asian trade routes during the 13th and 14th centuries.
Medieval Russia (Medfield Only...)
WHI 242.1
Describe the geographic extent of early Russia, its gradual eastward expansion, and the influence of rivers and the steppe on its early growth and relationships with neighboring cultures.
WHI 242.2
Compare the influences of Kiev and Moscow as leading cities of medieval Russia.
WHI 242.3
Explain the influence of the Slavs, Byzantines, and Vikings on Russian culture before the Mongol conquest.
A. The Christianization and Orthodox faith of the Rus culture as a result of their close ties with the Byzantine Empire.
B. The adoption of a written language and governmental traditions as a result of contact with the Byzantine Empire.
WHI 242.4
Analyze and compare the positive and negative impact of the existence of Russia under the Mongol tributary system.
WHI 242.5
Understand the roles of Ivan III and Ivan IV in establishing “czars” as a Russian political tradition of absolute rule.
The evolution of the concepts of personal freedom, individual responsibility, and respect for human dignity Standards in World History I and II address the continued evolution of democratic principles and institutions in England.
The growth and impact of centralized state power. The World History I standards address the growth of civilizations and nations with increasingly stronger central governments, as well as many of the conflicts and effects associated with these developments.
The influence of economic, political, religious, and cultural ideas as human societies move beyond regional, national, or geographic boundaries. The standards for World History I address the encounters and conflicts between groups of people, and between different civilizations, such as Islam and Christianity. The World History I standards also address the growth of trade among nations and regions as well as diplomatic, religious, and cultural interaction among civilizations and nations.
The effects of geography on the history of civilizations and nations.. The standards, concepts, and skills for World History I address the relationship between geography and the rise and central characteristics of civilizations and nations.
The growth and spread of free markets and industrial economies. Many standards for World History I address the role of economic trade in spreading ideas, customs, and practices, as well as sparking new ones.
The development of scientific reasoning, technology, and formal education over time and their effects on people’s health, standards of living, economic growth, government, religious beliefs, communal life, and the environment. Standards for World I address advances in scientific and mathematical thought in the Islamic world and Europe.
The birth, growth, and decline of civilizations.. Standards in World History I address the growth and decline of Islamic civilization and the rebirth and dramatic growth of European civilization after 1500.
Concepts and Skills, Grades 8-12
History and Geography
1. Apply the skills of prekindergarten through grade seven.
2. Identify multiple ways to express time relationships and dates (for example, 1066 AD is the same as 1066 CE, and both refer to a date in the eleventh or 11th century, which is the same as the 1000s). Identify countries that use a different calendar from the one used in the U.S. and explain the basis for the difference. (H)
3. Interpret and construct timelines that show how events and eras in various parts of the world are related to one another. (H)
4. Interpret and construct charts and graphs that show quantitative information. (H, C, G, E)
5. Explain how a cause and effect relationship is different from a sequence or correlation of events. (H, C, E)
6. Distinguish between long-term and short-term cause and effect relationships. (H, G, C, E)
7. Show connections, causal and otherwise, between particular historical events and ideas and larger social, economic, and political trends and developments. (H, G, C, E)
8. Interpret the past within its own historical context rather than in terms of present-day norms and values. (H, E, C)
9. Distinguish intended from unintended consequences. (H, E, C)
10. Distinguish historical fact from opinion. (H, E, C)
11. Using historical maps, locate the boundaries of the major empires of world history at the height of their powers. (H, G)
Civics and Government
12. Define and use correctly the following words and terms: Magna Carta, parliament, habeas corpus, monarchy, and absolutism. (C)
General Economics Skills
13. Define and use correctly mercantilism, feudalism, economic growth, and entrepreneur. (E)
18. Explain how competition among sellers lowers costs and prices, and encourages producers to produce more. (E)
19. Describe the role of buyers and sellers in determining the equilibrium price, and use supply and demand to explain and predict changes in quantity and price. (E)
World History I
The World from the Fall of Rome through the Enlightenment
Students study the development of world civilizations after the fall of the Roman Empire. Students study the history of the major empires and political entities of this period: the Ottoman Empire, the Moghul Empire, the Chinese dynasties, the Byzantine Empire, and the major pre-Columbian civilizations that existed in Central and South America. Students examine the important political, economic, and religious developments of this period, including the development of Christianity and Islam, the conflicts between them in different parts of the world, and the beginnings of European influence on the Western Hemisphere. Finally, students study the development of democratic, scientific, and secular thought in the major events and developments of European history. To the extent practical, students study the origins and development of major civilizations in Africa, India and East Asia.
The Emergence and Expansion of Islam to 1500
WHI.1 On a map of the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Asia, identify where Islam began and trace the course of its expansion to 1500 AD. (H)
WHI.2 Describe significant aspects of Islamic belief. (H)
A. the life and teachings of Muhammad
B. the significance of the Qur’an as the primary source of Islamic belief
C. Islam’s historical relationship to Judaism and Christianity
D. the relationship between government and religion in Muslim societies
WHI.3 Analyze the causes, course, and effects of Islamic expansion through North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, and Central Asia. (H, G)
A. the strength of the Islamic world’s economy and culture
B. the training of Muslim soldiers and the use of advanced military techniques
C. the disorganization and internal divisions of Islam’s enemies
D. the resistance and/or assimilation of Christianized peoples in the Mediterranean
WHI.4 Describe the central political, economic, and religious developments in major periods of Islamic history. (H, E)
A. the sources of disagreement between Sunnis and Shi’ites
B. the importance of the trade routes connecting the Far East and Europe and the role of the Mongols in increasing trade along these routes, including the silk routes to China
C. the relationship of trade to the growth of Central Asian and Middle Eastern cities
D. the sources and uses of slaves in Islamic societies as well as the extent of the Islamic slave trade across Africa from 700 AD on.
WHI.5 Analyze the influence and achievements of Islamic civilization during its “Golden Age.” (H)
A. the preservation and expansion of Greek thought
B. Islamic science, philosophy, and mathematics
C. Islamic architecture
The Medieval Period in Europe to 1500
WHI.6 Describe the rise and achievements of the Byzantine Empire. (H)
A. the influence of Constantine, including the establishment of Christianity as an officially sanctioned religion.
B. the importance of Justinian and the Code of Justinian
C. the preservation of Greek and Roman traditions
D. the construction of the Church of the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia).
WHI.7 Describe the major economic, social, and political developments that took place in medieval Europe. (H, E)
A. the growing influence of Christianity and the Catholic Church
B. the differing orders of medieval society, the development of feudalism, and the development of private property as a distinguishing feature of western civilization
C. the initial emergence of a modern economy, including the growth of banking, technological and agricultural improvements, commerce, towns, and a merchant class
D. the economic and social effects of the spread of the Black Death or Bubonic Plague
E. the growth and development of the English and French nations
WHI.8 Describe developments in medieval English legal and constitutional history and their importance in the rise of modern democratic institutions and procedures, including the Magna Carta, parliament, and habeas corpus. (H, C)
The Encounters Between Christianity and Islam to 1500
WHI.9 Describe the religious and political origins of conflicts between Islam and Christianity, including the causes, course, and consequences of the European Crusades against Islam in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries. (H)
WHI.10 Describe the rise of the Ottoman Empire in the 14th and 15th centuries, including the capture of Constantinople in 1453. (H)
WHI.11 Describe the decline of Muslim rule in the Iberian Peninsula and the subsequent rise of Spanish and Portuguese kingdoms after the Reconquest in 1492. (H)
History of China, Japan, and Korea to 1800
WHI.23 Summarize the major reasons for the continuity of Chinese civilization through the 19th century. (H)
A. the role of kinship and Confucianism in maintaining order and hierarchy
B. the political order established by the various dynasties that ruled China
C. the role of civil servants/scholars in maintaining a stable political and economic order
WHI.24 Describe the growth of commerce and towns in China and the importance of agriculture to the development of the Chinese economy to 1800, including the limited role of slavery. (H)
WHI.25 Summarize the major economic, political, and religious developments in Japanese history to 1800. (H)
A. the evolution of Shinto and Japanese Buddhism
B. the development of feudalism
C. the rise of the Shoguns and the role of the samurai
WHI.26 Describe Japan’s cultural and economic relationship to China and Korea. (H, G)
WH.27 Describe the influence and consequences of Japanese isolationism to 1800. (H, G)
WH.28 Explain how Korea has been both a battleground and a cultural bridge between China and Japan. (H, G)
Renaissance and the Reformation in Europe
WHI.29 Describe the origins and development of the Renaissance, including the influence and accomplishments of Machiavelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Shakespeare, and Johannes Gutenberg. (H)
WHI.30 Describe origins and effects of the Protestant Reformation. (H)
A. the reasons for the growing discontent with the Catholic Church, including the main ideas of Martin Luther and John Calvin
B. the spread of Protestantism across Europe, including the reasons and consequences of England’s break with the Catholic Church
C. the weakening of a uniform Christian faith
D. the consolidation of royal power
WHI.31 Explain the purposes and policies of the Catholic Counter-Reformation, including the influence and ideas of Ignatius Loyola. (H)
WHI.32 Explain the role of religion in the wars among European nations in the 15th and 16th centuries. (H)
Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment in Europe
WHI.33 Summarize how the Scientific Revolution and the scientific method led to new theories of the universe and describe the accomplishments of leading figures of the Scientific Revolution, including Bacon, Copernicus, Descartes, Galileo, Kepler, and Newton. (H)
WHI.34 Describe the concept of Enlightenment in European history and describe the accomplishments of major Enlightenment thinkers, including Diderot, Kant, Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Voltaire. (H)
WHI.35 Explain how the Enlightenment contributed to the growth of democratic principles of government, a stress on reason and progress, and the replacement of a theocentric interpretation of the universe with a secular interpretation. (H)
The Growth and Decline of Islamic Empires
WHI.36 Describe the expansion of the Ottoman Empire in the 15th and 16th centuries into North Africa, Eastern Europe, and throughout the Middle East. (H, E)
WHI.37 Describe the expansion of Islam into India from the 13th through the 17th century, the role of the Mongols, the rise and fall of the Moghul Empire, and the relationship between Muslims and Hindus. (H, E)
WHI.38 Account for the declining strength of the Ottoman Empire beginning in the 17th century, including the failed siege of Vienna in 1683 and the rapid pace of modernization in European economic, political, religious, scientific, and intellectual life resulting from the ideas embedded in the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment, and the Industrial Revolution. (H, E)
Impact of the Mongols on the Medieval World (Medfield Only…)
WHI 359.1
Describe the approximate size and location of the 13th century Mongol expansion throughout Asia.
WHI 359.2
Understand the positive and negative impacts that Mongol occupation had on the medieval history of the Russian and Islamic cultures, including the destruction of Kiev and Baghdad as cultural centers.
WHI 359.3
Understand the role of the Mongol Empire as protectors of Asian trade routes during the 13th and 14th centuries.
Medieval Russia (Medfield Only...)
WHI 242.1
Describe the geographic extent of early Russia, its gradual eastward expansion, and the influence of rivers and the steppe on its early growth and relationships with neighboring cultures.
WHI 242.2
Compare the influences of Kiev and Moscow as leading cities of medieval Russia.
WHI 242.3
Explain the influence of the Slavs, Byzantines, and Vikings on Russian culture before the Mongol conquest.
A. The Christianization and Orthodox faith of the Rus culture as a result of their close ties with the Byzantine Empire.
B. The adoption of a written language and governmental traditions as a result of contact with the Byzantine Empire.
WHI 242.4
Analyze and compare the positive and negative impact of the existence of Russia under the Mongol tributary system.
WHI 242.5
Understand the roles of Ivan III and Ivan IV in establishing “czars” as a Russian political tradition of absolute rule.