Course Outlines & Pacing Guides
6th Grade
Unit 0 Geography (2 weeks)
Students use map and globe skills to determine the absolute locations of places
and interpret information available from a legend, scale, or symbolic representation.
Students identify physical and cultural features on a globe to explain the
historical migration of people, expansion and disintegration of empires,
and growth of economic systems. Students examine factors in human settlement
including water, vegetation, topography, and minerals.
Unit 1 Early Humans (5 weeks)
Students study what is known through archaeological studies of the early physical and cultural development of humankind from prehistory to the agricultural revolution. Students discuss the emergence of art, music, and ritual beliefs. Students examine the difference between facts, theories, beliefs, opinions, and belief systems, as well as discussing DNA, extinction, and mutation.
Unit 2 Mesopotamia (4 weeks)
Students locate and describe the Tigris and Euphrates river system and discuss the physical settings that supported permanent settlement and early civilizations. Students trace the development of agricultural surplus, and the emergence of cities as centers of culture and power. Students understand the relationship between religion and social and political order. Students examine the evolution of writing.
Unit 3 Egypt (5 weeks)
Students locate and describe the Nile River system and discuss the physical setting that supported permanent settlement. Students discuss the main features of Egyptian art and architecture. Students learn to understand the relationship between religion and social/political order, as well as social and political hierarchy.
Unit 4 Ancient Hebrews (4 weeks)
Students discuss the locations of the settlements and movements of the Hebrew people. Students describe the origins and significance of Judaism, including major figures and beliefs.
Unit 5 Greece (5 weeks)
Students discuss the connection between geography and the development of city-states in the region of the Aegean Sea. Students compare different forms of government (Tyranny, Oligarchy, Monarchy, Democracy). Students examine trade in the Mediterranean and compare and contrast life in Athens and Sparta. Students study the rise of Alexander the Great and the spread of Greek culture. Students discuss Greece’s enduring contributions in art, science, architecture, and literature.
Unit 6 India (4 weeks)
Students locate and describe the major river systems and discuss the physical setting that supported the rise of civilization on the Indian sub-continent. Students examine the major beliefs and practices of Hinduism and Buddhism. Students outline the social structure of the caste system.
Unit 7 Ancient China (3 weeks)
Students locate and describe the origins of Chinese civilization in the Huang He Valley. Students study the geographical features that isolate China. Students examine the beliefs systems of Confucianism and Daoism, as well as the unification of China under emperor Shi Huangdi. Students study trade along the Silk Road, which transported both goods and ideas from China to the Roman Empire
Unit 8 The Roman Empire (3 weeks)
Students study the location and rise of the Roman Republic. Students discuss the expansion of Rome, including trade, war, and the use of currency. Students examine Rome’s transition from republic to empire. Students discuss the rise and spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire.
7th Grade
Unit 0 Geography (1 week)
Students use map and globe skills to interpret a legend, scale, or symbol representation in an effort to identify physical and cultural features that explain the historical migration of peoples, expansion and disintegration of empires, and the growth of economic systems.
Unit 1 Fall of Rome (2 weeks)
Students review the geographic borders of the Roman Empire at its height. Students discuss Roman law, art, architecture, engineering and the spread of Christianity. Students examine the factors in the fall of the Roman Empire.
Unit 2 Spread of Islam (6 weeks)
Students study the physical features and climate of the Arabian Peninsula. Students compare nomadic and sedentary ways of life, as well as the origins of Islam and its connections with Judaism and Christianity. Students discuss Islamic beliefs, practices, law and the influence of Islam on Muslim daily life. Students examine the establishment of trade with Asia, Africa, and Europe, along with the intellectual exchange that occurred as a result of trade.
Unit 3 Sub-Saharan Africa (4 weeks)
Students study the relationship between climate zones and the development of civilizations. The importance of written and oral traditions in the transmition of Africa history and culture as a result of trans-Saharan trade.
Unit 4 Medieval China (4 weeks)
Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of China in the Middle Ages. Students study the Tang, Song, Mongol, and Ming dynasties. Students examine the influence of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism on China. Students discuss Chinese art, music, inventions, and trade along the Silk Road.
Unit 5 Feudal Japan (4 weeks)
Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of Medieval Japan. Students study the influence of China and Korea on Japanese culture. Students trace the development of various forms of Buddhism in Japan. Students examine the social and political roles of people in Japanese society. Students analyze the rise of the samurai military society and the lasting influence of the warrior code of conduct.
Unit 6 Medieval Europe (6 weeks)
Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of Medieval Europe. Students study how feudalism was the foundation of European political, economic, and social structures. Students examine the development of castles and castle life. Students analyze the role of Christianity in Medieval European society. Students discuss the bubonic plague. Students examine the causes and effects of the Crusades.
Unit 7 Renaissance & Reformation (4 weeks)
Students analyze the origins, accomplishments, and geographic diffusion of the Renaissance. How the revival of classical learning and the arts fostered an interest in humanism. The importance of Florence in the spread of Renaissance ideals. The spread of information as a result of the printing press. Advances in literature, the arts, science, mathematics, cartography, engineering, human anatomy, and astronomy. Theological, political, and economic ideals of the Reformation. Major figures of the Reformation and counter-Reformation.
Unit 8 Scientific Revolution & the Age of Exploration (2 weeks)
Students analyze the historical developments of the Scientific Revolution and its lasting effect on religious, political, and cultural institutions. Students will discuss the significance of new inventions and theories. Students will trace the voyages if discovery and discuss the exchange of plants, animals, technology, and culture that occurred.
Unit 9 Aztecs, Incas, Mayas (3 weeks)
Students compare and contrast the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the Meso-American and Andean civilizations. Students study the roles of people in each society, including class structure, family life, warfare, religious beliefs, and slavery. Students examine the art and architecture of each society, as well as their achievements in astronomy, mathematics, and medicine. Students examine the events leading to the conquest of each civilization by Spain.
8th Grade
Unit 0 Geography and Native Americans (2 weeks)
Students use map skills to determine the absolute location of places and interpret information available from a legend, scale, or symbolic representation. Students will explore the five themes of geography, a valuable tool for students to use in developing a "geographic perspective.” Students examine the lifestyles of the First Americans prior to and following the arrival of European explorers.
Unit 1 Colonial America (2 weeks)
Students study early colonial America including lifestyles and religion. Students will discuss the early settlements including the hardships that the early settlers faced. Students will learn about early compacts created and the determination that the early settlers had displayed in regards to surviving in their new land.
Unit 2 Colonies to Country (4 weeks)
Students understand the major events preceding the founding of the nation and relate their significance to the development of American constitutional democracy. Students will learn about wars between the French and the English that led to our ties with England and later to the taxation issues that inspired us to move from colonies to country. The students will understand the impact that the American Revolution had not just on our country but on countries around the world.
Unit 3 Independence to Constitutional Government (8 weeks)
Students will analyze great documents in American history beginning with Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. Students will analyze the philosophy of government expressed in the Declaration of Independence, with an emphasis on government as a means of securing individual rights. Students will analyze the Articles of Confederation and understand why they led to the creation of the Constitution. They will then study the political principles underlying the U.S. Constitution and compare the enumerated and implied powers of the federal government.
Unit 4 The New Nation (4 weeks)
Students will analyze the aspirations and ideals of the people of the new nation. They will use maps and interactive notebook activities to describe the physical landscapes, political divisions, and territorial expansion during the terms of the first four Presidents. They will study U.S. foreign policy in the early Republic. The students will study and understand the political and economic causes and consequences of the War of 1812. They will know the changing boundaries of the United States and describe the relationship that our country had with its neighbors, and how those relationships influenced westward expansion and the Mexican-American War. The students will also analyze the treaties that the first four presidents made with American Indian nations and the outcomes of those treaties.
Unit 5 Antebellum Period (4 weeks)
Students will analyze the divergent paths that the people took in the different regions of the United States prior to the Civil War. The students will study the industrialization of the North. They will study immigration, free black society, early education, and women’s suffrage. They will then analyze the people of the South and the challenges they faced from 1800 to the mid 1800’s. They will explore the agrarian society; study the origins and development of slavery, and the life style of the southerners. The students will continue on to learn about the people of the West and the challenges they faced in the same time period. They will study the policies of Andrew Jackson and the importance of “Jacksonian Democracy.” They will explore the concept of Manifest Destiny and the impact it had on the Natives that lived on the land. The students will understand the relationship with our neighbors in Mexico and how Manifest Destiny had a direct impact on our political relationship with that country.
Unit 6 Slavery (2 weeks)
Students will analyze the early and steady attempts to abolish slavery and to realize the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. The students will study key figures in the abolitionist movement as well as the Underground Railroad and the desire to ban slavery in the new states that were being added to our great nation through the Northwest Ordinance. The students will study great debates, compromises, and other historical decisions that focused on the abolition of slavery. They will also revisit and delve into the lives and situations of free blacks and the laws that limited their freedoms and opportunities.
Unit 7 The Civil War and Reconstruction (6 weeks)
Students will study the multiple causes, key events, and complex consequences of the Civil War. Using a mixed medium the students will learn about the critical developments of the war, including major battles, technological advances, strategies of the leaders that fought the war, and the events that led to the surrender. The students will study the fighting men; the women that aided on the battlefield, the spies, and the Presidents whose lives were shaped through their leadership during this unique time in United States History. The students will then continue on to study the character and lasting consequences of Reconstruction. Students will analyze the original aims of Lincoln’s Reconstruction policies and how they changed following his death. The students will study the many movements of former slaves, through their quest for education, jobs, voting rights, and opportunities, and the restrictions that they faced in their quest.
Unit 8 Industrial Revolution (3 weeks)
Students will analyze the transformation of the American economy and the changing
social and political conditions in the Untied States in response in the United
States to the Industrial Revolution. The students trace patterns of agricultural
and industrial development based on climate, use of natural resources, and
trade. The students will explore the Indian Wars and their relationship to
the revolution. We will discuss entrepreneurs, industrialists, and bankers.
We will explore the new immigrants and the effects of urbanization. The students
will study child labor, labor unions, and the ever-changing cities. We will
study inventions and their creators and how they improved the quality of life.