HIGH SCHOOL WORLD HISTORY & GEOGRAPHY LEARNING TARGETS

ERA 4: Expanding and Intensified Hemispheric Interaction, 300 to 1500 C.E./A.D. -The students will understand important developments regarding the individual regions of the world while also analyzing the growing interactions between those different regions. -The students will understand the development and basic beliefs of the major world religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. -The students will analyze the rise and fall of major empires, such as the Roman Empire, Muslim empires, and the Mongol Empire. -The students will understand key regional developments including: -the West African trading kingdoms. -the characteristics of the early American civilizations, especially the Maya, Aztec, and Inca. -the economic and cultural strength of China. -the political and social developments in Europe during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. ERA 5: The Emergence of the First Global Age, 15th to 18th Centuries -The students will continue to analyze important developments within individual regions with a growing emphasis on understanding the increasing interconnectedness of the regions of the world. -The students will understand the immense impact of European exploration and conquest by examining its effects on Africa, the early American civilizations, and Europe. -The students will understand key regional developments including: -the growth of the Ottoman Empire. -the continued growth of China under the Ming and Qing dynasties and the unification of Japan. -the westernization of Russia. -the political and social developments in Europe, including the rise of absolutism, the Protestant Reformation, the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment. ERA 6: An Age of Global Revolutions, 18th Century-1914 -The students will understand the numerous important political, economic, and social transformations that took place from the 1700s to the eve of World War One. -The students will understand the causes and consequences of European imperialism, including the increasing spread of ideas, goods, and innovations. -The students will analyze major political revolutions, including the French Revolution and Chinese rebellions. ERA 7: Global Crisis and Achievement, 1900-1945 -The students will analyze the major crises of the first half of the 20th century. -The students will understand the causes, characteristics, and short and long-term consequences of World War One. -The students will understand the political and social consequences of the economic depression of the 1930s. -The students will understand the growing political power of totalitarian states, including fascist Germany and the communist Soviet Union. -The students will understand the causes, characteristics, and immediate consequences of World War Two.

ERA 8: The Cold War and Its Aftermath: The 20th Century Since 1945 -The students will understand and analyze the restructuring of political power in the post-World War Two world. -The students will understand the different political and economic ideologies of the Soviet-led communist bloc and the United States-led West. -The students will understand the major developments of the Cold War, including the communist takeover of China, the numerous Cold War military conflicts, and the nuclear arms race. -The students will understand the reasons for the collapse of communism in Europe and the ending of the Cold War. -The students will analyze the causes and characteristics of the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, especially the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. -The students will examine major acts of global terrorism and the consequences of these acts.