Standards - Social Studies

Explain how artifacts and other archaeological findings provide evidence of the nature and movement of prehistoric groups of people.

Identifying the founding of Rome as the basis of the calendar established by Julius Caesar and used in early Western civilization for over a thousand years

Identifying the birth of Christ as the basis of the Gregorian calendar used in the United States since its beginning and in most countries of the world today, signified by B.C. and A.D.

Using vocabulary terms other than B.C. and A.D. to describe time

Identifying terms used to describe characteristics of early societies and family structures

Analyze characteristics of early civilizations in respect to technology, division of labor, government, calendar, and writings.

Comparing significant features of civilizations that developed in the Tigris-Euphrates, Nile, Indus, and Huang He River Valleys

Identifying on a map locations of cultural hearths of early civilizations

Compare the development of early world religions and philosophies and their key tenets.

Identifying cultural contributions of early world religions and philosophies

Identify cultural contributions of Classical Greece, including politics, intellectual life, arts, literature, architecture, and science.

Describe the role of Alexander the Great in the Hellenistic world.

Defining boundaries of Alexander the Great’s empire and its economic impact

Identifying reasons for the separation of Alexander the Great’s empire into successor kingdoms

Evaluating major contributions of Hellenistic art, philosophy, science, and political thought

Trace the expansion of the Roman Republic and its transformation into an empire, including key geographic, political, and economic elements.

Interpreting spatial distributions and patterns of the Roman Republic using geographic tools and technologies

Describe the widespread impact of the Roman Empire.

Tracing important aspects of the diffusion of Christianity, including its relationship to Judaism, missionary impulse, organizational development, transition from persecution to acceptance in the Roman Empire, and church doctrine

Explaining the role of economics, societal changes, Christianity, political and military problems, external factors, and the size and diversity of the Roman Empire in its decline and fall

Describe the development of a classical civilization in India and China.

Identifying the effect of monsoons on India

Identifying landforms and climate regions of China

Describe the rise of the Byzantine Empire, its institutions, and its legacy, including the influence of the Emperors Constantine and Justinian and the effect of the Byzantine Empire on art, religion, architecture, and law.

Identifying factors leading to the establishment of the Eastern Orthodox Church

Trace the development of the early Russian state and the expansion of its trade systems.

Describe early Islamic civilizations, including the development of religious, social, and political systems.

Tracing the spread of Islamic ideas through invasion and conquest throughout the Middle East, northern Africa, and western Europe

Describe China’s influence on culture, politics, and economics in Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia.

Compare the African civilizations of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai to include geography, religions, slave trade, economic systems, empires, and cultures.

Tracing the spread of language, religion, and customs from one African civilization to another

Illustrating the impact of trade among Ghana, Mali, and Songhai

Describe key aspects of pre-Columbian cultures in the Americas including the Olmecs, Mayas, Aztecs, Incas, and North American tribes.

Locating on a map sites of pre-Columbian cultures

Describe military and governmental events that shaped Europe in the early Middle Ages (600-1000 A.D.).