In this activity, you’ll draw a history of yourself, and then you’ll reflect upon the scale at which you examined your own history. This will help show you how your own personal narrative has a lot in common with much larger history narratives. This activity also introduces the concept of both temporal (time) and spatial (geographical) scale. This will help you understand why historians will occasionally zoom out (in terms of both time and geography) to create a larger context for understanding a single history.

Take 5 minutes to draw a “history of you”—your own personal history. This won’t be graded, and you shouldn’t get stressed out about whether you’re a good artist. You can use text to label your pictures, stick figures for people, however you want to do it is fine.

Ever ask yourself, “How am I ever going to use this stuff?” Examining what makes history usable and useful is exactly what Bob Bain does in this video. He presents an example from his own history class where students explored the history of the city of Detroit. By looking at historical documents, talking to grandparents and yes, even reading a little history, they developed a deeper sense of their own city today.

The World History Project places tremendous emphasis on connecting the people, places and events of history into narratives. This video introduces the idea of the frames, or narratives, of the course and how we envision you using them during the year.

Preview – Skimming for Gist

We recommend always reading the questions before you watch the video (a good habit to use in reading, too!). This pre-viewing strategy will help you know what to look and listen for as you watch the video. Because these videos move quickly, it will help you a lot if you know what to listen for. If there is time, your teacher may have you watch the video one time without stopping, and then give you time to watch again to pause and find the answers.

Key Ideas – Understanding Content

Think about the following question as you watch this video

1. Bob Bain describes a long debate that politicians and educators have “waged war” over, about what should be taught in the history classroom. What are the two sides and what do they argue?
2. What was the big driving question Bains’s students in Detroit studied?
3. What did students do over the course of the school year, after they shared the stories they collected?
4. What did looking at multiple narratives help students do?
5. According to Bob Bain, what makes history usable?

Evaluating and Corroborating

1. What stories do we have about the world since 1750? How do we know these aren’t just made up stories? How might we use evidence to test them?
2. How might looking at the history of the world since 1750 help you understand the future better?

From young children to world leaders, we are strongly impacted by stories. Our understanding of the world comes from the stories we hear and tell. This is why it’s so important that we consider more than just one story. A single story gives us an incomplete picture of different communities. These incomplete pictures lead to stereotypes which can be harmful. Also, powerful people and groups have more control over which stories get told and how they are told. Because of this, it’s important to use stories to empower people, as stories have a huge personal, social, and political impact.

This is one of two videos introducing you to the idea that history is made up of narratives, or accounts, of the past. This specific video can help you to understand the value of having multiple accounts, from multiple perspectives. You will soon be introduced to three accounts of world history, or “frames.” You will also learn how to use evidence to test the validity of those accounts.

Preview –Skimming for Gist

Before you watch the video, open and skim the transcript. Additionally, you should always read the questions below before you watch the video (a good habit to use in reading, too!). These pre-viewing strategies will help you know what to look and listen for as you watch the video. If there is time, your teacher may have you watch the video one time without stopping, and then give you time to watch again to pause and find the answers.

Key Ideas – Understanding Content

Think about the following question as you watch this video:

1. What kinds of characters did Adichie write about as a young girl, and what did these characters do? Why is it significant that Adichie chose to write about those characters and their lives?
2. Why did it matter that Fide’s brother had made a beautiful patterned basket? How did that affect Adichie’s understanding of the story of Fide’s family?
3. What expectations did Adichie’s roommate have about Nigeria and Africa more broadly? According to Adichie, what gave her roommate these expectations? How does it relate to Adichie’s previous point about the story of Fide’s family?
4. Why did Adichie’s professor think her novel lacked authenticity?
5. What did Adichie witness during her trip to Guadalajara that surprised her? Why was it surprising to her? What did this make her realize?
6. Why would starting a story with “secondly” affect different communities? What are examples that Adichie gives?
7. Why did Adichie tell the student that it was a shame that young Americans were serial murderers? What was different about Adichie’s understanding of America versus the student’s understanding of Nigeria?
8. Adichie describes negative experiences she and her family and friends have experienced in Nigeria, including poor healthcare and education, limited water, repressive governments, and poverty. She also mentions war crimes and unemployment. How, according to Adichie, do these stories fit into the stereotype of Africa as a “continent full of catastrophes.”? What, according to Adichie, is the problem with stereotypes?
9. What are some examples Adichie gives of stories that challenge stereotypes?

Evaluating and Corroborating

1. Adichie claims that power affects which stories are told, how they are told, and which stories become “definitive” accepted and believed. Using evidence from the video and anything else you have learned in this unit, give an example of a story which has been accepted because a powerful group had told it in a certain way.
2. Adichie argues that beginning a story with “secondly” can completely change the story. How does order and context affect stories? Using evidence from this unit or other historical contexts, give an example of a story which can become a completely different story if you change the context or order.

As you know, there is a glossary of words in for this course that all students need to know to be able to take part in the course. However, you’re not all students, and there are a lot of words in the course, so it’s highly likely you’re going to come across a bunch of words you don’t know that are not in the glossary. This repeated activity will help you become more familiar with a process for how to independently learn the meaning of new words.

Throughout the course, you’ll very likely encounter new and unfamiliar words. Some of these words will be addressed as part of the whole class vocabulary activities; however, many more of those words will not. Take out the Vocab Tracker and follow your teacher’s directions about how to look up that word. Any time you encounter a word you don’t know in the course, add it to this tracker! By the end of the year, your personal lexicon will be huge, you’ll be a better writer, and you’ll very likely be better prepared for standardized tests.

This activity introduces you to the Three Close Reads process. You will use this process when approaching all readings in the course because it will help you practice historical inquiry. The Three Close Reads process will teach you how to analyze historical accounts and interpretations by using a variety of reading strategies. Instead of simply learning about historical concepts, you will learn to evaluate different perspectives on historical issues so you can take an active role in constructing and deconstructing history, rather than taking everything you read at face value.

Before digging into “The Rise of the West?” take out the Three Close Reads Worksheet, and with your class, quickly review the process as well as how to fill out the worksheet. Reading everything in the course three times might seem insane, but it’s actually a really helpful tool for getting all the information you need from the articles. Also, you will get faster and faster with each reading. Somewhere in the middle of the course, you’ll probably notice that the three reads take the same amount of time one used to take.

Framing Question or Idea

Before you start to read, make sure you have a question or idea to think about as you read to write in the box at the top of the Three Close Reads Worksheet. Your teacher will probably provide you with the question or idea at first. As you get farther along in the course, your teacher might ask you to help choose these topics or questions. Keep them in mind as you read the article.

Preview – Skimming for Gist

The first close read is really meant to be a skim of the article. It should be very quick and give you the gist (the general idea) of what the article is about. You should be looking at the title, author, headings, pictures, and opening sentences of paragraphs for the gist. On the Three Close Reads Worksheet, look at the “Questions” section for the first close read and see which questions you can answer quickly.

Key Ideas – Understanding Content

Now that you’ve completed the first close read, look at the second section of the worksheet. This read is probably closest to the kind of reading you usually do. Basically, you are trying to get a better understanding of the concepts and arguments that are presented in the article. Review the “Pay Attention to…” and “Questions” sections of the worksheet so you know what to think about when reading, in addition to making sure you understand the information from the article. Also, this is where you will write down any vocab you see in the article that is unfamiliar to you. Your teacher will suggest ways to keep track of these words.

By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1. How has the study of and teaching of history changed in the last 50 years?
2. Who was one of the first historians to write about world or global history and what was his focus?
3. Why did McNeill think that the West should be the focus of a more global history?
4. Why is it important to look at McNeill’s work in the historical context in which it was written?
5. Why did McNeill write “The Rise of the West after Twenty-Five Years,” a follow-up article to his book? According to this article, what did McNeill admit he got wrong?
6. What other ideas were also being questioned about the influence of the West from the eighteenth through the twentieth centuries?
7. The author of this article, Dr. Getz, points out a number of problems with focusing only on the contributions of the West when looking at the advances made throughout history from 1750 to the present. What are these problems?

Evaluating and Corroborating

Now it’s time for the third and final read. For this read, focus on why this article matters and how it connects to other content you’ve studied. Since this is the first reading assignment of the course, you may not connect it to much other than the knowledge you already have.

At the end of the third read, discuss the following questions with your class:

1. The traditional view of history from the 1750s to about the 1950s was the importance and influence of the West on global history. Why did this view shift from the 1960s to today? Why do you think this has been an important step in forming a truly global history?
2. Why is it important to fully evaluate sources and learn about the historical context in which the text was written?

World or global history is a relatively new subject of study that began in the 1960s with William McNeill’s book The Rise of the West. But McNeill’s book still focused on global history from a Western perspective. Twenty-five years later, McNeill wrote an article outlining what he had gotten right and what he had gotten wrong in his previous publication. The lesson McNeill learned was that he had overlooked the contributions of other regions of the world in his global history. These lessons are also powerful reminders of how perspective and historical context can help us evaluate sources more accurately and effectively.

Reading this article serves two purposes: it will introduce you to Three Close Reads, as well as introducing you to a narrative we want you to evaluate throughout the entire course.

** Note that the questions in the section below are the same as in Three Close Reads – Introduction Activity. **

Framing Question or Idea

Before you start to read, make sure you have a question or idea to think about as you read to write in the box at the top of the Three Close Reads Worksheet. Your teacher will probably provide you with the question or idea at first. As you get farther along in the course, your teacher might ask you to help choose these topics or questions. Keep them in mind as you read the article.

Preview – Skimming for Gist

The first close read is really meant to be a skim of the article. It should be very quick and give you the gist (the general idea) of what the article is about. You should be looking at the title, author, headings, pictures, and opening sentences of paragraphs for the gist. On the Three Close Reads Worksheet, look at the “Questions” section for the first close read and see which questions you can answer quickly.

Key Ideas – Understanding Content

Now that you’ve completed the first close read, look at the second section of the worksheet. This read is probably closest to the kind of reading you usually do. Basically, you are trying to get a better understanding of the concepts and arguments that are presented in the article. Review the “Pay Attention to…” and “Questions” sections of the worksheet so you know what to think about when reading, in addition to making sure you understand the information from the article. Also, this is where you will write down any vocab you see in the article that is unfamiliar to you. Your teacher will suggest ways to keep track of these words.

By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1. How has the study of and teaching of history changed in the last 50 years?
2. Who was one of the first historians to write about world or global history and what was his focus?
3. Why did McNeill think that the West should be the focus of a more global history?
4. Why is it important to look at McNeill’s work in the historical context in which it was written?
5. Why did McNeill write “The Rise of the West after Twenty-Five Years,” a follow-up article to his book? According to this article, what did McNeill admit he got wrong?
6. What other ideas were also being questioned about the influence of the West from the eighteenth through the twentieth centuries?
7. The author of this article, Dr. Getz, points out a number of problems with focusing only on the contributions of the West when looking at the advances made throughout history from 1750 to the present. What are these problems?

Evaluating and Corroborating

Now it’s time for the third and final read. For this read, focus on why this article matters and how it connects to other content you’ve studied. Since this is the first reading assignment of the course, you may not connect it to much other than the knowledge you already have.

At the end of the third read, discuss the following questions with your class:

1. The traditional view of history from the 1750s to about the 1950s was the importance and influence of the West on global history. Why did this view shift from the 1960s to today? Why do you think this has been an important step in forming a truly global history?
2. Why is it important to fully evaluate sources and learn about the historical context in which the text was written?

Vocabulary has to be more than just a list of words to memorize and groan about. These words represent big (and sometimes medium-sized) concepts critical to the unit. And, it turns out, just memorizing the definition doesn’t necessarily help you understand what the word means. To really get the meaning of each word, you need to see it in a variety of contexts. In this unit, as in each unit in the course, there are three types of vocab activities. Early in each unit, there’s a word wall (such as the one here), which will help you become familiar with the words for that unit. Later in each unit, there’s a second activity that’s a deeper exploration of some of those words. In this unit, for example, that second activity is live concept mapping. Finally, every unit includes a vocab tracking activity, where you can keep a personalized list of words that are new to you.

Reading, writing
This activity is focused on helping you learn course vocabulary, which is in part a way to ensure you’re able to fully engage with the BHP course content. This is especially true for the readings in the course. If you don’t understand the words you’re reading, you won’t be able to glean the main ideas of texts, and therefore may miss out on important aspects of the topic you’re studying. Additionally, as you build up your vocabulary, you will become an even better writer.

In this activity, you’ll work with your class to create a word wall using the Unit 1 vocabulary. You’re going to do this throughout the unit by adding one word at a time so you don’t get overwhelmed with a big list of new words all at once.

Your teacher will assign a vocab card to each of you. Once you get yours, pretend that you have the MOST important word to help you understand Unit 1, and prepare to argue why that is. Look at your vocab word and take a few minutes to look it up in the Unit 1 Vocab Guide and then examine the unit itself (click around and quickly skim the content) to see where in the unit your word might be most applicable. Once you’ve done your research, get ready to argue for why your word is the “best” one to start with. After everyone has given a pitch on their word, you’ll all decide which word should make it onto the wall first.

Your teacher may add some fun twists to this assignment, so be sure to listen closely for directions!

The World History Project (WHP) curriculum asks you to visit and revisit the Unit Problems throughout the course. The aim of this activity is to keep you and your teachers connected to the core themes of each unit. The first time you encounter the Unit Problems, you will be asked to evaluate each of the statements on the worksheet based on what you currently know. The second time you encounter the problems, you will be asked to more thoroughly respond to the questions and also revise and refine your initial understanding of the unit’s core concepts. The emphasis here is to focus on concepts rather than formal writing. Additionally, the Unit Problem Notebook (UP Notebook), helps you assess how your thinking is progressing, where you’re gaining mastery, and where you might need additional instruction.

While it might seem that you haven’t learned enough yet this year to answer these questions, that’s ok! This activity is meant to help you think about what you might already know about the ideas and concepts of the unit. You’ll answer these questions again at the end of the unit, and you’ll get to see how much you have learned! This activity will also give you a preview of what’s to come, as you are seeing the concepts and ideas you should pay attention to as you learn new content.

Keep this worksheet close by. You will work on these questions again to wrap up Unit 1.

Use the UP Notebook – Unit 1 Problem Worksheet to respond to the prompts as best as you can. Be prepared to talk about these ideas with your class.

Print and cut out the Supporting Statement Cards

Claim testing is an important analytical process for assessing the quality and veracity (truthfulness) of claims. It helps you “see” and evaluate people’s assertions and gives shape to one of the most important and useful critical thinking practices in history. Since history is all about making assertions, it’s important that you learn the skill of testing claims early and use it frequently as part of evaluating historical accounts and making historical interpretations.

Reading, writing
Being well-versed in claim testing will help you be a critical consumer of what you read. If you use claim testers to construct essays, your speaking and writing skills will improve.

In this course, and in everyday life, we encounter assertions or claims. At times, we believe we can take these at face value, but more and more, it is important to question and test the claims that we come across. In other words, we need to decide if the claims are true, so we can determine what to believe. In this course, we use what we call claim testers to help us check the soundness and strength of our beliefs. The four claim testers are intuition, authority, logic, and evidence. Before we use the claim testers, we need to understand what they are! Look at the claim testing poster on the wall, and get ready to review each claim tester as a class.

Now, you’ll practice with a claim. You are going to get a bunch of statements that support the claim: “There is one true history.” Your job will be to determine which supporting statements match which claim tester. Before starting, think about the following example with your class:

The school board and the government require that we all take the same social studies classes.

What claim tester do you think is being used here? Discuss your answer with the class.

Now that you’ve practiced as a class, get into groups and sort the cards into the four claim testing categories and tape them to the grid in the areas designated by your teacher. You will be asked to defend your categorizations at the end of the activity, especially for those supporting statements that were hard to place in just one claim tester category.

Finally, see if you can come up with any statements or counterclaims that might help debunk the claim, “There is one true history.” Do you believe this claim?

Remember that this course encourages us to consider multiple accounts in history. We all have different perspectives, and that is often reflected in how history stories are told. So, while there might be different stories about the same thing, it’s not necessarily because one story is true and another is false—it’s about our perspective. And often, the story that seems more true is just better supported via claim testers—and that is why you’ll be practicing claim testing all the time in this class.