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Big History Project: 13.8 Billion Years of History

Teach a mind-blowing history course that captures students’ natural curiosity about our world. The Big History Project course is standards-aligned, adaptable to different learning environments, and has a proven impact.

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Ideal for grades

6–10

Course length (months)

3–12

Course materials
690+
  • Activities 272
  • Videos 151
  • Articles 136
  • Closing 42
  • Opening 34
  • Assignments 52

Why Teach Big History Project?

We’re different. Big History students demonstrate growth in reasoning, mechanics, use of evidence, and use of disciplinary content. Other qualities set us apart:

  • Contemporary content: Standards-based content offers diverse viewpoints and flexes to support different goals, environments, and learners.

  • Aligned and adaptable: Meet social studies requirements while retaining the flexibility to address local infrastructure and individual learning needs.

  • Context and connections: We connect the past, present, and future while preparing students to be great thinkers and problem-solvers.

  • Distinct and diverse: We go to great lengths to gather, incorporate, and learn from multiple voices and perspectives.

  • Foundational focus: An approach that establishes a foundation in historical thinking practices with clear expectations, regular feedback, and plenty of practice.

  • Proven impact: Big History Project students demonstrate clear gains in reading, writing, and content knowledge.

  • Invested in teachers: We are a community that supports, inspires, and evolves together.

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Testimonials from Our Teaching Community

Big History Project allows students to ask the questions that matter. These are big questions that seem impossible to teach in one year; however, this course breaks the history of the entire Universe into eight manageable thresholds. This course uses a multidisciplinary approach to teaching the class, creating a place of curiosity in my classroom where questions about things not known are acceptable.
Pierre, history teacher, Grand Rapids, MI

Testimonials from Our Teaching Community

Recent changes to the state Regents Exam provided an opportunity to replace our curriculum with something more interesting and engaging. Big History Project is just that and it also prepares kids for the assessment. The interdisciplinary focus on critical thinking, reading, and writing helps students be successful in many of their courses—and reaches those who are otherwise not interested in history.
Phil, history teacher, Spencerport, NY

Testimonials from Our Teaching Community

Before I found Big History Project, I felt like I was taking students on a multi-stop tour of the ancient world but without threads or concepts to connect the stops together. Big History tells a cohesive story of our Universe while teaching the crucial skills of critical thinking, academic writing, and deep reading. My students engage with rigorous content and have a lot of fun doing so!
Kathleen, gifted and talented history and ELA teacher, Reno, NV
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Professional Development

In our Teaching Big History online professional development course, fellow BHP teachers and historians guide you through organization, planning, pacing, and skills development—it’s online, self-paced, and free.

Our OER Project Online Teacher Community is a vibrant online space where teachers and scholars can share ideas on the latest teaching trends, ask questions, and gain access to a variety of professional development opportunities.

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Take a Closer Look

Preview a selection of essential course materials and resources to help you decide if this free online social studies curriculum is a good fit for your teaching needs.

Sample Course Materials OER Project Teaching Guide
PDF / 27 MB External link
BHP Course Guide BHP Course Guide
PDF / 19 MB External link
BHP Teacher Course Plan BHP Teacher Course Plan
PDF / 260 KB External link
Score Guide Score Guide
PDF / 4 MB External link
State-specific Planning Resources State-specific Planning Resources
WEBPAGE External link

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING SPECIFIC?

Looking for a course that starts at the Columbian Exchange or the Industrial Revolution?

View our wide range of courses here.

Boost Skills Development with Supplemental Units

These short courses are the perfect way to extend an existing history or language arts curriculum.

  • Large antenna dish at large array
    20
    • Articles 11
    • Activities 8
    • Closing 1

    Project X: Teach Data Exploration and Analysis

    Help students understand and use data to confront urgent world topics such as poverty, democracy, and climate. This 2-week supplement includes 10 data-exploration exercises that lead up to a final class presentation.

    Learn More
  • Illustration from the book of the city ladies
    66
    • Prompts 25
    • Activities 13
    • Guide 3
    • Assignments 25

    Project Score: Includes Automated Essay Scoring

    Help students gain historical writing and literacy skills. Project Score includes lessons, tools, prompts, and automated essay scoring—an ideal supplement to extend your existing social studies course.

    Learn More
  • Plants growing in bubbles.
    76
    • Articles 36
    • Videos 24
    • Activities 16

    Climate Project Extension

    A supplemental unit that starts with evidence and ends with student-developed plans to reach net carbon zero by 2050.

    Learn More