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Welcome to Big History

Driving Question: How does learning about the history of the Universe help us understand the world today?

Big History covers the 13.8-billion-year story of the Universe—that’s a lot of time and space! But what does that have to do with today? Let’s explore how Big History is different from other history courses.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Evaluate how Big History is unique.
  2. Define thresholds of increasing complexity.

Vocab Terms:

  • Big History
  • complexity
  • Goldilocks Condition
  • history
  • threshold of increasing complexity
  • universe
STEP 1

Opener: Welcome to Big History

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 2 of the Lesson 1.1 Teaching Guide Locked .

Our Openers and Closers Guide will provide more information about these short, but important activities at the beginning and end of each lesson.

STEP 2

Yes or No? You Decide!

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 3 of the Lesson 1.1 Teaching Guide Locked .

Check out our Writing Guide to learn more about the importance of informal writing in the course.

You’re going to learn a lot in this course—and you’ll use the Unit Notebook to keep track of how your thinking is changing. Let’s see how!

STEP 3

Our Past, Present, and Future

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 3 of the Lesson 1.1 Teaching Guide Locked .

Check out our Reading Guide to learn about the Three-Step Reading approach.

What makes Big History so, well, big? Dig into the activity and article below and ask some important questions.

STEP 4

Thresholds of Increasing Complexity

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 4 of the Lesson 1.1 Teaching Guide Locked .

The Universe today is pretty complicated: stars, planets, plants, people, you. But it used to be very, very simple. Examine the images and comic below and consider: what changed?

STEP 5

Your Threshold

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 5 of the Lesson 1.1 Teaching Guide Locked .

Our Openers and Closers Guide will provide more information about these short, but important activities at the beginning and end of each lesson.

STEP 6

Closer: Welcome to Big History

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 5 of the Lesson 1.1 Teaching Guide Locked .

Curious to know how other teachers use thresholds in their classrooms? Check out this conversation External link in the OER Project Teacher Community.