A human face with computerized contour lines
Home
Courses
Big History
Unit 1

What Is Big History?

Big History explores different scales of time and space to view human history from new angles. What do we know about our past? What don’t we know? And how can all of this help shape our ideas of what the future may hold?

Next Unit

Cookie Policy

Our website uses cookies to understand content and feature usage to drive site improvements over time. To learn more, review our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Student Resources

Unit 1 Driving Question

Why do we look at things from far away and close up?

Next Unit

1.0 Welcome to Big History

View Lesson
Activity

PDF / 4

History as Mysteryexternal link
Activity

PDF / 3

Easter Island Mysteryexternal link
Article

PDF / 5

What Happened on Easter Island?external link
Activity

PDF / 3

Vocab – Word Wallexternal link
Video

MP4 / 8:43

Video

MP4 / 6:46

Video

MP4 / 13:55

Activity

PDF / 2

Big History Website Scavenger Huntexternal link
Video

MP4 / 8:20

Closer

PDF / 15

Investigation 0external link

1.1 Scale

View Lesson
Activity

PDF / 1

Scale – History of Meexternal link
Video

MP4 / 7:06

Activity

PDF / 3

Vocab Trackingexternal link
Activity

PDF / 2

Threshold Name Gameexternal link
Activity

PDF / 5

Three Close Reads – Introductionexternal link
Article

PDF / 5

Big History: An Overviewexternal link
Activity

PDF / 1

DQ Notebookexternal link
Activity

PDF / 3

Scale – Big History on a Football Fieldexternal link
Activity

PDF / 3

Scale – Human History on a Stringexternal link
Activity

PDF / 7

Scale – Timelinesexternal link
Visual Aid

JPG

Timeline: The Big Bangexternal link
Activity

PDF / 10

Three Close Reads for Graphic Bios – Introductionexternal link
Activity

PDF / 2

Three Close Reads – Graphic Biographies Toolexternal link
Article

PDF / 1

History and Memory – Graphic Biographyexternal link

1.2 Origin Stories

View Lesson
Video

MP4 / 1:54

Activity

PDF / 6

Introduction to Origin Storiesexternal link
Article

PDF / 5

Introduction to Origin Storiesexternal link
Article

PDF / 6

Origin Story: Modern Scientificexternal link
Activity

PDF / 6

Origin Stories Article Collectionexternal link
Article

PDF / 5

Origin Story: Chineseexternal link
Article

PDF / 6

Origin Story: Judeo-Christianexternal link
Article

PDF / 5

Origin Story: Iroquoisexternal link
Article

PDF / 5

Origin Story: Mayanexternal link
Article

PDF / 4

Origin Story: Greekexternal link
Article

PDF / 5

Origin Story: Zuluexternal link
Article

PDF / 5

Origin Story: Efikexternal link
Article

PDF / 7

Cosmology and Faithexternal link

1.3 Claim Testing

View Lesson
Opener

PDF / 6

Claim Testing Snap Judgmentexternal link
Activity

PDF / 1

DQ Notebookexternal link
Activity

PDF / 3

Vocab – Live Concept Mappingexternal link
Article

PDF / 5

Approaches to Knowledgeexternal link
Video

MP4 / 8:57

Activity

PDF / 2

Claim Testing – What are the Claim Testers?external link
Activity

PDF / 2

Analyzing Investigation Writing – Claim and Focusexternal link
Activity

PDF / 3

Claim and Focus Warm-Upexternal link
Closer

PDF / 11

Investigation 1external link
Activity

PDF / 1

Investigation 1 Writing Samplesexternal link
Activity

PDF / 3

Claim and Focus Revisionexternal link

1.4 Science – Yardsticks and Clocks

View Lesson
Opener

PDF / 2

Measuring Great Distances (Part 1)external link
Article

PDF / 4

How Did We Find the Distance to the Sun?external link
Video

MP4 / 11:20

Activity

PDF / 3

Measuring Distances Using Parallaxexternal link
Activity

PDF / 2

Modeling Measuring Time Using Radioactivityexternal link
Closer

PDF / 3

Measuring Great Distances (Part 2)external link

Other Materials

Visual Aid

JPG

Timeline: The Big Bangexternal link
Video

MP4 / 2:55

Video

MP4 / 3:01

Activity

PDF / 1

Visions of the Futureexternal link
Article

PDF / 39

BANG! The Universe Verse Book 1external link
Visual Aid

JPG

Notations and Measuresexternal link
Article

PDF / 5

Claim Testers Episode 1: First Contactexternal link
Video

MP4 / 3:31