Unit 7: The Future
Big History is an unfinished story. How do you think complexity will increase in the future? What do you think the next threshold of increasing complexity will be?
Lesson 7.1
Complexity & the Future
You’ve learned how complexity increased over 13.8 billion years. Now, it’s time to consider what complexity might look like in the future.
Lesson 7.2
Climate
Climate has played a role in the history of life on Earth for over 3 billion years. But in the past 250 years, human actions have altered Earth’s climate. How will climate change impact the future?
Lesson 7.3
Space
Today, we’re all hurtling through space on a giant rock we call Earth. Will future humans journey to another planet and call that home?
Lesson 7.4
Technology
Advancements in technology have accelerated since industrialization. How will technology continue to shape our future?
Lesson 7.5
Human Systems
We live in a world of complex human systems. People form states, develop belief systems, and trade in complicated economic systems. But how might human systems impact the future?
Lesson 7.6
The Next Threshold
Historians don’t typically predict the future, but given your knowledge of Big History’s thresholds, you can make some calculated guesses about what the next threshold might be.
Teaching This Unit
Unit 7 Vocab Guide
Key Unit 7 vocabulary words and definitions.
Differentiation Guide
Research-backed strategies for differentiation, modification, and adaptation.
Writing Guide
Our approach to informal and formal writing.
Blog: How Did We Get Here?
Resources to help students understand our potential futures.
Unit 7 Teaching Guide
All the lesson guides you need in one place.