WH 1750 Teacher Course Plan
Julianne Horowitz, World History Teacher, Oceanside Senior High School, New YorkOverviewI teach OER Project: WH 1750 within a social studies and English integrated elective class, which allows students the time and space to engage deeply with historical content and related texts. The materials lend themselves well to this structure, as they support sustained inquiry rather than rushed coverage. Students are able to return to key ideas across multiple days, connect historical arguments to literature, and refine their thinking through discussion and short writing tasks. My goal is that over time students come to see world history not as a textbook to get through, but as a set of questions worth wrestling with. Being able to collaborate and celebrate the growth of students’ skills over time is the reason I became a teacher and it’s the stuff that keeps me going!Course Pacing*UnitLessonsPacingJulianne’s Must-Do’sUnit 1—The World in 1750 7Up to 3 weeksThe Danger of a Single StoryUnit 2—Liberal and National Revolutions 73 ½ weeksRecipe for a RevolutionUnit 3—Industrialization 52 ½ weeksUrbanization GameUnit 4—Reform Movements 62 ½ weeksEconomic Systems SimulationUnit 5—Industrial Empires 53 weeksOpium WarsUnit 6—World War I 52 weeksWorld War I Peace TalksUnit 7—Interwar and World War II 73 ½ weeksComparing Fascism and Authoritarianism in Germany, Italy, and JapanUnit 8—Cold War and Decolonization 7Up to 5 weeksDecolonization One-PagerUnit 9—Globalization 82 weeksGraphic Biography: Islam AlhashelUnit 1: The World in 1750 (1750 to 1914 CE)Unit 1 Problem: In 1750, how were humans and societies connected to each other, and how were they distinct and unique?Teacher Unit Notes: I have to be creative in my placement and merger of materials as I fight the urge to dive straight into content. I weave Lessons 1.1 and 1.4 together since the driving questions are so complementary. Then I speed a few things up by jigsawing—sacrificing some depth for scope there. That borrowed time helps me squeeze in as many of the Unit 1 “introduction” gems as possible. Unit 2: Liberal and National Revolutions (1750 to 1914 CE)Unit 2 Problem: How were ideas about political identity transformed by revolutions and nationalism? OER PROJECT: WORLD HISTORY 1750 COURSE PLAN*Takes into account school holidays, in-service days, and other commonly missed time such as testing days.
World History 1750 Course Plan2Teacher Unit Notes: Unit 2 is a critical opportunity to reinforce the skills introduced in Unit 1 with new historical content. I prioritize the materials that offer solid skills practice in close reading, claim testing, and quick-sourcing first, and then move toward causation, which is the superstar skill of Unit 2. Unit 3: Industrialization (1750 to 1914 CE)Unit 3 Problem: How did industrialization transform societies around the world? Teacher Unit Notes: At first, it was an adjustment conceptualizing the Industrial Revolution across two separate units (Units 3 and 4), but it’s really grown on me. By covering industrialization this way, I have the space to focus on the causes and changes themselves (here in Unit 3), before diving deep into the human impact of it all in the next unit. Unit 4: Reform Movements (1750 to 1914 CE)Unit 4 Problem: How did people respond to the transformations of the long nineteenth century?Teacher Unit Notes: Unit 4 is a student favorite every year and a natural extension of the work we do in Unit 3. Because we have already spent time unpacking the causes and processes of industrialization, this unit allows me to slow down and focus on the human consequences of those changes. Unit 5: Industrial Empires (1750 to 1914 CE)Unit 5 Problem: How were industrial empires created and contested in the nineteenth century, and how did those processes shape our world today? Teacher Unit Notes: Unit 5 builds on the economic and social foundations of earlier units by examining imperialism as a global system shaped by industrialization and unequal power. The WH 1750 materials work especially well here for helping students’ sourcing skills, so I lean heavily into constructed responses and sourcing activities rather than trying to cover all the examples of empire in depth. Unit 6: World War I (1914 to 1919 CE)Unit 6 Problem: How was the First World War the result of changes that occurred in the long nineteenth century?Teacher Unit Notes: Because Unit 6 sits at a natural transition point between the long nineteenth century and the twentieth century, I am intentional about slowing down the causation work rather than rushing through the course of the war. Unit 7: Interwar and World War II (1919 to 1945 CE)Unit 7 Problem: How were the horrors of the Second World War possible, and what conflicts did the war resolve or leave unresolved?Teacher Unit Notes: Unit 7 covers a wide range of content in a relatively short amount of time, so my main adaptation here is organizational rather than additive. Throughout the unit, I continue reinforcing Enduring Issues while helping students trace how unresolved tensions from World War I contributed to the rise of World War II. Unit 8: Cold War and Decolonization (1945 to 1991 CE)Unit 8 Problem: What can we learn when we study the Cold War and decolonization together?Teacher Unit Notes: In Unit 8, I reorganize and sequence lessons to better align with the New York State Global History Framework, still emphasizing the interconnected nature of the Cold War and decolonization. Unit 9: Globalization (1900 CE to the Present)Unit 9 Problem: How has globalization made our lives today more interconnected while also producing new divisions and conflicts?Teacher Unit Notes: Unit 9 is conceptually one of the most important units in the course, but it also comes at a point in the year when time is at a premium. As a result, this is where I make the most difficult instructional choices.