WH AP Teacher Course Plan
Anne Koschmider, World History Teacher, Cadillac High School, MichiganOverviewI design my course to balance a skills-based approach with College Board-aligned content and engaging, hands-on learning experiences. Guided by the College Board’s CED, I align instruction with the required key concepts, themes, historical thinking skills, and reasoning processes. I regularly incorporate writing practice, primary source analysis, and interactive activities to move students beyond memorization and toward genuine historical thinking. I am deeply committed to helping students become thoughtful, critical thinkers who can apply what they learn to real-world contexts. By connecting global history to students’ personal experiences and contemporary issues, I aim to help them see themselves in the historical narrative and understand that history continues to shape their identities and the world around them.Course Pacing*UnitLessonsPacingAnne’s Must-Do’sUnit 1— The Global Tapestry (1200 to 1450 CE)84 weeksBarkus Aurelius and the CaninesUnit 2—Networks of Exchange (1200 to 1450 CE)84 weeksSilk Road SimulationUnit 3—Land-Based Empires (1450 to 1750 CE) 53 weeksComparison: EmpiresUnit 4—Transoceanic Interconnections (1450 to 1750 CE)95 weeksThe Transatlantic Slave TradeUnit 5—Revolutions (1750 to 1900 CE)114 weeksImperialism and Deindustrialization in IndiaUnit 6—Consequences of Industrialization (1750 to 1900 CE)93 weeksImperialism CartoonsUnit 7—Global Conflict (1900 CE to the Present)103 weeksOur Interconnected World: World War IUnit 8—Cold War and Decolonization (1900 CE to the Present) 103 weeksMaking the Global Local: Comparing Decolonization in India, Vietnam, Nigeria, and AlgeriaUnit 9—Globalization (1900 CE to the Present)103 weeksUN Sustainable Development GoalsUnit 1: The Global Tapestry c. 1200 to 1450 CETeacher Unit Notes: Unit 1 is technically only 8–10% of the AP exam, but I intentionally allot time to build the foundation students will rely on all year. This is a great place to establish the six AP themes as an organizing framework and consistently model historical thinking skills and reasoning processes. Unit 2: Networks of Exchange c. 1200 to 1450 CETeacher Unit Notes: Unit 2 is a high-interest unit for students, particularly when we reach the Mongol Empire and the Black Death. The Mongols give students a concrete example of how land-based empires facilitated large-scale connectivity across Afro-Eurasia, while the Black Death powerfully illustrates the unintended consequences of expanding trade networks. OER PROJECT: WORLD HISTORY AP® COURSE PLAN*Takes into account school holidays, in-service days, and other commonly missed time such as testing days.
World History AP Course Plan2Unit 3: Land-Based Empires c. 1450 to 1750 CETeacher Unit Notes: Although the Course and Exam Description organizes the content thematically (expansion, administration, belief systems), I teach the unit one empire at a time to help students keep policies and developments clear. Once students understand each case study, we shift to comparison. Unit 4: Transoceanic Interconnections c. 1450 to 1750 CETeacher Unit Notes: Unit 4 parallels Unit 3 chronologically but shifts the focus from land-based to maritime empires, highlighting oceanic exploration, trade networks, and cross-cultural connections. I emphasize this overlap, so students understand that while the time period is the same, Unit 4 prioritizes economic, technological, and maritime developments rather than land-based empires. Unit 5: Revolutions c. 1750 to 1900 CETeacher Unit Notes: For me, Unit 5 falls around the transition between semesters, so I split it into two smaller units. Topics 5.1 and 5.2 (Enlightenment, nationalism, and political revolutions) fit naturally at the end of first semester and provide a strong conceptual bridge from early modern state-building to modern political ideologies. Unit 6: Consequences of Industrialization c. 1750 to 1900 CETeacher Unit Notes: Unit 6 connects industrialization to imperialism, helping students see imperial expansion not as a separate development but as a direct consequence of nineteenth-century economic change. Unit 7: Global Conflict c. 1900 to the PresentTeacher Unit Notes: Unit 7 moves quickly and covers dense, emotionally heavy content, so pacing and skills focus are essential. The progression from shifting power (including the Mexican and Russian Revolutions) to World War I, the interwar period, and World War II helps students see conflict as interconnected rather than isolated events. Unit 8: Cold War and Decolonization c. 1900 to the PresentTeacher Unit Notes: Unit 8 asks students to think about two major, intertwined developments: the Cold War and decolonization. From the beginning, I emphasize that these are not separate stories but overlapping global processes. Unit 9: Globalization c. 1900 CE to the PresentTeacher Unit Notes: Unit 9 brings the course full circle by returning to themes of connection and exchange, now in their most accelerated modern form. I frame globalization as both a continuation of earlier transoceanic and industrial networks and a dramatic intensification of them.