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History Themes

Teacher Resources

Driving Question: How do the six themes of AP® World History help us make sense of the past?

Where does history begin? That’s up to you, the historian! In this course, you’ll uncover different narratives, challenge perspectives, and see how one event can have many stories. Sharpen your evidence-analysis skills—useful far beyond history class—and learn about the six themes of AP World History.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Recognize how historians create narratives to explain historical events and processes.
  2. Examine how historians frame history by creating narratives of different scales of time and space.
  3. Learn about the six AP themes and how to identify them.

Vocab Terms:

  • belief system
  • bureaucracy
  • dynasty
  • hierarchy
  • innovation
  • state
  • tribute
STEP 2

Getting to Know the AP® Themes

You’ve been introduced to PIECES but now dig a little deeper into the six AP themes.

STEP 3

Meet the Themes

Noticing recurring ideas or patterns—or themes—is very important to understanding the world around us. This understanding of themes allows us to put everything into perspective and make sense of various (and sometimes seemingly unrelated) events.

Meet the Themes External link

This video introduces the six AP® World History themes and shows you some tips and tricks for decoding AP exam questions.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
STEP 4

Unit 1 Overview

Imagine living during a time on the brink of enormous changes, a time when the air was rich with the exchange of ideas from every corner. Welcome to the world of 1200 CE and the Islamic Golden Age!

Unit 1 Overview: The Global Tapestry External link

The world of 1200 CE was full of astounding diversity, and it was on the verge of some huge transformations. This overview video introduces the world in 1200 CE along with some of the brilliant scholars of the Islamic Golden Age.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
STEP 5

Unit 1 Introduction: The Global Tapestry

Sometimes, what seems to be a small, inconsequential difference can have massive consequences. What could the use (or nonuse) of a hyphen teach us about interpretation and understanding? Explore this question while also learning the Three-Step Reading Strategy.

STEP 6

Introduction to Three-Step Reading for Graphic Biographies

Wouldn’t it be cool to read a comic instead of a typical text excerpt? Well, now you can! Graphic biographies will give you a whole new way to learn about history, one panel at a time!

STEP 7

Closer: History Themes