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What Is World History?

Driving Question: Why is learning history important?

History comes alive when we view events from multiple perspectives and time periods. To uncover an event’s true significance, historians rely on powerful tools like claim testing and scale switching—methods that help unravel the complexities of the past and bring it into sharp focus.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Learn how scale switching helps historians better understand the past.
  2. Learn how to use claim testers to evaluate arguments.
  3. Identify the three frames of this course and explain their characteristics.

Vocab Terms:

  • authority
  • claim tester
  • evidence
  • frame
  • logic
  • scale switching
STEP 1

Opener: What Is World History?

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 2 of the Lesson 1.2 Teaching Guide Locked .

Ever heard the phrase “look at the big picture”? Now, imagine what happens when you're only looking at one small piece of it. The full story can be completely different.

STEP 2

History of Many Shapes and Sizes

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 2 of the Lesson 1.2 Teaching Guide Locked .

Check out this blog post External link to learn more about narratives and frames and how they connect to other key concepts in the course.

Overview videos break down the big themes, spotlight key data, and zoom in or out to give you fresh angles on history.

Origins of History: Unit 1 Overview External link

This first overview video introduces you to the origins of history, including how you fit into this history and the role you’ll play in shaping it.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
STEP 3

Claim Testing

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 3 of the Lesson 1.2 Teaching Guide Locked .

Looking for some at-a-glance guidance for claim testing? Look no further than this one-pager!

STEP 4

Reading History

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 3 of the Lesson 1.2 Teaching Guide Locked .

Take a look at the Reading Overview for some approaches to teaching reading.

Interpreting history means diving deep into the details. Try the Three-Step Reading strategy to dig into the first article in this course.

STEP 5

Closer: What Is World History?

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 5 of the Lesson 1.2 Teaching Guide Locked .

What happens when we start with the big picture? How does zooming in on the smaller details change our understanding? It’s all about shifting perspectives to uncover new insights.