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World History Project AP®

A Free, Online AP® World History: Modern Textbook

A free AP world-history curriculum precisely aligned to the AP® World History: Modern exam. Free, open, and approved to submit for the AP course audit.

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WORLD HISTORY – AP® Collection of screen images from the WHP AP course A teacher working with students
Course length (months)

3–12

Ideal for grades

9–12

Course materials
540+
  • Articles 239
  • Activities 226
  • Videos 64
  • Assignments 3

Why Teach This AP World History Curriculum?

Designed to align with the AP® World History: Modern Course and Exam Description, this comprehensive year-long course provides a cohesive approach to learning and understanding the history of the world, while simultaneously preparing students to take the AP® World History: Modern exam.

WHP AP is officially approved by College Board® as a college textbook, and the WHP AP syllabus is approved to submit for the AP course audit. The course was co-designed and piloted for two years by AP® World History: Modern teachers.

  • Precisely aligned: Carefully aligned to the AP® Course and Exam Description (CED), including themes, periodization, topics and historical developments, and historical thinking skills and reasoning processes.

  • Free for everyone: We designed this course to eliminate barriers for teachers and students alike. All content is online and can easily be downloaded for offline use.

  • Grounded in research and best practices: OER Project works with teachers, scholars, and learning scientists to incorporate and share the latest learning insights and approaches.

  • Not your average AP course: Every lesson incorporates more fun than your average AP course. There are ample opportunities to increase student engagement with the rigorous curriculum through different course materials.

  • Assessments that build confidence: DBQs, LEQs, and SAQs specifically created for the course. Opportunities for formative assessment throughout, particularly within practice progressions.

  • Built-in professional development and community: Learning options include self-paced and real-time opportunities to learn and connect with fellow educators.

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What Teachers Are Saying About WHP AP

I’ve been able to make better progress toward making the rigorous AP World History curriculum accessible to all learners with WHP AP. My students performed well above the national average on last year’s AP exam, despite losing about 50% of face-to-face class time on our hybrid schedule. I am fully confident that using WHP’s AP curriculum contributed to their success.
Anne, WHP AP pilot teacher, Michigan

What Teachers Are Saying About WHP AP

This course aligns tightly with the AP Course and Exam Description and consistently focuses on historical reading, writing, and thinking skills. Each resource is accompanied by some sort of scaffolding to help students develop the skills, as well as solid explanations for the teacher. Teachers can use the site as a standalone resource or to supplement an existing set of sources.
Ane, WHP AP pilot teacher, Maryland

What Teachers Are Saying About WHP AP

WHP AP has been a tremendous asset for me and my students. Readings are targeted to learning objectives and there are many resources that allow teachers to pick examples that work best for their students. Graphic biographies provide a voice for historical figures often overlooked in textbooks, and articles are written by a range of scholars who provide multiple voices.
Mike, WHP AP pilot teacher, Washington
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Learn More

Download or view these resources to explore how the World History Project AP course will work for your classroom.

WHP AP - CED Alignment WHP AP – CED Alignment
PDF / 4 MB External link
Course brochure Course Brochure
PDF / 11 MB External link
Course guide Course Guide
PDF / 22 MB External link
Meet the Themes Video Meet the Themes Video
MP4 / 14:39 External link
Graphic bio - Rumi Graphic Biography – Rumi
PDF / 6 MB External link

Professional Development

OER Project’s online professional development will help you build your content and skills knowledge in preparation to teach the course. These virtual sessions are guided by an OER Project team member and are a great place to ask any questions you might have about the upcoming WHP AP course. Register now to join us!

Upcoming Events

Boost Skills Development with Supplemental Units

These short courses are the perfect way to extend an existing history or language arts curriculum.

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    77
    • Articles 36
    • Videos 25
    • Activities 14
    • Opener 2

    Climate Project Extension

    A supplemental unit that starts with evidence and ends with student-developed plans to reach net carbon zero by 2050.

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    25
    • Articles 16
    • Activities 8
    • Closer 1

    Project X: Teach Data Exploration and Analysis

    Help students understand and use data to confront urgent world topics such as poverty, democracy, and climate. This 2-week supplement is designed for high-school students and includes 10 data-exploration exercises that lead up to a final class presentation.

    Explore Now
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