Unit 1: Ancient Rome
Students will...
- Analyze the development, structure, and function of the governments of ancient Rome. 
- Explain the impact Rome had on the modern world in architecture, education, mathematics, science, and philosophy. 
- Explain the role technology played in the expansion of the Roman Empire.
- Identify key figures in Roman History and their importance in the development of Rome.
- Explain the causes and effects of the fall of the Western Roman Empire. 

Unit 2: North Africa and Byzantium

Students will...
- Locate the Sahara Desert and the Niger River, the ancient West African empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai, and capital cities and strategic trading centers. 
- Identify two great rulers who shaped the ancient Mali Empire.
- Analyze the importance of agriculture, gold production, and the trans-Saharan caravan trade in the growth of the Mali and Songhai empires.  
- Explain how Islam expanded in West Africa and assess its importance in the political and cultural life of Mali and Songhai. 
- Identify the resources from Ghana, Mali, and Songhai that were exchanged for goods carried by camel caravans of North African Arab traders. 
- Describe how ideas were spread and how Islam influenced the culture of the West African Kingdoms. 
- Identify reasons for the decline of each of the empires.

- Describe the culture and history of the Byzantine Empire
- Analyze how the Byzantines combined Roman administration with Christian religious views
- Explain how Constantinople was able to withstand numerous sieges and attacks, and its eventual capture 
- Describe how Byzantium was able to outlast Rome by over 1,000 years

Unit 3: The European Middle Ages
Students will ...
- Give examples of the causes and effects of the Crusades.
- Analyze the role of Catholic Church leaders used to unify and centrally govern expanding territories with diverse populations.
-  Assess the demographic, economic, and religious impact of the plague on Europe.
-  Analyze the role of religion and economics in shaping medieval Europe’s social hierarchy, and evaluate the impact these hierarchical structures had on the lives of various groups of people.
-  Determine the extent to which interaction between the Islamic world and medieval Europe increased trade, enhanced technology innovation, and impacted scientific thought and the arts.
- Explain how major events are related to one another in time

Unit 4: Feudal Japan
Students will...
- Describe Japan's geography
- Describe the basics of Japanese culture
- Identify a feudal pyramid
- Explain how the levels of the feudal pyramid interrelate 
- Explain the importance of the samurai to Japan's history
- Explain why martial arts became so popular in Japan

I have been a middle/high school Social Studies teacher for the last five years. I currently hold a 7-12 Social Studies teaching license in the state of Ohio and a Bachelor of Arts in History. I have covered ancient civilizations with my students over the past four years, and have refined these lessons to be very engaging and impactful.

Homework Offered
Homework is always optional. I believe learners would benefit from implementing the information they learn in class, however I also understand that each learner is unique. Learners will analyze primary source documents and answer comprehension questions based on a primary source.  These activities should not take more than one hour to complete. 
0 - 1 hours per week outside of class
Assessments Offered
Learners will be assessed informally in each class through verbal comprehension checks and class discussion. Each class will begin with a quick review of the activities from the previous week's class to ensure students understood the material. At the end of each unit, students will complete a Kahoot, which will act as an informal summative assessment of each civilization. At the end of the course, students will be provided with a Google Form exam over all of the material in the course. 

The Kahoots can be used for a grade, and the final assessment done outside of class can also be graded as well upon request of the parent or guardian.  
Grades Offered

Hart-Davis, A. (2015). History: From the Dawn of Civilization to the Present Day. Dorling Kindersley Limited, a Penguin Random House Company. 

Overy, R. J. (2015). The Times Complete History of the World. Times Books. 

Spielvogel, J. J. (2014). Discovering our past: a history of the world. In Discovering Our Past: A History of the World (4th ed., pp. 346–458), McGraw-Hill Education