This is part of a year-long social studies curriculum designed to be inclusive and support neurodiverse students including twice-exceptional students by providing leveled text, embedded graphics, dyslexia-friendly support, and explicit instruction on executive functioning including notetaking and study skills. This class meets two days a week and homework is provided for students to practice their developing skills for two additional days. Students will master social studies standards, build independent learning skills, and practice self-advocacy and self-regulation. 
This is the second quarter of the first semester in which students will continue exploring world history. This course also integrates art history and strategies like visual thinking in order to engage students and showcase the variety of ways we can learn culture and history through art as record keeping, archeology, and contemporary societies. It is also inquiry-based with a question of the day prompting students to reflect and providing an opportunity for analysis, inference, and academic writing.
Week 1: We will begin by discussing the Bantu Migration as a refresher of what we've learned about history up to this point in terms of broad themes and the tools and strategies historians use. We will use this to frame that although we are studying cultures within a specific time period for this unit many of these cultures, and elements of these cultures, continue to impact our world today.  Then we will discuss Post-Byzantine Egypt as a way to remind ourselves of our knowledge of the classical empires and early colonial impacts on Africa. We will learn about successful African Empires that formed a basis for the Middle Ages including those in Mahgreb, Nubia, and the Bornu Empire. 
Week 2: We will expand our exploration of early African societies, and discuss their continuing impact on the culture including Ghana, Mali, Songhai, Yoruba, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Swahili, and Madagascar. 
Week 3: We will complete a mini-project in which students will self-select a writing prompt based on the UCLA World History Content Standards. Students will practice writing and sharing standard history research papers using their notes and sources discussed in class. 
Week 4: We will shift our focus to revitalizing our knowledge of Pre-Columbia South America from previous units. We will focus on highlighting the continuing legacy and lives of indigenous people of the American continents. We will learn about the Moche, Nasca, Sican, Chimu, and Inca civlizations focusing on trends and themes which shape this period of history. 
Week 5: We will discuss how the Spanish Conquest impacts our study of South America and our ability to accurately understand the middle ages in South America. We will learn about the Olmecs, take a virtual field trip to Teotihuacan, and learn about the Mayans. 
Week 6: We will shift our focus to North America and study a variety of cultures including the Adena, Hopewell, Southwestern Cultures, North Pacific Cultures, and the Mississippians. Our focus will be on themes and trends during this time period. Students will complete a mini-project in which they construct a model of a monument or piece or architecture studied and  analyze what we can learn about surrounding societies from the monument. 
Week 7: Students will be introduced to the Renaissance. We will focus on understanding the factors leading to the Renaissance which will be our framework for later understanding the rise of Nation States and pre-enlightenment Europe. We will discuss the early phases of the Renaissance and develop an understanding of humanism as a shaping force. 
Week 8: We will be focusing on the continuing influence of the Renaissance. We will discuss patronage and the political ties within Italian Renaissance art. We will learn about key artists of the Renaissance and use visual thinking strategies to discuss their work. We will also explore authors of the Renaissance. 
Week 9: Students will complete and share their Renaissance projects which allow them to tie in their own-interests and demonstrate mastery of unit content. Students will select an idea, individual, or cultural/physical artifact from the Renaissance and decide on a suitable modern parallel. They will compare and contrast these works in a paper which highlights commonalities. They will share their work with their peers using a presentation.