Teaching World History Thematically: Essential Questions and Document-Based Lessons to Connect Past and Present

by Rosalie Metro

Overview

This book offers the tools teachers need to get started with a more thoughtful and compelling approach to teaching history, one that develops literacy and higher-order thinking skills, connects the past to students' lives today, and meets social studies 3C standards and most state standards (grades 6–12). The author provides over 90 primary sources organized into seven thematic units, each structured around an essential question from world history. As students analyze carefully excerpted documents—including speeches by queens and rebels, ancient artifacts, and social media posts—they build an understanding of how diverse historical figures have approached key issues. At the same time, students learn to participate in civic debates and develop their own views on what it means to be a 21st-century citizen of the world. Each unit connects to current events with dynamic classroom activities that make history come alive. In addition to the documents themselves, this teaching manual provides strategies to assess student learning; mini-lectures designed to introduce documents; activities and reproducibles to help students process, display, and integrate their learning; guidance to help teachers create their own units; guidelines for respectful student debate and discussion; and more.

Book Features:

• A timely aid for secondary school teachers tasked with meeting standards and other state-level quality requirements.
• An approach that promotes student engagement and critical thinking to replace or augment a traditional textbook.
• Challenges to the “master narrative” of world history from figures like Queen Nzinga and Huda Sha’arawi, as well as traditionally recognized historical figures such as Pericles and Napoleon.
• Essential questions to help students explore seven of the most important recurring themes in world history.
• Role-plays and debates to promote interaction among students.
• Printable copies of the documents included in the book can be downloaded at tcpress.com.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807764466
Publisher:	Teachers College Press
Publication date:	10/16/2020
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	257,996
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Rosalie Metro is an assistant teaching professor in the Department of Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum at the University of Missouri-Columbia and the author of Teaching U.S. History Thematically: Document-Based Lessons for the Secondary Classroom.

Table of Contents

Contents

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction: Why Use a Thematic, Document-Based Approach for Teaching World History? 1
Why Thematic? 2
Why Document Based? 3
Meeting Common Core and Other State and National Standards 7
What Are the Long-Term Changes and Recurring Patterns in World History? 9
Structure of a Unit 9
Structure of a Lesson 13
Assessment 17
Accounting for Grade Level and Differentiating Instruction 18
Classroom Climate 19
Designing Your Own Thematic Units 22

1.  Forms of Government: What Should Be the Rights and Responsibilities of the Rulers and the Ruled? 23
Lesson 1.1: What Are Activists Asking the United Nations to Do About the Murder of Journalist Jamal Khashoggi? 24
Lesson 1.2: What Kind of Laws Did King Hammurabi Make for His Subjects? 26
Lesson 1.3: How Did Pericles Describe Direct Democracy in Athens? 29
Lesson 1.4: How Did Sparta’s Oligarchy Work? 31
Lesson 1.5: What Was the Role of the Imperial Monarch in Han Dynasty China? 33
Lesson 1.6: How Did the Roman Republic Resemble a Monarchy, an Aristocracy, and a Democracy? 35
Lesson 1.7: How Did Suryavarman II Rule as Devaraja? 38
Lesson 1.8: How Did Muawiyah I Govern His Caliphate? 40
Lesson 1.9: How Did Louis XIV Create an Absolute Monarchy in France? 42
Lesson 1.10: How Did Igbo Women Command Respect in a Stateless Society? 45
Lesson 1.11: How Is India’s Democracy Structured? 47
Lesson 1.12: How Does Finland Guarantee Social Welfare to Its Citizens? 49
Lesson 1.13: How Have Inuit People Practiced Egalitarianism? 52

2.  Religion and Society: How Should Belief Systems Influence Our Lives? 55
Lesson 2.1: What Were Albert Einstein’s Arguments for Agnosticism? 56
Lesson 2.2: How Is Brahman Described in the Hindu Upanishads? 58
Lesson 2.3: How Did Confucius Envision the Ideal Society? 60
Lesson 2.4: What Did the Dao De Jing Advise People to Do? 63
Lesson 2.5: What Did the Buddha Teach Was the Path to Enlightenment? 65
Lesson 2.6: What Did God Command Jewish People to Do in the Torah? 67
Lesson 2.7: What Did Jesus Command Christians to Do in the Holy Bible? 70
Lesson 2.8: What Did Allah Command Muslims to Do in the Holy Quran? 72

3.  Us vs. Them: Who Is Civilized, and Who Is a Barbarian? 75
Lesson 3.1: How Did François Hollande React to ISIS’s Attack on France? 76
Lesson 3.2: How Was Sumerian Civilization Different From What Came Before It? 78
Lesson 3.3: How Did Alexander the Great Try to Civilize the World? 80
Lesson 3.4: Why Did Ancient Romans Blame the Collapse of Their Empire on Barbarians? 83
Lesson 3.5: Why Did Portuguese Colonists Portray Africans as Uncivilized? 85
Lesson 3.6: How Did Ideas of Civilization Differ in the Ottoman and Austrian Empires? 87
Lesson 3.7: Did Spanish Colonization of the Americas Bring Civilization or Barbarism? 89
Lesson 3.8: Why Did Qing Dynasty Chinese See People From Europe as Barbarians? 91
Lesson 3.9: How Did Enlightenment Philosophers Redefine Civilization? 94
Lesson 3.10: Why Did French People Think They Needed to Civilize “Inferior Races”? 96
Lesson 3.11: How Did Meiji Japanese Leaders Define Civilization? 99
Lesson 3.12: What Kind of Civilization Did Hitler Envision for the World? 101
Lesson 3.13: How Does the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Describe a Civilized Society? 104

4.  Conflict: What Is Worth Fighting For? 107
Lesson 4.1: What Are the Effects of the War in Yemen on Civilians? 108
Lesson 4.2: How Did the Greeks Try to Convince the Ionians to Join Their Fight Against the Persians? 110
Lesson 4.3: Why Did King Aśoka Want to Stop Wars? 112
Lesson 4.4: Why Did Hannibal Attack the Roman Empire? 115
Lesson 4.5: Why Did the Normans Attack the Anglo-Saxons in the Battle of Hastings? 117
Lesson 4.6: How Did Christians Justify the Crusades? 119
Lesson 4.7: How Did Napoleon Motivate Soldiers to Fight for Him? 121
Lesson 4.8: Why Did King Leopold II Fight for Control of the Congo? 123
Lesson 4.9: Why Did Serbian Nationalists Ignite World War I? 126
Lesson 4.10: Why Did Costa Rica Abolish Its Military? 128
Lesson 4.11: Why Were Jewish People Willing to Fight for a Country of Their Own? 131
Lesson 4.12: Why Have Palestinians Fought Against Israel? 133
Lesson 4.13: Why Were Hutus Willing to Kill Tutsis in Rwanda? 136

5.  Equality vs. Hierarchy: What Should Be the Balance Between Social Equality and Social Hierarchy? 139
Lesson 5.1: How Are Ordinary People in South Sudan Working Together for Justice? 140
Lesson 5.2: How Did Athenian Democrats Justify Slavery? 142
Lesson 5.3: What Social Classes Existed in the Maya Empire? 144
Lesson 5.4: How Did Mongol Pastoralists Organize Their Nomadic Society? 146
Lesson 5.5: How Did the Incan Allyu System Work? 149
Lesson 5.6: How Did the Tokugawa Shogunate Practice Feudalism? 151
Lesson 5.7: Why Did Karl Marx Envision a Classless Society? 153
Lesson 5.8: How Did White South Africans Justify Apartheid Rule? 156
Lesson 5.9: How Did Dalit People Seek Equality in India? 158
Lesson 5.10: How Did the Khmer Rouge Justify Violence in the Name of Equality? 161

6.  Economics, Technology, and the Environment: How Should People Get the Resources They Need? 165
Lesson 6.1: What Did Greta Thunberg Ask World Leaders to Do About Climate Change? 166
Lesson 6.2: How Have Australian Aboriginal People Interacted With Their Environment? 168
Lesson 6.3: What Were the Causes and Effects of the Neolithic Revolution? 170
Lesson 6.4: How Did Ancient Egyptians Use the Nile River to Gain Resources? 172
Lesson 6.5: How Did Trade Promote Cultural Diffusion Along the Silk Road? 174
Lesson 6.6: How Did the Mali Empire Profit From Trade in Gold and Salt? 176
Lesson 6.7: How Did Leonardo da Vinci Envision the Ideal City During the Renaissance? 178
Lesson 6.8: How Did the Netherlands Profit From Colonization? 180
Lesson 6.9: How Did Aztec Technology Aid Agriculture? 183
Lesson 6.10: How Did Enslaved Africans Experience the Transatlantic Slave Trade? 185
Lesson 6.11: How Was Free-Market Capitalism Supposed to Work? 187
Lesson 6.12: What Were the Goals and Results of Mao Zedong’s Command Economy? 189
Lesson 6.13: What Were the Effects of the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster? 192

7.  Gender: What Should Be the Roles of Women and Men in Society? 195
Lesson 7.1: How Are Transgender People Challenging Assumptions About Women and Men? 196
Lesson 7.2: Why Did Roman Women Protest Being Taxed? 198
Lesson 7.3: What Role Did Ibn Rushd Think Women Should Play in Islamic Society? 200
Lesson 7.4: How Did Queen Elizabeth I Defend Her Leadership? 202
Lesson 7.5: How Did Queen Nzinga Resist Portuguese Colonizers? 204
Lesson 7.6: How Did Catherine the Great Present Herself as a Leader? 206
Lesson 7.7: What Were Mary Wollstonecraft’s Arguments for Women’s Rights? 209
Lesson 7.8: Why Did Qiu Jin Argue for Chinese Women’s Freedoms? 211
Lesson 7.9: Why Did Some Women Oppose Getting the Right to Vote? 213
Lesson 7.10: How Did Käthe Kollwitz Work for Peace Through Art? 216
Lesson 7.11: How Did Huda Sha’arawi Argue for Feminist Nationalism in Egypt? 218
Lesson 7.12: How Did Una Marson Participate in Worldwide Struggles Against Sexism and Racism? 220

8.  Resistance, Revolution, and Reform: How Should People Bring About Political and Social Change? 223
Lesson 8.1: How Did Egyptians Use Social Media and Protest to Bring About Political Change? 224
Lesson 8.2: How Did Julius Caesar Gain Control of Rome? 226
Lesson 8.3: How Did the Safavid Empire Use Diplomacy to Accomplish Its Goals? 228
Lesson 8.4: How Did Martin Luther Bring About the Protestant Reformation? 231
Lesson 8.5: Why Did Maximilien Robespierre Believe Violence Was Necessary to Achieve the Goals of the French Revolution? 233
Lesson 8.6: How Did Haitians End Slavery and Gain Independence From France? 236
Lesson 8.7: How Did Southeast Asians Avoid Rulers Who Wanted to Control Them? 238
Lesson 8.8: How Did Gandhi Use Nonviolent Resistance Against British Colonization? 241
Lesson 8.9: Why Did Emiliano Zapata Think Land Reform Was Necessary for Mexico? 243
Lesson 8.10: How Did Joseph Stalin Try to Revolutionize Soviet Society? 246
Lesson 8.11: Why Did Algerians Believe That Violence Was Necessary to Decolonize Their Country? 249
Lesson 8.12: How Did Rigoberta Menchú Resist the Human Rights Abuses of the Guatemalan Government? 251
Lesson 8.13: How Did Václav Havel Spread Dissent Against the Totalitarian Regime in Czechoslovakia? 253

9.  Continuity and Change: What Are the Long-Term Changes and Recurring Patterns in World History? 257
Lesson 9.1: How Did Human Societies Begin? 257
Lesson 9.2: How Did Early Civilizations and Pastoral Peoples Emerge in the Fifth to the First Millennia BCE? 257
Lesson 9.3: How Did Classical Traditions, Major Religions, and Giant Empires Emerge in the First Millennium BCE? 258
Lesson 9.4: How Did Zones of Exchange and Encounter Expand in the First Millennium CE? 258
Lesson 9.5: How Did Hemispheric Interactions Intensify in the Second Millennium CE? 258
Lesson 9.6: Why Did the First Global Age Emerge in the 15th to 18th Centuries? 258
Lesson 9.7: What Were the Causes and Effects of Revolutions in the 18th to 20th Centuries? 259
Lesson 9.8: What Were the Crises and Achievements of the First Half of the 20th Century? 259
Lesson 9.9: What Have Been the Promises and Paradoxes of the Second Half of the 20th Century? 259

Appendixes 261
Appendix A: Quick Reference Guide 261
Appendix B: Course Entry Survey 272
Appendix C: Course Exit Survey 272
Appendix D: Unit Entry Survey 273
Appendix E: Biographical Research Paper Instructions 273
Appendix F: Summit Research Worksheet 273
Appendix G: Unit Exit Survey 274
Appendix H: 21st-Century Issue Letter Instructions 274
Appendix I: Designing Your Own Thematic Units 275
Appendix J: Online Content 275

References 277

Index 279

About the Author 287

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Teaching World History Thematically departs from the typical chronological march through historical eras and events by framing its curriculum units around recurring themes of history. Each unit begins with the present by exploring a contemporary topic or issue framed by an essential question. Students are engaged in using primary sources to explore the issue and ‘uncover’ the recurring historical themes. They are then invited to look back to see how these themes were manifest in different eras. In so doing, students can develop a greater understanding of historical interpretation and how the past serves as a preface to the present. The book aligns well with the intent of the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards and The UCLA History Standards, and will support teachers in bringing these standards to life in the classroom. This is how I want my grandchildren to learn history!”
—Jay McTighe, education author and consultant

“At a time when educators are looking to expand perspectives in history classrooms, Rosalie Metro presents a valuable collection of diverse primary sources and useful instructional tools organized around under-explored themes such as ‘gender’ and ‘social hierarchy.’ This book is an essential companion for any world history teacher.”
—Lauren McArthur Harris, associate professor of history education, Arizona State University

“This is the book I've been waiting for! I have been teaching world history since the mid-1990s and it is always a struggle to try to figure out how to present the history of the world in a way that is engaging and manageable for students. I appreciate how Dr. Metro has presented not just a methodology and framework for teaching world history thematically but includes actual lessons, documents, suggested activities, and more. This is a book for classroom practitioners. While theory is presented and explained, Dr. Metro focuses more on practice and giving educators materials and activities they can use, along with a framework upon which to build their own activities. I also appreciate Dr. Metro's efforts to include voices often excluded from textbooks or document collections. I can't wait to start implementing the activities and strategies from this book in my world history courses!”
—Christine Hitchcock, social studies teacher, Indiana University High School