Somebody discovered the wheel. Somebody discovered written communication. Somebody even figured out how to count to ten. From the ancient river civilizations to China and its ancient dynasties, different civilizations left their mark on history.  They also left their mark on how we live today.  In this course, students join travel agent Mr. Lightfoot to travel back in time digging out the past of these ancient civilizations.

In ancient Egypt students visit the pyramids and find out the secrets of preserving mummies.  They see how the Mayans developed astronomy to a precise science.  They even investigate the difference between the Athenians and the Spartans.  Students will journey through India discovering their contributions to medicine, moving on to Africa to follow the rise and fall of the ancient east African kingdoms of Kush and Axum. Throughout the centuries, and still today, our world is made up of dozens of different cultures. They all are different, and they all have made big contributions to what we know and who we are.

Access the site links below to view the course descriptions from the Florida Course Code directory.

Regular course description:   http://www.floridastandards.org/Courses/PublicPreviewCourse567.aspx

Honors course description:  http://www.floridastandards.org/Courses/PublicPreviewCourse568.aspx

This course is recommended for students in 6th grade.

Segment One

·         Understanding chronological order of historical events

·         Designation of time periods

·         Purpose and application of various maps

·         Six Essential Elements of Geography

·         Interpreting Primary and Secondary Sources

·         Hunter and Gathers

·         Tracing Significant Migrations

·         Development of agriculture and metallurgy

·         Ancient River Valley Civilizations

·         Ancient Egyptian Civilizations

·         Mesopotamia Civilizations

·         Basic Beliefs of the Israelites

·         Significance of Tribal Migrations

·         Traditional and Command Economies

·         Mediums of Trade

·         Meso and South America

·         Factors that increase growth

·         Ancient Phoenicians

·         Democratic Concepts

·         Athens and Sparta

·         Persian and Peloponnesian Wars

·         The Hellenistic Period

Segment Two

·         Punic Wars

·         Roman Republic to Imperial Rome

·         Roman Empire

·         Pax Romana

·         Spread of Latin Language

·         Hinduism and Buddhism

·         Mauryan and Gupta Empires

·         Ancient Indian Civilizations

·         Mandate of Heaven

·         Teachings of Laozi, Confucius and Han Fei Zi

·         Classical and Post Classical China

·         Silk Roads

·         African Kingdoms of Kush and Axum

·         Mongol Empire

·         Chinese Isolation in 15^th Century

To achieve success, students are expected to submit work in each course weekly. Students can learn at their own pace; however, “any pace” still means that students must make progress in the course every week. To measure learning, students complete self-checks, practice lessons, multiple choice questions, projects, discussion-based assessments, and discussions. Students are expected to maintain regular contact with teachers; the minimum requirement is monthly. When teachers, students, and parents work together, students are successful.