World History Standards Overview¶
Course: English I + World History (Grade 9) Standards: WH.6_12.1 through WH.6_12.6
Proficiency scoring: see the official NDSBL World History Proficiency Scales (single source of truth for 1.0–4.0).
The Key Fact: Six Standards, Four Eras¶
World History in SDA uses six standards that repeat across all four eras. This is not a mistake — it is the design.
The same standard code (WH.6_12.1) means something different depending on which era you're studying. When you see a studio standard listed, you will always see both the code and the era:
WH.6_12.3 + Era 2 = Analyze the effects of medieval political systems (feudalism, church power) on people's lives. WH.6_12.3 + Era 4 = Analyze the effects of 20th-century political systems (fascism, communism, democracy) on people's lives.
Same skill. Different content. That's how standards work in SDA.
How to read a standard + era tag: [Standard Code] + [Era Number]
Example: WH.6_12.5 + Era 3 = Analyze causes and effects of global events during the Age of Revolutions using primary and secondary sources.
The Six Standards¶
WH.6_12.1 — Science & Technology¶
Analyze historical achievements related to science and technology.
WH.6_12.2 — Religions & Ideologies¶
Explain historical changes related to religions and ideologies.
WH.6_12.3 — Political Systems¶
Analyze the effects of different political systems on people.
WH.6_12.4 — Social & Economic Development¶
Analyze the influence of social, cultural, and economic development on individuals.
WH.6_12.5 — Causes & Effects¶
Analyze causes and effects of global events using primary and/or secondary sources.
WH.6_12.6 — Past to Present¶
Explain how past events connect to the present.
FPS Social Studies Skill Strands (Cross-Cutting)¶
These three skill strands cut across all six standards in all four eras. Every assessment in Social Studies touches at least one of these:
| Skill Strand | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Argumentation | Produce well-reasoned arguments supported with valid, relevant, and sufficient evidence |
| Interpretation & Analysis | Draw accurate, relevant, and sufficient conclusions from historical sources and information |
| Obtain, Evaluate & Communicate (OEC) | Research, evaluate source credibility, and communicate valid/reliable findings |
Full Standards × Eras Table¶
This is the full map of all six standards applied to all four eras. Use this to understand what any studio standard combination means.
| Era 1 — Civilizations | Era 2 — Middle Ages | Era 3 — Revolutions | Era 4 — Global War | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WH.6_12.1 | Science and tech of early civilizations: agriculture, architecture, early medicine, mathematical systems | Science and tech of Middle Ages and Renaissance: printing press, astrolabe, medieval medicine, Islamic Golden Age discoveries | Science and tech of the Age of Revolutions: Scientific Revolution, Industrial machinery, Enlightenment thought, exploration technology | 20th-century science and technology: WWI/WWII weapons, nuclear technology, space race, globalization's tech infrastructure |
| WH.6_12.2 | Origins of world religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism; how early belief systems shaped societies | Religious change in medieval period: Catholic Church dominance, Crusades, Protestant Reformation, Renaissance humanism challenging church authority | Religious division and ideological change: Protestant Reformation driving exploration, Enlightenment secularism, revolutionary ideologies (liberty, nationalism, democracy) | Ideological conflict of 20th century: fascism, communism, liberal democracy; Cold War ideology; decolonization movements |
| WH.6_12.3 | Effects of early political systems: Greek democracy, Roman republic and empire, Mesopotamian codes of law, Chinese imperial bureaucracy | Effects of medieval political systems: feudalism, Magna Carta, church-state conflict, Ottoman governance | Effects of revolutionary political systems: absolute monarchies vs. constitutional government, outcomes of French/Haitian/American Revolutions | Effects of 20th-century political systems: Nazi Germany, Soviet Union, Cold War proxy states, post-colonial governments |
| WH.6_12.4 | Social, cultural, and economic development: agricultural revolution, caste systems, trade networks, early urbanization, cultural diffusion | Social, cultural, and economic development: feudal social hierarchy, Silk Road and Saharan trade, guild systems, Renaissance cultural explosion | Social, cultural, and economic development: mercantilism, colonialism's effects on indigenous peoples, industrial labor conditions, revolutionary social upheaval | Social, cultural, and economic development: globalization, Cold War consumer culture, post-colonial economic inequality, contemporary global trade |
| WH.6_12.5 | Causes and effects of global events using primary/secondary sources: fall of Rome, rise of Islamic caliphates, Mongol conquests | Causes and effects using primary/secondary sources: Black Death, Crusades, fall of Constantinople, Hundred Years War | Causes and effects using primary/secondary sources: French Revolution, Haitian Revolution, Napoleonic Wars, Industrial Revolution spreading | Causes and effects using primary/secondary sources: WWI, WWII (Atlantic + Pacific theaters), Cold War conflicts, decolonization |
| WH.6_12.6 | Past to present: How Greek democracy connects to modern government; how Silk Road trade anticipates modern globalization; how early religious codes inform modern law | Past to present: How Renaissance ideas led to Enlightenment; how Magna Carta principles live in modern constitutions; how feudal economics connect to capitalism | Past to present: How revolutionary ideals of liberty shaped modern human rights discourse; how Industrial Revolution created modern economic inequality | Past to present: How WWII shaped the UN and modern international order; how Cold War still shapes global geopolitics; how decolonization's legacies persist |
The Four Eras at a Glance¶
| Era | Approximate Dates | Core Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Era 1 — Emergence of Civilizations and Religions Around the Globe | Prehistory through ~600 CE | Ancient empires, early religions, Greek and Roman political systems, development of agriculture, first trade networks |
| Era 2 — Middle Ages and the Renaissance | ~500–1600 CE | Feudalism, Catholic Church dominance, Crusades, Black Death, Islamic Golden Age, Renaissance art and thought, early global trade |
| Era 3 — Age of Revolutions | ~1400–1900 | Protestant Reformation, Age of Exploration, Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment, French/Haitian/American Revolutions, Imperialism, Industrial Revolution |
| Era 4 — Age of Global War and Globalization | ~1900–present | WWI, Russian Revolution, WWII, Cold War, decolonization, civil rights movements, globalization, contemporary geopolitics |
How Studios Use These Standards¶
Each six-week studio uses exactly one WH standard combined with exactly one era. That combination is the social studies anchor for the studio.
Examples from the pre-packaged studio catalog:
| Studio | Standard + Era | Essential Question |
|---|---|---|
| Power & Belief | WH.6_12.2 + Era 1 | How did early religions justify political authority? |
| Builders & Breakers | WH.6_12.1 + Era 1 | What makes a civilization rise or collapse? |
| The Medieval Crisis | WH.6_12.3 + Era 2 | Is order worth obedience? |
| Renaissance & Rebirth | WH.6_12.2 + Era 2 | Can art change the way people think? |
| The Age of Revolution | WH.6_12.4 + Era 3 | When is rebellion justified? |
| Propaganda & Truth | WH.6_12.3 + Era 4 | How do governments control information? |
| War & Memory | WH.6_12.5 + Era 4 | Whose stories get told after a war? |
| Globalization | WH.6_12.6 + Era 4 | Does connection create inequality? |
Full Era Pages¶
Each era has its own page with all six standards applied to that era's content, specific learning targets, and inquiry angles:
- Era 1 — Civilizations — Era 1: Emergence of Civilizations and Religions
- Era 2 — Middle Ages — Era 2: Middle Ages and Renaissance
- Era 3 — Revolutions — Era 3: Age of Revolutions
- Era 4 — Global War — Era 4: Age of Global War and Globalization
See Also¶
Why This Is Relevant Today?¶
Students sometimes ask why they study history when "it's in the past." The answer is that the past is not finished: it lives in the laws we follow, the borders we live inside, the institutions we rely on, and the arguments we repeat without knowing where they came from. The WH standards aren't a list of facts to memorize — they're a toolkit for understanding how the world got to be the way it is. Every standard in this framework was designed to help students see patterns: how power gets organized, how ideas spread, how societies respond to crisis, how the language people use to justify power changes while the underlying dynamics stay the same. That kind of pattern recognition is the most useful skill there is when the world is changing fast and the information environment is designed to confuse. For the texts that make these patterns visible, see the Reading Library and the Studio Archive.
World History Standards Overview — SDA Commons Wiki See also: USH Standards Overview · Crosswalk Ela Ss