World History South Dakota Standards

Below is an explanation of how the textbook aligns with South Dakota Standards

Students will:

1. Describe the early physical and cultural development of humankind from the Paleolithic period to the agricultural revolution, emphasizing the hunter-gatherer societies and their characteristics, including the development of tools and the use of fire; the locations of human communities that populated the major regions of the world and how humans adapted to a variety of environments; and the climatic changes and the human modifications of the physical environment that gave rise to the domestication of plants and animals. Chapter 1

2. Analyze the geographic, political, economic, and social structures of Mesopotamia and Egypt with an emphasis on the location and description of the river systems, the physical settings that supported permanent settlement and early civilizations, the development of agricultural techniques that increased production which led to economic surplus, the emergence of cities as centers of culture and power, the relationship between religion and social and political orders in each civilization, the origin and influence of Judaism, the significance of Hammurabi's Code, the art and architecture of Egypt, the impact of Egyptian trade in the eastern Mediterranean and Nile Valley, the evolution of language and its written forms, and cultural contributions and their effect on modern everyday life. Chapter 2

3. Analyze the geographic, political, economic, and social structures of ancient China and India with emphasis on the location and description of the river systems and the physical settings that supported the rise of these civilizations; the geographic features of China that made governance and movement of ideas and goods difficult and served to isolate that region from the rest of the world; the significance of the Aryan invasions in India with emphasis on the social structure of the caste system; the major beliefs and practices of Buddhism and how it spread to other regions, especially during the Mauryan Empire; the fundamental teachings of Confucianism and Taoism; the policies, achievements, and political contributions of the Qin and Han dynasties in China; the locations and significance of the trans-Eurasian "silk roads"; and cultural contributions and their effect on modern everyday life.  Chapters 3 and 4

4. Analyze the geographic, political, economic, and social structures of the early civilization of Ancient Greece with emphasis on the location and physical setting that supported the rise of this civilization; the connections between geography and the development of the city-states, including patterns of trade and commerce; the transition from tyranny to oligarchy to early democratic forms of government and the significance of citizenship; the differences between Athenian, or direct democracy, and representative democracy; the significance of Greek mythology to the everyday life of people in ancient Greece and its influence on modern literature and language; the similarities and differences between life in Athens and Sparta; the rise of Alexander the Great in the north and the spread of Greek culture; and the cultural contributions in the areas of arts, science, language, architecture, government, and philosophy. Chapter 5

5. Analyze the geographic, political, economic, and social structures in the development of Rome with emphasis on the location and physical setting that supported the rise of the Roman republic; the significance of the republican form of government; the political and geographic reasons for the growth of the Roman Empire; the influence of Julius Caesar and Augustus in Rome's transition from republic to empire; the origin and spread of Christianity during the Roman Empire; and the cultural contributions in the areas of art, architecture, technology, science, literature, language, and law. Chapter 6

6. Analyze the geographic, political, economic, and social structures of the Mesoamerican and Andean civilizations with emphasis on the locations and physical settings of Mexico, Central and South America that supported the rise of these civilizations; the geographic influence on Mayan, Aztec and Incan economies, their trade, and the development of urban societies; the roles of people in each society, including class structures, family life, warfare, beliefs, and slavery; the reasons that the Spanish were able to defeat the Aztec and Inca Empires; the artistic and oral traditions and architecture of the three civilizations; and the cultural contributions especially in the areas of astronomy, mathematics, and agriculture. Chapter 7