Middle School World History and Geography A

About This Course

This is the first course in a two-course sequence. Explore the fascinating journey of humanity with Middle School World History and Geography A. Unit 1 delves into historical events and geographical contexts, fostering an understanding of how history unfolds. In Unit 2, students develop critical thinking skills to analyze and interpret the past. Units 3 and 4 focus on the Paleolithic era and the Agricultural Revolution, unraveling the origins of human societies. Units 5, 6, and 7 shed light on the early civilizations along the Tigris, Euphrates, Nile, and Indus Rivers, examining their contributions to human progress. Engaging lessons, interactive activities, and thought-provoking discussions await, fostering a deeper appreciation for our shared global heritage. Prerequisites:  None

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to...

• Use historical thinking skills, such as primary source analysis, to analyze events and themes in history
• Use geographical skills, such as map reading and analysis, to evaluate the role of geography in history
• Describe the transition of humans from hunter-gatherer to agriculture and pastoralism
• Describe the features of early civilizations that developed along rivers, such as ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia

Course Outline:

Unit 1: History in Time and Space

Unit 2: Historical Thinking

Unit 3: The Paleolithic

Unit 4: The Agricultural Revolution

Unit 5: Early Civilizations along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Unit 6: Early Civilizations Along the Nile River

Unit 7: Early Civilizations Along the Indus River

Resources Included: Online lesson instruction and activities, opportunities to engage with a certified, online instructor and classmates, when appropriate, and online assessments to measure student performance of course objectives and readiness for subsequent academic pursuits.

Additional Costs: None

Scoring System: Michigan Virtual does not assign letter grades, grant credit for courses, nor issue diplomas. A final score out of total points earned will be submitted to your school mentor for conversion to their own letter grading system.

Time Commitment: Semester sessions are 18-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1 or more hours per day in the course to be successful. Summer sessions are 10 weeks long: Students must be able to spend a minimum of 2 or more hours per day, or about 90 hours during the summer, for the student to be successful in any course. Trimester sessions are 12-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1.5 or more hours per day in the course to be successful.

Technology Requirements: Students will require a computer device with headphones, a microphone, webcam, up-to-date Chrome Web Browser, and access to YouTube.

Please review the Michigan Virtual Technology Requirements: https://michiganvirtual.org/about/support/knowledge-base/technical-requirements/

Instructor Support System: For technical issues within your course, contact the Customer Care Center by email at CustomerCare@michiganvirtual.org or by phone at (888) 889-2840.

Instructor Contact Expectations: Students can use email or the private message system within the Student Learning Portal to access highly qualified teachers when they need instructor assistance. Students will also receive feedback on their work inside the learning management system. The Instructor Info area of their course may describe additional communication options.

Academic Support Available: In addition to access to a highly qualified, Michigan certified teacher, students have access to academic videos and outside resources verified by Michigan Virtual. For technical issues within the course, students can contact the Michigan Virtual Customer Care by email at customercare@michiganvirtual.org or by phone at (888) 889-2840.

Required Assessment: Online assessments consist of formative and summative assessments represented by computer-graded multiple choice, instructor-graded writing assignments including hands-on projects, model building and other forms of authentic assessments.

Technical Skills Needed: Basic technology skills necessary to locate and share information and files as well as interact with others in a Learning Management System (LMS), include the ability to:

• Download, edit, save, convert, and upload files
• Download and install software
• Use a messaging service similar to email
• Communicate with others in online discussion or message boards, following basic rules of netiquette
• Open attachments shared in messages
• Create, save, and submit files in commonly used word processing program formats and as a PDF
• Edit file share settings in cloud-based applications, such as Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides
• Save a file as a .pdf
• Copy and paste and format text using your mouse, keyboard, or an html editor’s toolbar menu
• Insert images or links into a file or html editor
• Search for information within a document using Ctrl+F or Command+F keyboard shortcuts
• Work in multiple browser windows and tabs simultaneously
• Activate a microphone or webcam on your device, and record and upload or link audio and/or video files
• Use presentation and graphics programs
• Follow an online pacing guide or calendar of due dates
• Use spell-check, citation editors, and tools commonly provided in word processing tool menus
• Create and maintain usernames and passwords

Additional Information: None