CULTURAL STUDIES 12/13 COURSE II
ESSENTIAL UNIT 6 (S06)
(Other Civilizations II)
(July 2015)
Unit Statement: In this unit, the student will focus on a civilization that is not covered in depth in the
QSI’s middle school curriculum. Though the Ottoman Empire and history of Russia are examples,
any civilization of personal interest to students or instructor could be chosen. The student should
discover the reasons for the rise and fall of the civilization, as well as be able to describe the culture,
and major important events in the timeline of its history.
Essential Question/s:
● What makes civilizations thrive?
● What makes civilizations fail?
Essential Outcomes: (must be assessed for mastery)
1. The Student Will investigate the beginnings and rise of a selected civilization.
2. TSW describe the culture of the selected civilization including: religion, economy,
political system, organization of society, and arts/humanities.
3. TSW cite major events, inventions, or discoveries made by this civilization.
4. TSW analyze the reasons for any fall, or major change of leadership/organization of
this civilization.
5. TSW make connections between this civilization and other societies around it during
its existence.
6. TSW analyze the legacy of this civilization, if any, to later civilizations and the
modern world.
Practiced/Ongoing Outcomes: (ongoing development, but not assessed)
1. The Student Will identify key terms and concepts.
2. TSW list historical events on a timeline to compare people and events over time (see
selective unit one).
3. TSW determine connections with the 5 Themes of Geography (e.g. Movement is
essential to the cultures of the Arabian Peninsula and the Sahara logically
leading the practice of Hajj).
4. TSW address document based questions (see Suggested Assessment Tools).
5. TSW use maps, charts and data in order to synthesize logical conclusions (see
Suggested Assessment Tools).
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QSI CULTURAL STUDIES-12/13 COURSE II S06
Copyright © 1988-2015
Key Terms and Concepts:
diffusion
innovation
economy
political system
society
culture
Cross-curricular Suggestions: (three or four ideas)
Reading: link with poetry/writing/literature from that culture
Writing: a research report about a particular person in that civilization (could be linked with
S02 in this course).
Science: investigate any human/environment interaction issues that could help the rise, or
bring about the fall of this civilization.
Suggested Materials: (provided by school)
● My World History - Survey Print Student Edition with myWorldHistory.com
Premium 6-year License isbn10: 0133176126 isbn13: 9780133176124
● All textbook ancillary materials
● A World in Transition ISBN: 0-03-065034-8
● A few copies of the old Ancient Civilizations text
Additional Resources: (may not be provided by school)
● Student Atlas (Different schools have different atlases, but Nat’l. Geo. and Rand
McNally are good)
Technology Links:
Destiny Webpath Express (see Librarian)
Use this search engine to find age-appropriate websites that align with your unit.
Suggested Assessment Tools:
1. Attached rubric or teacher-generated rubric that assesses ALL essential outcomes
(TSW’s). An effective rubric is presented and discussed with the student at the
beginning of the unit, referred back to throughout the unit, and used to assess at
the end. Students will collaborate with peers and the teacher to assess mastery of
the unit with final judgment by the teacher.
RUBRIC FOUND ON FOLLOWING PAGE………………………
Teacher’s Note: As this unit could cover any number of different civilizations, the TSW’s and
rubric are very broad and will leave a good deal of leeway for teacher interpretation. This is
an excellent chance for an experienced educator to focus on an area of personal interest or
expertise. This may not be the best unit for a novice teacher, or any teacher needing
additional structure.
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QSI CULTURAL STUDIES-12/13 COURSE II S06
Copyright © 1988-2015
Student Name:___________________________
Date: ________________________
CULTURAL STUDIES-12/13 COURSES I and II: S05 & S06
(Other Civilizations I and II)
To receive a ‘B’, the student must show ‘B’ level mastery on ALL Essential Outcomes (TSW’s).
To receive an ‘A’, the student must show ‘A’ level mastery on All OR 3 OF 4 available TSW’s and ‘B’ level mastery
on all TSW’s.
The Student Will
‘A’ Level
‘B’ Level
1. The Student Will
investigate the beginnings
and rise of a selected
civilization.
2. TSW analyze the
culture of the selected
civilization including:
religion, economy,
political system,
organization of society,
and arts/humanities.
The student can state where
this civilization came from
and how it started.
The student is able to
The student is able to describe
analyze religious,
the culture in a basic manner.
economic, political,
societal, and artistic aspects
of the culture.
3. TSW cite major events,
inventions, or discoveries
made by this civilization.
The student is able to list
major milestones in this
civilization.
4. TSW analyze the
reasons for any fall, or
major change of
leadership/organization of
this civilization.
The student can
discriminate between
mistakes and events that
led to this civilizations
decline, and rate which
ones were most substantial.
The student is able to give a
general reason that the
civilization failed.
5. TSW make connections
between this civilization
and other societies around
it during its existence.
The student is able to make
multiple connections the
civilization being studied
and other civilizations at
the time regarding trading,
cultural diffusion, and
acculturation.
The students can identify this
civilization’s trading partners
and neighbors.
6. TSW critique the
legacy of this civilization,
if any, to later civilizations
and the modern world.
The student is able to
critique the inventions,
innovations, and ideas this
civilization gave the
modern world.
The student is able to describe
inventions, innovations and
ideas this civilization gave the
modern world.
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QSI CULTURAL STUDIES-12/13 COURSE II S06
Copyright © 1988-2015
‘P’- in progress