Social Science Curriculum
Northern Illinois District
Ancient Civilizations/World History
Grades 6-8
XIV. Political Perspective
State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand political
systems with an emphasis on the United States.
Learning Standard A: Understand and explain basic principles of the United States
government.
Objective 1: Describe different historical forms of government- monarchies,
dictatorships, democracies, republic/representative government, etc.
Objective 2: Describe how the governments of the ancient civilizations (Egypt, Rome,
China, India, Greece), influenced the development of the United States government.
Objective 3: Describe how the development of the United States government was
influenced by the prevalent methods of government of the time.
Learning Standard B: Understand the structures and functions of the political systems of
Illinois, the United States, and other nations.
Objective 1: Compare, contrast, and give examples of historical political concepts and
structures, with those of the United States.
Objective 2: Compare the democratic system used by the United States with the
democratic system used by the ancient Greeks.
Learning Standard C: Understand election processes and responsibilities of citizens.
Objective 1: Give examples of how representative government began (ancient Rome and
ancient Greece) and how it has evolved into the system we use today.
Learning Standard D: Understand the roles and influences of individuals and interest
groups in the political systems of Illinois, the United States, and other nations.
Objective 1: Name and describe the significant accomplishments of major historical
figures.
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Learning Standard E: Understand United States foreign policy as it relates to other
nations and international issues.
Objective 1: Describe the relationships between Western and non-Western nations as
they came into contact.
Objective 2: Give examples of cultural legacies and conflicts passed on from earlier
civilizations to the present.
Learning Standard F: Understand the development of United States political ideas and
traditions.
Objective 1: List the main civilizations of the ancient world and briefly describe their
influence on political ideas and traditions with regard to the development of world
civilization, especially Western civilization.
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XV. Economic Perspective
State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand economic
systems with an emphasis on the United States.
Learning Standard A: Understand how different economic systems operate in the
exchange, production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
Objective 1: Compare and contrast several forms of economy (Socialism, Communism,
Capitalism, Feudalism, etc.), stating the strengths and weaknesses of each.
Objective 2: Be able to discuss the primary economic system used by each significant
historic civilizations.
Learning Standard B: Understand that scarcity necessitates choices by consumers.
Objective 1: Describe and explain the effect of the law of supply and demand.
Learning Standard C: Understand that scarcity necessitates choices by producers.
Objective 1: Describe how the abundance or lack of natural resources and the need or
desire for goods can lead to economic interdependence between regions and nations, both
historic and current.
Learning Standard D: Understand trade as an exchange of goods or services.
Objective 1: Describe the development of trade over time and its importance to social
development and growth.
Objective 2: Recognize the impact of the development of transportation (road systems,
shipping, caravans, etc.) and its effect on trade.
Objective 3: Understand the significance of the role played by shipping and sea trade.
Learning Standard E: Understand the impact of government policies and decisions on
production and consumption in the economy.
Objective 1: Describe how governmental structures have encouraged or discouraged
trade and how that effected the development of the nation’s economy.
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XVI. Historical Perspective
State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand events,
trends, individuals, and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States, and
other nations.
Learning Standard A: Apply the skills of historical analysis and interpretation.
Objective 1: Evaluate sources of information for their perspective, reliability, strengths,
and weaknesses.
Objective 2: Interpret the difference between B.C. and A.D. (B.C.E. and C.E.) and its
relevance to timelines and history.
Objective 3: Use and interpret primary and secondary sources of historical information.
Learning Standard B: Understand the development of significant political events.
Objective 1: Outline the main periods and political events in the histories of non-Western
civilizations.
Objective 2: Understand the role of religion in the development and politics of ancient
civilizations.
Objective 3: Given an event of historical significance, be able to analyze the positive and
negative outcomes of the event on both a local and a global scale.
Learning Standard C: Understand the development of economic systems.
Objective 1: Name and describe ancient economic systems (subsistence, bartering, etc.)
and the factors that contributed to their evolution into more complex systems.
Objective 2: Understand the role of Feudalism as both an economic and governmental
system during the Middle Ages.
Objective 3: Identify the major periods in world economic history.
Objective 4: Understand the role that trade between nations/regions plays in the
development of economies in those area.
Objective 5: Identify the significant technological contributions that have influenced the
development of economic systems over time.
Learning Standard D: Understand Illinois, United States, and world social history.
Objective 1: Understand that cultures contain a clearly defined social structure, both
historically and today.
Objective 2: Be able to state specific details that are unique to each of the world’s major
historic societies, including Egypt, China, India, Greece, and Rome.
Objective 3: Understand the development of oral and written communication over time
and its effect on civilization.
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Objective 4: Describe the role and impact of slavery in various historic eras and
societies, including Egypt, Greece, Rome, and early United States.
Learning Standard E: Understand Illinois, United States, and world environmental
history.
Objective 1: Understand how the geography and environment dictated the economic
priorities of ancient and modern civilizations.
Objective 2: Describe how the people of ancient civilizations prioritized the control over
rivers or other physical features as a means for growth and development.
Objective 3: Understand how the presence and consistent flooding of the world’s major
rivers influenced the growth of ancient civilizations (e.g. Nile River and ancient Egypt,
the Huang He and Chang Jiang Rivers and ancient China).
Objective 4: Understand and explain how the economy and society of a culture can be
affected by the dependence of a region on a single crop or mode of production.
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XVII. Geographic Perspective
State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand world
geography and the effects of geography on society with an emphasis on the United States.
Learning Standard A: Locate, describe, and explain places, regions, and features on the
Earth.
Objective 1: Locate places, regions, and features on a map and a globe.
Objective 2: Locate places, regions, and features using lines of latitude and longitude.
Objective 3: Explain the difference between natural and artificial boundaries.
Objective 4: Interpret different types of maps (resource, climate, population, etc.) and
decipher their relevance to a given civilization.
Learning Standard B: Analyze and explain characteristics and interactions of the Earth’s
physical systems.
Objective 1: Describe how weather patterns and climate affect where civilizations were
located and what they were able to produce.
Learning Standard C: Understand relationships between geographic factors and society.
Objective 1: Explain the way physical features are both beneficial and harmful to
civilizations.
Objective 2: Explain how physical features acted as both a detriment and a benefit to the
relations between societies.
Learning Standard D: Understand the historical significance of geography.
Objective 1: Understand how geography affected the growth, culture, and interactions of
the ancient and medieval civilizations.
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XVIII. Social-Cultural Perspective
State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand social
systems with an emphasis on the United States.
Learning Standard A: Compare characteristics of culture as reflected in language,
literature, the arts, traditions, and institutions.
Objective 1: Name and describe the cultural contributions of historic figures within a
given civilization (e.g. Hammurabi, Cleopatra, Genghis Kahn, Siddhartha Gautama,
Aristotle, Julius Caesar).
Objective 2: List customs and traditions from a variety of cultures and civilizations and
describe their importance to those cultures (Pyramids and mummies of Egypt, gladiatorial
circuses of Rome, etc.).
Objective 3: Describe how a culture is reflected in its art, music, architecture, and
learning institutions.
Learning Standard B: Understand the roles and interactions of individuals and groups in
society.
Objective 1: Describe the role and impact of religion within each ancient society.
Objective 2: Describe the role and impact of the individual within each ancient society.
Objective 3: Compare the family groups and traditions of each ancient society.
Objective 4: Describe the role of the Catholic Church in ancient and modern history, and
it achievements and failures.
Objective 5: Describe how interaction among peoples brings about social change (e.g.,
natives and colonizers, invading armies, Peace Corp volunteer forces).
Objective 6: Compare and contrast the basic teachings of Christianity to other nonChristian religions (i.e. Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, and Islam) and philosophies.
Learning Standard C: Understand how social systems form and develop over time.
Objective 1: Give examples of the ways ancient social systems have influenced modern
times.
Objective 2: Understand and describe the predominant social structures of ancient
civilizations (e.g. tiered classes of Egypt, caste system of ancient India, Patrician and
Plebian of Rome, the rise of the middle class in medieval and modern times).
Objective 3: Explain how inventions have been instrumental in the development of
societies.
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