Pre-AP
®
World History
and Geography
COURSE GUIDE
INCLUDES
Approach to
teaching and
learning
Course map
Course framework
Sample
assessment
questions
preap.org/WHG-CG
© 2021 College Board. 01560-064
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ABOUT COLLEGE BOARD
College Board is a mission-driven not-for-prot organization that connects students to college
success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, College Board was created to expand access
to higher education. Today, the membership association is made up of over 6,000 of the
world’s leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity
in education. Each year, College Board helps more than seven million students prepare for
a successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness and
college success—including the SAT
®
and the Advanced Placement Program
®
. The organization
also serves the education community through research and advocacy on behalf of students,
educators, and schools.
For further information, visit www.collegeboard.org.
College Board believes thatallstudents deserve engaging, relevant, and challenging grade-
level coursework. Access to this type of coursework increases opportunities for all students,
including groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in AP and college classrooms.
Therefore, the Pre-AP program is dedicated to collaborating with educators across the country
to ensure all students have the supports to succeed in appropriately challenging classroom
experiences that allow students to learn and grow. It is only through a sustained commitment to
equitable preparation, access, and support that true excellence can be achieved for all students,
and the Pre-AP course designation requires this commitment.
ISBN: 978-1-4573-1441-4
© 2021 College Board. PSAT/NMSQT is a registered trademark of College Board and National Merit
Scholarship Corporation.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Contents
v Acknowledgments
ABOUT PRE-AP
3 Introduction to Pre-AP
3 Developing the Pre-AP Courses
3 Pre-AP Educator Network
4 How to Get Involved
5 Pre-AP Approach to Teaching and Learning
5 Focused Content
5 Horizontally and Vertically Aligned Instruction
7 Targeted Assessments for Learning
8 Pre-AP Professional Learning
ABOUT PRE-AP WORLD HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY
11 Introduction to Pre-AP World History and Geography
11 Pre-AP World History and Geography Areas of Focus
15 Pre-AP World History and Geography and Career Readiness
16 Summary of Resources and Supports
17 Pre-AP World History and Geography: Two Pathways
18 Course Map: Pathway 1
20 Course Map: Pathway 2
22 Pre-AP World History and Geography Course Framework
22 Introduction
23 Course Framework Components
25 Areas of Focus: Connected Disciplinary Skills
27 Geography and World Regions
29 The Ancient Period, to c. 600 BCE
31 The Classical Period, c. 600 BCE to c. 600 CE
34 The Postclassical Period, c. 600 to c. 1450
37 The Early Modern Period, c. 1450 to c. 1750
40 The Modern Period, c. 1750 to c. 1914
43 The Contemporary Period, c. 1914 to the Present
46 Themes in Pre-AP World History and Geography
47 Pre-AP World History and Geography Model Lessons
48 Support Features in Model Lessons
Acknowledgments
College Board would like to acknowledge the following committee members, consultants, and
reviewers for their assistance with and commitment to the development of this course. All
individuals and their aliations were current at the time of contribution.
Sarah Bednarz, Texas A&M University (retired), College Station, TX
Jonathan Ferrante, Smithtown High School West, Smithtown, NY
Gail Hamilton, Bancroft Middle School, Long Beach, CA
Jonathan Henderson, Forsyth Central High School, Cumming, GA
Tim Keirn, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
Medha Kirtane, Ridgewood High School, Ridgewood, NJ
Samantha Kowalak, Livingston High School, Livingston, NJ
Chris Peek, Bellaire High School, Bellaire, TX
Sean Robertson (deceased), Harlem Academy Middle School, Harlem, NY
Brenda Santos, Achievement First Schools, Providence, RI
Christina Suarez, Lake Region Union High School, Orleans, VT
Kevin Witte, Kearney High School, Kearney, NE
COLLEGE BOARD STAFF
Drew McCulley, Director, Pre-AP Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
Senior Director, Pre-AP Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
Beth Hart, Senior Director, Pre-AP Assessment
Laura Smith, Director, Pre-AP Assessment
Executive Director, Pre-AP Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
About Pre-AP
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
3
About Pre-AP
Introduction to Pre-AP
Every student deserves classroom opportunities to learn, grow, and succeed. College Board
developed Pre-AP® to deliver on this simple premise. Pre-AP courses are designed to support
all students across varying levels of readiness. They are not honors or advanced courses.
Participation in Pre-AP courses allows students to slow down and focus on the most essential
and relevant concepts and skills. Students have frequent opportunities to engage deeply with
texts, sources, and data as well as compelling higher-order questions and problems. Across
Pre-AP courses, students experience shared instructional practices and routines that help
them develop and strengthen the important critical thinking skills they will need to employ in
high school, college, and life. Students and teachers can see progress and opportunities for
growth through varied classroom assessments that provide clear and meaningful feedback at
key checkpoints throughout each course.
Pre-AP courses are carefully developed in partnership with experienced educators, including
middle school, high school, and college faculty. Pre-AP educator committees work closely
with College Board to ensure that the course resources define, illustrate, and measure grade-
level-appropriate learning in a clear, accessible, and engaging way. College Board also gathers
feedback from a variety of stakeholders, including Pre-AP partner schools from across the
nation who have participated in multiyear pilots of select courses. Data and feedback from
partner schools, educator committees, and advisory panels are carefully considered to ensure
that Pre-AP courses provide all students with grade-level-appropriate learning experiences
that place them on a path to college and career readiness.
Similar to the way in which teachers of Advanced Placement® (AP®) courses can become
more deeply involved in the program by becoming AP Readers or workshop consultants, Pre-
AP teachers also have opportunities to become active in their educator network. Each year,
College Board expands and strengthens the Pre-AP National Faculty—the team of educators
who facilitate Pre-AP Readiness Workshops and Pre-AP Summer Institutes. Pre-AP teachers
can also become curriculum and assessment contributors by working with College Board to
design, review, or pilot course resources.
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
4
Introduction to Pre-AP
About Pre-AP
Schools and districts interested in learning more about participating in Pre-AP should visit
preap.collegeboard.org/join or contact us at preap@collegeboard.org.
Teachers interested in becoming members of Pre-AP National Faculty or participating in
content development should visit preap.collegeboard.org/national-faculty or contact us at
preap@collegeboard.org.
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
5
About Pre-AP
Pre-AP Approach to Teaching and Learning
Pre-AP courses invite all students to learn, grow, and succeed through focused content,
horizontally and vertically aligned instruction, and targeted assessments for learning. The
Pre-AP approach to teaching and learning, as described below, is not overly complex, yet the
combined strength results in powerful and lasting benefits for both teachers and students.
This is our theory of action.
Focused Content
Course Frameworks,
Model Lessons
Horizontally and
Vertically Aligned
Instruction
Shared Principles,
Areas of Focus
Targeted Assessments
and Feedback
Learning Checkpoints,
Performance Tasks,
Final Exam
Pre-AP courses focus deeply on a limited number of concepts and skills with the broadest
relevance for high school coursework and college and career success. The course framework
serves as the foundation of the course and defines these prioritized concepts and skills. Pre-
AP model lessons and assessments are based directly on this focused framework. The course
design provides students and teachers with intentional permission to slow down and focus.
Shared principles cut across all Pre-AP courses and disciplines. Each course is also aligned
to discipline-specific areas of focus that prioritize the critical reasoning skills and practices
central to that discipline.
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
6
Pre-AP Approach to Teaching and Learning
About Pre-AP
All Pre-AP courses share the following set of research-supported instructional principles.
Classrooms that regularly focus on these cross-disciplinary principles allow students to
effectively extend their content knowledge while strengthening their critical thinking skills.
When students are enrolled in multiple Pre-AP courses, the horizontal alignment of the shared
principles provides students and teachers across disciplines with a shared language for
their learning and investigation, and multiple opportunities to practice and grow. The critical
reasoning and problem-solving tools students develop through these shared principles are
highly valued in college coursework and in the workplace.
Close Observation
and Analysis
Higher-Order
Questioning
Academic
Conversation
Evidence-Based
Writing
SHARED
PRINCIPLES
Students are provided time to carefully observe one data set, text, image, performance piece,
or problem before being asked to explain, analyze, or evaluate. This creates a safe entry
point to simply express what they notice and what they wonder. It also encourages students
to slow down and capture relevant details with intentionality to support more meaningful
analysis, rather than rushing to completion at the expense of understanding.
Students engage with questions designed to encourage thinking that is elevated beyond
simple memorization and recall. Higher-order questions require students to make predictions,
synthesize, evaluate, and compare. As students grapple with these questions, they learn that
being inquisitive promotes extended thinking and leads to deeper understanding.
With strategic support, students frequently engage in writing coherent arguments from
relevant and valid sources of evidence. Pre-AP courses embrace a purposeful and scaffolded
approach to writing that begins with a focus on precise and effective sentences before
progressing to longer forms of writing.
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
7
Pre-AP Approach to Teaching and Learning
About Pre-AP
Through peer-to-peer dialogue, students’ ideas are explored, challenged, and refined. As
students engage in academic conversation, they come to see the value in being open to
new ideas and modifying their own ideas based on new information. Students grow as they
frequently practice this type of respectful dialogue and critique and learn to recognize that all
voices, including their own, deserve to be heard.
AREAS OF FOCUS
The areas of focus are discipline-specific reasoning skills that students develop and leverage
as they engage with content. Whereas the shared principles promote horizontal alignment
across disciplines, the areas of focus provide vertical alignment within a discipline, giving
students the opportunity to strengthen and deepen their work with these skills in subsequent
courses in the same discipline.
Arts
English
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
Areas of Focus
Align Vertically Within Disciplines
(Grades 6-12)
Shared Principles
Align Horizontally Across All Courses
Academic Conversation
Higher-Order Questioning
Evidence-Based Writing
Close Observation and Analysis
For a detailed description of the Pre-AP World History and Geography areas of focus, see
page 11.
Pre-AP courses include strategically designed classroom assessments that serve as tools
for understanding progress and identifying areas that need more support. The assessments
provide frequent and meaningful feedback for both teachers and students across each unit of
the course and for the course as a whole. For more information about assessments in Pre-AP
World History and Geography, see page 49.
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
8
About Pre-AP
Pre-AP Professional Learning
The summer before their first year teaching a Pre-AP course, teachers are required to engage
in professional learning offered by the College Board. There are two options to meet this
requirement: the Pre-AP Summer Institute (Pre-APSI) and the Online Foundational Module
Series. Both options provide continuing education units to educators who complete the
training.
The Pre-AP Summer Institute is a four-day collaborative experience that empowers
participants to prepare and plan for their Pre-AP course. While attending, teachers engage
with Pre-AP course frameworks, shared principles, areas of focus, and sample model
lessons. Participants are given supportive planning time where they work with peers to
begin to build their Pre-AP course plan.
The Online Foundational Module Series will be available beginning July 2020 to all
teachers of Pre-AP courses. These 12- to 20-hour courses will support teachers in
preparing for their Pre-AP course. Teachers will explore course materials and experience
model lessons from the student’s point of view. They will also begin to plan and build their
own course materials, so they are ready on day one of instruction.
Pre-AP teachers also have access to the Online Performance Task Scoring Modules, which
offer guidance and practice applying Pre-AP scoring guidelines to student work.
About Pre-AP
World History and Geography
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
11
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Introduction to Pre-AP World History
and Geography
Pre-AP World History and Geography focuses deeply on the concepts and skills that have
maximum value for high school, college, careers, and civic life. The course builds students’
essential skills and helps to prepare them for a range of AP history and social science
coursework during high school, including AP Human Geography and all three AP history
courses. The learning model is that of an apprenticeship. Primary and secondary sources take
center stage in the classroom, and students use the tools of the historian and geographer to
examine questions and build arguments.
The Pre-AP World History and Geography areas of focus, described below, are practices
that students develop and leverage as they engage with content. These areas of focus are
vertically aligned to the practices embedded in other history and geography courses in high
school, including AP, and in college, giving students multiple opportunities to strengthen
and deepen their work with these skills throughout their educational career. The vertical
progression of these disciplinary practices is delineated in the course framework beginning on
page 25.
Incorporating
Evidence
Evaluating
Evidence
World History
and Geography
Areas of Focus
Explaining
Historical and
Geographic
Relationships
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
12
Introduction to Pre-AP World History and Geography
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
EVALUATING EVIDENCE
Students acquire knowledge by evaluating evidence from a wide range of primary and
secondary sources.
Historians and geographers do not merely examine sources for the purposes of acquiring
knowledge; they seek to understand and form arguments about historical perspectives. Like
these disciplinary experts, students learn to determine a source’s value by asking disciplinary
questions. This process involves considering historical or geographic context, how audience
and purpose influence the author's choices, and the degree to which pieces of evidence
corroborate or contradict each other. Learning to evaluate evidence builds a durable
understanding of key concepts and fosters informed citizenship.
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
25
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Pre-AP World History and Geography Course Framework
AREAS OF FOCUS: CONNECTED DISCIPLINARY SKILLS
The following tables articulate the disciplinary skills that students should develop while
building knowledge of each unit's key concepts. Each skill is aligned to a Pre-AP World History
and Geography area of focus and assessed through the learning checkpoints, performance
tasks, and final exam.
Course assessments are designed around the goal that students fully master the skills in
the left column and demonstrate consistent proficiency of skills in the center column. While
the skills in the right column may be explored in Pre-AP with grade-appropriate scaffolds,
independent proficiency of these skills is a goal reserved for AP courses.
Explain the degree to which
patterns or contradictions
found in evidence can be
plausibly interpreted.
Explain how additional
evidence can support,
modify, or refute a source’s
claim or argument.
Explain the significance of
a source’s point of view,
purpose, historical situation,
and/or audience, including
how these might limit the
use(s) of a source.
Evaluating Evidence
Analyzing Primary Sources
Analyzing Secondary Sources
Assessing Patterns in Quantitative and Qualitative Evidence
Identify relevant
information in a source
Identify a key claim
and/or argument in a
source.
Identify basic patterns
found in evidence.
Identify and explain a source’s
point of view, purpose,
historical situation, and/or
audience.
Explain how the author
supports a claim or argument
with evidence.
Explain patterns and identify
potential contradictions found
in evidence.
WHG_CG_CONF.indd 25 18/03/20 4:26 PM
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
25
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Pre-AP World History and Geography Course Framework
AREAS OF FOCUS: CONNECTED DISCIPLINARY SKILLS
The following tables articulate the disciplinary skills that students should develop while
building knowledge of each unit's key concepts. Each skill is aligned to a Pre-AP World History
and Geography area of focus and assessed through the learning checkpoints, performance
tasks, and final exam.
Course assessments are designed around the goal that students fully master the skills in
the left column and demonstrate consistent proficiency of skills in the center column. While
the skills in the right column may be explored in Pre-AP with grade-appropriate scaffolds,
independent proficiency of these skills is a goal reserved for AP courses.
Explain the degree to which
patterns or contradictions
found in evidence can be
plausibly interpreted.
Explain how additional
evidence can support,
modify, or refute a source’s
claim or argument.
Explain the significance of
a source’s point of view,
purpose, historical situation,
and/or audience, including
how these might limit the
use(s) of a source.
Evaluating Evidence
Analyzing Primary Sources
Analyzing Secondary Sources
Assessing Patterns in Quantitative and Qualitative Evidence
Identify relevant
information in a source
Identify a key claim
and/or argument in a
source.
Identify basic patterns
found in evidence.
Identify and explain a source’s
point of view, purpose,
historical situation, and/or
audience.
Explain how the author
supports a claim or argument
with evidence.
Explain patterns and identify
potential contradictions found
in evidence.
WHG_CG_CONF.indd 25 18/03/20 4:26 PM
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
13
Introduction to Pre-AP World History and Geography
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
EXPLAINING HISTORICAL AND GEOGRAPHIC RELATIONSHIPS
Students explain relationships among events and people by marshaling evidence for
causation, comparison, and continuity and change over time.
History and geography are investigative disciplines. Regularly pursuing inquiries of comparison,
causation, and continuity and change over time helps students build the investigative techniques
used by historians and geographers. With practice, these techniques become habits of mind.
As students learn to see relationships between and among developments, they can begin to
examine questions of historical and geographic significance within the context of specific places
or times.
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
26
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Explain the relative
importance of different
causes and effects of
specific historical/geographic
developments or processes.
Explain how similarities
and differences between
historical/geographic
developments or processes
reflect underlying factors or
trends.
Explain significant turning
points and broad patterns
of continuity within a given
time and place.
Explaining Historical and Geographic Relationships
Causation
Comparison
Continuity and Change over Time
Identify patterns of
continuity and/or
change over time.
Explain patterns of continuity
and/or change over time.
Identify the similarities
and/or differences
between historical/
geographic
developments or
processes.
Explain relationships between
causes and effects of
specific historical/geographic
developments or processes.
Explain relevant similarities
and/or differences between
specific historical/geographic
developments or processes.
Identify causes and
effects of a specific
historical/geographic
development or
process.
Write a defensible claim
that incorporates diverse
evidence and addresses
counterclaims to develop a
complex argument.
Explain how specific
examples of historically
relevant evidence support an
argument while accounting
for contradictory evidence.
Explain how broader
contexts inform a historical/
geographic development or
process.
Incorporating Evidence
Describe a historical/
geographic context
for a specific
historical/geographic
development or
process.
Describe specific
examples of historically
relevant evidence.
Explain how specific
examples of historically
relevant evidence support an
argument.
Explain how a specific
historical/geographic
development or process is
situated within a broader
historical context.
Claims
Supporting Evidence
Contextualization
Write a defensible
claim.
Write a defensible claim
that establishes a line of
reasoning.
Pre-AP World History and Geography Course Framework
WHG_CG.indd 26 03/04/20 1:55 PM
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
26
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Explain the relative
importance of different
causes and effects of
specific historical/geographic
developments or processes.
Explain how similarities
and differences between
historical/geographic
developments or processes
reflect underlying factors or
trends.
Explain significant turning
points and broad patterns
of continuity within a given
time and place.
Explaining Historical and Geographic Relationships
Causation
Comparison
Continuity and Change over Time
Identify patterns of
continuity and/or
change over time.
Explain patterns of continuity
and/or change over time.
Identify the similarities
and/or differences
between historical/
geographic
developments or
processes.
Explain relationships between
causes and effects of
specific historical/geographic
developments or processes.
Explain relevant similarities
and/or differences between
specific historical/geographic
developments or processes.
Identify causes and
effects of a specific
historical/geographic
development or
process.
Write a defensible claim
that incorporates diverse
evidence and addresses
counterclaims to develop a
complex argument.
Explain how specific
examples of historically
relevant evidence support an
argument while accounting
for contradictory evidence.
Explain how broader
contexts inform a historical/
geographic development or
process.
Incorporating Evidence
Describe a historical/
geographic context
for a specific
historical/geographic
development or
process.
Describe specific
examples of historically
relevant evidence.
Explain how specific
examples of historically
relevant evidence support an
argument.
Explain how a specific
historical/geographic
development or process is
situated within a broader
historical context.
Claims
Supporting Evidence
Contextualization
Write a defensible
claim.
Write a defensible claim
that establishes a line of
reasoning.
Pre-AP World History and Geography Course Framework
WHG_CG.indd 26 03/04/20 1:55 PM
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
14
Introduction to Pre-AP World History and Geography
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
INCORPORATING EVIDENCE
Students demonstrate command of quantitative, qualitative, and spatial data by
effectively incorporating them into written and oral arguments.
Writing or presenting arguments in history and geography requires more than summarizing
facts. Creating sound arguments relies upon effectively connecting evidence in support
of a clear, nuanced thesis. The ability to establish a line of reasoning by deftly framing and
organizing evidence is a valuable skill that requires ample opportunities for practice and
feedback. It is a skill students will carry forward into college, career, and civic settings.
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
26
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Explain the relative
importance of different
causes and effects of
specific historical/geographic
developments or processes.
Explain how similarities
and differences between
historical/geographic
developments or processes
reflect underlying factors or
trends.
Explain significant turning
points and broad patterns
of continuity within a given
time and place.
Explaining Historical and Geographic Relationships
Causation
Comparison
Continuity and Change over Time
Identify patterns of
continuity and/or
change over time.
Explain patterns of continuity
and/or change over time.
Identify the similarities
and/or differences
between historical/
geographic
developments or
processes.
Explain relationships between
causes and effects of
specific historical/spatial
developments or processes.
Explain relevant similarities
and/or differences between
specific historical/geographic
developments or processes.
Identify causes and
effects of a specific
historical/spatial
development or
process.
Write a defensible claim
that incorporates diverse
evidence and addresses
counterclaims to develop a
complex argument.
Explain how specific
examples of historically
relevant evidence support an
argument while accounting
for contradictory evidence.
Explain how broader
contexts inform a historical/
geographic development or
process.
Incorporating Evidence
Describe a historical/
geographic context
for a specific
historical/geographic
development or
process.
Describe specific
examples of historically
relevant evidence.
Explain how specific
examples of historically
relevant evidence support an
argument.
Explain how a specific
historical/geographic
development or process is
situated within a broader
historical context.
Claims
Supporting Evidence
Contextualization
Write a defensible
claim.
Write a defensible claim
that establishes a line of
reasoning.
Pre-AP World History and Geography Course Framework
WHG_CG_CONF.indd 26 18/03/20 4:26 PM
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
26
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Explain the relative
importance of different
causes and effects of
specific historical/geographic
developments or processes.
Explain how similarities
and differences between
historical/geographic
developments or processes
reflect underlying factors or
trends.
Explain significant turning
points and broad patterns
of continuity within a given
time and place.
Explaining Historical and Geographic Relationships
Causation
Comparison
Continuity and Change over Time
Identify patterns of
continuity and/or
change over time.
Explain patterns of continuity
and/or change over time.
Identify the similarities
and/or differences
between historical/
geographic
developments or
processes.
Explain relationships between
causes and effects of
specific historical/spatial
developments or processes.
Explain relevant similarities
and/or differences between
specific historical/geographic
developments or processes.
Identify causes and
effects of a specific
historical/spatial
development or
process.
Write a defensible claim
that incorporates diverse
evidence and addresses
counterclaims to develop a
complex argument.
Explain how specific
examples of historically
relevant evidence support an
argument while accounting
for contradictory evidence.
Explain how broader
contexts inform a historical/
geographic development or
process.
Incorporating Evidence
Describe a historical/
geographic context
for a specific
historical/geographic
development or
process.
Describe specific
examples of historically
relevant evidence.
Explain how specific
examples of historically
relevant evidence support an
argument.
Explain how a specific
historical/geographic
development or process is
situated within a broader
historical context.
Claims
Supporting Evidence
Contextualization
Write a defensible
claim.
Write a defensible claim
that establishes a line of
reasoning.
Pre-AP World History and Geography Course Framework
WHG_CG_CONF.indd 26 18/03/20 4:26 PM
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
15
Introduction to Pre-AP World History and Geography
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
The study of world history and geography offers unique, discipline-specific benefits that are
relevant to students’ lives as well as to a range of career pursuits. Beyond preparing the next
generation for careers in history, geography, political science, and economics, the course is
designed to help all students become more astute consumers of information as they learn to
regularly apply the skills and contexts associated with each discipline.
Content and skills related to history and geography have numerous connections to life experiences.
For example, students may apply these skills when reacting to front-page news stories, evaluating
the merits of proposed policies, or actively applying historical and geographic thinking and
knowledge in the career fields of government, public policy, economics, and law.
Career clusters and career examples related to history and geography are provided below.
Teachers may consider discussing these with students throughout the year to promote
motivation and engagement.
agriculture, food, and natural resources
architecture and construction
government and public administration
manufacturing
transportation, distribution, and logistics
archivists
economists
Foreign Service Officers
geographers
geographic informational systems (GIS) specialists
government executives and legislators
historians
lawyers and judges
market and survey researchers
political scientists
strategic operations managers
urban and regional planners
In addition to traditional careers above, newer careers such as data analysts and social
technologists are also related to skills developed in history and geography courses.
Source for Career Clusters: “Advanced Placement and Career and Technical Education: Working Together.”
Advance CTE and the College Board. October 2018.
For more information about careers related to history and geography, teachers and students
can visit and explore the College Board’s Big Future resources:
and .
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
16
Introduction to Pre-AP World History and Geography
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Teachers are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the full set of resources and supports
for Pre-AP World History and Geography, which are summarized below. Some of these
resources must be used for a course to receive the Pre-AP Course Designation. To learn more
about the requirements for course designation, see details below and on page 72.
COURSE FRAMEWORK
Included in this guide as well as in the Pre-AP World History and Geography Teacher
Resources, the framework defines what students should know and be able to do by the
end of the course. It serves as an anchor for model lessons and assessments, and it is the
primary document teachers can use to align instruction to course content. Use of the course
framework is required. For more details see page 22.
Teacher resources, available in print and online, include a robust set of model lessons that
demonstrate how to translate the course framework, shared principles, and areas of focus into
daily instruction. Use of the model lessons is encouraged but not required. For more details
see page 47.
Accessed through Pre-AP Classroom, these short formative assessments provide insight into
student progress. They are automatically scored and include multiple-choice and technology-
enhanced items with rationales that explain correct and incorrect answers. Use of one
learning checkpoint per unit is required. For more details see page 49.
Available in the printed teacher resources as well as on Pre-AP Classroom, performance tasks
allow students to demonstrate their learning through extended problem-solving, writing,
analysis, and/or reasoning tasks. Scoring guidelines are provided to inform teacher scoring,
with additional practice and feedback suggestions available in online modules on Pre-AP
Classroom. Use of each unit’s performance task is required. For more details see page 50.
Accessed through Pre-AP Classroom, the final exam serves as a classroom-based,
summative assessment designed to measure students’ success in learning and applying the
knowledge and skills articulated in the course framework. Administration of the final exam is
encouraged but not required. For more details see page 65.
Both the four-day Pre-AP Summer Institute (Pre-APSI) and the Online Foundational Modules
Series support teachers in preparing and planning to teach their Pre-AP course. All Pre-
AP teachers are required to either attend the Pre-AP Summer Institute or complete
the module series. In addition, teachers are required to complete at least one Online
Performance Task Scoring module. For more details see page 8.
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
17
Introduction to Pre-AP World History and Geography
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Before implementing the Pre-AP World History and Geography course, schools select one of
two available pathways. This encourages a deep study of a few historical periods and provides
an opportunity for schools to choose the pathway that is the best fit for their state standards
and district course sequences. Model lessons and assessments are based on the selected
pathway.
Both pathways begin with the study of geography and world regions.
Pathway 1 moves from geography and world regions to developments in world history
from the ancient period through c. 1450 CE.
Pathway 2 moves from geography and world regions to developments in world history
from c.1450 CE through the present.
Early Modern Period
c. 1450 to c. 1750
Modern Period
c. 1750 to c. 1914
Contemporary Period
c. 1914 to the Present
Postclassical Period
c. 600 to c. 1450
Classical Period
c. 600 BCE to c. 600 CE
Ancient Period
to c. 600 BCE
Geogr
aphy and
World Regions
Pathway 1
Pathway 2
Model Lesson and Assessment Sequence
The course map shows how components are positioned throughout
the course. As the map indicates, the course is designed to be taught
over 140 class periods (based on 45-minute class periods), for a total
of 28 weeks.
Lesson ideas along with content summaries and organizers are
provided for every learning objective (LO). In addition, source
exploration exercises with curated primary and secondary sources
and questions for analysis are included for approximately 55% of the
learning objectives.
TEACH
The model lessons demonstrate how the course framework, Pre-AP
shared principles, and Pre-AP World History and Geography areas of
focus come to life in the classroom.
Shared Principles
close observation and analysis
higher-order questioning
evidence-based writing
academic conversation
Areas of Focus
evaluating evidence
explaining historical and geographic relationships
incorporating evidence
Each unit includes two online learning checkpoints and a source-
based performance task. These formative assessments are designed
to provide meaningful feedback for both teachers and students.
A nal exam is available for administration during a six-week window
near the end of the course.
Geography and World
Regions
~35 Class Periods Total
Principles of Geography
LO G.1 Explain how geographers
use maps and data to contextualize
spatial relationships and examine
how humans organize space.
Regionalization
LO G.2 Examine the purpose,
characteristics, and limitations of
regions.
Spatial Reorganization
LO G.3 Examine the causes
and consequences of spatial
reorganization.
Learning Checkpoint 1
Human Adaptations to the Physical
Environment
LO G.4 Identify the causes and
eects of human adaptations to the
physical environment.
Comparison of World Regions
LO G.5 Compare the physical and
human characteristics of key world
regions.
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
18
Pre-AP World History and Geography
Learning Checkpoint 2
Performance Task
Source Analysis and Outline
The Ancient Period,
to c. 600 BCE
~35 Class Periods Total
Human Adaptation and Migration in the
Paleolithic World
LO 1.1 Describe the changes in
subsistence practices, migration
patterns, and technology during the
Paleolithic era.
Revolution
LO 1.2 Explain the causes and
eects of the Neolithic Revolution.
Origins of Complex Urban Societies in
the Ancient World
LO 1.3 Trace the transition from
shifting cultivation to sedentary
agriculture and the emergence of
complex urban civilization.
Pastoralism in Ancient Afro-Eurasia
LO 1.4 Explain the impact of
pastoralism as it relates to lifestyle,
environment, and sedentary societies.
Learning Checkpoint 1
State Formation in Ancient Afro-Eurasia
LO 1.5 Identify the origins,
expansion, and consolidation of the
rst Afro-Eurasian states.
Development of Ancient Afro-Eurasian
Religions
LO 1.6 Examine the continuities
and changes in the development of
ancient Afro-Eurasian religions and
their impact on the states in which
they were created.
Development of Ancient Afro-Eurasian
Societies
LO 1.7 Trace the changes in
social and gender hierarchies in
Afro-Eurasian societies from the
Paleolithic to the classical period.
Learning Checkpoint 2
Performance Task
Source Analysis and Outline
The Classical Period,
c. 600 BCE to c. 600 CE
~35 Class Periods Total
Classical Empires in East Asia
LO 2.1 Trace the origins, expansion,
and consolidation of the Han
Dynasty.
South Asian States and Dharmic
Religions
LO 2.2 Describe the growth and
key characteristics of South Asian
religious and political development.
Greek and Hellenistic States in the
Classical Mediterranean
LO 2.3 Summarize the political and
cultural impact of Greek city-states
and the Hellenistic states.
The Classical Roman Mediterranean
LO 2.4 Examine the continuities and
changes in the social, political, and
economic structures of the classical
Roman Mediterranean world.
Learning Checkpoint 1
Classical Societies in Afro-Eurasia
LO 2.5 Compare labor structures,
social hierarchies, and gender
relations in classical Afro-Eurasia.
Encounters in the Classical World
LO 2.6 Trace the origins and assess
the impact of long-distance overland
and maritime trade in Afro-Eurasia
during the classical period.
The End of Classical Empires and the
Consequences in Afro-Eurasia
LO 2.7 Summarize the
consequences of the collapse of the
Han and Roman empires during the
classical period.
Learning Checkpoint 2
Performance Task
Source Analysis, Outline, and Essay
The Postclassical Period,
c. 600 to c. 1450
~35 Class Periods Total
Early Islamic States
LO 3.1 Describe the origins,
expansion, and consolidation of the
rst Islamic states.
and European Kingdoms
LO 3.2 Compare the political,
economic, and cultural structures of
eastern and western Europe.
Postclassical States in East Asia
LO 3.3 Examine political continuity
and change in postclassical China.
The Mongols and the Revitalization of
the Silk Roads
LO 3.4 Explain the causes and
consequences of the origin and
expansion of the Mongol Empire.
Learning Checkpoint 1
Trans-Saharan Trade and the Spread of
Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa
LO 3.5 Trace the development and
impact of trans-Saharan trade.
the Indian Ocean Basin
LO 3.6 Examine the causes and
eects of long-distance trade in the
Indian Ocean basin.
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
19
Pre-AP World History and Geography
Postclassical Americas
LO 3.7 Compare the political,
economic, and cultural structures of
the Maya, Inca, and Aztec states.
Learning Checkpoint 2
Performance Task
Source Analysis, Outline, and Essay
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
20
Pre-AP World History and Geography
Model Lesson and Assessment Sequence
The course map shows how components are positioned throughout
the course. As the map indicates, the course is designed to be taught
over 140 class periods (based on 45-minute class periods), for a total
of 28 weeks.
Lesson ideas along with content summaries and organizers are
provided for every learning objective (LO). In addition, source
exploration exercises with curated primary and secondary sources
and questions for analysis are included for approximately 55% of the
learning objectives.
TEACH
The model lessons demonstrate how the course framework, Pre-AP
shared principles, and Pre-AP World History and Geography areas of
focus come to life in the classroom.
Shared Principles
close observation and analysis
higher-order questioning
evidence-based writing
academic conversation
Areas of Focus
evaluating evidence
explaining historical and geographic relationships
incorporating evidence
Each unit includes two online learning checkpoints and a source-
based performance task. These formative assessments are designed
to provide meaningful feedback for both teachers and students.
A nal exam is available for administration during a six-week window
near the end of the course.
Geography and World
Regions
~35 Class Periods Total
Principles of Geography
LO G.1 Explain how geographers
use maps and data to contextualize
spatial relationships and examine
how humans organize space.
Regionalization
LO G.2 Examine the purpose,
characteristics, and limitations of
regions.
Spatial Reorganization
LO G.3 Examine the causes
and consequences of spatial
reorganization.
Learning Checkpoint 1
Human Adaptations to the Physical
Environment
Human Adaptations to the Physical
Environment
LO G.4 Identify the causes and
eects of human adaptations to the
physical environment.
Comparison of World Regions
LO G.5 Compare the physical and
human characteristics of key world
regions.
Learning Checkpoint 2
Performance Task
Source Analysis and Outline
Pre-AP World History and GeographyCourse Guide
© 2021 College Board
21
The Early Modern Period,
c. 1450 to c. 1750
~35 Class Periods Total
Causes and Consequences of Iberian
Maritime Exploration and Colonialism
LO 4.1 Summarize the impact of
new maritime technologies, shifting
patterns of global trade, and
changing political dynamics in the
creation of Iberian maritime empires.
Columbian Exchange and Atlantic
Slavery
LO 4.2 Explain the environmental
and demographic consequences of
the Atlantic system.
Origins and Impact of the Western
LO 4.3 Describe the causes and
the global, political, and economic
eects of the Atlantic system.
Early Modern Islamic Empires
LO 4.4 Compare the territorial
expansion, political structure, and
cultural facets of the early modern
Ottoman, Mughal, and Safavid
empires.
Learning Checkpoint 1
China and Russia
LO 4.5 Compare the territorial
expansion and foreign policies of
early modern China and Russia.
Early Modern Religion
LO 4.6 Examine the continuities and
changes in religions during the early
modern period.
Early Modern Western Society and
Culture
LO 4.7 Examine the continuities and
changes in early modern society and
culture.
Learning Checkpoint 2
Performance Task
Source Analysis and Outline
The Modern Period,
c. 1750 to c. 1914
~35 Class Periods Total
Causes of the Atlantic Revolutions
LO 5.1 Examine the relative impact
of the Enlightenment, imperial
rivalry, and social polarization on the
outbreak of revolutions.
LO 5.2 Describe the long-term social
and political impact of the Atlantic
Revolutions.
The First Industrial Revolution
LO 5.3 Explain the origins and
signicance of the rst industrial
revolution.
The Second Industrial Revolution
LO 5.4 Trace the continuities and
changes between the rst and
second industrial revolutions.
Learning Checkpoint 1
Imperial Expansion in the Late 19th
Century
LO 5.5 Describe the continuities
and changes in 19th-century
imperialism.
Reactions to Imperialism
LO 5.6 Compare the responses to
imperialism in the 19th century.
Consequences of Industrialization
LO 5.7 Explain the social, political,
and demographic eects of
industrialization in the 19th century.
Learning Checkpoint 2
Performance Task
Source Analysis, Outline, and Essay
The Contemporary Period,
c. 1914 to the Present
~35 Class Periods Total
Pre-AP World History and Geography
Origins and Outcomes of World War I in
Global Context
LO 6.1 Trace the origins of World
War I and its immediate outcomes in
global perspective.
Russia, and China
LO 6.2 Compare the results of
revolutions in Mexico, Russia, and
China.
The Global Economy and the State
Between the Wars
LO 6.3 Identify the reasons for the
expansion of government power
and the emergence of authoritarian
regimes in Europe and Japan.
World War II and the Decline of Empires
LO 6.4 Explain the causes and
eects of World War II.
L
earning Checkpoint 1
LO 6.5
A Global Cold War
Compare the impact of the
Cold War in the developed and the
developing worlds.
Foundations of Contemporary
Globalization
LO 6.6 Explain the origins of
contemporary globalization.
Impact of Contemporary Globalization
LO 6.7 Analyze the extent to which
contemporary globalization resulted
in social, cultural, political, and
environmental change.
Learning Checkpoint 2
Performance Task
Source Analysis, Outline, and Essay
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
22
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Pre-AP World History and Geography Course
Framework
Based on the Understanding by Design® (Wiggins and McTighe) model, the Pre-AP World
History and Geography Course Framework is back mapped from AP expectations and aligned
to essential grade-level expectations. The framework serves as a teacher's blueprint for the
Pre-AP World History and Geography instructional resources and assessments.
The course framework was designed to meet the following criteria:
The framework provides a deep focus on a limited number of concepts and skills
that have the broadest relevance for later high school and college success.
The framework’s learning objectives are observable and measurable
statements about the knowledge and skills students should develop in the course.
The framework is manageable for a full year of instruction, fosters the ability
to explore concepts in depth, and enables room for additional local or state standards to
be addressed where appropriate.
The framework’s learning objectives are designed to provide all students,
across varying levels of readiness, with opportunities to learn, grow, and succeed.
The Pre-AP World History and Geography Course Framework provides a cohesive, clear
plan for teachers that identifies essential content to target in service of skill-based learning
objectives. Both course pathways include four units. Each unit includes five to seven key
concepts and approximately seven weeks of instruction. The course is designed to be flexible
enough for teachers to integrate additional topics associated with district or state curriculum
maps.
In contrast to many social studies curricula that favor either skills or content, this course
challenges students to follow the example of historians and geographers by using both to
pursue disciplinary investigations. To ensure that relevant relationships are prioritized over
isolated facts, the key concepts, learning objectives, and essential knowledge statements
work together to emphasize the connections between historic and geographic developments.
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
23
Pre-AP World History and Geography Course Framework
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
The Pre-AP World History and Geography Course Framework includes:
Areas of Focus: Connected Disciplinary Skills
Key Concepts
Although units emphasize different topics, they are all designed to foster the disciplinary skills
of evaluating evidence, explaining historic and geographic relationships, and incorporating
evidence. Throughout each unit, students need regular opportunities to practice the skills and
to receive feedback on their progress.
Skill Alignment with AP
The course skills illustrate clear targets for instruction and assessment that can also support
class discussion and student reflection. Despite this emphasis on specificity and accessibility,
each area of focus and its associated skills has direct connections with the AP History Skills
and Practices. Below is a brief description of how each area of focus aligns to specific skill
categories in AP.
Evaluating Evidence
Skill articulations from this area of focus prepare students for AP Historical Thinking Skills
2 and 3 (sourcing and situation, claims and evidence in sources) and AP Human Geography
Course Skills 3 and 4 (data analysis, source analysis)
Explaining Historical and Geographic Relationships
Skill articulations from this area of focus prepare students for all of the reasoning processes
used in AP history courses (comparison, causation, continuity and change) and AP Historical
Thinking Skill 5 (making connections) as well as AP Human Geography Skill 2 (spatial
reasoning).
Incorporating Evidence
Skill articulations from this area of focus prepare students for AP Historical Thinking Skills 4
and 6 (contextualization, argumentation).
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
24
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Pre-AP World History and Geography Course Framework
Key Concept
A brief identication of the
development or concept
to be be explored.
Learning Objectives
These objectives dene
what a student needs
to be able to do with
essential knowledge to
explain the underlying
historic and geographic
relationships between
developments and
concepts. The learning
objectives serve as
actionable targets
for instruction.
Essential Knowledge Statements
The essential knowledge statements
are linked to the learning objectives.
These statements describe the
knowledge required to perform
the learning objective(s).
KEY CONCEPTS
To support teacher planning and instruction, each unit is organized by key concepts. Each key
concept includes a corresponding learning objective and essential knowledge statements.
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
34
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
THE POSTCLASSICAL PERIOD, C. 600 TO C. 1450
Key Concept
Learning Objective
Students will be able to ...
Essential Knowledge
Students need to know that ...
Early Islamic States
LO 3.1 Describe the origins,
expansion, and consolidation
of the first Islamic states.
EK 3.1.A Origins and basic tenets of Islam
Islam, a religion informed by Abrahamic and Arab traditions and the teachings of
Muhammad, began in the seventh century on the Arabian Peninsula.
EK 3.1.B Establishment and expansion of the Arab Umayyad Caliphate
After Muhammad’s death, Sunni and Shi’a traditions of Islam developed, and his
successors and the Umayyad caliphs established an Arab empire that adapted Byzantine
political structures and expanded to South Asia and the Iberian Peninsula.
EK 3.1.C State consolidation, cosmopolitanism, and the Abbasid Caliphate
The Abbasid Caliphate continued Umayyad practices of qualified religious tolerance,
created a cosmopolitan state that adapted Persian political and cultural traditions, and
supported scholarship of global significance.
Postclassical States:
Byzantine Empire and
European Kingdoms
LO 3.2 Compare the political,
economic, and cultural
structures of eastern and
western Europe.
EK 3.2.A Governmental structures of Byzantium and western Europe
In the feudal kingdoms of western Europe, the Roman church and the monarchs competed
for political authority while emperors in the Byzantine Empire maintained imperial rule
through control of both the state and the Eastern Orthodox church, especially after the
East–West Schism.
EK 3.2.B Economic foundations of Byzantium and western Europe
While the western territories of the former Roman Empire fractured into independent
kingdoms reliant on manorialism and agriculture, the Byzantine Empire developed a
sophisticated urban economy.
EK 3.2.C The Crusades
Starting in the 11th century, popes endorsed multiple military campaigns to reclaim the
Holy Land and expand Catholic influence on the peripheries of Europe, which destabilized
the Byzantine Empire, intensified Mediterranean trade, and expanded economic and
cultural interactions between the Islamic world and western Europe.
Postclassical States in East
Asia
LO 3.3 Examine political
continuity and change in
postclassical China.
EK 3.3.A Neoconfucianism and state building in postclassical China
China reunited in the seventh century with a strong bureaucratic government that initially
supported Buddhism but later utilized Confucian principles and restored the imperial
examination system.
EK 3.3.B Economic foundations of the Tang and Song dynasties
The Tang Dynasty's land redistribution system increased tax revenue from free peasants,
expanded state investment in infrastructure projects, and promoted agricultural and
artisanal production.
EK 3.3.C Imperial expansion and fragmentation in the Tang and Song dynasties
The Tang Dynasty expanded imperial borders but collapsed in the wake of internal conflict,
leading to the Song Dynasty.
Pre-AP World History and Geography Course Framework
WHG_CG_CONF.indd 34 17/03/20 2:49 AM
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
25
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Pre-AP World History and Geography Course Framework
AREAS OF FOCUS: CONNECTED DISCIPLINARY SKILLS
The following tables articulate the disciplinary skills that students should develop while
building knowledge of each unit's key concepts. Each skill is aligned to a Pre-AP World History
and Geography area of focus and assessed through the learning checkpoints, performance
tasks, and final exam.
Course assessments are designed around the goal that students fully master the skills in
the left column and demonstrate consistent proficiency of skills in the center column. While
the skills in the right column may be explored in Pre-AP with grade-appropriate scaffolds,
independent proficiency of these skills is a goal reserved for AP courses.
Evaluating Evidence
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
25
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Pre-AP World History and Geography Course Framework
AREAS OF FOCUS: CONNECTED DISCIPLINARY SKILLS
The following tables articulate the disciplinary skills that students should develop while
building knowledge of each unit's key concepts. Each skill is aligned to a Pre-AP World History
and Geography area of focus and assessed through the learning checkpoints, performance
tasks, and final exam.
Course assessments are designed around the goal that students fully master the skills in
the left column and demonstrate consistent proficiency of skills in the center column. While
the skills in the right column may be explored in Pre-AP with grade-appropriate scaffolds,
independent proficiency of these skills is a goal reserved for AP courses.
Explain the degree to which
patterns or contradictions
found in evidence can be
plausibly interpreted.
Explain how additional
evidence can support,
modify, or refute a source’s
claim or argument.
Explain the significance of
a source’s point of view,
purpose, historical situation,
and/or audience, including
how these might limit the
use(s) of a source.
Evaluating Evidence
Analyzing Primary Sources
Analyzing Secondary Sources
Assessing Patterns in Quantitative and Qualitative Evidence
Identify relevant
information in a source
Identify a key claim
and/or argument in a
source.
Identify basic patterns
found in evidence.
Identify and explain a source’s
point of view, purpose,
historical situation, and/or
audience.
Explain how the author
supports a claim or argument
with evidence.
Explain patterns and identify
potential contradictions found
in evidence.
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
26
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Pre-AP World History and Geography Course Framework
Explaining Historical and Geographic Relationships
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
26
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Explain the relative
importance of different
causes and effects of
specific historical/geographic
developments or processes.
Explain how similarities
and differences between
historical/geographic
developments or processes
reflect underlying factors or
trends.
Explain significant turning
points and broad patterns
of continuity within a given
time and place.
Explaining Historical and Geographic Relationships
Causation
Comparison
Continuity and Change over Time
Identify patterns of
continuity and/or
change over time.
Explain patterns of continuity
and/or change over time.
Identify the similarities
and/or differences
between historical/
geographic
developments or
processes.
Explain relationships between
causes and effects of
specific historical/geographic
developments or processes.
Explain relevant similarities
and/or differences between
specific historical/geographic
developments or processes.
Identify causes and
effects of a specific
historical/geographic
development or
process.
Write a defensible claim
that incorporates diverse
evidence and addresses
counterclaims to develop a
complex argument.
Explain how specific
examples of historically
relevant evidence support an
argument while accounting
for contradictory evidence.
Explain how broader
contexts inform a historical/
geographic development or
process.
Incorporating Evidence
Describe a historical/
geographic context
for a specific
historical/geographic
development or
process.
Describe specific
examples of historically
relevant evidence.
Explain how specific
examples of historically
relevant evidence support an
argument.
Explain how a specific
historical/geographic
development or process is
situated within a broader
historical context.
Claims
Supporting Evidence
Contextualization
Write a defensible
claim.
Write a defensible claim
that establishes a line of
reasoning.
Pre-AP World History and Geography Course Framework
Incorporating Evidence
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
26
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Explain the relative
importance of different
causes and effects of
specific historical/geographic
developments or processes.
Explain how similarities
and differences between
historical/geographic
developments or processes
reflect underlying factors or
trends.
Explain significant turning
points and broad patterns
of continuity within a given
time and place.
Explaining Historical and Geographic Relationships
Causation
Comparison
Continuity and Change over Time
Identify patterns of
continuity and/or
change over time.
Explain patterns of continuity
and/or change over time.
Identify the similarities
and/or differences
between historical/
geographic
developments or
processes.
Explain relationships between
causes and effects of
specific historical/geographic
developments or processes.
Explain relevant similarities
and/or differences between
specific historical/geographic
developments or processes.
Identify causes and
effects of a specific
historical/geographic
development or
process.
Write a defensible claim
that incorporates diverse
evidence and addresses
counterclaims to develop a
complex argument.
Explain how specific
examples of historically
relevant evidence support an
argument while accounting
for contradictory evidence.
Explain how broader
contexts inform a historical/
geographic development or
process.
Incorporating Evidence
Describe a historical/
geographic context
for a specific
historical/geographic
development or
process.
Describe specific
examples of historically
relevant evidence.
Explain how specific
examples of historically
relevant evidence support an
argument.
Explain how a specific
historical/geographic
development or process is
situated within a broader
historical context.
Claims
Supporting Evidence
Contextualization
Write a defensible
claim.
Write a defensible claim
that establishes a line of
reasoning.
Pre-AP World History and Geography Course Framework
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
27
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
GEOGRAPHY AND WORLD REGIONS
Key Concept
Learning Objective
Students will be able to ...
Essential Knowledge
Students need to know that ...
Principles of Geography
LO G.1 Explain how
geographers use maps and
data to contextualize spatial
relationships and examine
how humans organize space.
EK G.1.A Maps convey representations of space, place, and location through symbols,
keys, scale, and other manners of representation.
EK G.1.B Maps reflect political and cultural contexts and prioritize, exclude, or distort
information to serve a variety of purposes.
EK G.1.C Geographers examine human and environmental patterns across space and time
by synthesizing empirical data and maps with other primary and secondary sources.
EK G.1.D Geographers use geospatial data, satellite technologies, and geographic
information systems (GIS) to organize, represent, and reexamine human and environmental
patterns across space and time.
Regionalization
LO G.2 Examine the
purpose, characteristics,
and limitations of regions.
EK G.2.A Regions are created to organize space based on human or physical
characteristics and patterns of human and physical activity, which change over time.
EK G.2.B Types of regions include formal, functional, and perceptual/vernacular.
EK G.2.C Regions vary in scale from local to global, and places can be located in multiple
regions.
EK G.2.D Regional boundaries are transitional and are sometimes contested and/or
overlapping.
Spatial Reorganization
LO G.3 Examine the causes
and consequences of spatial
reorganization.
EK G.3.A Spatial organization shapes and is shaped by patterns of economic activity,
cultural diffusion, and political developments.
EK G.3.B Spatial organization shapes and is shaped by birth and mortality rates, which are
influenced by cultural, economic, environmental, and political factors.
EK G.3.C Spatial, economic, political, environmental, and cultural factors in sending and
receiving societies contribute to migration.
EK G.3.D Migrations impact the demographic characteristics of both sending and receiving
societies, which influence spatial organization as well as economic, political, and cultural
development.
Pre-AP World History and Geography Course Framework
Course Guide
© 2021 College Board
Pre-AP World History and Geography
28
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Key Concept
Learning Objective
Students will be able to ...
Essential Knowledge
Students need to know that ...
Human Adaptations to the
Physical Environment
LO G.4 Identify the causes
and effects of human
adaptations to the physical
environment.
EK G.4.A Scarcity and surplus of natural resources shape patterns of exchange and
transportation networks.
EK G.4.B Individuals and societies adapt to their environments through innovations in food
production, manufacturing, and technology.
EK G.4.C Human adaptations and activities can result in the modification of environments
and the long-distance diffusion of plants, animals, and pathogens.
EK G.4.D Human interactions with the environment have intended and unintended
consequences, including alterations to landscapes and changes in biodiversity.
Comparison of World
Regions
LO G.5 Compare the physical
and human characteristics of
key world regions.
EK G.5.A Regions can be defined by physical characteristics, including climate, biomes,
landforms, and bodies of water.
EK G.5.B Regions can be defined by cultural characteristics, including patterns of
language, religion, ethnicity, foodways, and traditions.
EK G.5.C Regions can be defined by population characteristics, including population
density, fertility rates, and mortality rates, as well as by patterns of human development,
which can be quantified using quality-of-life measures.
EK G.5.D Regions can be defined by their level of economic development as well as by
their primary (agriculture and resource extraction), secondary (manufacturing), and tertiary
(service) activities.
EK G.5.E Regions can be defined by political characteristics, including organization of
states and territories, structures of government, and rules for political participation.
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THE ANCIENT PERIOD, TO C. 600 BCE
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Human Adaptation and
Migration in the Paleolithic
World
LO 1.1 Describe the changes
in subsistence practices,
migration patterns, and
technology during the
Paleolithic era.
EK 1.1.A Technology and human adaptation to the environment during the Paleolithic
period
Humans developed increasingly diverse and sophisticated tools, including multiple uses of
fire, as they adapted to the environment.
EK 1.1.B Cultural and social development in the Paleolithic world
Language facilitated communal social organization and the spread of ideas and
technologies.
EK 1.1.C Global spread of humans during the Paleolithic period
Humans successfully adapted to a variety of habitats and migrated from Africa to populate
both hemispheres.
Causes and Effects of the
Neolithic Revolution
LO 1.2 Explain the causes
and effects of the Neolithic
Revolution.
EK 1.2.A Causes of the Neolithic Revolution
In response to environmental change and population pressure, humans domesticated
animals and cultivated plants.
EK 1.2.B Effects of the Neolithic Revolution
Human populations grew as a result of animal domestication, shifting agriculture, and new
technology, and this growth had an increasing impact on the environment.
EK 1.2.C Development and diffusion of Neolithic communities
Neolithic communities developed in, and then spread from, West Asia, East Asia,
Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, the Americas, and Papua New Guinea.
Origins of Complex Urban
Societies in the Ancient
World
LO 1.3 Trace the transition
from shifting cultivation to
sedentary agriculture and
the emergence of complex
urban civilization.
EK 1.3.A Transition from shifting to sedentary agriculture
The use of fertilization and terracing facilitated sedentary agriculture and village
communities.
EK 1.3.B Formation of hydrologic systems in early ancient Eurasian civilizations
Complex hydrologic systems and bronze tools led to the development of ancient river
valley civilizations.
EK 1.3.C Formation of American civilizations in the absence of hydrologic systems
Ancient Olmec and Chavin civilizations arose through sophisticated terracing and
intercropping.
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Pastoralism in Ancient
Afro-Eurasia
LO 1.4 Explain the impact of
pastoralism as it relates to
lifestyle, environment, and
sedentary societies.
EK 1.4.A Animal domestication and the origin of pastoral lifestyles
The domestication of animals provided stable sources of meat, milk, and other animal
products, but required mobility for water and grazing.
EK 1.4.B Expansion of pastoralism and human environmental interaction
The grazing needs of livestock altered the local landscape and reduced biodiversity.
EK 1.4.C Pastoral interactions with sedentary communities
Pastoralists both raided and traded with sedentary communities in order to diversify their
diets and acquire goods.
State Formation in Ancient
Afro-Eurasia
LO 1.5 Identify the origins,
expansion, and consolidation
of the first Afro-Eurasian
states.
EK 1.5.A Origins of the first states in Afro-Eurasia
Political, religious, and economic elites emerged and extracted resources and labor from
sedentary farmers and other producers to form and defend states.
EK 1.5.B Expansion of tributary states
The reliance on tribute encouraged states to expand through military conquest and
political alliances.
EK 1.5.C Consolidation of ancient Afro-Eurasian states
Numeric calculation and writing facilitated record keeping and the establishment of legal
codes that led to the consolidation of ancient Afro-Eurasian states.
Development of Ancient
Afro-Eurasian Religions
LO 1.6 Examine the
continuities and changes in
the development of ancient
Afro-Eurasian religions and
their impact on the states in
which they were created.
EK 1.6.A Declining significance of animism in complex urban societies
With the formation of cities and states, polytheistic religions shifted focus from the control
of nature to human concerns.
EK 1.6.B Use of religion in establishing political authority
Leaders of ancient Afro-Eurasian states increasingly used religion and connections to the
divine to legitimize their authority.
EK 1.6.C Origins and impacts of the first monotheistic religions
Judaism and Zoroastrianism were the first monotheistic religions, and both promoted
specific moral and ethical behaviors.
Development of Ancient
Afro-Eurasian Societies
LO 1.7 Trace the changes in
social and gender hierarchies
in Afro-Eurasian societies
from the Paleolithic to the
classical period.
EK 1.7.A Establishment of specialized labor
Successful agricultural practices led to surpluses and the development of skilled
specialized labor.
EK 1.7.B Emergence of hierarchical social status
The emergence of coercive forms of labor contributed to an unequal distribution of wealth
and the formation of social and political elites.
EK 1.7.C Development of gender roles
The use of plow-based agriculture and large-scale militaries contributed to the emergence
of patriarchy.
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THE CLASSICAL PERIOD, C. 600 BCE TO C. 600 CE
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Classical Empires in East
Asia
LO 2.1 Trace the origins,
expansion, and consolidation
of the Han Dynasty.
EK 2.1.A Transition from a feudal to a centralized state under the Qin Dynasty
The Qin unified warring feudal states into a single centralized state through wars of
conquest and established law codes informed by Legalism.
EK 2.1.B Political and philosophical expansion of the Han Dynasty
The Han established an expansive centralized empire that built on Qin bureaucratic
structures by implementing systems of Confucian meritocracy.
EK 2.1.C Economic and religious foundations of the Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was characterized by Confucianism, Daoism, free labor, artistic and
economic innovation, and prosperity aided by the long-distance trade from the Silk Roads.
South Asian States and
Dharmic Religions
LO 2.2 Describe the growth
and key characteristics of
South Asian religious and
political development.
EK 2.2.A Reactions to Vedic religion and Brahmanism
Buddhism and Upanishadic Hinduism arose in late Vedic South Asia as a reaction to the
ritualism of Brahmanism.
EK 2.2.B The Mauryan Empire and the spread of Buddhism in India
Buddhism’s monastic organization and appeal to lower classes, as well as support from
merchants and the Mauryan Empire, contributed to Buddhist literary and artistic traditions
diffusing throughout South Asia.
EK 2.2.C The Gupta Empire and the revival of Hinduism in India
The Gupta Empire was characterized by advances in science and mathematics and the
sponsorship and revival of Hinduism.
Greek and Hellenistic
States in the Classical
Mediterranean
LO 2.3 Summarize the
political and cultural impact
of Greek city-states and the
Hellenistic states.
EK 2.3.A Greek philosophical traditions and state building
Greek philosophical traditions explained the natural and human world through reason and
observation and also shaped the republican and democratic forms of city-states.
EK 2.3.B Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic empires
The empire of Alexander the Great and the successor Hellenistic empires were built upon
Persian political structures and spread Greek cultural and administrative practices to West,
Central, and South Asia and North Africa.
EK 2.3.C Greek art and architecture and their spread
Greek philosophy and polytheistic religious traditions widely influenced the art,
architecture, and culture of the Hellenistic and Roman empires.
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The Classical Roman
Mediterranean
LO 2.4 Examine the
continuities and changes
in the social, political,
and economic structures
of the classical Roman
Mediterranean world.
EK 2.4.A Imperial expansion and the fall of the Roman Republic
Roman imperial expansion extended slavery, expanded the wealth of the senatorial class,
diminished the authority of a free peasantry, and contributed to the fall of the Roman
Republic.
EK 2.4.B Political and cultural foundations of the Roman Empire
Greek and Hellenistic philosophical, political, and cultural practices influenced both the
Roman Republic and Roman Empire.
EK 2.4.C The Roman imperial economy
The Roman Empire relied on the extensive use of slave labor, sophisticated transportation
infrastructures, and standardized weights, measures, and currency.
Classical Societies in Afro-
Eurasia
LO 2.5 Compare labor
structures, social hierarchies,
and gender relations in
classical Afro-Eurasia.
EK 2.5.A Labor structures in classical Afro-Eurasia
Classical economies relied on a range of labor forms, from free peasants and artisans in
Greek city-states and the Han Dynasty to slavery in the Roman Empire.
EK 2.5.B Social hierarchy in classical Afro-Eurasia
The social structures of classical societies were hierarchical—informed by economic
divisions of labor, land ownership, and commerce and reinforced by legal codes and belief
systems.
EK 2.5.C Gender relations in classical Afro-Eurasia
Patriarchal social structures continued to shape gender and family relations and were both
challenged and reinforced by belief systems.
Trade Networks and
Cultural Encounters in the
Classical World
LO 2.6 Trace the origins
and assess the impact of
long-distance overland
and maritime trade in Afro-
Eurasia during the classical
period.
EK 2.6.A Transportation technologies and long-distance overland trade
The elite demand for luxury goods stimulated the first phase of the Silk Roads, which
were secured by empires such as the Roman and Han and enabled by new transportation
technologies.
EK 2.6.B Silk Roads and the spread of Buddhism
Mahayana Buddhism spread from South Asia to parts of Central Asia and China via
merchants and missionaries along the Silk Roads.
EK 2.6.C Early trade in the Indian Ocean and cultural and technological diffusion
Knowledge of the monsoons and new maritime technologies stimulated long-distance
trade within the Indian Ocean basin and facilitated the spread of Hinduism and other Indic
cultural practices to Southeast Asia and the diffusion of new crops to East Africa.
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The End of Classical
Empires and the
Consequences in Afro-
Eurasia
LO 2.7 Summarize the
consequences of the
collapse of the Han and
Roman empires during the
classical period.
EK 2.7.A Collapse of the Han Dynasty
Nomadic frontier incursions and excessive state expropriation of resources led to the
erosion of Han imperial authority as local warlords gained power.
EK 2.7.B Collapse of the Roman Empire
Political instability rooted in the challenges of defending an extensive frontier facilitated
Germanic invasions that contributed to the collapse of the western portions of the Roman
Empire.
EK 2.7.C Spread of Buddhism and Christianity
Christianity and Mahayana Buddhism, facilitated by transportation infrastructures,
standardized written forms, and religious messages of salvation and spiritual equality,
spread in the wake of collapsing empires.
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THE POSTCLASSICAL PERIOD, C. 600 TO C. 1450
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Early Islamic States
LO 3.1 Describe the origins,
expansion, and consolidation
of the first Islamic states.
EK 3.1.A Origins and basic tenets of Islam
Islam, a religion informed by Abrahamic and Arab traditions and the teachings of
Muhammad, began in the seventh century on the Arabian Peninsula.
EK 3.1.B Establishment and expansion of the Arab Umayyad Caliphate
After Muhammad’s death, Sunni and Shi’a traditions of Islam developed, and his
successors and the Umayyad caliphs established an Arab empire that adapted Byzantine
political structures and expanded to South Asia and the Iberian Peninsula.
EK 3.1.C State consolidation, cosmopolitanism, and the Abbasid Caliphate
The Abbasid Caliphate continued Umayyad practices of qualified religious tolerance,
created a cosmopolitan state that adapted Persian political and cultural traditions, and
supported scholarship of global significance.
Postclassical States:
Byzantine Empire and
European Kingdoms
LO 3.2 Compare the political,
economic, and cultural
structures of eastern and
western Europe.
EK 3.2.A Governmental structures of Byzantium and western Europe
In the feudal kingdoms of western Europe, the Roman church and the monarchs competed
for political authority while emperors in the Byzantine Empire maintained imperial rule
through control of both the state and the Eastern Orthodox church, especially after the
East–West Schism.
EK 3.2.B Economic foundations of Byzantium and western Europe
While the western territories of the former Roman Empire fractured into independent
kingdoms reliant on manorialism and agriculture, the Byzantine Empire developed a
sophisticated urban economy.
EK 3.2.C The Crusades
Starting in the 11th century, popes endorsed multiple military campaigns to reclaim the
Holy Land and expand Catholic influence on the peripheries of Europe, which destabilized
the Byzantine Empire, intensified Mediterranean trade, and expanded economic and
cultural interactions between the Islamic world and western Europe.
Postclassical States in East
Asia
LO 3.3 Examine political
continuity and change in
postclassical China.
EK 3.3.A Neoconfucianism and state building in postclassical China
China reunited in the seventh century with a strong bureaucratic government that initially
supported Buddhism but later utilized Confucian principles and restored the imperial
examination system.
EK 3.3.B Economic foundations of the Tang and Song dynasties
The Tang Dynasty's land redistribution system increased tax revenue from free peasants,
expanded state investment in infrastructure projects, and promoted agricultural and
artisanal production.
EK 3.3.C Imperial expansion and fragmentation in the Tang and Song dynasties
The Tang Dynasty expanded imperial borders but collapsed in the wake of internal conflict,
leading to the Song Dynasty.
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The Mongols and the
Revitalization of the Silk
Roads
LO 3.4 Explain the causes
and consequences of the
origin and expansion of the
Mongol Empire.
EK 3.4.A Origins and development of the Mongol Empire
Under Genghis Khan and his descendants, the Mongols of Central Asia conquered much
of Eurasia, creating a large nomadic empire that stretched from East Asia to West Asia and
eastern Europe.
EK 3.4.B Expansion of the Mongol Empire and the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty
Kublai Khan expanded the Mongol presence in Asia, conquering the Song Dynastyand
establishing the Yuan Dynasty, where he and his descendants ruled through traditional
Chinese institutions but accepted Muslims, Christians, and Buddhists.
EK 3.4.C Biological consequences of Silk Road exchange
Silk Road trade, which the Mongols had revived, was instrumental in spreading the bubonic
plague and contributing to dramatic demographic and social changes in western Europe.
Trans-Saharan Trade and
the Spread of Islam in Sub-
Saharan Africa
LO 3.5 Trace the
development and impact of
trans-Saharan trade.
EK 3.5.A Origins and foundations of trans-Saharan trade routes
The introduction of the camel facilitated the development of regular trade routes in which
gold, salt, and slaves were exchanged from the western Sahara to West Africa and the
Mediterranean.
EK 3.5.B State building in the West African Sahel
The states of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai arose in the West African Sahel at transshipment
points for the regulation and taxation of trans-Saharan trade in the arable Niger River
valley.
EK 3.5.C Spread and impact of Islam in sub-Saharan Africa
Trans-Saharan trade routes diffused Islam to sub-Saharan Africa, while the spread of
literacy and the Arabic script facilitated record keeping, state building, and West African
connections to Muslim global trade networks.
Long-Distance Trade and
Diffusion in the Indian
Ocean Basin
LO 3.6 Examine the causes
and effects of long-distance
trade in the Indian Ocean
basin.
EK 3.6.A The establishment of Swahili city-states
Indian Ocean trade led to the establishment of coastal city-states in East Africa and the
spread of Swahili, a Bantu language containing many Arabic elements.
EK 3.6.B Maritime technologies and the expansion of trade in the Indian Ocean basin
Improvements in maritime technologies and expanding global demand for spices, luxury
goods, slaves, gold, and silver contributed to a significant increase in trade within and
around the Indian Ocean basin.
EK 3.6.C Spread of technologies, cultural practices, and flora and fauna in the Indian
Ocean basin
The expansion of trade in the Indian Ocean basin contributed to the diffusion of Islam and
Buddhism to Southeast Asia as well as the westward spread of Asian technologies.
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Postclassical Americas
LO 3.7 Compare the political,
economic, and cultural
structures of the Maya, Inca,
and Aztec states.
EK 3.7.A Governmental structures of the Maya, Inca, and Aztec states
Political structures in the classical and postclassical Americas varied from stateless
societies to the confederated city-states of the Maya, the tributary empire of the Aztecs,
and the centralized administration of the Inca Empire.
EK 3.7.B Economic foundations of the Maya, Inca, and Aztec states
The three principal civilizations in the Americas were associated with long-distance
trade and handicrafts and based on intensive agricultural production and varied forms of
coercive labor.
EK 3.7.C Maya, Inca, and Aztec cultural and religious practices
The Maya, Inca, and Aztec rulers leveraged their perceived divine status and support from
a priestly class to maintain control over large populations.
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THE EARLY MODERN PERIOD, C. 1450 TO C. 1750
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Causes and Consequences
of Iberian Maritime
Exploration and Colonialism
LO 4.1 Summarize the
impact of new maritime
technologies, shifting
patterns of global trade, and
changing political dynamics
in the creation of Iberian
maritime empires.
EK 4.1.A The search for direct access to African and Asian markets
The Iberian Reconquista, growing western European demand for trade goods,
and a desire to lower costs prompted traders to seek direct access to Asian
markets and West African gold.
EK 4.1.B Diffusion of Asian maritime technology
The diffusion of Asian and Muslim maritime technologies and Arab geographic
knowledge, incorporated with European metallurgical and woodworking skills,
enabled Portuguese and Spanish exploration of the South Atlantic and beyond.
EK 4.1.C Iberian maritime colonization
The Portuguese established atrading-postempire in Africa and Asia, while the
Spanishutilized metal and gunpowder weaponry to establish colonies in the
Americas as Amerindian states and societies weredepleted by disease.
Columbian Exchange and
Atlantic Slavery
LO 4.2 Explain the
environmental and
demographic consequences
of the Atlantic system.
EK 4.2.A Columbian Exchange
Trade and migration from Afro-Eurasia to the Americas resulted in the exchange
of flora, fauna, and diseases, which promoted food security and demographic
expansion in Afro-Eurasia while devastating many Amerindian populations.
EK 4.2.B The formation of plantation and extractive economies
European demand for crops, such as sugar and tobacco, and the global
demand for silver resulted in the development and expansion of plantation and
extractive economies in the Americas.
EK 4.2.C Coercive labor systems and the transatlantic slave trade
The demographic decline of the Amerindian population and the increased
demand for labor from growing plantation and extractive economies led to
increased use of coercive forms of labor, such as slavery.
Origins and Impact of the
Western European Empires
in the North Atlantic
LO 4.3 Describe the causes
and the global, political, and
economic effects of the
Atlantic system.
EK 4.3.A State building in northwestern Europe
As the Spanish Empire declined, England, France, and the Netherlands
centralized systems of taxation, government, and defense and established
colonial settlements in North America and trading settlements and colonies in
Asia and Africa.
EK 4.3.B Competition among western European empires
Western European maritime empires enacted mercantilist policies and
established economic innovations such as joint-stock companies to finance
colonial settlement in the Americas and promote trade.
EK 4.3.C Global consequences of the Atlantic economy
As Japanese silver production declined, American production met Chinese
demands for silver, facilitating new levels of global economic integration.
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Early Modern Islamic
Empires
LO 4.4 Compare the
territorial expansion, political
structure, and cultural facets
of the early modern Ottoman,
Mughal, and Safavid empires.
EK 4.4.A Territorial expansion and military innovation
Diffusion of gunpowder and the use of cannons and firearms contributed to the territorial
growth of the early modern Islamic empires and the decline of local nomadic societies in
Central Asia.
EK 4.4.B Cosmopolitanism in the early modern Islamic empires
The Mughal and Ottoman empires promoted social and political cohesion by enacting
policies and practices of limited religious tolerance.
EK 4.4.C Varieties of religious policies in early modern Islamic empires
Islamic empires differed in their treatment of Sufis and often engaged in political and
imperial conflicts that were religious in nature.
Land-Based Empires: Early
Modern China and Russia
LO 4.5 Compare the
territorial expansion and
foreign policies of early
modern China and Russia.
EK 4.5.A Ming and Qing imperial expansion
After China experienced nearly three centuries of stability under the Ming Dynasty, the
Manchu invaded China, established the Qing Dynasty, and doubled China's imperial
territory through military conquest and tribute-based diplomacy while maintaining
Confucian principles.
EK 4.5.B Russian imperial expansion
The spatial reorganization and eastward expansion of the Russian state after the collapse
of the Golden Horde led to a trans-Eurasian state and diminished the autonomy of Central
Asian and Siberian nomadic societies.
EK 4.5.C Russian and Chinese engagement with the West
By the late 18th century, Russian imperial policies promoted the importation of Western
goods, technology, and culture, while Qing China continued to have relatively limited
contact with the West.
Early Modern Religion
LO 4.6 Examine the
continuities and changes
in religions during the early
modern period.
EK 4.6.A Sikhism and religious diffusion in the Indian Ocean basin
Sikhism arose in South Asia as a new religion, while Theravada Buddhism spread across
mainland Southeast Asia.
EK 4.6.B Early modern religious schisms
The Protestant and Catholic reformations led to religious conflicts that divided European
states and societies, promoted literacy and education, and encouraged Catholic
evangelicalism in the Americas.
EK 4.6.C New syncretic religions
Global connectivity led to new syncretic forms of religion including Vodun and other
variations of Catholicism in the Americas that accommodated and incorporated
Amerindian religious and cultural practices.
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Early Modern Western
Society and Culture
LO 4.7 Examine the
continuities and changes in
early modern society and
culture.
EK 4.7.A The Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution
The diffusion of Byzantine and Muslim scholarship of Greco-Roman texts to Europe,
the increased use of improved printing technologies, and discoveries in the Americas
contributed to the rise of humanism in the Renaissance and to the use of rationalism and
empiricism to understand the natural world during the Scientific Revolution.
EK 4.7.B Continuities in western European social hierarchies
Land ownership continued to convey social status, generate wealth, and secure political
influence in early modern societies despite the end of manorialism.
EK 4.7.C Changes in early modern social hierarchies
Commercial societies elevated the status of merchants, financiers, and urban
professionals, while chattel slavery in the Americas contributed to the development of
racial hierarchies.
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THE MODERN PERIOD, C. 1750 TO C. 1914
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Causes of the Atlantic
Revolutions
LO 5.1 Examine the relative
impact of the Enlightenment,
imperial rivalry, and social
polarization on the outbreak
of revolutions.
EK 5.1.A The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment, characterized by secular thinking and human reasoning, prompted
questioning of the role of the church in society and the divine rights of rulers.
EK 5.1.B Imperial rivalry in the Atlantic
Imperial rivalry and conflict between European maritime empires created opportunities for
independence movements.
EK 5.1.C Early modern political and social tensions
Expanding commerce and literacy as well as the growing middle class led to critiques of
social hierarchy and political and clerical privilege.
Effects of the Atlantic
Revolutions
LO 5.2 Describe the long-
term social and political
impact of the Atlantic
Revolutions.
EK 5.2.A New American states
Successful colonial wars of independence led to the creation of new states and severely
reduced the imperial presence of Spain and Great Britain in the Americas.
EK 5.2.B The French Revolution
The French Revolution and the Napoleonic Empire established a unitary nation-state with
a republican constitution, diminished clerical and landed privilege, and provided political
power to an emergent bourgeoisie.
EK 5.2.C Nineteenth-century reform movements
The Atlantic Revolutions inspired abolitionism, nationalism, republicanism, liberalism, and
emergent feminism; led to movements that eventually ended Atlantic slavery; accelerated
the creation and consolidation of nation-states; and democratized political rights.
The First Industrial
Revolution
LO 5.3 Explain the origins
and significance of the first
industrial revolution.
EK 5.3.A Origins of the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain
Access to raw materials, a tradition of machine making, surplus labor, and state
protections in Great Britain were key factors that resulted in the emergence of factories
and ushered in the first industrial revolution.
EK 5.3.B Characteristics of early industrialization
The first industrial revolution utilized inanimate sources of energy and mechanized
textile and iron production, increasing manufacturing productivity and consumerism and
accelerating resource extraction.
EK 5.3.C Spread of industrialization
The first industrial revolution spread from Britain to the United States and parts of
northwestern Europe, and by the early 19th century the West had surpassed China in
economic production.
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The Second Industrial
Revolution
LO 5.4 Trace the continuities
and changes between the
first and second industrial
revolutions.
EK 5.4.A Late 19th-century industrial innovations
The second industrial revolution witnessed the dramatic expansion of efficient and highly
capitalized forms of industrial manufacturing that were aided by the growing availability of
cheap steel and electricity during the late 19th century.
EK 5.4.B The global spread of industrialization
Germany, Russia, Japan, and the United States experienced significant leaps in industrial
growth to join Great Britain as industrial powers, prompting new levels of economic
competition.
EK 5.4.C Globalization, transportation, and information technologies
Transportation and communication innovations increased opportunities for the global
coordination and distribution of goods and facilitated unprecedented production of food
and raw materials.
Imperial Expansion in the
Late 19th Century
LO 5.5 Describe the
continuities and changes in
19th-century imperialism.
EK 5.5.A New imperialism and the second industrial revolution
New imperialism in Africa and Asia was driven by nationalism, Social Darwinism, and
economic objectives to secure raw materials and markets associated with the second
industrial revolution.
EK 5.5.B The expansion and contraction of overland empires
The Russian and Austrian empires expanded as the Ottoman and Qing empires, facing
financial, demographic, and political challenges, declined.
EK 5.5.C Neocolonialism in Latin America
Great Britain and the United States practiced economic imperialism in Latin America in
order to obtain cheap foodstuffs and raw materials and to secure markets for the export of
manufactured goods.
Reactions to Imperialism
LO 5.6 Compare the
responses to imperialism in
the 19th century.
EK 5.6.A Violent resistance to imperialism
Violent uprisings attempted by colonies and independent nations to stop or reverse
the spread of Western European imperialism often failed and resulted in tighter imperial
control.
EK 5.6.B Self-rule
In settler colonies such as Australia and Canada, local elites obtained dominion status
and self-rule, while in direct-rule colonies such as India, local elites were often co-opted
through access to Western lifestyles and education.
EK 5.6.C Modernization reform movements
The governments of the Ottoman Empire and Qing China enacted programs that aimed
to modernize their economies and militaries in efforts to withstand Western imperial
expansion.
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About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Key Concept
Learning Objective
Students will be able to ...
Essential Knowledge
Students need to know that ...
Consequences of
Industrialization
LO 5.7 Explain the social,
political, and demographic
effects of industrialization in
the 19th century.
EK 5.7.A Social changes in industrial societies
Industrialization led to rapid urbanization, new family structures, and new class identities.
EK 5.7.B Political responses to industrialization
While Marxist and socialist ideologies and trade unionism arose in response to widening
economic and social inequities, many industrialized nations expanded suffrage and
political representation in response to the growth of middle-class incomes and influence.
EK 5.7.C Migration in the 19th century
Industrialization, cheaper transportation, global agricultural markets, and the abolition of
slavery led to mass migrations of Europeans to the Americas and Russians to Central and
East Asia, as well as the global movement of East and South Asian indentured servants.
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About Pre-AP World History and Geography
THE CONTEMPORARY PERIOD, C. 1914 TO THE PRESENT
Key Concept
Learning Objective
Students will be able to ...
Essential Knowledge
Students need to know that ...
Origins and Outcomes
of World War I in Global
Context
LO 6.1 Trace the origins
of World War I and its
immediate outcomes in
global perspective.
EK 6.1.A The global origins of World War I
Nationalism, imperial rivalry, and shifting diplomatic alliances among rival European powers
led to the global outbreak and scale of World War I.
EK 6.1.B Global fronts and home fronts
With increasingly mechanized warfare and an unprecedented number of casualties, World
War I was fought between large empires on a number of global fronts, and the superior
domestic industrial production of the Allies ultimately helped them win the war.
EK 6.1.C The settlement of World War I
The Treaty of Versailles reorganized the defeated landed empires into new nation-states
and expanded the victors’ maritime empires—factors that contributed to anti-imperial
movements and the outbreak of World War II.
A New Age of Revolutions:
Mexico, Russia, and China
LO 6.2 Compare the results
of revolutions in Mexico,
Russia, and China.
EK 6.2.A The Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution began a process of social and political reform and reaction,
expropriating foreign-owned assets and gradually creating a mixed economy of state and
private investment.
EK 6.2.B The Russian Revolution and Stalinism
The Russian Revolution led to the USSR as the first Communist state, which became
increasingly nationalistic and authoritarian under Stalin, who established a planned
industrial economy.
EK 6.2.C The Chinese Revolution
The Chinese Communist Party adapted Marxism–Leninism to the needs of an agrarian
society and established a communist dictatorship under Mao Zedong that, despite
implementing the Great Leap Forward and other initiatives, struggled to create a
successful centrally planned industrial economy.
The Global Economy and
the State Between the Wars
LO 6.3 Identify the reasons
for the expansion of
government power and the
emergence of authoritarian
regimes in Europe and
Japan.
EK 6.3.A The Depression in global context
Burdened by war debt and protectionism, the global economy was further damaged by
the 1929 stock market crash and its aftermath, which led to unprecedented levels of
unemployment and state interventions in the economy and society.
EK 6.3.B Fascist states in Europe
Hostility toward the Treaty of Versailles, unemployment, and weak democratic institutions led
to fascist states in Italy and Germany that gained popular support for extreme nationalism,
territorial expansion, and racism.
EK 6.3.C Militarism in Japan
The emperor, the military, and the business community reacted to the economic
challenges of the Depression by pursuing policies of imperial expansion that exploited
weaknesses in the Meiji constitution and undermined recent efforts toward establishing a
liberal state.
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About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Key Concept
Learning Objective
Students will be able to ...
Essential Knowledge
Students need to know that ...
World WarII and the
Decline of Empires
LO 6.4 Explain the causes
and effects of World War II.
EK 6.4.A Appeasement and the origins of World War II
The appeasement and subsequent expansion of German, Italian, and Japanese empires
was the result of U.S. isolationism, economic and political weakness in Britain and France,
and the distrust between Western democracies and the USSR.
EK 6.4.B The human tragedies of World War II
World War II was the most lethal war in history, with the victims of genocide and ethnic
cleansing and the civilian casualties of mass strategic bombing far outnumbering military
casualties.
EK 6.4.C Decolonization after World War II
Disruptions and intensifications of colonial rule during the war sparked anti-imperialist
movements that used both violence and diplomacy to create postcolonial states independent
from empires that no longer had the economic or political will to sustain colonialism in the
decades after the war.
A Global Cold War
LO 6.5 Compare the
impact of the Cold War
in the developed and the
developing worlds.
EK 6.5.A The Cold War in the developed world
Though the Allies decisively defeated the Axis Powers, the growing distrust between
the U.S. and the USSR during and immediately after the war led both nations to develop
military industrial complexes, nuclear arsenals, and international military alliances,
including NATO and the Warsaw Pact.
EK 6.5.B The Cold War in the developing world
Both the U.S. and the USSR advocated for the end to Western European empires, sought to
build economic and political alliances with postcolonial states, backed rival regimes in the
developing world, and sometimes intervened directly in proxy wars.
EK 6.5.C The end of the Cold War
Soviet economic deficiencies, its Afghanistan invasion, and the U.S.’s détente with China
and accelerated military spending contributed to the ending of the Cold War.
Pre-AP World History and Geography Course Framework
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About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Key Concept
Learning Objective
Students will be able to ...
Essential Knowledge
Students need to know that ...
Foundations of
Contemporary
Globalization
LO 6.6 Explain the origins of
contemporary globalization.
EK 6.6.A Neoliberalism and transnational institutions
International organizations as well as growing neoliberalism promoted the removal of
barriers to international trade.
EK 6.6.B Postindustrialization and the Pacific basin
The massive shift of global manufacturing from the West to Asia and the Pacific basin
accelerated with the reforms of Deng Xiaoping in China and was fueled by the lower cost of
Asian labor, the freer flow of global investment, and the growth of postindustrial knowledge
economies in the U.S. and Europe.
EK 6.6.C Information, communication, and transportation revolutions
Cellular and internet communications and transportation efficiencies led to unprecedented
levels of connectivity that increased the speed of information transmission, global trade,
and migration, and contributed to the globalization of cultural practices and forms.
Impact of Contemporary
Globalization
LO 6.7 Analyze the extent
to which contemporary
globalization resulted in
social, cultural, political, and
environmental change.
EK 6.7.A Environmentalism
Global demographic expansion, accelerating consumerism, and the shift of manufacturing
to the developing world both impacted the environment and stimulated environmentalism.
EK 6.7.B Income and social inequality
Contemporary globalization has generated substantial economic growth, but income and
social inequality have continued to increase in most parts of the world.
EK 6.7.C Reactions to globalism
Religious fundamentalism and nationalism arose, sometimes in violent forms, in response
to rising cultural, economic, and political globalization.
Pre-AP World History and Geography Course Framework
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Pre-AP World History and Geography
46
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Pre-AP World History and Geography Course Framework
The course themes map out the core principles and processes of Pre-AP World History and
Geography and offer students a broad way of thinking about the discipline. These ideas cut
across all units of the course and serve as the connective tissue between key concepts,
learning objectives, and essential knowledge statements that make up the focus of each unit.
Interactions between people and places
Institutional power
Exchange and innovation
Patterns of interaction
Hierarchies and social roles
Course Guide
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Pre-AP World History and Geography
47
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Pre-AP World History and Geography
Model Lessons
Model lessons in Pre-AP World History and Geography are developed in collaboration
with history and social studies educators across the country and are rooted in the course
framework, shared principles, and areas of focus.
Pre-AP World History and Geography
model lessons and accompanying student resources embody the Pre-AP approach
to teaching and learning. Model lessons provide instructional support to teachers as
they guide students in their investigations of historic and geographic relationships. The
source-exploration activities offer student practice in examining primary and secondary
sources based on the course learning objectives. Also included for each key concept is an
Expanding Essential Knowledge resource, which provides background information to help
students contextualize primary sources.
Commentary and analysis embedded in each lesson
highlight not just what students and teachers do in the lesson, but also how and why they
do it. This educative approach provides a way for teachers to gain unique insight into key
instructional moves that are powerfully aligned with the Pre-AP approach to teaching and
learning.
Teachers have the option to use any or all model lessons alongside their own locally developed
instructional resources.
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Pre-AP World History and Geography
48
Pre-AP World History and Geography Model Lessons
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
The following support features recur throughout the Pre-AP World History and Geography
lessons to promote teacher understanding of the lesson design and provide direct-to-teacher
strategies for adapting lessons to meet their students’ needs:
Why These Sources?
Key Takeaways
Teacher Resource
© 2021 College Board
28
TEACH
Pre-AP World History
and Geography
CLASSICAL
PERIOD
Key Concept: South Asian States and Dharmic Religions
DESIGNING INSTRUCTION
Source Exploration 2.2-C: The Gupta Empire
andthe Revival of Hinduism in India
SOURCES TO EXPLORE
Source 7 Comments by Marcus du Sautoy, professor
of mathematics at the University of Oxford, on the
origins of the symbol of zero, 2017
Source 8 Excerpted from J. Michael McKnight,
Kingship and Religion in the Gupta Age, 1976
Source 9 Recent picture of one of the oldest
surviving Hindu temples, built in fifth century CE
during the Gupta Empire, located in present-day
Bhitargaon, India
Sachan Neeraj / Shutterstock
WHY THESE SOURCES?
This trio of sources was selected to help students with no prior knowledge explore the Gupta
state and the Guptas’ tradition of sponsoring Hinduism as well as the arts and sciences. The
information provided by these sources should provoke reactions from students who will likely
not know about the Guptas’ foundational contribution to mathematics, and the information will
set up some interesting comparisons with other classical states students will study.
THINKING AHEAD
What potential stumbling blocks do you see in these sources and questions? Spend a few
minutes considering students’ possible responses.
Observe-and-Analyze Questions
1. According to du Sautoy, how did
humanity’s understanding of
mathematics change in the third or
fourth century?
2. How does source 8 describe the rule
of the Guptas?
3. How does the structure pictured in
source 9 relate to sources 7 and 8?
4. Using the information provided
by the sources, revise each pair
of simple sentences into a single,
sophisticated claim supported by
detailed evidence.
They invented it. It was important.
They did some things the same.
They did some things differently.
WHG_Classical_TR_CONF.indd 28 17/03/20 4:49 AM
Why These Sources?
Provides insight into why
the sources were selected
as well as which aspects
of the course framework
the sources are intended
to introduce or illuminate.
Teacher Resource
© 2021 College Board
29
TEACH
Pre-AP World History
and Geography
CLASSICAL
PERIOD
Key Concept: South Asian States and Dharmic Religions
Source Exploration 2.2-C: The Gupta Empire andthe Revival of Hinduism in India
MEETING LEARNERS’ NEEDS
To assist novice readers, provide opportunities for students to check with a partner after
examining each source to discuss misunderstandings or apply contextual clues to difficult
vocabulary.
To encourage close observation, project or provide multiple high-resolution photographs
of the Hindu temple of Bhitargeon so that students can identify details that will introduce
them to Gupta architectural sophistication.
To build confidence with disciplinary vocabulary, ask students to compare source 9
with the Great Wall of China and monuments from the ancient period and discuss which
structures best fit the concept of monumental architecture.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Mathematicians began to think in ways that eventually led to zero being identified as a
number in its own right. The concept of zero would go on to become a “key building block”
of today’s digital world. (Q1)
The Guptas are described as taking power relatively quickly, projecting grandiose,
superhuman images of authority, and invoking religious authority. (Q2)
The fact that the Guptas sponsored the building of a Hindu temple is consistent with the
connection between the Guptas and Hindu ideals of government described in source 8.
The Gupta Empire would likely need people knowledgeable in architectural engineering
and mathematics, as suggested by source 7, to build such a complicated structure. (Q3)
Expansions of the simple sentences should communicate why the discovery and use
of the zero symbol in Gupta India was important and create accurate comparisons and
contrasts between the Gupta and Mauryan states. (Q4)
WHAT’S NEXT?
Although several centuries separate the Mauryan and Gupta empires, both states faced
similar challenges to their rule in trying to unite a religiously plural society. Have students
explore similarities in the ways that both states addressed the multiplicity of religions in
their empires.
The Gupta Empire is often considered the golden age of Hindu culture. The “South Asia,
1–500 A.D.” portion of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Heilbrunn Timeline features many
works of art that could be used for a gallery walk or jigsaw activity.
The Palace Museum (Beijing, China) provides a virtual walking tour of their exhibit “Across
the Silk Road: Gupta Sculptures and Their Chinese Counterparts During 400–700 CE,”
which illustrates how Gupta and East Asian art influenced each other.
WHG_Classical_TR_CONF.indd 29 17/03/20 4:49 AM
Oers strategies to adapt
or dierentiate instruction
to address the readiness
or interest of students. The
suggestions highlight ways to
support or reinforce the learning
with additional scaolding or
practice, vary the approach with
alternate activities, or extend
the learning with additional
investigations or challenges.
Supports lesson planning by
providing ideas for activities
to accompany the source
exploration that allow students
to deepen their understanding
of the concepts embedded
in the included sources or to
address relevant topics that
are not explicitly referenced.
Key Takeaways
Summarizes for teachers the
most important aspects of
the sources students should
explore during discussion of the
observe-and-analyze questions.
Course Guide
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Pre-AP World History and Geography
49
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Pre-AP World History and Geography Assessments
for Learning
Pre-AP World History and Geography assessments function as a component of the teaching
and learning cycle. Progress is not measured by performance on any single assessment. Rather,
Pre-AP World History and Geography offers a place to practice, to grow, and to recognize that
learning takes time. The assessments are updated and refreshed periodically.
Based on the Pre-AP World History and Geography Course Framework, the digital learning
checkpoints ask students to read and interpret a range of brief primary and secondary
sources and to respond to a targeted set of questions that measure both disciplinary
skills (such as analyzing sources) and key concepts from the unit. All learning checkpoints
are automatically scored, with results provided through feedback reports that contain
explanations of all questions and answers as well as individual and class views for educators.
Teachers also have access to assessment summaries on Pre-AP Classroom, which provide
more insight into the question sets and targeted learning objectives for each assessment
event.
The following tables provide a synopsis of key elements of the Pre-AP World History and
Geography learning checkpoints.
Format Two learning checkpoints per unit
Digitally administered with automated scoring and reporting
Questions target both concepts and skills from the course
framework
Time Allocated One 45-minute class period per assessment
12–14 questions per assessment
11–13 four-option multiple choice
1–3 technology-enhanced questions
Stimulus Based 100%
Course Guide
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Pre-AP World History and Geography
50
Pre-AP World History and Geography Assessments for Learning
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Domains Assessed
Key Concepts Key concepts, learning objectives, and prioritized essential
knowledge statements from the course framework
Skills Skills are assessed with regular frequency across all learning
checkpoints:
evaluating evidence
u
analyzing primary sources
u
analyzing secondary sources
u
assessing patterns in quantitative and qualitative
evidence
Explaining historical and geographic relationships
u
causation
u
comparison
u
continuity and change over time
incorporating evidence
u
claims
u
supporting evidence
u
contextualization
Question sets include two to four questions that focus on
single or paired primary or secondary sources (including
texts, maps, and charts).
Each question set includes three types of questions:
Type 1: Analyzing Evidence: Students must draw upon
evidence solely from the source to answer the question.
Type 2: Analyzing Evidence and Disciplinary Reasoning:
Students must draw upon source and outside content
knowledge to answer the question.
Type 3: Disciplinary Reasoning: Students must extend
beyond the source and draw upon the key concepts and
learning objectives from the unit to answer the question.
Each unit includes one performance-based assessment. The Pre-AP World History and
Geography performance tasks are source analysis tasks and evidence-based questions
that are modeled after AP document-based questions but with deliberate adaptations and
scaffolds.
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Pre-AP World History and Geography
51
Pre-AP World History and Geography Assessments for Learning
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Each performance task consists of two parts, with separate scoring guidelines for evaluating
student performance and providing feedback for each part. These two components are:
Students examine a set of sources and complete three analysis
tasks that represent the building blocks for drafting a full evidence-based essay. Part 1
is included for all units and designed for a 45-minute class period, though students may
require more time for their first encounters with the task..
Students construct a full evidence-based essay using
the sources they examined in Part 1. In units three and four (the remaining two historical
periods), students should be assessed on Part 1 and Part 2, with an emphasis on Part2.
Part 2 is only applicable to units taught in the latter half of the year (the Classical and
Postclassical Periods for Pathway 1 and the Modern and Contemporary periods for
Pathway 2). It is also designed for a 45-minute class period and assumes that students
have completed Part 1.
Because schools will be teaching different historical periods based on their local curriculum
and state standards focus, both Part A and Part B are provided for each historical unit.
Teachers participating in the official Pre-AP Program will receive access to online learning
modules to support them in evaluating student work for each performance task.
Format One performance task per unit
Administered in print
Educator scored using scoring guidelines
Length One to two 45-minute class periods
Task Descriptions
Part 1: Analyzing a set of
sources, charting evidence,
creating an outline
Administered in all units
Part 2: Using the outline from
Part 1 to draft an evidence-
based essay
Only administered in units taught in the latter half of the year:
The Classical Period
The Postclassical Period
The Modern Period
The Contemporary Period
The following task and set of scoring guidelines are representative of what students and
educators encounter on the performance assessments.
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Pre-AP World History and Geography
52
Pre-AP World History and Geography Assessments for Learning
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
1
Pre-AP World History
and Geography
© 2021 College Board
Sample Performance Task
PART 1: SOURCE-ANALYSIS TASKS
Directions: Closely read and examine the sources provided in order to complete a series of
source-analysis tasks that result in a thesis statement and multiparagraph outline. The sources
and tasks relate to the following evidence-based prompt.
To what extent did the second industrial revolution (c. 1860–1914) represent a
change from the first industrial revolution (c. 1790–1860)?
Task A: Analyze the prompt and sources
Focus: Break down the prompt, access prior knowledge, and examine the evidence
Task B: Build the thesis from evidence
Focus: Synthesize the evidence, generate initial claims, and draft and contextualize the thesis
Task C: Create an essay outline
Focus: Write an introductory paragraph and outline body paragraphs using topic sentences
and supporting details
Note: The following sources have been edited for the purposes of this performance task.
The Modern Period, c. 1750 to c. 1914
Sample Performance Task.indd 1 11/03/20 3:28 PM
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Pre-AP World History and Geography Assessments for Learning
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
2
Pre-AP World History
and Geography
© 2021 College Board
The Modern Period, c. 1750 to c. 1914
Source 1
Gross Domestic Product (in millions of dollars)
Country / Region 1820 1870 1913
China 228,600 189,740 241,431
France 35,468 72,100 144,489
Germany 26, 819 72,149 237,332
India 111,417 134,882 204,242
Japan 20,739 25,393 71,653
United Kingdom/Great Britain 36,232 100,180 224,618
United States 12,548 98,374 517,383
Source: Angus Maddison, Economics professor at University of Groningen (Netherlands), Contours of the
World Economy, 2007
Source 2
Kilometers of railroad track for every 100,000 square kilometer of area
16000
14000
12000
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
1840 1860 1880 1900
Great Britain
France
Germany
Russia
Source: Brian Mitchell, International Historical Statistics, 2007
Sample Performance Task.indd 2 11/03/20 3:28 PM
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Pre-AP World History and Geography Assessments for Learning
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
3
Pre-AP World History
and Geography
© 2021 College Board
The Modern Period, c. 1750 to c. 1914
Source 3
German socialist Friedrich Engels, The Condition of the Working Class in England, 1844
The streets [of factory towns] are usually unpaved, full of holes, filthy and strewn with refuse.
Since they have neither gutters nor drains, the refuse accumulates in stagnant, stinking
puddles. The view of Manchester is quite typical. The main river is narrow, coal-black and full of
stinking filth and rubbish which deposits on the bank.
Source 4
William Alexander Abram, British journalist and historian, article, 1868
The conditions of the factory laborers has been vastly improved within the last quarter of
a century. The Hours of Labor in Factories Act, passed in 1844, worked a thorough reform.
The excessive hours of labor have been legally reduced to ten hours per day. Wages—thanks
mainly to accelerated machinery and improved working conditions—have largely increased.
Source 5
Charles Peguy, French poet and philosopher, excerpt from an untitled essay, 1913
The world has changed less in the times since Jesus Christ than it has in the last thirty years.
Sample Performance Task.indd 3 11/03/20 3:28 PM
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Pre-AP World History and Geography
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Pre-AP World History and Geography Assessments for Learning
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
4
Pre-AP World History
and Geography
© 2021 College Board
Source 6
Centers of Industrial Concentration and Growth (shaded gray), 1840
CASTILE
CATALONIA
IRELAND
ATLANTIC OCEAN
ENGLAND
WALES
SCOTLAND
EAST
RUSSIA
PRUSSIA RUSSIA
Marseille
Lyon
Limoges
St. Étienne
Paris
Rouen
Roubaix
Lille
Tourcoing
Lancaster
Manchester
Liverpool
Leeds
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Sheeld
Bristol
Birmingham
Ghent
London
Turin
Milan
Genoa
Munich
Vienna
Hamburg
Hanover
Berlin
Prague
Dresden
Danzig
Brussels
Antwerp
Cologne
Moscow
400 kilometers
400 miles0
0
Areas of industrial
concentration and growth
German confederation
boundary
FRANCE
GERMAN
CONFED-
ERATION
SPAIN
PIEDMONT
SAXONY
GREAT BRITAIN
BELGIUM
NETHER-
LANDS
DENMARK
SWEDEN
RHINE-
LAND
ITALY
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY
OTTOMAN
EMPIRE
SWITZER-
LAND
LOMBARDY
Mediterranean
Sea
North
Sea
The Modern Period, c. 1750 to c. 1914
Centers of Industrial Concentration and Growth (shaded gray), 1880
FRANCE
SPAIN
GREAT BRITAIN
ATLANTIC OCEAN
BELGIUM
NETHER-
LANDS
GERMANY
RUSSIAN
EMPIRE
DENMARK
SWEDEN
ITALY
Marseille
Barcelona
Mediterranean
Sea
Lyon
Geneva
Limoges
Le Creusot
Bilbao
Ovied
St. Étienne
Paris
Nancy
Frankfurt
Stuttgart
Le Havre
North
Sea
Turin
Milan
Verona
Genoa
Venice
Florence
Rome
Odessa
Bucharest
Belgrade
Soa
Istanbul
Sarajevo
Vienna
Graz
Budapest
Munich
Innsbruck
Zurich
Hamburg
Hanover
Berlin
Dresden
Danzig
Lodz
Warsaw
Cracow
Prague
Brussels
Reims
Amsterdam
Cologne
Moscow
Tula
St. Petersburg
400 kilometers
400 miles0
0
Areas of industrial
concentration and
growth
ROMANIA
BULGARIA
SERBIA
Essen
Aachen
Rotterdam
San Sebastián
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY
EMPIRE
Manchester
Newcastle
Liverpool
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Dublin
Belfast
Bristol
Birmingham
London
Black Sea
Source: John Merriman, A History of Modern Europe, 2009
Sample Performance Task.indd 4 11/03/20 3:28 PM
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Pre-AP World History and Geography Assessments for Learning
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
5
Pre-AP World History
and Geography
© 2021 College Board
TASK A: ANALYZE THE PROMPT AND SOURCES
To what extent did the second industrial revolution (c. 1860–1914) represent a
change from the first industrial revolution (c. 1790–1860)?
Analyze the prompt
1. Underline or circle key words in the prompt. What is the topic of this prompt? What are you
being asked to write about?
2. What do you know about this topic? List examples of prior knowledge that are relevant to
this prompt.
Analyze the documents
3. Use the table on the next page to record information that may be relevant to the prompt.
Be sure to include information from each of the sources as well as additional details from
outside the sources.
The Modern Period, c. 1750 to c. 1914
Sample Performance Task.indd 5 11/03/20 3:28 PM
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Pre-AP World History and Geography Assessments for Learning
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
6
Pre-AP World History
and Geography
© 2021 College Board
Source Notable characteristics of the first (c. 1790–
1860) and second (c. 1870–1914) industrial
revolutions
Evidence from the source
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Related
details from
outside the
sources
The Modern Period, c. 1750 to c. 1914
Sample Performance Task.indd 6 11/03/20 3:28 PM
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Pre-AP World History and Geography Assessments for Learning
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
7
Pre-AP World History
and Geography
© 2021 College Board
The Modern Period, c. 1750 to c. 1914
TASK B: BUILD THE THESIS FROM EVIDENCE
Synthesize the evidence
1. Review the details and evidence notes you recorded in Task A. Use the table below to
reorganize this information to illustrate the most relevant economic continuities and
changes between the rst and second industrial revolutions.
Characteristics of the first and second industrial revolutions
Characteristics of the first industrial
revolution
Characteristics of the second
industrial revolution
Explanation of whether
characteristic continued or
changed
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Plan your thesis
Underline the simple position below that you believe has the strongest evidence to support it.
i. The second industrial revolution was a continuation of the first industrial revolution.
ii. The second industrial revolution was a change from the first industrial revolution
2. Write two strong claims that support your choice above. Include these claims when you
write your thesis. They will also serve as topic sentences for your rst two body paragraphs.
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The Modern Period, c. 1750 to c. 1914
3. Revisit your notes on the sources. What is the most compelling counterclaim to your
position? What will your thesis need to acknowledge regarding this counterclaim? Your
answers to these questions will shape your topic sentence for your nal body paragraph.
Plan your thesis in the space below. Consider the following questions as you draft and refine
your sentence(s):
Have you directly and completely addressed the prompt?
Does your thesis go beyond the simple position chosen above to reflect the claims and
counterclaim you developed?
Do you need to use multiple sentences or words like while or although to clearly express
both continuities AND changes while maintaining a clear position?
Contextualize your thesis
What additional information would help set the stage for your overall argument? List one or
two relevant characteristics of the modern period that will contextualize your thesis.
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TASK C: CREATE AN OUTLINE
Organize and expand upon your work from tasks A and B using the following outline. On the
solid lines, write in complete sentences. On the dotted lines, write brief notes in the form of
words, phrases, or abbreviations.
The Modern Period, c. 1750 to c. 1914
Introduction (contextualize your position and state your thesis)
Context:
Thesis:
Body paragraph 1 (first claim that supports your position)
Topic sentence:
Supporting evidence:
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The Modern Period, c. 1750 to c. 1914
Body paragraph 2 (second claim that supports your position)
Topic sentence:
Supporting evidence:
Body paragraph 3 (counterclaim)
Topic sentence:
Supporting evidence:
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The Modern Period, c. 1750 to c. 1914
PART 2: EVIDENCE-BASED ESSAY
Directions: Use the sources provided and your completed source-analysis tasks from Part 1 to
respond to the following evidence-based prompt.
To what extent did the second industrial revolution (c. 1860–1914) represent a
change from the first industrial revolution (c. 1790–1860)?
Your response should include the following elements:
Contextualization: Describe a broader historical context relevant to the prompt.
Thesis: Respond to the prompt with a historically defensible thesis that establishes a line
of reasoning.
Argument development: Demonstrate a complex understanding of the historical issue
that is the focus of the prompt, using evidence to corroborate, qualify, or modify an
argument that addresses the prompt.
Use of the documents: Support the argument with evidence from at least three of the
provided documents.
Outside evidence: Provide at least two examples or additional pieces of specific evidence
beyond those found in the documents to support or qualify the argument.
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Performance Task: Scoring Guidelines
PART 1
Evaluation Criteria Available Score Points Decision Rules
Task A: Analyze
the prompt and
sources
(0–2 points)
1 point. Accurately explains the
key topic of the prompt.
To earn this point, the response must provide a clear and
accurate explanation of the key topic or topics related to
the prompt. Students can also earn this point by accurately
rephrasing the prompt in their own words.
1 point. Analyzes a majority of the
evidence.
To earn this point, thedocument chart must contain
accurate statements connecting details from at least four
documents to the prompt.
Task B: Build
your thesis from
evidence
(0–2 points)
1 point. Organizes the evidence
into categories relevant to the
prompt.
To earn this point, the student must accurately sort at
least four pieces of evidence into at least two categories.
Evidence does not have to be explained in full sentences,
but notes should indicate why the evidence fits the
category.
1 point. Provides at least two
additional pieces of relevant
evidence from outside of the
documents in note form.
To earn this point, the student must cite at least two
additional pieces of specific, relevant evidence that are not
found in the documents.
Note: Appropriate evidence cited in any response in Task A
or B can be counted toward this point.
Task C: Create an
outline
(0–5 points)
1 point. Writes a historically
defensible thesis that fully answers
the prompt and establishes a line
of reasoning.
To earn this point, the thesis must provide a defensible
answer to the prompt that incorporates multiple relevant
claims. The thesis can be more than one sentence.
1 point. Writes one or more
sentences that accurately describe
a broader historical context
relevant to the prompt.
To earn this point, the response must relate the topic of
the prompt to broader historical events, developments,
or processes that occur before, occur during, or continue
after the time frame of the question. This point is not
awarded for merely a phrase or reference.
1 point. Plans a body paragraph
by writing a full topic sentence and
outlining supporting evidence.
To earn this point, the topic sentence must make one of
the defensible claims related to the thesis and supported
by the notes on evidence.
1 point. Plans a body paragraph
by writing a full topic sentence and
outlining supporting evidence.
To earn this point, the topic sentence must make one of
the defensible claims related to the thesis and supported
by the notes on evidence.
1 point. Plans a body paragraph
by writing a full topic sentence and
outlining supporting evidence.
To earn this point, the topic sentence must make one of
the defensible claims related to the thesis and supported
by the notes on evidence.
The Modern Period, c. 1750 to c. 1914
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Performance Task
Pre-AP World History
and Geography
Teacher Resource
© 2021 College Board
PART 2
Evaluation Criteria Available Score Points Decision Rules
Thesis/Claim
(0–1 point)
1 point. Responds to the prompt
with a historically defensible thesis/
claim that establishes a line of
reasoning.
To earn this point, the thesis must make a claim that
responds to the prompt rather than restating or rephrasing
the prompt. The thesis must consist of one or more
sentences located in one place, either in the introduction
or the conclusion.
Contextualization
(0–1 point)
1 point. Describes a broader
historical context relevant to the
prompt.
To earn this point, the response must relate the topic of
the prompt to broader historical events, developments,
or processes that occur before, occur during, or continue
after the time frame of the prompt. This point is not
awarded for merely a phrase or reference.
Evidence
(0–3 points)
Evidence from the documents
1 point. Uses at least three
documents to address the topic of
the prompt.
OR
2 points. Uses at least five
documents to support an
argument in response to the
prompt.
To earn one point, the response must accurately
describe—rather than simply quote—the content from at
least three of the documents.
To earn two points, the response must accurately
describe—rather than simply quote—the content from
at least five documents and use the content of the
documents to support an argument in response to the
prompt.
Evidence beyond the documents
1 point. Uses at least two
additional pieces of specific
historical evidence (beyond
the documents) relevant to an
argument about the prompt.
To earn this point, the response must accurately describe
the evidence and must use more than a phrase or
reference. This additional piece of evidence must be
different from the evidence used to earn the point for
contextualization.
Analysis and
reasoning
(0–1 point)
1 point. Demonstrates a
complex understanding of the
historical issue that is the focus
of the prompt, using evidence to
corroborate, qualify, or modify
an argument that addresses the
prompt.
To earn this point, the response must corroborate,
qualify, or modify an argument by explaining how diverse
or alternative views or evidence can explain multiple
disciplinary facets, such as:
both similarity and difference
both continuity and change
multiple causes
both cause and effect
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Pre-AP World History and Geography Assessments for Learning
About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Pre-AP World History and Geography includes a final exam featuring multiple-choice and
technology-enhanced questions as well as open-response questions. The final exam is a
summative assessment designed to measure students’ success in learning and applying
the knowledge and skills articulated in the Pre-AP World History and Geography Course
Framework. The final exam's development follows best practices such as multiple levels of
review by educators and experts in the field for content accuracy, fairness, and sensitivity.
The questions on the final exam have been pretested, and the resulting data are collected
and analyzed to ensure that the final exam is fair and represents an appropriate range of the
knowledge and skills of the course.
The final exam is designed to be delivered on a secure digital platform in a classroom setting.
Educators have the option of administering the final exam in a single extended session or two
shorter consecutive sessions to accommodate a range of final exam schedules.
Multiple-choice and technology-enhanced questions will be delivered digitally and scored
automatically with detailed score reports available to educators. This portion of the final exam
is designed to mirror the question styles and formats of the learning checkpoints; thus, in
addition to their formative purpose, the learning checkpoints provide practice and familiarity
with the final exam. The open-response questions, modeled after the performance tasks,
will be delivered as part of the digital final exam but are designed to be scored separately by
educators. Scoring guidelines are provided for the open-response questions.
The following tables provide a synopsis of key elements of the Pre-AP World History and
Geography Final Exam.
Format Digitally administered with automated scoring and reporting
Questions target both concepts and skills from the course
framework
Time Allocated One 105-minute session or two sessions of 60 minutes and
45 minutes
47–52 questions
four-option multiple-choice questions
technology-enhanced questions
one multipart open-response question
Scoring Automatic scoring for multiple-choice and technology-
enhanced questions
Educator scoring for open-response question
Comprehensive score reports with individual student and
class views for educators
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Domains Assessed
Key Concepts Key concepts, learning objectives, and prioritized essential
knowledge statements from the course framework
Skills Evaluating evidence
analyzing primary sources
analyzing sources
Assessing patterns in quantitative and qualitative
evidence
Explaining historical and geographic relationships
causation
comparison
continuity and change over time
Incorporating evidence
claims
supporting evidence
contextualization
Question sets include two to four questions that focus on
single or paired primary or secondary sources (including
texts, maps, and charts).
Each question set includes three types of questions:
Type 1: Analyzing Evidence: Students must draw on
evidence solely from the source to answer the question.
Type 2: Analyzing Evidence and Disciplinary Reasoning:
Students must draw on source and outside content
knowledge to answer the question.
Type 3: Disciplinary Reasoning: Students must extend
beyond the source and draw on the key concepts and
learning objectives from the unit to answer the question.
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The following questions are representative of what students and educators encounter on the
learning checkpoints and final exam.
Directions: Questions 1–3 are based on the image below. Examine the image and then choose
the best answer to each question.
The Maitreya Buddha (center) sitting on a throne, found in the Mogao Buddhist cave
complex, located in northwestern China, c. 397–439
Maitreya Buddha was a bodhisattva who would appear in the future to teach the pure
dharma.
Marcin Szymczak / Shutterstock
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1. The image best supports which conclusion?
(A) Buddhist shrines displayed Roman cultural inuences.
(B) Buddhists rejected displays of material wealth.
(C) Buddhism maintained earlier cultural inuences as it spread.
(D) Buddhism adopted Confucian traditions.
Assessment Focus
Question 1 is an example of a Type 2 question that measures both disciplinary reasoning
skills and sour
ce analysis skills. Students must apply the knowledge and skills they gained
from the unit when answering this image-based question. The caption identies the location
of the statue as Northwestern China, but Buddhism originated in South Asia. The fact that
this sculpture in the Mogoa Cave contains many elements similar to Classical Buddhist art in
South Asia suggests that Buddhism maintained many of its original cultural inuences as it
spread to other areas.
Evaluating evidence and explaining historic and geographic relationships, continuity
and change over time
2. Which choice most directly contributed to the creation of this artwork in this place and
time?
(A) The growing trade of luxury goods along the Silk Roads
(B) The improved knowledge of monsoons in the Indian Ocean basin
(C) The diusion of new crops from Southeast Asia to East Africa
(D) The rise of regional Chinese warlords in response to the decline of the Han
Assessment Focus
Question 2 is an ex
ample of a Type 2 question that measures both disciplinary reasoning
skills and sourc
e analysis skills. Students must apply the knowledge and skills they gained
from the unit when answering this image-based question. The Silk Roads and a demand
for foreign luxury goods helped create the transportation routes that facilitated the spread
of Buddhism to China. This sculpture’s existence is evidence that Buddhism was now a
prevalent belief system in some regions of China.
Trace the origins and assess the impact of long-distance overland and
maritime trade in Afro-Eurasia during the classical period. (LO 2.6)
Evaluating evidence and explaining historical and geographic relationships, causation
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About Pre-AP World History and Geography
3. What was an important contributing factor to both the development of the Silk Roads
and Indian Ocean trade routes?
(A) Improved knowledge of weather patterns and monsoons
(B) New transportation technology that made travel more ecient
(C) Imperial investment in infrastructure and military protection
(D) Gupta policies that focused on spreading Indic culture as widely as possible
Assessment Focus
Question 3 is an example of a Type 3 question, where students must use content knowledge
outside of the sour
ce to determine the best answer. Over the course of the classical oeriod,
new transportation technologies developed that improved people’s ability to travel by
both land and sea. Innovations, such as the use of camels as a form of transportation and
improved sails on ships, contributed to the development and use of trade routes along the
Silk Road and in the Indian Ocean.
Trace the origins and assess the impact of long-distance overland and
maritime trade in Afro-Eurasia during the classical period. (LO 2.6)
Explaining historical and geographic relationships
Directions: Questions 4–6 are bas
ed on the passage below. Read the passage, and then
choose the best answer to each question.
The Azamgarh Proclamation. Published in the English-language Delhi Gazette a week
after British forces suppressed the Indian Rebellion in 1857. Originally written in Urdu
in the name of the Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, at the onset of the Sepoy
Rebellion.
It is well known to all, that in this age the people of India, both Hindus and Muslims,
are being ruined under the tyranny and oppression of the English. To provide
information to the public, this proclamation is being circulated publicly.
Section I. Regarding Zamindars [wealthy land owners]
The British government have imposed high taxes, and have disgraced and ruined
several zamindars who are summoned into court, arrested, put in jail, and disgraced.
Section II. Regarding Merchants
The treacherous British government have monopolized the trade of all the fine and
valuable merchandise, such as cotton cloth, leaving only the trade of cheap goods
to the people. Even with cheap goods, they impose taxes and fees.
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Section III. Regarding Artisans
It is clear that, by the introduction of English manufactured goods into India, the
cotton weavers and others involved in producing cotton fabrics are unemployed and
have become beggars.
Since Europeans are the enemies of both the Hindu and Muslim religions, the
guardians of the religions are required to participate in the holy war.
Whoever shall still cling to the British government, all his estates shall be
confiscated, and his property plundered, and he himself, with his whole family, shall
be imprisoned, and put to death.
4. What was most likely the author’s intended purpose for the passage?
(A) to connect Indian arguments for independence to the ideals of French and British
Enlightenment authors
(B) to convince South Asians that British rule has been harmful to many groups
(C) to outline reforms that will help the Mughal Empire better compete with Great
Britain’s manufacturing economy
(D) to harm Great Britain’s economy through a coordinated boycott of English goods
Assessment Focus
Question 4 is an example of a Type 1 question that requires students to draw directly
upon e
vidence from the primary source in order to answer the question. The text provides
examples of how British rule has been harmful to many groups, specically mentioning Hindu
people, Muslim people, merchants, and cotton weavers.
Evaluating evidence
5. Why might British officials have translated and republished this passage in English
after the Indian Rebellion of 1857 ended?
(A) To frame the British actions taken to crush the revolt as an acceptable response
(B) To promote English as the language that can unite the peoples of South Asia
(C) To lessen religious tensions by emphasizing the common cause of Hindus and
Muslims
(D) To legitimize the authority of the Mughal emperor as the British governor of South
Asia.
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About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Assessment Focus
Question 5 is an example of a Type 2 question that measures both disciplinary reasoning
skills and sour
ce analysis skills. Students must apply the knowledge and skills they gained
from the unit when answering this source-based question. British military actions could be
more easily portrayed as necessary for self-defense if the Mughal emperor’s advocacy for
plundering and murdering those who failed to join the rebellion were republished and widely
circulated after the fact.
Compare the responses to imperialism in the 19th century. (LO 5.6)
Evaluating evidence and explaining historic and geographic relationships
contextualization
6. Which choicemost accurately illustrates how the passage represents a continuity
from a previous century?
(A) Protestant leaders in the 1600s frequently called on people to set aside all
religious dierences for a common goal.
(B) Qing ocials in the 1600s frequently protested the negative impactof aggressive
European trading practices.
(C) European states in the 1700s frequently supported the end of government-
established monopolies.
(D) North American revolutionaries in the 1700s frequently protested imperial policies
of high taxes and political suppression.
Assessment Focus
Question 6 is an example of a Type3 question, where students must use content knowledge
outside of the sour
ce in order to determine the best answer. The text, published in 1857,
provides an argument supporting rebellion against British imperial policies, which illustrates
continuity from the North American protests and rebellion of the 1700s.
Compare the responses to imperialism in the 19th century. (LO 5.6)
Explaining historic and geographic relationships, continuity and change over time
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About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Pre-AP World History and Geography
Course Designation
Schools can earn an official Pre-AP World History and Geography course designation by
meeting the requirements summarized below. Pre-AP Course Audit Administrators and
teachers will complete a Pre-AP Course Audit process to attest to these requirements. All
schools offering courses that have received a Pre-AP Course Designation will be listed in the
Pre-AP Course Ledger, in a process similar to that used for listing authorized AP courses.
The school ensures that Pre-AP frameworks and assessments serve as the foundation
for all sections of the course at the school. This means that the school must not
establish any barriers (e.g., test scores, grades in prior coursework, teacher or counselor
recommendation) to student access and participation in Pre-AP World History and
Geography coursework.
Teachers have read the most recent Pre-AP World History and Geography Course Guide.
Teachers administer each performance task and at least one of two learning checkpoints
per unit.
Teachers and at least one administrator per site complete a Pre-AP Summer Institute
or the Online Foundational Module Series. Teachers complete at least one Online
Performance Task Scoring Module.
Teachers align instruction to the Pre-AP World History and Geography Course Framework
and ensure their course meets the curricular requirements summarized below.
The school ensures that the resource requirements summarized below are met.
The course provides opportunities for students to develop understanding of the Pre-AP
World History and Geography key concepts and skills articulated in the course framework
through the four units of study.
The course provides opportunities for students to engage in the Pre-AP shared
instructional principles.
u
close observation and analysis
u
evidence-based writing
u
higher-order questioning
u
academic conversation
The course provides opportunities for students to engage in the three Pre-AP World
History and Geography areas of focus. The areas of focus are:
u
evaluating evidence
u
explaining historic and geographic relationships
u
incorporating evidence
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About Pre-AP World History and Geography
The instructional plan for the course includes opportunities for students to continue to
practice and develop disciplinary skills.
The instructional plan reflects time and instructional methods for engaging students in
reflection and feedback based on their progress.
The instructional plan reflects making responsive adjustments to instruction based on
student performance.
The school ensures that participating teachers and students are provided computer and
internet access for completion of course and assessment requirements.
Teachers should have consistent access to a video projector for sharing web-based
instructional content and short web videos.
The school ensures that students have access to a range of primary and secondary
sources outside of the Pre-AP instructional materials (either through textbook and
ancillary materials or online source materials).
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About Pre-AP World History and Geography
Accessing the Digital Materials
Pre-AP Classroom is the online application through which teachers and students can
access Pre-AP instructional resources and assessments. The digital platform is similar to AP
Classroom, the online system used for AP courses.
Pre-AP coordinators receive access to Pre-AP Classroom via an access code delivered after
orders are processed. Teachers receive access after the Pre-AP Course Audit process has
been completed.
Once teachers have created course sections, students can enroll in them via access codes.
When both teachers and students have access, teachers can share instructional resources
with students, assign and score assessments, and complete online learning modules; students
can view resources shared by the teacher, take assessments, and receive feedback reports to
understand progress and growth.
INCLUDES
Approach to
teaching and
learning
Course map
Course framework
Sample
assessment
questions
Pre-AP
®
World History
and Geography
COURSE GUIDE
preap.org/WHG-CG
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