explain how World History B covers standards 10.6-10.11 and the grades 9-10 literacy standards, make the UC A-G area A case, and plan pacing that protects the performance tasks.
World History B is the second half of the full-year course. It covers California standards 10.6-10.11: the effects of the First World War, the rise of totalitarianism, the Second World War and the Holocaust, the postwar world and the Cold War, nation-building in the contemporary world, and the integration of the world economy and the information revolution. Every one of the 30 content standards and sub-standards in 10.6-10.11 is cited at least once, and every unit cites RH.9-10, WHST.9-10 and SL.9-10 literacy standards and at least one HSS.9-12 analysis skill.
The A-G area A case. The course meets the three expectations UC reviewers bring to a history course. Students read primary sources written for adult readers in every unit: the Fourteen Points, the Treaty of Versailles, the Balfour Declaration, poetry of the war generation, the secret protocol of the Nazi-Soviet Pact, the Nuremberg record, Executive Order 9066 and the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, the Truman Doctrine, the North Atlantic Treaty. They write at least 3,500 words across the semester, including a 1,200-1,500 word comparative research paper with at least six sources, and every summative task goes through a plan, a peer-reviewed draft, a revised final and a presentation or defense. And they weigh named interpretations: Keynes and MacMillan on the peace; Arendt and her critics on totalitarianism; Browning and Goldhagen on perpetrators; the party’s 1981 verdict and Dikötter on Mao; Kotkin and others on the Soviet collapse.
Literacy standards as method. RH.9-10.7 (integrating quantitative and qualitative analysis) is heavier in B than in A: the hyperinflation chart, the Nazi vote shares, the human-cost table with ranges, and growth and poverty data in Unit 4. WHST.9-10.7 and 9-10.8 (research) culminate in the comparative paper. SL.9-10.5 (digital media) is assessed in the Unit 2 presentation.
Pacing. About 18 weeks: Unit 1 in weeks 1-5, Unit 2 in 6-10, Unit 3 in 11-14, Unit 4 in 15-18. Unit 2 is long because the Holocaust seminar runs two sessions; do not compress it. Plan a full week for each culminating task and more for the research paper, which needs library or database time.
What to cut, in order. Optional TimelineJS and StoryMapJS routes (the paper alternatives earn equal credit); half of each lesson’s formative widgets; one seminar round, run as a written exchange; the Unit 3 case cards reduced from five arenas to three. Never cut the Holocaust seminar’s second session, the peer-review stage of any task, or the Unit 4 research paper, which carries the semester’s research standards (WHST.9-10.7). If the calendar is badly squeezed at the end of the year, shorten the research paper to 900-1,100 words with four sources rather than removing it.
End-of-year pressures. Unit 4 falls in the season of state testing, events and absences. Start the research proposal (Stage 1) during Unit 3 so that students have their question and sources before Unit 4 begins.
Where the standards are taught
| Standard | Topic | Primary unit |
|---|---|---|
| 10.6 | The peace settlements, borders, refugees, disillusionment | Unit 1 |
| 10.7 | The Russian Revolution, Stalin, the totalitarian regimes | Unit 1 |
| 10.8 | Roads to war, the war, the Holocaust, human costs | Unit 2 |
| 10.9 | Postwar power, the UN and alliances, containment, China, the Middle East, the Soviet collapse | Unit 3 |
| 10.10 | Nation-building in Africa, Mexico, China and the Middle East | Unit 4 |
| 10.11 | Globalization and the information revolution | Unit 4 |
What to cut, in order
| If you lose | Cut | Never cut |
|---|---|---|
| 2-3 days | Optional digital tool routes; half the formative widgets | Peer review in any task |
| A week | One seminar round as written exchange; Unit 3 case cards cut to three arenas | Holocaust seminar’s second session |
| More than a week | Research paper shortened to 900-1,100 words and four sources | The research paper itself |
When should students begin the Unit 4 research proposal?
How confident are you that you can explain how the semester meets the standards and A-G, and pace it to protect the tasks?