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What are the differences between
Academic World History I & Pre-AP World History?
Required
Curriculum
Academic World History and
Geography I
Pre-AP World History
Based on LCPS and Virginia requirements.
Based on LCPS, Virginia, and College
Board requirements. Teacher will align
portions of the class with the AP World
History standards in order to prepare
students to take AP World History for their
Sophomore Year.
High
Satisfies World History and Geography I High School Credit Requirements for advanced and
School
standard diploma.
Credit
End of
End of Year World History and Geography I SOL Test is required.
Year
Assessment
GPA
No GPA bump.
.5 GPA bump on high school transcript.
Impact
How do the Readings differ between Academic World History I and Pre-AP
World History?
From World History and Geography I
Academic
From Pre-AP World History
An Excerpt from the Ancient World History: Patterns of
Interaction textbook.
An Excerpt from Duiker and Spielvogel’s World History
textbook.
The Mongol Empire
The Mongols’ Place in History
Genghis Khan died in 1277—not from violence, but
from illness. His successors, however, continued to expand his
empire. In less than 50 years, the Mongols conquered territory
from China to Poland. In so doing, they created the largest
unified land empire in history.
The Khanates
Following the death of Genghis Khan, his son Ogadai
became the Great Khan. The Great Khan headed the whole
Mongol Empire. Under his leadership, Mongol armies
commanded by Genghis’s other sons and grandsons drove
armies south, east, and west out of Inner Asia. They completed
their conquest of northern China and invaded Korea. They
leveled the Russian city of Kiev and reached the banks of the
Adriatic Sea. The cities of Venice and Vienna were within their
grasp. No one knows how far west into Europe the Mongols
might have penetrated. But Ogadai died in 1241. The
commanders were called back to their capital to elect his
successor. The westward campaign ended.
The Mongols were the last, and arguable the greatest of
the nomadic peoples who came thundering out of the steppes of
Central Asia, pillaging and conquering the territories of their
adversaries. What caused this extraordinary burst of energy, and
why were the Mongols so much more successful than their
predecessors? Historians are divided. Some have suggested that
drought and overpopulation may have depleted the available
pasture on the steppes, yet another example of the unseen
impact of environmental changes on human history. Others have
cited the ambition and genius of Genghis Khan, who was able to
arouse a sense of personal loyalty unusual in a society where
commitments were ordinarily of a tribal nature. Still others point
to his reliance on the organizational unit known as the ordos
(or-dohz), described by the historian Samuel Adshead as “a
system of restructuring tribes into decimal units whose top level
of leadership was organized on bureaucratic lines.” Although
the ordos system had been used by the Xiongnu and other
nomadic peoples before the, the Mongols applied it to create
By 1260, the Mongol Empire was divided into four
large khanates, each of them ruled by a descendant of Genghis.
These four were the Khanate of the great Khan (Mongolia and
China), the Khanate of Chagatai (Central Asia), the Ilkhanate
(Persia), and the Khanate of the Golden Horde (Russia). Kublai
Khan, a grandson of Genghis Khan, named himself the Great
Khan in 1260.
The Mongols as Rulers
Many of the areas invaded by the Mongols never
recovered. The populations of some cities were wiped out.
Even worse, the Mongols destroyed ancient irrigation systems
in areas such as the Tigris and Euphrates valleys. Thus the land
could no longer support resettlement. One Persian assessed the
destruction:
A VOICE FROM THE PAST:
There can be no doubt that even if for a thousand years
to come no evil befalls the country, yet will it not be
possible to completely repair the damage, and bring
back the land to the state in which it was formerly.
HAMD-ALLAH MUSTAWFI, The Geographical Part
of the Nuzhat al-Qulub
Over time, some Mongol rulers adopted aspects of the
culture of the people they ruled. The Ilkhans and the Golden
Horde became Muslims. The Great Khans made use of Chinese
institutions. The growing cultural differences among the
khanates contributed to the eventual splitting of the empire.
The Mongols Peace
From the mid-1200s to the mid-1300s, the Mongols
imposed stability and law and order across much of Eurasia.
This period is sometimes called the Mongol Peace. The
Mongols guaranteed safe passage of trade caravans, travelers,
and missionaries from one end of the empire to another. Trade
between Europe and Asia had never been more active. Ideas
and inventions traveled along with the trade goods. Many
Chinese innovations, such as gunpowder, reached Europe
during this period.
Other things spread along with the goods and ideas.
Some historians speculate that the epidemic of bubonic plague
that devastated Europe during the 1300s was first spread by the
Mongols. The disease might have spread along trade routes or
have been passed to others by infected Mongol troops.
For a brief period of history, the nomadic Mongols
were the lords of city-based civilizations across Asia, including
China.
disciplined military units that were especially effective against
the relatively freewheeling tactics of their rivals on the steppes
and devastating against the relatively immobile armies of
sedentary states in their path. Once organized, the Mongols used
their superior horsemanship and blitzkrieg tactics effectively,
while taking advantage of divisions within the enemy ranks and
borrowing more advanced military technology.
Once in power, however, the Mongols underlying
weaknesses eventually proved fatal. Unlike some of their
predecessors, the Mongols had difficulty making the transition
from the nomadic life of the steppes to the sedentary life of the
villages, and their unwieldy system of royal succession led to
era was just a brief interlude in the long sweep of human
history, it was rich in consequences.
The Mongols: A Reputation Undeserved?
The era of Mongol expansion has usually been
portrayed as a tragic period in human history. The Mongols’
conquests resulted in widespread death and suffering throughout
the civilized world. Nations and empires were humbled, cities
destroyed, and irrigation systems laid waste. Then, just when the
ravages of the era appeared to come to an end, the Black Death
(bubonic plague), probably carried by lice hidden in the
saddlebags of Mongol horsemen, decimated the population of
Europe and the Middle East. Some regions lost as much as onethird of their population, with severe economic consequences.
Few modern historians would dispute the brutality that
characterized Mongol expansion. But some are now beginning
to point out that beyond the legacy of death and destruction, the
Mongols also brought an era of widespread peace, known as the
Pax Mongolica, to much of the Eurasian supercontinent and
inaugurated what one scholar has described as “the idea of the
unified conceptualization of the globe,” creating a “basic
information circuit” that spread commodities, ideas, and
inventions from one end of the Eurasian supercontinent to the
other. That being said, there is no denying that the Mongol
invasions resulted in the widespread suffering and misfortune to
millions of people in their path. If there was a Mongol peace, it
was, for many, the peace of death. In any event, such conditions
were not destined to last.
How do the Test Questions differ between Academic World History I and PreAP World History?
From World History and Geography I
Academic
1.
Using the map above, which of the following places
did the Mongols conquer?
a. Arabian Peninsula
b. Venice, Italy
c. Beijing, China
d. Alexandria, Egypt
2.
What is the name of the Mongols first leader?
a. Qin Shi Huangdi
b. Tokugawa Ieyasu
c. Kublai Khan
d. Genghis Khan
3.
What is the name for the time period where trade and
travel flourished under Mongol rule?
a. Ming Dynasty
b. Pax Mongolica (Mongol Peace)
c. Pax Romana (Roman Peace)
d. Warring States Period
4.
Which of the following is the negative impact of
Mongol trade?
a. Spread of religion and ideas to new places
b. Development of new fighting techniques for
conquest
c. Spread of the Bubonic Plague (Black Death)
d. new agricultural techniques that were
damaging to the environment
5.
What type of lifestyle did the Mongols lead?
a. farming based
b. nomadic
c. industrialized
d. sea-faring
From Pre-AP World History
“Of the city of Karakorum you must know that, exclusive of the
palace of the Khan, it is not as big as the village of Saint Denis,
and the monastery of Saint Denis is ten times larger than his
palace. There are two quarters in it; one of the Saracens in
which are the markets, and where a great many Tartars gather
on account of the court, which is always near this (city), and on
account of the great number of ambassadors; the other is the
quarter of the Cathayans, all of whom are artisans. Besides these
quarters there are great palaces, which are for the secretaries of
the court. There are there twelve idol temples of different
nations, two [mosques] in which is cried the law of Muhammad,
and one church of Christians in the extreme end of the city. The
city is surrounded by a mud wall and has four gates. At the
eastern is sold millet and other kinds of grain, which, however,
is rarely brought there; at the western one, sheep and goats are
sold; at the southern, oxen and carts are sold; at the northern,
horses are sold.”
--William of Rubruck, Journey to the Eastern Parts of the
World, 1253-1255
1.
What could William of Rubruck’s account of his
journey to Karakorum be used to prove?
a. The Mongols were tolerant of many different
religious traditions in their cities.
b. The Mongols rewarded government
administrators with splendid palaces.
c. The Mongols treated women better than other
cultures.
d. The Mongols abandoned pastoralist forms of
economics in favor of settled agriculture.
2.
What was one of the most important but unintended
side effects of the Mongol drive to the west?
a. The demographic blow to Eurasian
populations caused by the Black Death.
b. The tendency of the nomadic peoples to give
up their lifestyle in preference for sedentary
agriculture.
c. The closing of the Silk Road and other major
trade routes led to isolation of the East.
d. The progressive dehydration of the central
Asian steppe.
3.
Which of the following was NOT one of the positive
aspects of Genghis Khan’s imperial rule?
a. He promised religious tolerance for many
different religious groups.
b. He promoted the growth of trade and
commerce.
c. He brought peace to much of Asia.
d. He ordered the creation of huge pastures in
northern China for the use of the Mongol
clans.
What should I expect from the Pre-AP World History
class?
READING
Students should expect to read for homework and prepare for the next class by taking notes
on a nightly basis. Sample reading passages are provided.
Students should expect to write formally through short answers on assessments that reflect
WRITING higher order thinking. Formal writing will contain, but is not limited to, compare/contrast,
continuity and change over time, and document based questions.
CRITICAL In addition to students being able to recall facts, they should be able to make historical
THINKING comparisons, evaluate changes over time, and examine causation.
ASSESSMENTS
Students are evaluated through timed quizzes and tests that include multiple choice questions
and short answer questions. The tests are modeled after the AP World History Exam in
order to prepare them for AP World History during their 10th Grade Year.
Student Feedback
Current Pre-AP Students were asked the following questions about Pre-AP at JCHS. See what they have to say
about the class below!
Are there differences between 8th Grade Civics Honors and 9th Grade Pre-AP World History? If so, can you
describe them?
 “There is more of a workload to do [in Pre-AP], the tests are harder, and you have to be independent.”
 “We cover topics from Ancient times as opposed to more modern day issues.”
Describe the homework assignments and outside workload in Pre-AP World History.
 “The homework assignments are different because instead of going to class and learning about the
topic, and then getting homework on it, your homework will be based on what you’re learning in the
next class.”
Describe the tests and quizzes in Pre-AP World History.
 “The quizzes and tests are very hard, you have to learn how to study and manage your time.”
 “It’s not like the tests are if you memorize the information you’re good. It’s more logical thinking like
you have to know this to figure out that, and then get your answer.”
What do you wish you would have known before signing up for Pre-AP World History?
 “This class is a challenge. If you want to push yourself this is a good choice. Don’t only take it for the
GPA boost though, your decision should not be based on that.”
 “I wish I had known the amount of reading and writing I would do.”
 “Be prepared and make sure you are committed to study and learn. Trust me, this class is fun if you
understand the concepts of the subject, and listen carefully in class.”
Other Questions?
Please contact the John Champe High School Social Studies Department Chair, Kimberly McDonald at
[email protected] with any other questions.