This is the second of a two-year, chronologically organized study of world history and geography. In this second year, students examine history and geography from 1500 A.D. (C.E.) to the present. Geographic influences on history will continue to be explored, so that students may learn how history and geography affect each other and therefore gain a more complete understanding of the world around them, including North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Increasing attention will be given to political boundaries that developed with the evolution of nations. Significant attention will be given to the ways in which scientific and technological revolutions created new economic conditions that in turn produced social and political changes. Noteworthy people and events of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries will be emphasized for their strong connections to contemporary issues.

The study of history rests on knowledge of dates, names, places, events, and ideas. Historical understanding, however, requires students to engage in historical thinking, to raise questions, and to marshal evidence in support of their answers. Students engaged in historical thinking draw upon chronological thinking, historical comprehension, historical analysis and interpretation, historical research, and decision making. These skills are developed through the study of significant historical substance from the era or society being studied.