Exploring Essential Questions in World History

Essential questions are important in teaching world history because they guide instruction and promote critical thought and interpretation.

Essential questions are major, open-ended, conceptual questions that underlie how human societies have developed and changed over time.

Essential questions provide a guide for designing curriculum and lesson plans by showcasing what essential questions can look like.

The relationship between individuals and communities in world history is complex and has evolved over time.

Different countries have related to each other in various ways over time.

Some major problems and issues currently facing communities around the world include poverty, inequality, climate change, political instability, and conflict.

History has contributed to these problems through factors such as colonization, imperialism, economic exploitation, and social and political systems that perpetuate inequality.

History has shown major human problems getting solved through social movements, revolutions, policy changes, and advancements in technology and knowledge.

Physical geography determines how individuals and communities live and have lived around the world through factors such as climate, natural resources, terrain, and proximity to water sources.

Some different economic systems we have seen over the course of world histories include capitalism, socialism, feudalism, mercantilism, and centrally planned economies.