A Full-Year Middle School History Curriculum, Grades 6–9
If you need an entire year of middle school history for Grades 6–9, the XXL History Teaching Bundle gives you one set of units running from ancient Greece and Rome to the Cold War and European integration. Every unit comes with informational texts, differentiated worksheets, source tasks, creative writing, editable files, answer keys and assessment rubrics, plus a skills strand on source analysis and historical judgment.
See the XXL History Bundle →The XXL History Teaching Bundle – Grades 6 to 9 costs $249.90 and covers all major periods for a full year: ancient Greece and Rome, the Middle Ages, the early modern era, modern history and the contemporary era, plus skills training in source analysis, historical judgment and critical thinking. Every unit includes informational texts, differentiated worksheets, source tasks, creative writing, editable files, answer keys and assessment rubrics. It is a digital download available right after purchase.
The resources
XXL History Teaching Bundle, Grades 6–9
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
XXL History Teaching Bundle – Grades 6 to 9 | Complete Curriculum
World History: Complete Curriculum Bundle: Projects, Activities & Lessons (1000+ pages)
XXL Medieval History Bundle – Black Death, Feudalism & Society
Complete History Teaching Bundle: Lesson Plans, Worksheets & Resources Teachers
Teach-Life-Balance: The Complete Time-Saving Course for Teachers (incl. Planner, Guides & Templates)
The real problem
Why a whole year is hard to assemble
Covering history from the Greek city-states to the end of the Cold War in one school year is a long arc, and the hard part is keeping it coherent. Teachers who build their own year usually end up with uneven pieces: a rich unit on Rome they wrote years ago, a thin week on the Reformation, and a rushed World War II section squeezed into May. Reading levels jump from unit to unit, and assessment is inconsistent because each piece came with its own quiz style or none at all. Skills suffer most. Students may analyze a source in October and not see another until March, so they never get fluent at asking who made it, when and why. A year that spans Grades 6 to 9 also has to work for a wide range of readers. And because history departments are often small, the person building the year is frequently the same person teaching five sections and coaching after school. What helps is a single set where every period has the same structure, the same kinds of tasks and the same assessment tools, with skills practice running through all of it.
Why it fits
What the bundle gives a full-year teacher
Every unit follows the same structure, so students learn the routine once and you spend the year teaching history rather than explaining new formats.
- Ancient civilizations units on Greece and Rome open the year with daily life and political systems.
- Middle Ages units cover feudalism, the Black Death, knights, and village and city life.
- Early modern units on the Reformation, exploration and absolutism bridge medieval and modern history.
- Modern history units on industrialization, labor movements and democracy set up the twentieth century.
- Contemporary units on WWII, the Cold War and European integration close the year.
- A skills strand on source analysis, historical judgment and critical thinking runs across every period.
Getting started
Setting up the year
A suggested approach. The bundle does not include a calendar, so the time per period is yours to decide.
- Divide the year by periodAssign the five periods to blocks of your school year, leaving more time for periods your students know least. Many teachers give the modern and contemporary eras extra weeks.
- Weave in the skills strandPlace source analysis and historical judgment lessons early in the first period, then return to them in each later block so students build the same skills across centuries.
- Edit the first unit to your classOpen the editable files for the opening unit and adjust names, reading length or task wording. Doing one unit carefully shows you how much adapting the rest will need.
- Set your assessment routinePick one rubric to use for every source task and creative writing piece. Using the same rubric all year lets students see their own progress.
- Stock up on copies by periodPrint or upload the texts and differentiated worksheets for one period at a time. That keeps preparation manageable and lets you adjust the next period based on how this one went.
What to buy
What to buy for a 6–9 history year
The XXL History Teaching Bundle at $249.90 is the full-year purchase for Grades 6–9 history. If you want to go deeper into the Middle Ages, the XXL Medieval History Bundle ($19.99) adds perspective writing, visual interpretation and modern pandemic comparisons for the Black Death. If your course is world history rather than mainly European periods, compare the World History Complete Curriculum Bundle ($249.90, 1000+ pages), which adds topics such as decolonization and indigenous peoples. For a smaller budget, the Complete History Teaching Bundle ($69.90) offers lesson plans and source activities for Grades 5–9. Teach-Life-Balance ($89.90) is a separate course on managing teacher workload.
Honest limits
What the bundle leaves to you
There is no dated pacing calendar; you decide how long each period runs. The bundle is organized around the major periods listed, so if your course requires specific regions or national history in depth, you will need additional material. It makes no alignment claim, so check it against your own requirements. Copies, devices and any learning platform are yours. Using it across a team needs a short message to Teach Lessons first. Within 7 days, if it is not a fit, you can exchange it for store credit of equal value; there is no cash refund.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is it aligned to state standards or endorsed by an organization?
No. It is written for history in Grades 6 to 9 and covers the periods and skills listed on the product page, but it makes no alignment or endorsement claim with any state, national or district framework. Compare the units with your own course requirements, especially if your state expects specific regional or national history.
Is it really enough for a whole year?
It covers all major periods from ancient civilizations to the contemporary era, plus a skills strand, and it is intended to fill a full year. How far you get depends on how much time you give each period, how often your class meets and how deeply you go into source tasks and creative writing. Some teachers trim units to fit; others add local material.
Can I change the worksheets?
Yes, the files are editable. You can adjust reading length, wording, names or examples to match your students, which is useful across a range as wide as Grades 6 to 9. Many teachers edit the first unit carefully and then make smaller changes to later units once they know how their classes respond to the standard format.
How is student work assessed?
Every unit includes answer keys and assessment rubrics. The answer keys cover worksheets with clear answers, while the rubrics work well for source tasks and creative writing, where there is no single correct response. Using the same rubric across periods also lets students compare their own work from autumn and spring.
What does creative writing look like in a history unit?
Units include creative writing tasks alongside source work. They give students a different way to show understanding of a period, for example by writing from the viewpoint of someone living through it. Read them before teaching to decide which ones suit your class, and use the rubrics so creative pieces are still graded on historical accuracy.
When do I get the files?
Immediately after purchase. A download link arrives by email and the files remain in your customer account under Orders, so you can download them again on another computer. Since the bundle covers a whole year, it is worth saving it in an organized folder structure by period as soon as it arrives.
From Athens to the Berlin Wall in one download
Open the product page to see every period and unit component before you plan the year.
See the XXL History Bundle →