Middle School World History Curriculum for International Schools Abroad
Teachers at American and international schools abroad can download World History Complete – Middle School and teach a U.S.-style grades 6–8 world history course without importing textbooks. Its 190+ resources run from early civilizations to global interactions and train students to read sources, maps and timelines. For a classroom of students from many countries, the focus on cultural exchange and global connections fits naturally.
View the curriculum →World History Complete – Middle School, from $149.90, is a digital world history course for grades 6–8 that international schools can use the day they buy it. It covers early, classical, medieval and early modern civilizations, belief systems, cultural exchange and global interactions, with source analysis, maps and timelines. It is written for U.S. middle school classrooms. International schools should confirm with their curriculum coordinator and accreditor how it fits their program.
The curriculum
World History Complete – Middle School, Grades 6–8
Start with the full curriculum. The other resources below are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
World History Complete – Ready-to-Use Curriculum for Middle School History
World History: Complete Curriculum Bundle: Projects, Activities & Lessons (1000+ pages)
XXL History Teaching Bundle – Grades 6 to 9 | Complete Curriculum
Complete History Teaching Bundle: Lesson Plans, Worksheets & Resources Teachers
Civics Complete – Ready-to-Use Curriculum for Middle School Civics
The real problem
Teaching world history to students from the whole world
An international school's history classroom is unusual. Students may have studied the Roman Empire in Italy, the Mughal Empire in India, or neither, depending on where they went to school last. Some families expect the American middle school sequence; others assume a British or national system. The class itself holds a dozen nationalities, so a course that views the world from one country's angle quickly feels narrow, and students notice when their own region gets a single paragraph. Then there is the sourcing problem. American world history textbooks are heavy, expensive to ship and slow to clear customs. Local materials follow the host country's curriculum and may be written in another language. History also brings sensitive moments: a lesson on empires or belief systems can touch on the history of students' own families or host country. You need a course that covers many regions and eras with real sources, that treats exchange and connection between cultures as a central idea, and that arrives without a shipping container. It should also handle the steady flow of students joining and leaving mid-year.
Why it fits
Why it suits an international school
The content and the format both answer problems specific to teaching history abroad.
- Units on global connections and cultural exchange suit a class drawn from many countries.
- Coverage spans many regions and eras rather than one national story.
- Primary and secondary source lessons let students compare perspectives from different cultures.
- Maps and timelines give English learners visual anchors alongside the reading.
- Instant digital access avoids textbook shipping, customs fees and delayed arrivals.
- Units can be taught individually, so mid-year arrivals can join at a clear start.
Getting started
Getting started at a school abroad
One approach for the opening weeks, built around the realities of international teaching:
- Store files on campusDownload the materials and save copies to a school drive so slow or restricted internet in your country never blocks a lesson. Keep a backup on your own laptop too.
- Ask what students already studiedIn week one, have students note which civilizations and eras they covered at previous schools. It shows you overlaps and gaps across the class. Use it when grouping students.
- Open with global connectionsBegin with a lesson on cultural exchange or trade networks. Students quickly see their home regions as part of the story. Trade routes work especially well here.
- Add a host-country sourceWhen a unit touches your host region, bring in a local museum object, map or text. It links the course to where students live now.
- Track completed unitsKeep a simple record of which units each student finished. When families relocate, you can tell the next school what was covered. Families often appreciate it.
Which version
Picking the right version
The $149.90 version, with 190+ resources, is the full world history course. The $189.90 version adds Teach-Life-Balance, a digital course with planner, guides and templates for managing time. Many international teachers also lead trips and activities, so it may help, but it adds no history content. If your school also asks you to teach civics in a U.S. model, adding Civics Complete – Middle School with TEACHMORE15 gives 15% off. Be aware that its government units focus on U.S.-style structures.
Honest limits
What it does not do
It is not built around your host country's national history requirements or the IB framework. Extra local sources and images come from you. It assumes a U.S.-style classroom, so ask your curriculum coordinator to confirm how it fits your accreditation and program. Department colleagues can use it once you have sent Teach Lessons a short message. If it is not right for you, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value; there is no cash refund.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Does it meet our accreditor's or U.S. state standards?
Teach Lessons does not claim it does, and no accreditor or standards body has endorsed it. It is written for U.S. middle school classrooms, which suits American-model international schools. Your curriculum coordinator should compare its units with the framework your accreditation review uses before you adopt it.
Is it too focused on Western history for our students?
It spans early civilizations and ancient societies, classical civilizations and belief systems, medieval worlds and global connections, early modern cultural exchange and global interactions. That breadth gives you room to highlight many regions. You can add sources from your students' home countries. Students value seeing their region in the story.
How is it delivered to schools outside the U.S.?
Digitally. You receive a download link by email right after purchase, and the files stay in your customer account under Orders. Nothing is shipped. There are no customs fees or delivery waits, and you can print as many class sets as your school needs locally.
Does it work for English learners?
It is written for U.S. middle schoolers, so it is not simplified English. Maps, timelines and images help, and differentiated worksheets offer lighter versions of tasks. Very new English learners may need extra language support. Pairing reading with a map or timeline helps those students follow the argument.
Can it run next to IB or a host-country program?
It can supply world history content and source skills, but it is not designed for IB or any national program. Compare it with your school's framework and use the units that fit. American-model schools running parallel programs can pick units that serve both. Your social studies team can decide together.
Are larger history bundles available?
The World History Complete Curriculum Bundle with 1000+ pages at $249.90 and the XXL History Teaching Bundle for grades 6–9 at $249.90 may appear as optional extras on the product page. The main curriculum is complete on its own. Decide after a semester whether you need them.
Teach a world history course built for a global class
See what is included on the product page and download the full curriculum from wherever your school is.
View the curriculum →