The resources

World History Complete – Middle School, Grades 6–8

Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.

World History Complete – Ready-to-Use Curriculum for Middle School History

Grades 6–8from $149.90

XXL History Teaching Bundle – Grades 6 to 9 | Complete Curriculum

Grades 6–9$249.90

World History: Complete Curriculum Bundle: Projects, Activities & Lessons (1000+ pages)

Grades 6–10$249.90

Middle School History Units Bundle | Black Death, Peasants, Pompeii, Industrialization, Migration & U.S. Presidents | 9 Resources | Grades 7–9

Grades 7–9$74.99

Teach-Life-Balance: The Complete Time-Saving Course for Teachers (incl. Planner, Guides & Templates)

All grades$89.90

The real problem

Teaching early humans to 1400 CE in one Grade 6 year

North Carolina splits middle school world history in two. Grade 6 is World Studies I, from the Paleolithic Era to 1400 CE. Grade 7 is World Studies II, from about 1400 CE to the modern world, and Grade 8 moves to North Carolina and United States History from the Colonial Era to contemporary times. The K–12 social studies standards behind this were adopted on February 4, 2021, and are In Review as of 2026, so a sixth-grade teacher plans with current standards while knowing revisions may follow. The real challenge in Grade 6 is span. One year has to carry students from early humans through early and classical civilizations, the rise of major belief systems and the medieval world, while also teaching them to read a source, place events on a timeline and argue about cause and consequence. Textbook chapters often move too fast for struggling readers and too slowly for strong ones. Teachers end up building source sets, map tasks and timeline activities themselves, unit by unit. What helps is material that already pairs content with historical thinking, at several levels, so you can spend your time on discussion instead of photocopying.

Why it fits

What fits World Studies I and what fits World Studies II

The program is organized by period, which makes it simple to see where each part lands in North Carolina's two-year split.

• Early civilizations and ancient societies open World Studies I near its Paleolithic starting point.
• Classical civilizations and belief systems cover the middle of the Grade 6 span.
• Medieval worlds and global connections take Grade 6 up toward its 1400 CE endpoint.
• Early modern periods, cultural exchange and global interactions give Grade 7 a starting block.
• Primary and secondary source tasks, maps and timelines build the historical thinking both grades need.
• Differentiated worksheets suit mixed-ability classes, with answer keys for quick checks.

Getting started

Using the program across Grades 6 and 7

A suggested structure, not a pacing guide. Your district calendar and the current standards decide the details.

1. Begin Grade 6 with historical thinkingOpen with the source, timeline and cause and consequence material. Students who know how to read a source and order events handle the long Grade 6 span with far less confusion.
2. Teach ancient and classical periodsMove through early civilizations, then classical civilizations and belief systems. Use the map and image tasks so students see where and when each society existed.
3. Close Grade 6 with medieval worldsThe medieval worlds and global connections units bring the class toward 1400 CE. End the year with a historical argument task drawing on the whole span.
4. Hand the early modern units to Grade 7If you share the program with a Grade 7 colleague, the early modern and global interaction units give World Studies II its first weeks. Later modern history comes from other material.
5. Add your own North Carolina layerThe program contains no North Carolina content. Add standards codes to your plans yourself and bring in any state-specific connections or assessments your district expects.

What to buy

Which history product to choose

For Grade 6 World Studies I, World History Complete – Middle School ($149.90, or $189.90 with Teach-Life-Balance) is the closest fit. If you teach Grade 7 too, the XXL History Teaching Bundle ($249.90, Grades 6–9) adds the Reformation, exploration, industrialization, World War II and the Cold War. The World History Complete Curriculum Bundle ($249.90, more than 1000 pages, Grades 6–10) suits teachers who want workbooks and project tasks from early civilizations to decolonization. For single topics such as the Black Death or Pompeii, the Middle School History Units Bundle ($74.99) is a smaller step.

See the full contents on the product page →

Honest limits

Where the program stops

Good to know

Frequently asked questions