The Big History Project (OER Project)

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25 sessions

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About

Big History is a unique course that looks at the history of the entire Universe, stretching 13.8 billion years into the past and all the way into the future. You’ll travel to the earliest stars, discover new chemical elements, investigate the Earth’s fiery origins, explore how life on Earth evolved, and journey through human history to see what the future may hold.
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Unit 1: What is Big History? - What’s so big about Big History? It explores all 13.8 billion years of the Universe’s history. But it’s also about you, and the tools you’ll need to examine this history—like scale switching and claim testing.
Unit 2: History of the Universe and Earth  - Why are we talking about outer space in your history class? Well, we all live on Earth, one planet in our Solar System that makes up a tiny part of our Universe. How can we know anything if we don’t start with the big picture?
Unit 3: Life - Living organisms have evolved into billions of different species since life first emerged over 3 billion years ago. While the complexity of life has increased over time, many species are extinct, which tells us life on Earth is also fragile.
Unit 4: Early Humans - We had to start somewhere. Discover the superpower that helped our earliest ancestors thrive like no other species: collective learning.
Unit 5: Agriculture & Complex Societies 10,000 BCE/12,000 BP–1500 CE - Just about everything we eat today started out on a farm. So, it’s easy to think that farming has always existed, but it hasn’t—humans invented it. As agriculture spread across the world, complex societies usually followed.
Unit 6: The Modern Age - Around 500 years ago, people lived in four distinct world zones. Our only sources of energy were the Sun and human and animal power. Understatement alert: A lot has changed since then!
Unit 7: The Future - Big History is an unfinished story. How do you think complexity will increase in the future? What do you think the next threshold of increasing complexity will be?
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What is Big History? Big History is an academic discipline that examines history from the Big Bang to the present day, connecting the cosmos, Earth, life, and humanity into a single, unified narrative. It uses a multidisciplinary approach that integrates evidence from science and the humanities to understand cause-and-effect relationships across vast scales of time and space. The goal is to provide a holistic perspective and show humanity's place within the grand story of the universe. Most of it is history heavy with a few aspects from other fields.

Tutored by

Christopher B 🇺🇸

Certified in 5 topics

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Hi! I’m Christopher, a high school sophomore passionate about learning, teaching, and helping others succeed. I’ve been tutoring through Schoolhouse.world since 8th grade, specializing in Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, History, and Computer Science. I also mentor other tutors as a Schoolhouse Tutors Host and serve as a Senior Tutor in Reading/Writing and Enrichment. I love supporting learners by breaking down challenging concepts and encouraging curiosity. Outside of tutoring, I’m interested in Math, Science, Music, Creative Writing, and Social Advocacy. My goal is to make learning accessible, engaging, and empowering for every student I work with. 6th Grade: Honors Math 6, ELA 6, Integrated Science 6, World Studies I: Beginnings of Human Society to the Emergence of the First Global Age, Beginner Band 6, Keyboarding & Basic Word Processing, Physical Education 6, Health Education 6 7th Grade: NC Math 1, ELA 7, Integrated Science 7, World Studies II: The Great Global Convergence (1400–1800) to the Present, Intermediate Band 7, Media Art, Physical Education 7, Health Education 7 8th Grade: NC Math 2, Honors ELA 8, Integrated Science 8, North Carolina and United States History, AVID 8, Advanced Dance 8, Health & Physical Education 9th Grade: English I Honors, Band Intermediate, JROTC I, Career Management, Earth & Environmental Science, NC Math 3 Honors, World History Honors, Health/Physical Education 10th Grade: Microsoft Excel Honors, NC Math 4 Honors, English II Honors, Theater Arts Beginning, AP United States Government and Politics (planned), AP Psychology (planned), NCVPS: Latin I Honors (planned), Biology Honors (planned)

Sessions

Upcoming

All

✋ ATTENDANCE POLICY

You will be withdrawn from the series if you have more than 4 lessons in a row. This is because each unit builds on the previous one. Please message me in advance for any absences!

SESSION 1

29

Nov

SESSION 1

World History

Sat 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTCNov 29, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTC

Lesson 1.1: Welcome to Big History - This isn’t your average social studies course. Big History explores the history of the Universe, Earth, life, and humanity, and how you fit into that history.

SESSION 2

30

Nov

SESSION 2

World History

Sun 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTCNov 30, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTC

Lesson 1.2: Scale - Looking at the history of the Universe from different scales of time and space will help you see both the big picture and the tiny details that make up our shared history.

SESSION 3

6

Dec

SESSION 3

World History

Sat 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTCDec 6, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTC

Lesson 1.3: Origin Stories - How did the Universe begin? How did human life on Earth come to be? People across different times and regions created origin stories to answer these questions.

SESSION 4

7

Dec

SESSION 4

World History

Sun 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTCDec 7, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTC

Lesson 1.4: Claim Testing - How do we know if the claims people make are true? In Big History, we test claims with four claim testers: intuition, logic, authority, and evidence.

SESSION 5

13

Dec

SESSION 5

World History

Sat 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTCDec 13, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTC

Lesson 2.1: Big Bang to Earth - How did the complexity of the Universe increase from the Big Bang to the formation of the Earth? Take a journey through time and space to learn about the first four Big History thresholds.

SESSION 6

14

Dec

SESSION 6

World History

Sun 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTCDec 14, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTC

Lesson 2.2: Big Bang - Was the Big Bang the start of the Universe… or was it the beginning of one part of the multiverse? We don’t really know the answer to that question, but we do know a lot about what happened right after the Big Bang.

SESSION 7

20

Dec

SESSION 7

World History

Sat 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTCDec 20, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTC

Lesson 2.3 - Stars Form - Even on a dark, clear night, in the remotest place on Earth, you can only see a fraction of the true number of stars in the Universe. Explore how these trillions of celestial bodies added complexity to what was once a very simple place.

SESSION 8

21

Dec

SESSION 8

World History

Sun 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTCDec 21, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTC

Lesson 2.4: Stars Die - Stars make the night sky very beautiful, but their deaths can be even more beautiful than their lives. When stars go supernova, these massive explosions give us the elements that make everything from planets to ladybugs to you possible!

SESSION 9

27

Dec

SESSION 9

World History

Sat 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTCDec 27, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTC

Lesson 2.5: Solar System - You might know the names of all the planets in our Solar System, but do you know how our Sun and planets formed? Journey through time and space and witness the cosmic collisions that led to the formation of our planetary system.

SESSION 10

28

Dec

SESSION 10

World History

Sun 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTCDec 28, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTC

Lesson 2.6: Earth - Earth is just one planet amongst many in the Universe, but we think this planet is pretty special! Learn about the fiery early days of our planet and why this one planet among countless others increased the complexity of the Universe in a way that may be unique.

SESSION 11

3

Jan

SESSION 11

World History

Sat 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTCJan 3, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTC

Lesson 3.1: Complexity of Life on Earth - What does the diversity of life on Earth have in common with many superheroes: mutations! Evolution is all about increasing complexity via tiny changes in DNA. But these mutations are a bit different from the ones you read about in comic books.

SESSION 12

4

Jan

SESSION 12

World History

Sun 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTCJan 4, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTC

Lesson 3.2: Origins of Life - Did ancient meteors bring life to Earth or did organic chemicals form when lava mixed with water deep in the ocean? Hey now, there’s no need to fight about it! Let’s explore the theories about the origins of life on our planet.

SESSION 13

10

Jan

SESSION 13

World History

Sat 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTCJan 10, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTC

Lesson 3.3: Evolution - Did you know that birds are descendants of dinosaurs? How is that possible? It has a lot to do with environmental changes and that complex molecule you’ve been hearing so much about called DNA.

SESSION 14

11

Jan

SESSION 14

World History

Sun 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTCJan 11, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTC

Lesson 3.4: Extinction Events - The dinosaurs were wiped out 65 million years ago. Could you survive an extinction event? Time to use your Big History knowledge to put together a survival plan—and consider if we should bring some dinosaurs back to life!

SESSION 15

17

Jan

SESSION 15

World History

Sat 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTCJan 17, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTC

Lesson 4.1: Humanity’s New Complexity - A warmer climate led to environmental changes that jump-started the evolution of humans. Of all the different human species who existed in the past, only we remain. It’s time to discover why.

SESSION 16

18

Jan

SESSION 16

World History

Sun 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTCJan 18, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTC

Lesson 4.2: Human Ancestors - How did life transform from a simple single-celled organism to our own species, one that creates, communicates, loves, and hates? Explore humanity’s place in the great history of life.

SESSION 17

24

Jan

SESSION 17

World History

Sat 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTCJan 24, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTC

Lesson 4.3: Collective Learning - We can teach a dog tricks—sit, stay, fetch—but have you ever seen a dog teach another dog tricks? Using a set of uniquely human skills, such as speech, art, and writing, we can build on each other’s breakthroughs.

SESSION 18

25

Jan

SESSION 18

World History

Sun 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTCJan 25, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTC

Lesson 4.4: Migration - All humans evolved in Africa, but what made our ancestors journey outside of Africa to eventually populate the whole world? Journey through time and across thousands of miles to investigate human migration.

SESSION 19

31

Jan

SESSION 19

World History

Sat 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTCJan 31, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTC

Lesson 4.5: Foraging Societies - You are what you eat. You’re also how you eat. Explore how the hunter-gatherer lifestyle shaped our early communities while limiting some of their potential for growth.

SESSION 20

1

Feb

SESSION 20

World History

Sun 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTCFeb 1, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTC

Lesson 5.1: Farming and Complexity - The invention of farming about 12,000 years ago gave humans access to new food and energy resources, which increased populations, collective learning, and complexity.

SESSION 21

7

Feb

SESSION 21

World History

Sat 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTCFeb 7, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTC

Lesson 5.2: Agricultural Revolution - In what ways did going from foraging to farming revolutionize society? Let’s dig deeper into the details of exactly how agriculture changed human life—for better and for worse.

SESSION 22

8

Feb

SESSION 22

World History

Sun 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTCFeb 8, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTC

Lesson 5.3: Complex Societies Appear - Growing food in fixed locations enabled people who once migrated with the seasons to settle down. Soon, complexity increased as villages turned into cities and states.

SESSION 23

14

Feb

SESSION 23

World History

Sat 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTCFeb 14, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTC

Lesson 5.4: Empires - As civilizations grew in complexity, they also grew in physical size, and that meant they started meeting their neighbors. It’s time to talk conflict, conquest, and empire.

SESSION 24

15

Feb

SESSION 24

World History

Sun 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTCFeb 15, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTC

Lesson 5.5: Expanding Connections - Agriculture gave societies the spark they needed to begin growing, but it’s trade that set us on the path to the modern world. Trade routes allowed goods, ideas, people, and diseases to spread like never before.

SESSION 25

21

Feb

SESSION 25

World History

Sat 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTCFeb 21, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM UTC

Lesson 5.6: Museum Project - Museum exhibits tell stories about different cultures of the past. Now, it’s your turn to become a curator and create an exhibition. Will you be a mapmaker, an artifact creator, or a storyteller?

Public Discussion

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Nov 29 - Feb 21

13 weeks

60 mins

/ session

Next session on November 29, 2025

SCHEDULE

Saturdays

7:30PM

Sundays

7:30PM