AP World History - Unit 3 - Land-Based Empires - c. 1450 to c. 1750

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob

AP World History Unit 3, Land-Based Empires (c. 1450 to c. 1750), outlines the thematic focus on governance and how internal and external factors drive state formation, expansion, and decline. It specifies suggested skills and reasoning processes for topics including empires expanding through causation, administration via comparison, and belief systems through continuity and change. The unit includes personal progress check components and sample instructional activities using primary-source excerpts to build sourcing, context analysis, and evidence-supported arguments.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Unit 3 Overview

AP Exam Weighting and Class Periods

Personal Progress Check

Unit at a Glance

Topic 3.1: Empires Expand

Thematic Focus: Governance

Suggested Skill and Reasoning Process

Illustrative Examples

Learning Objective

Historical Developments

Sample Instructional Activities

AP WORLD HISTORY UNIT 3 Land-Based Empires c. 1450 to c. 1750 | | 12–15%
AP EXAM WEIGHTING | | --- | --- | | | ~8–11
CLASS PERIODS | AP World History: Modern Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 65 Return to Table of Contents © 2019 College Board | | | --- | | Remember to go to AP Classroom to assign students the online Personal Progress Check for this unit.
Whether assigned as homework or completed in class, the Personal Progress Check provides each student with immediate feedback related to this unit’s topics and skills.
Personal Progress Check 3
Multiple-choice: ~10 questions
Short-answer: 2 questions
§ Primary source
§ Primary source
Free-response: 1 question
§ Long essay (partial) | AP World History: Modern Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 66 Return to Table of Contents © 2019 College Board | 12–15% AP EXAM WEIGHTING | ~8–11 CLASS PERIODS | | --- | --- | UNI3T Land-Based Empires c. 1450 to c. 1750 UNIT ATA GLANCE | Topic
Thematic
Focus | | | | Reasoning Process | Suggested Skill | Class Periods | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | | | ~8–11 CLASS PERIODS | | GOV | 3.1
3.2 | | Empires Expand | Causation | 1.B Explain a historical concept, development, or process. | | | | | | Empires: Administration | Comparison | 4.A Identify and describe a historical context for a specific historical development or process. | | | CDI | 3.3 | | Empires: Belief Systems | Continuity and Change | 2.B Explain the point of view, purpose, historical situation, and/or audience of a source. | | | 3.4 | | | Comparison in
Land-Based Empires | Comparison | 6.B Support an argument using specific and relevant evidence.
§ Describe specific examples of historically relevant evidence.
§ Explain how specific examples of historically relevant evidence support an argument. | | | | | Go to AP Classroom to assign the Personal Progress Check for Unit 3.
Review the results in class to identify and address any student misunderstandings. | | | | | AP World History: Modern Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 67 Return to Table of Contents © 2019 College Board UNIT3 Land-Based Empires SAMPLE INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES The sample activities on this page are optional and are offered to provide possible ways to incorporate instructional approaches into the classroom. Teachers do not need to use these activities and are free to alter or edit them. The examples below were developed in partnership with teachers from the AP community to share ways that they approach teaching some of the topics in this unit. Please refer to the Instructional Approaches section beginning on p. 171 for more examples of activities and strategies. Activity Topic Sample Activity | 1 | 3.1 | Create Representation
Provide students with the description of the Battle of Panipat in the Baburnama (a primary source on the Mughal conquest of India) . Ask students to use the description from the Baburnama to draw a diagram of the Battle of Panipat. Then have them write a paragraph responding to the following prompt: Explain the technological factors that contributed to the growth of the Mughal Empire. | | --- | --- | --- | | 2 | 3.2 | Close Reading
Select short excerpts describing the rulers of the Ottoman and Songhay empires from the Description of Timbuktu by Leo Africanus (1526) and The Turkish Letters by Ogier Ghiselinde Busbecq (1555–1562) . Ask students to read the sources and identify and describe the historical context for the developments described. Have students reread each text and highlight similarities in methods the rulers used to legitimize and consolidate power. | | 3 | 3.3 | Think-Pair-Share and Debriefing
After a lesson on the Protestant Reformation, assign a short excerpt from Martin Luther’s
95 Theses. Ask students to read the excerpt individually and then paraphrase it to a part

FAQs

What historical time period does Unit 3 cover in AP World History?

Unit 3 covers land-based empires from approximately 1450 to 1750. The unit materials label this as “c. 1450 to c. 1750.”

What is the role of the Personal Progress Check for Unit 3?

Students complete a Personal Progress Check that is tied to the unit’s topics and skills and provides immediate feedback. It includes multiple-choice questions, short-answer questions, and a free-response long essay component (partial).

How do the sample activities help students analyze evidence and viewpoints?

The unit suggests using primary-source excerpts to create representations, conduct close reading, and practice document sourcing. Students identify historical context, compare legitimacy methods, and explain how evidence supports arguments.

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob

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