What my DCs learned about at that age (in the US) was thematic history. They studied the rise of civilised societies from the Fertile Crescent to the Han dynasty to the Mayans and Incas and Aztecs, the Egyptians, the Greeks, Persians and Romans and the rise of the west up to and including the age of exploration, the role of trade, agriculture, writing, technology/science and finance. They looked at myth and legend and the development of several major belief systems -- Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Judaism, Islam, Christianity including the Reformation. They looked at ancient states and the beginnings of the concept of the modern state, the idea of law, the concept of individual rights (Magna Carta).
As it was a thematic survey course they touched pretty briefly on all of these interrelated topics with the aim of giving them an idea of the vast scale of history, the global element, the fact that the US is a relative newcomer on the scene (important in the US to impart this sense of perspective). Maps, a little exposure to primary sources and introduction to the scientific study of history (bibliography requirement for every written exercise), visits to local synagogue and mosque and temple, power point presentations about various cultures, historical turning points etc were part of how they learned. They had cross curricular exposure through their English curriculum that year that focused on myths with an emphasis on Greek culture but didn't ignore other literature.
Basically, they explored what brings societies together, what causes them to increase their influence, and then what causes them to decline. It was a general survey that gave them a framework on which to build closer study of American development the following year and after that an exploration of modern history on a worldwide scale, including war and holocaust and ethnic cleansing in the modern era -- this they tackled at age 14 or so, and again in high school in much greater detail at age 17ish in AP European History.
I thought it was very age appropriate and appropriate for their stage of intellectual development, and since it gave a context to their later study of specific developments much more useful than diving straight in to isolated very appropriate from the pov of conveying a real understanding of history.