Grade 6 Social Studies: Year-Long Overview

Grade 6 Social Studies: Year-Long Overview

To be productive members of society, students must be critical consumers of information they read, hear, and observe and communicate effectively about their ideas. They need to gain knowledge from a wide array of sources and examine and evaluate that information to develop and express an informed opinion, using information gained from the sources and their background knowledge. Students must also make connections between what they learn about the past and the present to understand how and why events happen and people act in certain ways.

To accomplish this, students must:

1. Use sources regularly to learn content. 2. Make connections among people, events, and ideas across time and place. 3. Express informed opinions using evidence from sources and outside knowledge. Teachers must create instructional opportunities that delve deeply into content and guide students in developing and supporting claims about social studies concepts.

In grade 6, students explore the factors that influence how civilizations develop as well as what contributes to their decline as they learn about early humans and the first permanent settlements, the ancient river valley civilizations, Greek and Roman civilizations, Asian and African civilizations, Medieval Europe, and the Renaissance. The key themes in grade 6 highlight the connections among the GLEs that students should make as they develop and express informed opinions about the grade 6 claims.

Grade 6 Content

Early Humans: Survival and Settlement

The Ancient River Valleys: Geography and Civilization

Ancient Greece and Rome: Common Rule and Government Civilizations in Africa and Asia: Expanding Trade

Medieval Europe and the Renaissance: Legacy

A S ON D J FMAM

Grade 6 Claims

u e c o e a e a p a gpt vcnbr r y

t

How do environmental

changes impact human life and X X

settlement?

How do geography and environment impact civilization?

X X

What factors make a civilization influential?

X X X

Is trade necessary for advancing civilizations?

What makes civilizations regress and how do they renew themselves?

X X X X

Grade 6 Social Studies: How to Navigate This Document

The grade 6 scope and sequence document is divided into 5 units. Each unit has an overview, instruction which includes topics and tasks, and a unit assessment. Click on a link below to access the content.

Unit One: Early Humans: Survival and Settlement Unit One Overview Unit One Instruction Topic One: Influences on Civilizations Topic Two: Early Humans Topic Three: Agricultural Revolution Unit One Assessment

Unit Two: Ancient River Valley Civilizations Unit Two Overview Unit Two Instruction Topic One: Geography and Civilizations Unit Two Assessment

Unit Three: Ancient Greece and Rome Unit Three Overview Unit Three Instruction Topic One: Ancient Greece Topic Two: Ancient Rome Unit Three Assessment

Unit Four: Civilizations in Africa and Asia: Expanding Trade Unit Four Overview Unit Four Instruction Topic One: Asian Civilizations Topic Two: West African Empires Unit Four Assessment

Unit Five: Medieval Europe and the Renaissance: Legacy Unit Five Overview Unit Five Instruction Topic One: Medieval Europe Topic Two: Renaissance Unit Five Assessment

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Unit One Overview

Description: Students learn how environmental changes and geography impact human settlement, early humans, and eventually the development of the first settlements.

Suggested Timeline: 5 weeks

Grade 6 Content Early Humans: Survival and Settlement

Grade 6 Claims

How do environmental changes impact human life and settlement?

Topics (GLEs): 1. Topic One: Influences on Civilizations (6.1.1, 6.1.3, 6.3.1-4) 2. Topic Two: Early Humans (6.1.2, 6.1.4, 6.2.1, 6.2.2, 6.3.1-4, 6.4.1-3) 3. Topic Three: Agricultural Revolution (6.1.1, 6.1.3, 6.2.1-2, 6.3.1-4)

Unit Assessment: Students create a powerpoint or other digital presentation that demonstrates their response to the question, "How do environmental changes impact human life and settlement?" Students will use evidence from the various sources studied throughout the unit.

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Unit One Instruction

Topic One: Topic One: Influences on Civilizations (6.1.1, 6.2.1, 6.4.1, 6.4.3)

Connections to the unit claim: Students will explore the factors that influence civilizations including climate, physical geography, and availability of natural resources.

Suggested Timeline: 5 class periods

Use this sample task: Influences on Civilization Note: Prior to conducting this task with students, read the article "What is a Civilization, Anyway?" by Cynthia Stokes Brown to develop your background knowledge and understand the purpose of this task.

To explore these key questions: What are the basic characteristics shared by civilizations? How are civilizations changed by various factors?

That students answer through these assessments: Students participate in a class discussion. Use a discussion tracker to keep track of students' contributions to the discussions and use this information to assign a grade to students. (ELA/Literacy Standards: SL.6.1a-d, SL.6.6) Students complete the factors of civilization T-chart. Check this for a grade.

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Grade 6 Instructional Task: Influences on Civilization

Unit One: Early Humans: Survival and Settlement, Topic One: Influences on Civilization

Description: Students consider the shared Characteristics of Civilizations and learn about multiple factors that influence the development, advancement, and decline of civilizations.

Suggested Timeline: 5 class periods

Materials: Characteristics of Civilizations handout (blank and completed), 's definition of civilization, geographic factors that affect development graphic organizer (blank and completed), Geographical Factors that Affect Development, Why do Civilizations Collapse? by Robert Lamb from How Stuff Works, Collapse Why do Civilizations Fall? from Annenberg Learner, factors of civilization T-chart (blank and completed)

Instructional Process: 1. Write the word civilization on the board and read or project the following definitions:1 a. The stage of human social development and organization that is considered most advanced. b. The process by which society or place reaches an advanced stage of social development and organization. c. The society, culture, and way of life of a particular area. d. The comfort and convenience of modern life, regarded as available only in towns and cities. 2. Read aloud the first two paragraphs of the meaning of civilization. 3. Ask students: "What do these definitions have in common?" 4. Take notes for the class or annotate the definitions as students share their answers. 5. Say: "According to many of these definitions, civilization is defined by advancement. However, consider the definition: `the society, culture, and way of life of a particular area.' What is different about this definition from the other definitions we've read?" 6. Say: "This year we will explore the factors that influence the development, advancement, and decline of civilizations. As we learn about the development and evolution of civilizations across world history, we will analyze the different factors that allowed each civilization to flourish and what factors led to their decline." 7. Distribute the Characteristics of Civilizations handout to students. Say: "Before we start thinking about the factors that change or impact civilizations, let's review the basic characteristics shared by civilizations." 8. Organize the class for fishbowl discussions. Instruct students to alternate their roles as speaker and listener by rows on the worksheet. For example: a. Student fishbowl group A acts as speakers to discuss Centralized Government/State Systems. Students discuss a definition and examples. All students (speakers and listeners) record ideas shared by the group. b. Student fishbowl group A then acts as listeners to fishbowl group B. Fishbowl group B clarifies the definition or adds examples to Centralized Government/State Systems, then discusses the definition of and examples for Organized Religion.

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