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Category: Grade 6 Social Studies

  • Grade 6 Social Studies Unit 7

    Interactions Across the Eastern Hemisphere

    Unit description: Trade networks promoted the exchange and diffusion of language, belief systems, tools, intellectual ideas, inventions, and diseases. In this unit, students will study major Afro-Eurasian trade networks connecting the East and the West and how ideas, people, technologies, products, and diseases moved along these routes. Students will explore how the Mongols served as important agents of change and cultural diffusion and fostered connections between the East and the West. In addition, students will investigate how complex societies and civilizations adapted and designed technologies for transportation.

    Download the complete Social Studies Grade 6 Unit 7 framework to customize for your own planning.

    Standards

    Standards: 2, 3, 4; Themes: MOV, TCC, GEO, ECO, TECH, EXCH

    Essential Questions and Big Ideas

    • Big ideas of the unit: Trade networks promoted the exchange and diffusion of language, belief systems, tools, intellectual ideas, inventions, and diseases.
    • How did location and routes that the Afro-Eurasian trade networks ran upon have an impact?
      • The Silk Roads, the Indian Ocean, and the Trans-Saharan routes formed the major Afro-Eurasian trade networks connecting the East and the West.
      • Ideas, people, technologies, products, and diseases moved along these routes.
    • How did the Mongols serve as important agents of change and cultural diffusion?
      • The Mongol conquests in Eurasia fostered connections between the East and the West, and the Mongols served as important agents of change and cultural diffusion.
    • What impact did the development and adaptation of technologies have on this time in history?
      • Complex societies and civilizations adapted and designed technologies for transportation that allowed them to cross challenging landscapes and move people and goods efficiently.

  • Grade 6 Social Studies Unit 6

    Mediterranean World

    Feudal Western Europe, The Byzantine Empire, and the Islamic Caliphates

    Unit description: The Mediterranean world was reshaped with the fall of the Roman Empire. Three distinct cultural regions developed: feudal Western Europe, the Byzantine Empire, and the Islamic caliphates. These regions interacted with each other and clashed over control of holy lands. In this unit, students will study the overexpansion, corruption, invasions, civil wars, and discord that led to the fall of Rome and led to the rise of Feudalism. Students will examine the Byzantine Empire and how Islam spread within the Mediterranean region from southwest Asia to northern Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. In addition, students will investigate how competition and rivalry over religious, economic, and political control over holy lands led to conflict such as the Crusades.

    Download the complete Social Studies Grade 6 Unit 6 framework to customize for your own planning.

    Standards

    Standards: 2, 3, 4, 5; MOV, TCC, GOV, CIV, EXCH

    Essential Questions and Big Ideas

    • Big idea of the unit: The Mediterranean world was reshaped with the fall of the Roman Empire.
    • What conditions or happenings led to the rise of Feudalism in Western Europe?
      • Overexpansion, corruption, invasions, civil wars, and discord led to the fall of Rome. Feudalism developed in Western Europe in reaction to a need for order and to meet basic needs.
    • What effect did the rise of the Byzantine Empire have on Western Europe?
      • The Byzantine Empire preserved elements of the Roman Empire, controlled lands within the Mediterranean basin, and began to develop Orthodox Christianity.
    • How did the spread of Islam within the Mediterranean region change societies and cultures?
      • Islam spread within the Mediterranean region from southwest Asia to northern Africa and the Iberian Peninsula.
      • The introduction of Islam changed the societies and cultures each conquered, blending with those societies and cultures and creating dynamic new Islamic societies and cultures.
    • What led to conflicts such as the Crusades?
      • Competition and rivalry over religious, economic, and political control over holy lands led to conflict such as the Crusades.

  • Grade 6 Social Studies Unit 5

    Comparative Classical Civilizations in the Eastern Hemisphere

    Unit description: As complex societies and civilizations change over time, their political and economic structures evolve. A golden age may be indicated when there is an extended period of time that is peaceful, prosperous, and demonstrates great cultural achievements. In this unit, students will study how geographic factors influence the development of classical civilizations and their political structures. Students will investigate why political structures were developed and established and the character traits indicative of a Golden Age.

    Standards

    Standards: 2, 3, 5; Themes: ID, TCC, GEO, SOC, GOV, CIV

    Essential Questions and Big Ideas

    • Big idea of the unit: As complex societies and civilizations change over time, their political and economic structures evolve.
    • How do geographic factors influence the development of classical civilizations and their political structures?
      • Geographic factors influence the development of classical civilizations and their political structures.
    • Why were political structures created during this time?
      • Political structures were developed to establish order, to create and enforce laws, and to enable decision making.
    • What are the character traits of a Golden Age and where do we see this evidenced?
      • A period of peace, prosperity, and cultural achievements may be indicative of a golden age.

    Download the complete Grade 6 Social Studies Unit 5 framework to customize for your own planning.

  • Grade 6 Social Studies Unit 4

    Comparative World Religions

    Unit description: Major religions and belief systems developed in the Eastern Hemisphere. There were important similarities and differences between these belief systems. In this unit, students will have the opportunity to explore belief systems and religions developed by complex civilizations and societies that have similar, as well as different, characteristics. Students will also learn about how belief systems and religions are based on sets of mutually held values and how they are often used to unify groups of people, and may affect social order and gender roles.

    Standards

    Standard: 2; Themes: ID, SOC

    Essential Questions and Big Ideas

    • Big idea of the unit: Major religions and belief systems developed in the Eastern Hemisphere.
    • What character traits are similar and different between civilizations and complex societies?
      • Civilizations and complex societies developed belief systems and religions that have similar, as well as different, characteristics.
    • How are the major tenets, practices, and sacred writings or holy texts for each belief system and religion originated?
      • Belief systems and religions are based on sets of mutually held values.
    • What effect did belief systems and religions have on uniting groups of people?
      • Belief systems and religions often are used to unify groups of people, and may affect social order and gender roles.

    Download the complete Grade 6 Social Studies Unit 4 framework to customize for your own planning.

  • Grade 6 Social Studies Unit 3

    Early River Valley Civilizations in the Eastern Hemisphere

    Unit description: Complex societies and civilizations developed in the Eastern Hemisphere.Although these complex societies and civilizations have certain defining characteristics in common, each is also known for unique cultural achievements and contributions. In this unit, students will study early human communities in the Eastern Hemisphere and how they adapted to and modified the physical environment.

    Standards

    Standards: 2, 3; Themes: ID, TCC, GEO, SOC

    Essential Questions and Big Ideas

    • Big idea of the unit: Complex societies and civilizations developed in the Eastern Hemisphere.
    • How did humans living together in settlements develop and give identity to their group?
      • Humans living together in settlements develop shared customs, beliefs, ideas, and languages that give identity to the group.
    • What are the common characteristics of complex societies and civilizations?
      • Complex societies and civilizations share the common characteristics of religion, job specialization, cities, government, language/record keeping system, technology, and social hierarchy. People in Mesopotamia, the Yellow River valley, the Indus River valley, and the Nile River valley developed complex societies and civilizations.
    • How do we see these common characteristics evidenced in specific identified societies and civilizations?
      • Mesopotamia, Yellow River valley, Indus River valley, and Nile River valley complex societies and civilizations adapted to and modified their environment to meet the needs of their population.
    • What influenced the access that groups and individuals had to power, wealth, and jobs?
      • Political and social hierarchies influenced the access that groups and individuals had to power, wealth, and jobs and influenced their roles within a society.

    Download the complete Grade 6 Social Studies Unit 3 framework to customize for your own planning.

  • Grade 6 Social Studies Unit 2

     First Humans Through Neolithic Revolution in the Eastern Hemisphere

    Unit description: In this unit, students will study the first humans through the Neolithic Revolution in the Eastern Hemisphere. The unit builds on the geographic themes of Unit 1 and students will gather evidence about a group of people and how they lived at a particular time making judgments about the Neolithic Revolution’s technological advances in agriculture and domestication of animals. In this unit students will develop skills to gather, interpret and use evidence and use chronological and geographic reasoning.

    Standards

    • Standards: 2, 3; Themes: MOV, TCC, GEO, ECO, TECH

    Essential Questions and Big Ideas

    • BI: The Neolithic Revolution was a turning point in human history.
    • How did the geography of an area and the available resources of these areas affect where human populations settled?
      • Human populations that settled along rivers, in rainforests, along coastlines, in deserts, and in mountains made use of the resources and the environment around them in developing distinct ways of life.
    • How do artifacts and archaeological features help us understand how early peoples?
      • Early peoples in the Eastern Hemisphere are often studied by analyzing artifacts and archaeological features.
      • Archaeologists engage in digs and study artifacts and features in a particular location to gather evidence about a group of people and how they lived at a particular time.
    • What major advances made the Neolithic Revolution so remarkable?
      • The Neolithic Revolution was marked by technological advances in agriculture and domestication of animals that allowed people to form semi-sedentary and sedentary settlements.
    • How do historians identify turning points in history?
      • Historians use archaeological and other types of evidence to investigate patterns in history and identify turning points. A turning point can be an event, era, and/or development in history that has brought about significant social, cultural, ecological, political, or economic change.

    Prerequisite Skills

    This unit is a study of the First Humans Through the Neolithic Revolution. This unit represents unifying themes of social studies – Human Impact in Environment, Impact of Environment on Humans, Scarcity, Conflict. Students develop the skills to explore early human migration patterns and settlements through the use of multiple maps and the examination of various forms of archaeological evidence; compare the use of tools and animals, types of dwellings, art, and social organizations of early peoples, and distinguish between the Paleolithic Age and Neolithic Age; determine if the Neolithic Revolution is a turning point in world history, using various forms of evidence.

    Download the complete Grade 6 Social Studies – First Humans Through Neolithic Revolution in the Eastern Hemisphere framework to customize for your own planning.

  • Grade 6 Social Studies Unit 1

    Early Peoples of the Americas

    The diverse geography of the Eastern Hemisphere has influenced human culture and settlement patterns in distinct ways. Human communities in the Eastern Hemisphere have adapted to or modified the physical environment. This is a unit which begins with an introduction of the impact of geography and includes a study of the roots of current political and environmental issues in the hemisphere.

    Teachers should note that some Key Ideas and Concepts may require extra time or attention. These include Key Ideas 6.3 Early River Valley Civilizations in the Eastern Hemisphere; 6.6 Mediterranean World: Feudal Western Europe, the Byzantine Empire, and the Islamic Caliphates; and 6.7 Interactions Across the Eastern Hemisphere. The unit will take approximately 2 weeks to complete.

    Note: Lessons will vary in length, depending on the amount of time you have with students, the resources that you choose to accompany the unit, the level of rigor within each learning target, and any other factors that may contribute to the pacing of your learning progressions. It is recommended that you adjust the pace and length of each learning progression(s) accordingly in response to these factors.

    Download the complete Grade 6 Social Studies Unit 1 framework to customize for your own planning.

    Standards

    • (Standard: 3: Theme: GEO)

    Essential questions and big ideas of the unit

    • Big Idea of the Unit: Maps can be used to help understand human behavior because humans adapt to or modify their geography.
    • How do maps help us understand our physical world?
      • Maps can help us understand trends across regions, and how people live is impacted on the resources and political structure around them.
    • What is the relationship between human activities and the environment?
      • Humans have always needed to rely on the environment for their sustenance and protection.
    • What physical, political, economic, or cultural features do countries in the Eastern Hemisphere share?
      • Countries in the Eastern Hemisphere share common characteristics of centralized governments, advanced commerce and trade systems, and complex social hierarchies. These civilizations are influenced by scientific and cultural achievements of civilizations that came before them.

    Download the complete Grade 6 Social Studies Unit 1 framework to customize for your own planning.