Download Sixth Grade - Bunker R

Sixth Grade
Rationale: The mission of social studies is to prepare young people for informed
responsible citizenship now and in the future. This will be accomplished through the
study of economics, civic/political, social/cultural, historical and geographical
perspectives.
Description: The sixth grade social studies program will focus on world history. The
topics covered will be from ancient times to the time of Colombus.
Major Instructional Goals
Principles of Constitutional Democracy
Students will:
 Principles expressed in documents shaping constitutional democracy in the United
States
o Identify responsibilities that governments and citizens need to accept to
become effective in a constitutional democracy
o Define the following: limited government, rule of law, majority rule,
minority rights
World History
Students will:
 Culture of early river valley civilizations
o Examine river civilizations including:
 Ancient Egypt in North Africa (pyramids and mathematics)
 India (religions and culture)
 Mesopotamia (beginnings of civilization)
 China (technological advances)
 Contributions of Greek and Roman civilizations
o Distinguish between Greek civilization and the Roman Empire regarding:
origins of democracy, rule of law, and governmental structures
 Institutions and events of European civilization during the Middle Ages
o Investigate Europe in the Middle Ages, including: rise of kingdoms,
feudalism, and the Crusades
 Japanese institutions and culture
o Investigate Feudal Japan, including: rise of war lords and art
 Native Latin American cultures
o Examine and compare the Mayan, Aztec and Incan cultures
 Cultural features of the historic African Empires
o Investigate African Empires, including: agriculture, arts, gold production
and the trans-Saharan caravan trade; and the spread of Islam into Africa
Principles and Processes of Governance Systems
Students will:
 Principles and processes of government
o Define limited and unlimited governments (e.g., democratic and
authoritarian governments) and how people’s lives vary under these
systems
Economic Concepts and Principles
Students will:
 Economic concepts
o Apply the following economic concepts: scarcity, supply and demand,
specialization of regions, nations and individuals (trade), trade-offs
(opportunity cost), and income, wealth and sources of wealth
 Interpreting the past, explaining the present and predicting the future of economic
decisions
o Interpret the past, explain the present and predict future consequences of
economic decisions
 Understanding the consequences of personal and public economic decisions
o Identify the consequences of personal and public economic decisions
Elements of Geographical Study and Analysis
Students will:
 Geographic research sources (e.g., maps, satellite images, globes, charts, graphs
and databases) and how to evaluate and use them
o Use geographic research sources to acquire and process information to
answer questions and solve problems
o Construct maps
 Use of the geography of Missouri, the United States, the Americas, and the world
to make predictions and solve problems: Location
o Locate major cities and nations of the world
o Locate the world’s continents, oceans and major topographic features
o Locate and describe geographic places, using absolute and relative
location
 Place
o Describe physical characteristics, such as climate, topography, relationship
to water and ecosystems
o Describe human characteristics, such as people’s education, language,
diversity, economics, religions, settlement patterns, ethnic background and
political system
 Human systems
o Describe major patterns of population distribution, demographics and
migrations in the world and the impact of these patterns on cultures and
community life
 Human-environment interactions
o Identify world-wide patterns of resource distribution
o Identify how technology and culture influence resource use
o Identify environmental consequences of how people use resources
o Identify the effect of natural forces upon human activities
 Relationships between and among places
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o Describe trade patterns, explaining how supply and demand influence
movement of goods and services, human, natural and capital resources
Regions
o Compare regions and predict how human life in one region in the world
would differ from that in another
Uses of geography
o Use geography to interpret the past, explain the present and plan for the
future
Relationships of Individual and Groups to Institutions and Traditions
Students will:
 Knowledge of how needs of individuals are met
o Evaluate how the needs of individuals are met by families, friends, groups
and organizations, such as governments, businesses, schools, religious
institutions and charities in other cultures
 Effects of actions, cultural, traditions and institutions
o Describe how cultural traditions, human actions and institutions affect
people’s behavior
 Effect of personal and group experiences on perceptions
o Identify how personal and group experiences influence people’s
perceptions and judgments of events
 Changing ideas, concepts and traditions
o Describe how ideas, concepts and traditions have changed over time
Tools of Social Science Inquiry
Students will:
 Use of primary and secondary sources
o Select, investigate and present a topic using primary and secondary
resources, such as oral interviews, artifacts, journals, documents, photos
and letters
 Using maps, graphs, statistics, timelines, charts and diagrams
o Use maps, graphs, statistical data, timelines, charts and diagrams to
interpret, draw conclusions and make predictions
 Creating maps and graphics
o Create maps, graphs, timelines, charts and diagrams to communicate
information
 Using technological tools distinguishing fact and opinion
o Use technological tools for research and presentation
 Distinguishing fact and opinion
o Distinguish between fact and opinion and recognize bias and points of
view
 Supporting a point of view
o Identify, research and defend a point of view/position