Sixth Grade - Social Studies

Sixth Grade - Social Studies Indicators

Chronology	Construct a multiple-tier time line from a list of events and interpret the relationships between the events. Arrange dates in order on a time line using the conventions of B.C. and A.D. or B.C.E. and C.E.
Early Civilizations	Describe the early cultural development of humankind from the Paleolithic Era to the revolution of agriculture including: a. Hunting and gathering; b. Tool making; c. Use of fire; d. Domestication of plants and animals; e. Organizing societies; f. Governance. Compare the geographic, political, economic and social characteristics of the river civilizations in the Tigris and Euphrates (Mesopotamia), Nile (Egypt), Huang Ho and Indus valleys before 1000 B.C. including: a. Location; b. Government; c. Religion; d. Agriculture; e. Cultural and scientific contributions.
The First Global Age	Describe the characteristics of Maya, Inca, Aztec and Mississippian civilizations including: a. Location; b. Government; c. Religion; d. Agriculture; e. Cultural and scientific contributions.

People in Societies

Cultures	Compare the cultural practices and products of the societies including: a. Class structure; b. Gender roles; c. Beliefs; d. Customs and traditions. Compare world religions and belief systems focusing on geographic origins, founding leaders and teachings including: a. Buddhism; b. Christianity; c. Judasim; d. Hinduism; e. Islam.
Interaction	Explain factors that foster conflict or cooperation among countries: a. Language; b. Religion; c. Types of government; d. Historic relationships; e. Economic interests.

Location	Place countries, cities, deserts, mountain ranges and bodies of water on the continents on which they are located. Use coordinates of latitude and longitude to locate points on a world map.
Places and Regions	Explain the distribution patterns of economic activities and how changes in technology, transportation, communication and resources affect those patterns including: a. Agriculture; b. Mining; c. Fishing; d. Manufacturing. Identify and describe a variety of physical and human regions by analyzing maps, charts and graphs that show patterns of characteristics that define regions.
Human Environmental Interaction	Describe ways human settlements and activities are influenced by environmental factors and processes in different places and regions including: a. Bodies of water; b. Landforms; c. Climates; d. Vegetation; e. Weathering; f. Seismic activity. Describe ways in which human migration has an impact of the physical and human characteristics of places including: a. Urbanization; b. Desertification; c. Deforestation. Describe ways humans depend on and modify the environment and the positive and negative consequences of the modifications including: a. Dam building; b. Energy production/usage; c. Agriculture; d. Urban growth.
Movement	Explain push and pull factors that cause people to migrate from place to place including: a. Oppression/Freedom; b. Poverty/Economic opportunity; c. Cultural ties; d. Political conflicts; e. Environmental factors. Identify and explain primary geographic causes for world trade including the uneven distribution of natural resources.

Scarcity and Resource Allocation	Explain how the availability of productive resources and entrepreneurship affects the production of goods and services in different world regions. Explain that most decisions involve trade-offs and give examples.
Markets	Explain why trade occurs when individuals, regions and countries specialize in what they can produce at the lowest opportunity cost and how this causes both production and consumption to increase. Identify goods and services that are imported and exported and explain how this trade makes countries interdependent. Describe how supply and demand help to set the market clearing price for goods and services and how prices reflect the relative scarcity of goods and services.
Government and the Economy	Distinguish between goods and services typically produced by the private sector and the public sector.

Role of Government	Explain reasons for the creation of governments such as: a. Protecting lives, liberty and property; b. Providing services that individuals cannot provide for themselves. Describe how the world is divided into countries that claim sovereignty over territory, and countries may be further divided into states or provinces that contain cities and towns. Explain the ways that countries interact with each other including: a. Diplomacy; b. Treaties; c. International meetings and exchanges (e.g., United Nations); d. Military conflict.
Rules and Laws	Explain the significance of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
Systems of Government	Describe the defining characteristics of democracies, monarchies and dictatorships.

Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities

Participation	Explain how opportunities for citizens to participate in and influence the political process differ under various systems of government.
Rights and Responsibilities	Compare the rights and responsibilities of citizens living under various systems of government.

Social Studies Skills and Methods

Obtaining Information	Use multiple sources to define essential vocabulary and obtain information for a research project including: a. Almanacs; b. Gazetteers; c. Trade books; d. Periodicals; e. Video tapes; f. Electronic sources.
Thinking and Organizing	Analyze information from primary and secondary sources in order to summarize, make generalizations and draw conclusions. Organize information using outlines and graphic organizers. Read and interpret pictographs, bar graphs, line graphs, circle graphs, tables and flow charts.
Communicating Information	Complete a research project that includes a bibliography. Communicate a position on a topic orally or in writing and support the position with evidence.
Problem Solving	Work effectively to achieve group goals: a. Engage in active listening; b. Provide feed back in a constructive manner; c. Help establish group goals; d. Take various roles within the group; e. Recognize contributions of others.

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