6th Grade Social Studies Academic Content Standards
Indicator Description 1. History 1 Construct a multiple-tier time line from a list of events and interpret the relationships between the events. 2 Arrange dates in order on a time line using the conventions of B.C. and A.D. or B.C.E. and C.E. 3 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. Governance4 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 contributions5 Describe the characteristics of Maya, Inca, Aztec and Mississippian civilizations including:
a. Location;
b. Government;
c. Religion;
d. Agriculture;
e. Cultural and scientific contributions 2. People in Societies 1 Compare the cultural practices and products of the societies studied including:
a. Class structure;
b. Gender roles;
c. Beliefs;
d. Customs and traditions2 Compare world religions and belief systems focusing on geographic origins, founding leaders and teachings including:
a. Buddhism;
b. Christianity;
c. Judaism;
d. Hinduism;
e. Islam3 Explain factors that foster conflict or cooperation among countries:
a. Language;
b. Religion;
c. Types of government;
d. Historic relationships;
e. Economic interests 3. Geography 1 Place countries, cities, deserts, mountain ranges and bodies of water on the continents on which they are located. 2 Use coordinates of latitude and longitude to locate points on a world map 3 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. Manufacturing4 Identify and describe a variety of physical and human regions by analyzing maps, charts and graphs that show patterns of characteristics that define regions. 5 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 activity6 Describe ways in which human migration has an impact on the physical and human characteristics of places including:
a. Urbanization;
b. Desertification;
c. Deforestation7 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 growth8 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 factors9 Identify and explain primary geographic causes for world trade including the uneven distribution of natural resources. 4. Economics 1 Explain how the availability of productive resources and entrepreneurship affects the production of goods and services in different world regions. 2 Explain that most decisions involve trade-offs and give examples. 3 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 4 Identify goods and services that are imported and exported and explain how this trade makes countries interdependent 5 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. 6 Distinguish between goods and services typically produced by the private sector and the public sector. 5. Government 1 Explain reasons for the creation of governments such as:
a. Protecting lives, liberty and property
b.Providing services that individuals cannot provide for themselves2 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. 3 Explain the ways that countries interact with each other including:
a. Diplomacy
b. Treaties
c. International Meetings (UN)
d. Military Conflict4 Describe the defining characteristics of democracies, monarchies and dictatorships. 6. Civic Rights & Responsibilities 1 Explain how opportunities for citizens to participate in and influence the political process differ under various systems of government. 2 Compare the rights and responsibilities of citizens living under various systems of government. 7. Social Studies Skills & Methods 1 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.2 Analyze information from primary and secondary sources in order to summarize, make generalizations and draw conclusions. 3 Organize information using outlines and graphic organizers. 4 Read and interpret pictographs, bar graphs, line graphs, circle graphs, tables and flow charts. 5 Complete a research project that includes a bibliography. 6 Communicate a position on a topic orally or in writing and support the position with evidence. 7 Work effectively to achieve group goals:
a. Engage in active listening
b. Provide feedback in a constructive manner
c. Help establish group goals
d. Take various roles within the group
e. Recognize the contributions of others.