SOCIAL STUDIES

Sixth Grade – Contemporary World Societies

World Cultures and Geography by McDougal Littell, Inc.

 

FIRST 9 WEEKS:  Geography, Middle East

 

Vocabulary                                                                                       *mastery

Geography

Middle East

climate

delta

desert

geographic features

irrigation

resources

 

agriculture

fertile

monotheism

polytheism

prophet

Judaism

 

Christianity

Islam

Muslim

Bible

Koran

Torah

pilgrimage

nomads

Middle East

culture

hunter-gatherer

 

TEKS Subject: Social Studies/Knowledge

History/Influence of Events

District Focus and Resources

§         Describe characteristics of selected contemporary societies such as Bosnia and Northern Ireland that resulted from historical events or factors such as invasion, conquests, colonization, immigration, and trade. (TEKS/SE)(6.1A)

 

§         Analyze the historical background of selected contemporary societies to evaluate relationships between past conflicts and current conditions.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.1B)

 

 

History/Contributions of Individuals

District Focus and Resources

§         Explain the significance of individuals or groups from selected societies, past and present.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.2A)

 

 

Geography/Geographic Tools

District Focus and Resources

§         Create thematic maps, graphs, charts, models, and databases depicting various aspects of world regions and countries such as population, disease, and economic activities.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.3A)

 

§         Pose and answer questions about geographic distributions and patterns for selected world regions and countries shown on maps, graphs, charts, models, and databases.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.3B)

 

§         Compare selected world regions and countries using data from maps, graphs, charts, databases, and models. (TEKS/SE)(6.3C) (Mastery)

 

 

 

Geography/Characteristics of Societies

District Focus and Resources

§         Locate major historical and contemporary societies on maps and globes.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.4A) (Mastery)

 

§         Identify and explain the geographic factors responsible for patterns of population in places and regions.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.4B)

 

§         Identify and explain the geographic factors responsible for the location of economic activities in places and regions.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.4D)

 

 

Geography/Geographic Factors

District Focus and Resources

§         Explain factors such as location, physical features, transportation corridors and barriers, and distribution of natural resources that influence the economic development and foreign policies of societies. (TEKS/SE)(6.5A)

 

 

Geography/Environment

District Focus and Resources

§         Describe and explain how physical processes such as erosion, ocean circulation, and earthquakes have resulted in physical patterns on Earth s surface. (TEKS/SE)(6.6A)

 

§         Analyze the effects of physical processes and the physical environment on humans.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.6C)

 

§         Identify and analyze ways people have adapted to the physical environment in selected places and regions. (TEKS/SE)(6.7A)

 

 

Economics/Categories of Activities

District Focus and Resources

§         Describe and measure levels of economic development using various indicators such as individual purchasing power, life expectancy, and literacy. (TEKS/SE)(6.10B)

 

§         Describe some traits that define cultures. (TEKS/SE)(6.15B)

 

 

Culture

District Focus and Resources

§         Define the concepts of culture and culture region.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.15A)

 

§         Describe some traits that define cultures. (TEKS/SE)(6.15B)

 

§         Analyze the similarities and differences among selected world societies.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.15C)

 

§         Identify and explain examples of conflict and cooperation between and among cultures within selected societies such as Belgium, Canada, and Rwanda. (TEKS/SE)(6.15D)

 

Culture/Relationships

District Focus and Resources

§         Explain aspects that link or separate cultures and societies.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.17A)

 

§         Explain the impact of political boundaries that cut across culture regions.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.17B)

 

 

Culture/Artistic, Creative, and Literary

District Focus and Resources

§         Explain the relationships that exist between societies and their architecture, art, music, and literature. (TEKS/SE)(6.18A)

 

§         Relate ways in which contemporary expressions of culture have been influenced by the past. (TEKS/SE)(6.18B)

 

 

Culture/Religion and Philosophy

District Focus and Resources

§         Explain the relationship among religious ideas, philosophical ideas, and cultures.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.19A)

 

§         Explain the significance of religious holidays and observances such as Christmas and Easter, Ramadan, and Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah in selected contemporary societies.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.19B)

 

 

TEKS Subject: Social Studies/Skills

Critical Thinking Skills

District Focus and Resources

§         Differentiate between, locate, and use primary and secondary sources such as computer software; interviews; biographies; oral, print, and visual material; and artifacts to acquire information about selected world cultures.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.21A)

 

§         Analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and conclusions.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.21B)

 

§         Organize and interpret information from outlines, reports, databases, and visuals including graphs, charts, timelines, and maps.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.21C)

 

§         Identify different points of view about an issue or topic.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.21D)

 

§         Identify the elements of frame of reference that influenced participants in an event.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.21E)

 

§         Use appropriate mathematical skills to interpret social studies information such as maps and graphs. (TEKS/SE)(6.21F)

 

 

Communication Skills

District Focus and Resources

§         Use social studies terminology correctly. (TEKS/SE)(6.22A)

 

 

Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills

District Focus and Resources

§         Use a problem-solving process to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution. (TEKS/SE)(6.23A)

 

 

SECOND 9 WEEKS: Europe

 

Vocabulary                                                                                     *mastery

Europe

monarchy

oligarchy

democracy

dictatorship

republic

supply and demand

trade

alliances

feudalism

plague

conquest

empire

nationalism


TEKS Subject: Social Studies/Knowledge

History/Influence of Events

District Focus and Resources

§         Analyze the historical background of selected contemporary societies to evaluate relationships between past conflicts and current conditions.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.1B)

 

 

Geography/Environment

District Focus and Resources

§         Describe ways in which technology influences human capacity to modify the physical environment. (TEKS/SE)(6.7C)

 

 

Economics/Economic Systems

District Focus and Resources

§         Compare ways in which various societies organize the production and distribution of goods and services. (TEKS/SE)(6.8A)

 

§         Identify and differentiate among traditional, market, and command economies in selected contemporary societies, including the benefits of the U.S. free enterprise system.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.8B)

 

§         Explain the impact of scarcity on international trade and economic interdependence among societies. (TEKS/SE)(6.8C)

 

Economics/Role of Production

District Focus and Resources

§         Describe ways in which factors of production (natural resources, labor, capital, and entrepreneurs) influence the economies of selected contemporary societies.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.9A)

 

§         Identify problems and issues that may arise when one or more of the factors of production is in relatively short supply.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.9B)

 

 

Government/Concepts

District Focus and Resources

§         Describe characteristics of limited and unlimited governments.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.11A) (Mastery)

 

§         Identify examples of limited and unlimited governments.

     (TEKS/SE)(6.11B)

 

§         Identify reasons for limiting the power of government.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.11C)

 

§         Compare limited and unlimited governments. (TEKS/SE)(6.11D)

 

 

Government/Organization

District Focus and Resources

§         Identify alternative ways of organizing governments such as rule by one, few, or many.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.12A)

 

§         Identify examples of governments with rule by one, few, or many.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.12B) (Mastery)

 

§         Identify historical origins of democratic forms of government.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.12C)

 

§         Compare how governments function in selected world societies such as China, Germany, India, and Russia.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.12D)

 

 

Citizenship/Nature

District Focus and Resources

§         Explain how opportunities for citizens to participate in and influence the political process vary among selected contemporary societies.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.13B)

 

§         Compare the role of citizens in the United States with the role of citizens from selected democratic and non-democratic contemporary societies. (TEKS/SE)(6.13C) (Mastery)

 

§         Identify and explain the importance of voluntary civic participation in democratic societies.

      (TEKS/SE)(6.14A)

 

§         Explain relationships among rights and responsibilities in democratic societies. (TEKS/SE)(6.14B)

 

 

Culture

District Focus