Sixth Grade Social Studies CORE Syllabus

Written by Bob Gonwa

January, 2008

Ancient Civilizations

General Topics:

            Mapping Skills

            Government

            Geography

            Agriculture

            Religion

            Customs and Cultures

Essential Outcomes:

1. Students will be able to create a map including a title, scale, compass rose composed of cardinal and intermediate directions, and a map legend with symbols.
2. Students will be able to identify major landforms of the Eastern Hemisphere.
3. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the beginnings of agriculture and its relation to the control of water and flooding.
4. Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of job specialization.
5. Students will be discover and analyze the beginnings of major religions of the ancient world.
6. Students will discover and analyze various different languages of the ancient world.
7. Students will discover and analyze various forms of social hierarchy of the ancient world.
8. Students will be able to identify advances in technology and the arts.
9. Students will discover and analyze various forms of government within the ancient world.

Major Assignments:

1. Students will be able to create a map including a title, scale, compass rose composed of cardinal and intermediate directions, and a map legend with symbols.
   1. Students will create a map of Kewaskum Middle School
   2. Students will create a map of the high school / middle school campus
   3. Students will create a map of Ancient Egypt
   4. Students will create a map of Ancient Mesopotamia
   5. Students will create a map of Ancient India
   6. Students will create a map of Ancient China
   7. Students will create a map of Ancient Greece
2. Students will be able to identify major landforms of the Eastern Hemisphere.
   1. Students will create a map identifying 10 landforms of Ancient Egypt
   2. Students will create a map identifying 10 landforms of Ancient Mesopotamia
   3. Students will create a map identifying 10 landforms of Ancient India
   4. Students will create a map identifying 10 landforms of Ancient China
   5. Students will create a map identifying 10 landforms of Ancient Greece
   6. Students will create a map identifying

4 continents

                  7 seas

                  4 oceans

                  7 rivers

                  4 islands

                  7 mountains or mountain ranges

                  4 lakes

                  4 peninsulas

      and      7 other landforms of the Eastern Hemisphere.

3. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the beginnings of agriculture and its relation to the control of water and flooding.
   1. Students will relate the geographic locations to agricultural beginnings and the beginnings of Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Ancient India, and Ancient China.
4. Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of job specialization.
   1. Students will create a help wanted ad for a job in an ancient civilization
5. Students will be discover and analyze the beginnings of major religions of the ancient world.
   1. Students will read about the origins of Hinduism
   2. Students will read about the origins of Buddhism
   3. Students will read about the origins of Judaism
   4. Students will read about the origins of Christianity
   5. Students will read about the origins of Islam
   6. Students will create a compare and contrast diagram of the 5 major religions of the world
6. Students will discover and analyze various different languages of the ancient world.
   1. Students will create their own language and relate that language to English by creating their own Rosetta Stone
7. Students will discover and analyze various forms of social hierarchy of the ancient world.
   1. Students will create a social ladder of Ancient Egyptian society
   2. Students will create a social ladder of Ancient Zhou(Chinese) society
8. Students will be able to identify advances in technology and the arts.
   1. Students will create a timeline of advances in technology and the arts.
9. Students will discover and analyze various forms of government within the ancient world.
   1. Students will create a chart comparing and contrasting Ancient Rome’s government to Ancient Greece’s government to the present government of the United States.