Frederick Douglass National Historic Site Virtual Museum Exhibit

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Mural, Frederick Douglass appealing to President Lincoln, 1943, LoC
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Opening this website, visitors are greeted with several pictures of Frederick Douglass throughout his lifespan, while a five-part historical overview of his life explains what the exhibit entails. Visitors can access more of the site's content through the three key feature links in the lower right corner of the home page: the "House Tour," "Lesson Plans," and "Portraits." The "House Tour" takes the user on a virtual room-by-room tour of Frederick Douglass's home, which is physically located in Washington, DC. This link may be useful for educators who would like their students to experience Douglass’s home but who cannot reach DC, offering a memorable classroom experience for any K–12 classroom studying the life of Frederick Douglass or of African Americans during the Antebellum and Reconstruction eras.

Additionally, educators could assign this website to students for research using primary source artifacts and documents. "Portraits" provides not only portraits with captions explaining their significance in Douglass's life, but of his children and close abolitionist friends, as well as personal items such as his Panama hat, eyeglasses, coffee pot and articles from his paper, the North Star. In total, the site offers more than 150 primary source documents and artifacts from the time period and Douglass's life. Clicking on the link for “All Image Galley” allows the viewer to step into Frederick Douglass’s world, viewing all of the primary sources in one exhibit gallery with nine subsections, including "Leisure Time" and "Presidential Appointments." This truly brings history to life!

One of the most useful links for educators is "Lesson Plans." This takes the user to a section of the National Park Service's website called Teaching with Museum Collections, where educators can download two lesson plans on Frederick Douglass, or download lesson plan templates to create their own artifact-based lessons. The lessons are clear and include state standards as well as differentiated instruction ideas. "Frederick Douglass's Hat" is appropriate for middle school students, but can be modified and integrated to the needs of all students. "Forced March," created by an 8th-grade middle school teacher, can also be modified or enhanced to meet the needs of a differentiated classroom.

Teachinghistory.org Teacher Representative Lynn Roach wrote this Website Review. Learn more about our Teacher Representatives.

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Michael Yell's Strategies for Using Primary Sources in Your Classroom

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Image from Michael Yell's classroom
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As you enter a classroom ask yourself this question: "If there were no students in the room, could I do what I am planning to do?" If your answer to the question is yes, don't do it. (
—General Ruben Cubero [1])

This quote says a lot about the types of teaching strategies that we should use as history teachers. A passive lecture can be given in an empty room, a PowerPoint explained, a worksheet passed out, or even a reading assigned; but you cannot engage with an empty room. An empty room cannot inquire into an historical event, idea, or person. Because interaction and engagement are the climate to set in a history class, the focus must be on more than teacher-led presentations. A lot more.

As history teachers, we know the importance of having our students wrestle intellectually with primary sources, i.e., learn to investigate history using the words and ideas of people of the past. However, it is essential that we keep in mind that the use of primary sources must be part of larger investigations in the history classroom, just as it is with historians. In an interview for Social Education, Professor Keith Barton told me “[primary sources] are not meaningful in their own right; they’re just a means to an end—they’re evidence in a broader investigation.” (2)

Using the Strategy

When you make the decision to use primary sources within a broader unit, how can they best be presented to students? Over the years, both as a secondary history teacher and now a middle school history teacher, I have found two strategies combined help students make the best use of primary sources in the context of the investigations we are conducting in class.

The first strategy that I combine to help my students understand and interact with primary sources is the DBQ strategy. DBQs, Document-Based Questions, have been long used in Advanced Placement exams. A DBQ asks students to analyze a series of six or so textual and visual primary sources in order to write an essay that addresses a historical question. (3) One adaptation that I make with DBQs in my teaching is that I do not use them as an assessment so much as a strategy for instruction with a unit.

To do this, I fold the ideas behind a particular DBQ together with the teaching strategy known as Response Groups. The Response Groups strategy was developed by the Teachers’ Curriculum Institute as a part of the History Alive! program. In this strategy students receive written and/or pictorial information and consider open-ended questions on that material. Presenters are then chosen to share their group’s ideas prior to opening the discussion to the entire class.

As an example of one of my uses of the strategy, I will site my lesson The Roman Antecedents of American Government. (4) In this lesson, my 7th graders, in groups of three or four, receive a folder with two papers with primary source quotations and visuals. The lesson has students examine the writing of a well-known Roman historian (Polybius) on the nature of government in the Roman Republic. The second paper contains quotations from the Federalist Papers. Both papers also contain visual elements (a picture of a statue of Polybius, a photocopy of a section of the Federalist Papers, and a painting of Alexander Hamilton).

In putting these two excellent strategies together, I make the following adaptations: (1) rather than use six or more documents in the DBQ, I use two or three, and (2) in addition to having written questions that I have developed to which the students respond after examining the sources, as done in both DBQs and Response Groups, I have students develop some questions as well that they wish to pursue prior to examining the sources.

On the face of it, developing questions prior to examining documents might appear difficult, but if you have heightened students’ interest in the historical period/question being studied, discussing what they wonder about out loud isn't problematic. Students developing their own questions is, of course, a basic premise of Donna Ogle’s KWL strategy—what students Know, what they Want to know, and what they have Learned.

Breaking the Strategy Down
  1. Collect materials for group activity
    Essential to the response group is to have primary source information for students to read and react to. It's not hard to find social studies and history curriculum materials ripe with these types of resources. In addition to the Internet and sites like Teachinghistory.org and the Stanford History Education Group, excellent commercial curricular materials are available from organizations such as Jackdaw, the National Center for History in the Schools, and the DBQ Project.

    In developing the sources for examining the connections between the governing system of the Roman Republic, I did an Internet search on Roman government until I found the writings of Polybius. Finding quotations from the Federalist Papers was, of course, no problem.
  2. In addition to the questions that are developed by the teacher, consider having students design group questions for the source material in order to guide their investigation
    As mentioned above, my preference has been to have my students develop some of the questions that they wish to explore (as is done in the KWL strategy). This way, the primary source materials become a part of the investigation. The development of questions by the groups for their own consideration is very important in this strategy, as it lays the groundwork for the subsequent work and discussion. The questions should be stated in an open-ended manner in order to invite discussion among the students in the group, and, later, within the entire class.

    As an example, an open-ended question that I have developed in the paper on Polybius is why do you feel that Polybius felt that the powers of the Roman government must be divided. This is the type of question that is referred to as “an author and me” (5) question in that the quotation that I have chosen does not specifically state the reason Polybius felt the powers of government must be divided.
  3. Ask groups to report to the class
    After the groups have had time to discuss the questions and write their answers, it is time for the whole class discussion to begin. There are a number of ways to facilitate this discussion, but my preference is to use a strategy such as Numbered Heads Together. (6)

    During the discussion, it is important to encourage groups, and the whole class, to respond to each others’ ideas. This can be done by asking the presenters from each group to begin with “We agree/disagree with your idea because…” or by asking presenters who have not yet spoken to consider the ideas already mentioned and respond to them.
  4. Individual response
    In concluding a lesson that utilizes this strategy, students should engage in individual writing about the ideas generated in the groups and the discussion.

    While students are working together with the primary sources, the key expectation of the teacher is the growth of each student. For this reason the cooperative learning principle of individual accountability should be incorporated in response to group work. An individual writing assignment can provide this element.
Final Thoughts

As a believer in using primary sources with my 7th-grade students, and as a practicing teacher I am in agreement with Professors Sam Wineburg and Daisy Martin when they write that we must strive to provide all students with access to the rich voices of the past. (7) This means judicious adaptation of those sources and quotations so that students have access to them while explaining what I have adapted and how I have done it. I also show them (via my Smartboard) the original source. Using primary sources is important in the teaching of history, not as an end in itself but as a means to involve students in investigation and inquiry into historical topics. Melding the basic ideas of DBQs and Response Groups and adapting them in your own classroom is a wonderful way to have your students grapple with the ideas provoked by what they study.

As classroom teachers, we often have a textbook we use in our curriculum. In my next blog, I will share a strategy that I have found most helpful in helping students think about, interact with, and get meaning from their text.

Bibliography

1 You will find General Ruben Cubero’s quote here.

2 Yell, Michael, History Teaching, Inquiry, and Citizenship: An Interview with Keith Barton. This interview will be published in an upcoming issue of Social Education (NCSS).

3 The finest source that I have found for the use of DBQ as a teaching strategy in middle and secondary classrooms is The DBQ Project.

4 Complete explanation of this strategy, as well as an earlier version of The Roman Antecedents of American Government Lesson, can be found in Yell and Scheurman, A Link to the Past: Engaging Students in the Study of History, NCSS, 2004.

5Buehl, Doug, Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning, International Reading Association, 2009. The “Author and Me” questions are those where the answer can be inferred from context clues and background knowledge and are a part of a strategy called “Question-Answer Relationships” (p. 133-140).

6 Morton, Tom, Cooperative Learning & Social Studies, Kagan Cooperative Learning, 1998.

7 Wineburg, Sam and Martin, Daisy, "Tampering with History: Adapting Primary Sources for Struggling Readers," Social Education, September 2009, Volume 73, Number 5, p. 212-21.

For more information

Explore our Teaching Guides for more teaching strategies. In what ways could different strategies augment and complement each other?

Ron Gorr on Go to the Source (GTTS) Activities

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lithograph, The scout Buffalo Bill. Hon. W.F. Cody, Paul Frenzeny, between 1872
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To teach history without primary sources is analogous to building a house without walls. Without the structure of authentic historical references, student understanding will collapse if it is confined to the subjectivity of teachers, texts, and the modern world around them. Albeit, most teachers and texts attempt to provide a balanced delivery of content, but nothing beats the analytical dissection of an actual primary document and the historical truth that can be garnered from it. As an added bonus, primary-source activities can augment the redevelopment of history curricula that are finally beginning to recognize the significance of these critical resources.

I think [my students] know what primary documents are, but I'm not sure they understand why they are important.

So who am I? Most likely, I am just like you! I have been teaching U.S. history (AP and regular) for 15 years and I have had some pretty nice successes. I've incorporated primary sources into my lectures, projects, and PowerPoints; I have asked students to periodically find their own content-related primary sources; I have used Document-Based Essay questions to help prepare kids for the AP exam; and recently, I even combined primary source research with a Wiki assignment (see my earlier blog entry). Overall, I feel like I have met or exceeded my district and state standards and my students are certainly exposed to a wide array of primary sources throughout the year. But, I still feel like there is a gap in my student's learning. I think they know what primary documents are, but I'm not sure they understand why they are important. For some, this might seem like a hair-splitting point, but for me, it is the difference between providing a busywork time-killer and demanding high-level critical analysis. It is at the core of historical thinking and a skill that I feel obligated to expose my students to before they go off to college. Luckily, I attended a seminar offered by the Teaching American History (TAH) Grant project "Ties That Bind" that provided an adaptable template for me to follow when I am attempting to evaluate and analyze primary sources with my students.

What are Go To The Source (GTTS) Activities?

Created by Professor William Virden, founder of the Colorado Institute for Historical Study and a professor at the University of Northern Colorado, and his partner Mary Borg in 2000, Go To The Source (GTTS) Activities are basically teacher-created questionnaires that are focused upon a single primary source or a small collection of primary sources. Since they are teacher generated, the documents and artifacts can be hand-selected for age-appropriateness, relevance, and wow factor. In addition, teachers can differentiate the process for all levels and abilities.

A Specific Example

In creating my "Go To The Source" activities, I started with a general topic like "The West" and worked with local college libraries and museum archives, to augment the internet resources that I found. I found that preparation was the key to getting the most from my research time. I contacted librarians and archivists ahead of time and they happily pulled resources before I arrived. They typically love their collections and are passionate about helping researchers, so utilize their expertise. Most of the information I used was from the Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum and the Pikes Peak (Carnegie) Library.

One of my favorite pieces was a Poster from the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show. Click the link and go to pages 8 and 9 to see the poster and my GTTS activity associated with it. Keep this activity open in another window for reference.

I chose the poster because I thought it addressed a number of the themes I was trying to elucidate to my students about the allure of the American West, specifically the romantic notions that were associated with it. My students seemed to agree when they took part in the GTTS activity associated with it. They really liked it and actually asked to do more of them.

Prior to the lesson, I tried to contextualize the poster, by teaching most of the traditional history associated with the West. In an attempt to dive a little deeper, I tried to help the kids understand that modern notions about the West are often glorified, embellished, and romanticized by movies, literature, and other forms of media. So much so that many of the stereotypes that we see as "western," have been transferred across the globe and have been woven into the histories of Australia, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, etc. The Buffalo Bill poster serves as a wonderful piece of evidence in this discussion.

My next step was to analyze the poster and deduce all of the components that I wanted the kids to draw from it. Once I knew what I wanted them to learn, I wrote questions to help them dissect the poster like a historian.

LOTS and HOTS Questions

In GTTS activities, these questions take two forms. The first questions establish who, what, why, when, and where. The answers to these Lower Order Thinking (LOTS) questions should be easily identifiable and relatively simplistic for students, but provide them with important information necessary to analyze and evaluate the document. (See questions 1-5 on the GTTS activity for examples of LOTS questions.)

Once the students get into the document, now it is time to help them see the real significance of it. This can be done by transitioning to Higher Order Thinking (HOTS) questions. These should challenge students to: explain, compare, contrast, predict, hypothesize, infer, value, judge, and justify. Often these questions begin with Why, How, In what ways, Imagine, Suppose, Predict, If…then, Defend, Justify, or Judge. Once students have completed these, they should have a grasp of not only the who, what, and where of the document, but of its historical relevance and significance. (See questions 6-9 on the GTTS activity for examples of HOTS questions.)

TIP: Do not neglect the LOTS questions! I have a tendency to jump right to the HOTS questions because I am much more interested in the deeper analysis of the source (especially with my AP classes); however, students often need the LOTS questions to build their deductive reasoning skills. Because we, as teachers, are more versed in looking at historical sources, we analyze the basics very quickly. Students usually don't. The LOTS questions will allow them to practice this fundamental component of historical thinking. Try to write questions that help them do this.

Once you have engaged your students with a compelling and relevant primary source, it might be fun to offer an extension exercise. These allow students to apply the information gathered from the GTTS exercise by asking them to create a tangible end product that demonstrates how effectively they conceptualized the significance of the sources they analyzed. Some potential lessons could include essays, graphs, charts, webbing, diagrams, historical fiction short stories, timelines, newspapers or magazines, predictions for the future, small group presentations or PowerPoints, maps, posters, games, dioramas, letters or telegrams, compare and contrast activities, and even the creation of document-based questions. Let your teacher magic flow through!

Lastly, I think it is important that I thank Professor Virden for his generosity and his undying passion in helping teachers realize the significance of primary sources in the classroom. His hard work, along with that of his assistant Tom Carson and all of the wonderful lecturers at the seminar, allowed me to grow as an educator and historian and for that I am sincerely grateful. I know Bill is fond of saying "nothing that can be memorized is history," and with these GTTS exercises, my students are beginning to see the truth in those words.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns about this process. I'd be happy to share my experiences with you.

Ron Gorr
Air Academy High School
Colorado Springs, Colorado
rmgorr@comcast.net

DC: Sixth Grade Standards

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(Note: In 2011, DC public schools began transitioning to the Common Core State Standards.)

  • Geography in Spatial Terms

    • 6.1. Broad Concept: Students use maps, globes, atlases, and other technologies to acquire and process information about people, places, and environments.
      1. Demonstrate that, in attempting to represent the round Earth on flat paper, all maps distort.
      2. Explain that maps contain spatial elements of point, line, area, and volume.
      3. Locate cardinal directions, poles, equator, hemispheres, continents, oceans, major mountain ranges, and other major geographical features of the Eastern and Western hemispheres.
      4. Locate major countries of the Eastern and Western hemispheres and principal bodies of water, regions, and mountains.
      5. Explain how latitude affects climates of continents.
      6. Explain the relationship between lines of longitude and time zones.
      7. Locate and define various large regions in the Eastern and Western hemispheres, and divide those regions into smaller regions based on race, language, nationality, or religion.
      8. Ask geographic questions and obtain answers from a variety of sources, such as books, atlases, and other written materials; statistical source material; fieldwork and interviews; remote sensing; word processing; and GIS. Reach conclusions and give oral, written, graphic, and cartographic expression to conclusions.
      9. Give examples of how maps can be used to convey a point of view, so that critical analysis of map sources is essential.
      10. Explain that people develop their own mental maps or personal perceptions of places in the world, that their experiences and culture influence their perceptions, and that these perceptions tend to influence their decision-making.

      Examples

      • Students wrap a sheet of butcher paper around a globe to make a pattern of the continents. Then, students peel the “skin” off the globe to determine what happens when it is laid flat out on a desk. Students use Venn diagrams to compare and contrast Mercator maps, polar maps, Goode’s Homolosine map, and equal area maps, looking for the differences in distortions that are made on each (6.1.1).
      • Students create a map of their neighborhood from a bird’s-eye perspective. By drawing the map in three dimensions, the maps demonstrate the spatial elements of point, line, area, and volume (6.1.2).
      • With a partner and a map, students trade geographic clues and search the globe to find buried treasures in the Eastern Hemisphere and then in the Western Hemisphere (6.1.3).
      • Students research different countries in the Eastern or Western hemispheres. In the classroom, students present riddles about their countries for others to solve, after which they present to the class the principal bodies of water, regions, and mountain ranges in their countries, as well as the major cities and population demographics (6.1.4).
      • Students draw lines of longitude on a global map and fill in the corresponding time for each line as if it were 12:00 midnight in New York City (6.1.6).
      • Students find and map the differences in climates on each continent. They draw conclusions about the effects of latitude on climate by analyzing their maps (6.1.5).
      • Students make a demographic map of Washington, DC, that includes information on race, language, nationality, and religion. In cooperative groups, students then create a demographic map of one of Washington, DC’s sister cities in another part of the world (e.g., Athens, Greece; Bangkok, Thailand; Beijing, China; Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo; Canberra, Australia; Dakar, Senegal; Paris, France; and Seoul, South Korea) (6.1.7).
      • Students compare and contrast a modern scale map to an early 20th-century British Empire map. Students then determine what effect, if any, the politics of the time had on the production of the map (6.1.9).
      • Students interview one person who has recently moved to Washington, DC, and another who has lived in the area for at least 20 years. Students compare the perceptions of the two people about different aspects of the area, including reasons why they each feel as they do (6.1.10).

  • Places and Regions

    • 6.2. Broad Concept: Students acquire a framework for thinking geographically, including the location and unique characteristics of places.

      Students:

      1. Name and locate the world’s continents, major bodies of water, major mountain ranges, major river systems, major countries, and major cities.
      2. Give examples and analyze ways in which people’s changing views of places and regions reflect cultural change.
      3. Explain that the concept of “region” has been devised by people as a way of categorizing, interpreting, and ordering complex information about Earth.
      4. Give examples of critical issues that may be region-specific and others that cross regional boundaries within the United States.
      5. Identify a region where natural disasters occur frequently, and give examples of how international efforts bring aid to this region.

      Examples

      • In small groups, students research one of the world’s continents, including its major bodies of water, mountain ranges, river systems, countries, and major cities. Each group represents its findings to scale on butcher paper, assembling their drawings into a large world map (6.2.1).
      • Students create a chart for one of the countries in South East Asia affected by the recent tsunami that includes the date, scale or severity of the tsunami, death toll, extent and nature of the destruction, and a list of aid groups that are working to alleviate the effects of the tsunami in their country (6.2.5).

  • Human Systems

    • 6.3. Broad Concept: Students identify and analyze the human activities that shape Earth’s surface, including population numbers, distribution and growth rates, and cultural factors.

      Students:

      1. Explain key migration patterns and the interrelationships among migration, settlement, population distribution patterns, landforms, and climates (e.g., East Indian-Polynesian).
      2. Explain the concept of population dynamics and, through maps, establish current world patterns of population distribution, density, and growth.
      3. Identify the demographic structure of a population and reasons for variations between places, including developing and developed nations.
      4. Relate population growth rates to health statistics, food supply, or other measures of well-being.
      5. Map the distribution patterns of the world’s major religions, and identify architectural features associated with each.
      6. Describe the effect of religion on world economic development patterns, cultural conflict, and social integration.
      7. Map the distribution pattern of the world’s major languages, and explain the concept of a lingua franca (a widely used second language; a language of trade and communication).
      8. Identify the cultural contributions of various ethnic groups in selected world regions and countries, including the United States.
      9. Point out specific situations where human or cultural factors are involved in global conflict and identify different viewpoints in the struggle. Create scenarios under which these cultural factors would no longer trigger conflict.
      10. Identify international organizations of global power and influence (e.g., the North Atlantic Treaty Organization/NATO, the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations/ASEAN, the Non-Aligned Movement), and form committees to report on the influence and limits to influence of each one.

      Examples

      • In cooperative groups, students research contemporary population dynamics in the United States. Students then create a color-coded map that demonstrates U.S. population distribution, growth, and density (6.3.2).
      • Students compare the demographic structure of major cities in the United States to another major city of similar size in a developing nation. Students follow up the activity by comparing health statistics, food supplies, and average adult and infant mortality rates (6.3.3 and 6.3.4).
      • Students create a color-coded world map of the world’s major religions and a three- dimensional model of the major architectural centers for each (6.3.5).
      • In cooperative groups, students research a period in world history during which religion played a key role in the events (e.g., Spanish involvement in the mid-Atlantic slave trade, the Crusades, the Protestant Reformation, or the Puritan arrival in the Americas). Each group creates a dramatic presentation on how the religion made an impact on the economic development, cultural conflict, and social integration of the time period (6.3.6).
      • Students participate in a simulation marketplace activity and attempt to barter and trade various goods nonverbally. They repeat the exercise but with the ability to speak and communicate, noting the differences between each trial. Students also create a color- coded map of the world’s languages, noting where more than one language is spoken and the reasons why (6.3.7).
      • Students research the natural state of Washington, DC, before the city was built, and they explain how the land transformed over time (6.3.8).
      • Students identify a cultural conflict that has occurred in recent history (e.g., the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, Hausa-Fulani conflict, Rwanda conflict, Sudan conflict, issues surrounding North African migrants in France, or illegal migration to the United States). In a reflective essay, students describe the causes of the conflict, views from both sides of the conflict, and the measures that have been taken to end the conflict (6.3.9).
      • Students act as a world coalition of global organizations to bring an end to the Congolese War. They conduct research to understand the ways in which several worldwide organizations have intervened to bring peace during times of conflict. Students then strategize ways in which the coalition of organizations might exert its influence to bring about change in the Congo (6.3.10).

  • Economic Systems and Urbanization

    • 6.4. Broad Concept: Students describe rural and urban land use, ways of making a living, cultural patterns, and economic and political systems.

      Students:

      1. Describe the worldwide trend toward urbanization, and graph this trend.
      2. Understand the relationships between changing transportation technologies and increasing urbanization.
      3. Explain that the internal structure of cities varies in different regions of the world, and give examples.
      4. Analyze the changing structure and functions of cities over time.
      5. Map the worldwide occurrence of the three major economic systems: traditional, command, and market. Describe the characteristics of each, and identify influences leading to potential change.
      6. Explain the meaning of the word infrastructure, and analyze its relationship to a country’s level of development.
      7. Explain how change in communication and transportation technology is contributing to both cultural convergence and divergence. Explain how places and regions serve as cultural symbols (e.g., Jerusalem as a sacred place for Jews, Christians, and Muslims).
      8. Summarize how cultural norms in a region influence different economic activities of men and women, including literacy, occupations, clothing, and property rights.
      9. Identify patterns of economic activity in terms of primary (growing or extracting), secondary (manufacturing), and tertiary (distributing and services) activities.

      Examples

        • Students plot population growth, economic growth, average yearly income per capita, and infant mortality rates of representative cities from around the world. After comparing the graphs, students compose a press release on the global trends toward urbanization (6.4.1).
        • Students study the history of the Washington, DC, Metro system, paying particular attention to the reasons for its development, the changes in technology associated with its operation, and the demographics that it serves (6.4.2).
        • Students study the history of Washington, DC, over the past century, paying particular attention to the architectural, demographic, and economic changes that have occurred and the reasons for those changes. Students synthesize this information and forecast how they envision the city will grow and change in the next century (6.4.4).
        • Students work to design an “economic utopia” that utilizes the best features of one or more of the three major economic systems. They compare their system to the U.S. market economy and answer the questions “Who pays?” and “Who benefits?” (6.4.5).
        • Students compare the infrastructure of the United States (governmental system, educational system, economic system, social system) to that of a developing country in both Africa and Asia (6.4.7).
        • Students research the cultural effects of corporations in the United States outsourcing to countries such as India and China (6.4.7).

  • Physical Systems

    • 6.5. Broad Concept: Students acquire a framework for thinking about Earth’s physical systems: Earth- sun relationships, climate and related ecosystems, and landforms.

      Students:

      1. Recall and apply knowledge concerning Earth-sun relationships, including “reasons for seasons” and time zones.
      2. Categorize elements of the natural environment as belonging to one of the four components of Earth’s physical systems: atmosphere, lithosphere, biosphere, or hydrosphere.
      3. Explain the difference between weather and climate.
      4. Identify and account for the distribution pattern of the world’s climates.
      5. Describe distinct patterns of natural vegetation and biodiversity and their relations to world climate patterns.
      6. Integrate understandings concerning the physical processes that shape Earth’s surface and result in existing landforms: plate tectonics, mountain building, erosion, and deposition.
      7. Give specific examples, in terms of places where they occur, of the physical processes that shape Earth’s surface.
      8. Describe the ways in which Earth’s physical processes are dynamic and interactive.
      9. Map with precision the occurrence of earthquakes over a given period (at least several months), and draw conclusions concerning regions of tectonic instability.
      10. Explain the safety measures people can take in the event of an earthquake, tornado, or hurricane, and map the occurrence of each of these natural hazards in the United States over a given period of time.
      11. Use a variety of means to research the sources of different types of pollution in the local community and design measures that can be taken to reduce each type of pollution.

      Examples

      • After watching a demonstration of a flashlight shining on a spinning globe, students research the effect of the sun’s ability to illuminate only one area of the world at a time, and they connect this fact to the reasons for seasons around the world (6.5.1).
      • Students compare climates west and east of the Rockies, Andes, and Ural mountain ranges and explain why rainfall amounts, temperature, winds, and types of plants and other life-forms differ in those areas (6.5.5).
      • Students research plate tectonic theory, paying particular attention to the “ring of fire” and the earthquakes that occur as a result of plate movement (6.5.7).
      • Students trace the geological trail of activity that caused the great tsunami of South East Asia (6.5.8).
      • Students select a pen-pal from students in other parts of the United States that recently have been affected by a natural disaster to learn about what to do and who to contact when such a natural disaster occurs (6.5.10).
      • Students serve as pollution clean-up task force agents for the Potomac River. They conduct local experiments to assess the level of water contamination and interview experts on how to solve these problems (6.5.11).

  • Environment and Society

    • 6.6. Broad Concept: Students analyze ways in which humans affect and are affected by their physical environment.

      Students:

      1. Identify human-caused threats to the world’s environment: atmospheric and surface pollution, deforestation, desertification, salinization, overfishing, urban sprawl, and species extinction.
      2. Identify ways in which occurrences in the natural environment can be a hazard to humans: earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tornadoes, flooding, hurricanes and cyclones, and lightning-triggered fires.
      3. Analyze the possible consequences of a natural disaster on the local community, and devise plans to cope with, minimize, or mitigate their effect.
      4. Evaluate how and why the ability of Earth to feed its people has changed over time.
      5. Analyze world patterns of resource distribution and utilization, and explain the consequences of use of renewable and nonrenewable resources.
      6. Assess how people’s perceptions of their relationship to natural phenomena have changed over time, and analyze how these changing perceptions are reflected in human activity and land use.
      7. Explain and evaluate the relationships between agricultural land uses and the environment (grazing, grain cropping, and tree farming).
      8. Develop policies that are designed to guide the use and management of Earth’s resources and that reflect multiple points of view.
      9. Explain why oil—one of the major resources of North Africa, West Africa, and the Middle East—is important to the economic and political stability of the hemisphere and the world.

      Examples

        • Students engage in a debate about the issue of global warming after conducting research. In particular, they research the Kyoto Protocol and evaluate the opinions, hypotheses, evidence, and range of data used to argue for or against the usefulness of the protocol (www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/kidsclub/flash/index.html, www.epa.gov/globalwarming/kids/, www.pewclimate.org/global-warming-basics/kidspage.cfm) (6.6.1).
        • Students develop a hurricane safety guide for the school that includes information on needed supplies, adequate shelter, what to do during a hurricane if you are in school, and testimonials from people during hurricane season in Washington, DC (6.6.3).
        • Students research the methods and technology used by U.S. farmers to increase food production. Students engage in a debate about the benefits of organic farming versus conventional farming (6.6.4).
        • Students imagine that they are farmers with thousands of cattle, and they create a plan to preserve the grazing land (6.6.7).
        • Students choose a particular natural resource (e.g., oil, coal, water, natural gas, stone, sand, gravel, or salt) and assess its global supply and management. Based on their findings, students develop policies to improve the ways in which their natural resource is globally managed (6.6.8).
        • Students write an imaginative account of a day in the world without oil (6.6.9).
    • A Day On, Not a Day Off Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 01/16/2011 - 17:59
    Date Published
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    Logo, Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service
    Article Body

    Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! Since 1994 and the signing into law of the King Holiday and Service Act, the holiday is a "day on, not a day off," a national day of service. According to the King Center, King's widow, Coretta Scott King, described the holiday this way:

    Every King Holiday has been a national "teach-in" on the values of nonviolence, including unconditional love, tolerance, forgiveness and reconciliation, which are so desperately needed to unify America. It is a day of intensive education and training in Martin's philosophy and methods of nonviolent social change and conflict-reconciliation. The Holiday provides a unique opportunity to teach young people to fight evil, not people, to get in the habit of asking themselves, "what is the most loving way I can resolve this conflict?"

    Maybe you've given your students background on the holiday and prepared them to get involved in the local community today. But Martin Luther King Jr. Day shouldn't be the only day your students are ready to serve—and King isn't the only topic that can connect service and history education.

    More Than One Day of Service

    President Barack Obama's United We Serve initiative calls on citizens to come together to improve their communities. The government Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service website reflects that call, and provides resources you can draw on throughout the year.

    Helping to preserve history can be service, too!

    Use this site to familiarize yourself (and your students, depending on their grade level and readiness to organize projects) with service opportunities in your area. Search by city, state, or zip code; register your own project; or read up on planning a project with the site's detailed Action Guides.

    Now consider your curriculum and your local community. Don't limit yourself to Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement, or to the third Monday of January. Think about the Great Depression, the New Deal, the Progressive Era, the women's rights movement, the victory gardens and scrap drives of the World War II homefront, the Berlin Airlift. What sorts of projects might you guide students in initiating (or at least considering) for any of these topics or time periods that would also help them learn—and feel connected to—historical content?

    Serving to Preserve

    Helping to preserve history can be service, too! Listen to teacher James Percoco speak on teaching with memorials and monuments and think about your local history. Are there places that need young volunteers? Locations that students could research and then prepare their own interpretive materials?

    Use Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a reminder not just to memorialize history, but to empower students to connect with, interpret, and preserve it in the service of the present!

    Resources on Martin Luther King, Jr.

    Sounds good, you say, but maybe you need resources for teaching about Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement, before you head off onto wider projects. Last year, we recommended a variety of online resources in our Jan. 13 blog entry. Here are those recommendations again—and a few new ones! Remember to search our Website Reviews and try our Lesson Plan Gateway for even more links to great materials.

    Elizabeth Schaefer on a New Approach to President Lincoln

    Date Published
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    Photo, Wash_DC_20090206_005, mutantMandias, Flickr
    Article Body

    Summer is often a time for professional development. Have you had a chance to learn new content and strategies and visit new places? Or revisit familiar content and places? Here's some of what our teacher-writer Elizabeth Schaefer took away from a summer professional development experience in Washington, DC.

    A New Angle on Lincoln and the Civil War

    As you plan out your next Civil War unit, consider approaching it from a new angle, a different place. The place, Lincoln's Cottage, is tucked up on the edge of northwest Washington, DC, alongside the Soldiers' Home and is now part of the Armed Forces Retirement Home complex. It was Abraham Lincoln's summer retreat and where he spent a large portion of his presidency. Lincoln's Cottage was closed to the public until 2008 but has opened its doors to tell a fresh story about the humanity of one of the country's greatest presidents.

    Lincoln's Cottage in the Classroom

    The story of Lincoln's cottage is a human story—one that students can understand. It was a place of personal refuge, grief, and contemplation. Lincoln lived there for a large portion of his presidency and very likely drafted the Emancipation Proclamation in the cottage. Using the cottage as something tangible, here are three themes that you could study in your class:

    Lincoln and His Family:
    Lincoln's Cottage is an ideal channel to ease students' imaginations into the Civil War unit. The Lincoln family left the White House and moved all of their belongings to the cottage after the death of 11-year-old Willie Lincoln. Paint the picture for your students—a grieving mother, a 9-year-old son who just lost his brother and best friend, and a father who is leading the nation through a civil war. A range of primary sources documenting each of these individuals exists and can be used to personalize the experience and create a human president that is less out of reach. On the cottage tour, visitors are asked to consider the significance of the cottage to a grieving family and the importance of reflection to everyone. The family continued to spend half the year there for the remainder of Lincoln's presidency.

    War History:
    During the Civil War, although Lincoln's Cottage was a comfortable distance from the heat and bustle of the city, the house was surrounded by reminders of war. Soldiers lived and camped in the surrounding areas and interacted with the family regularly.

    This can aid understanding of what a civil war entails and how the impact on everyday life differed from the concept of war as we understand it in America today.

    On the tour, there are fun accounts of Lincoln's encounters with soldiers and Tad Lincoln's friendships with them that students will greatly enjoy. There is also a soldiers' graveyard on the grounds. It did not exist when the family arrived, but by the time Lincoln was assassinated it was rapidly filling up with deceased young men. The cottage offers another avenue to consider the lives and deaths of the soldiers during the war.

    Another way to look at the Civil War is through the position of this "retreat." A church bell tower within feet of the cottage was used to communicate with the forts surrounding Washington, DC, to warn of oncoming attacks. I suggest having your students find the cottage and the White House in relation to these Civil War forts. You can find maps and primary source materials at http://www.nps.gov/cwdw. This can aid understanding of what a civil war entails and how the impact on everyday life differed from the concept of war as we understand it in America today.

    Historic Changes:
    Another theme to consider is how America has changed over time. This will have special impact if your students are in the Washington, DC, area, but the big ideas likely translate to any city. The Lincolns fled to the cottage largely because Mary Todd blamed the horrible conditions of DC for the death of her son. There was a canal flowing directly in front of the White House, and the conditions were unsanitary—hot, bug-ridden, and dirty. Willie is believed to have died from typhoid fever. Not only does this paint a clearer picture of what the cities, hospitals, and battlegrounds were like during the war, it also makes an excellent introduction to the Progressive era and its urban reform campaigns.

    What do we not understand about each other? What can we never fully understand from our position in time?

    The cottage provides a canvas to humanize the president, but it also provides an opportunity for historic perspective-taking. These figures were living in the 1800s and had things in common with us—grief, fear, the need for quiet time—but what do we not understand about each other? What can we never fully understand from our position in time? Lincoln is assassinated at Ford's Theatre with no real security there to stop Booth's shot. Before that, for six months out of the year, he commuted the three miles between the cottage and the White House on horseback, often alone. This is an excellent opportunity to discuss why this could not happen today. What has changed about technology and what lessons have we learned? How would our understanding of the world be different if a president had never been assassinated? Are there things in the world that we take for granted until something bad happens and everything changes (i.e. security regulations)?

    Visiting Lincoln's Cottage

    The cottage is a unique historic site because, as explained on the tour, the National Trust "chose to furnish the cottage with Lincoln's ideas rather than his things." Sure enough, as you walk through the space, the rooms are basically empty and, with the help of technology, the rooms are used as platforms for discussion. Within the education center, students can participate in a roleplaying activity to discuss Lincoln's cabinet and their role in emancipation. The site offers free buses for DCPS and DC charter schools. Directions and further information can be found at www.lincolncottage.org.

    Acknowledgements

    I was introduced to this site by the Civil War Washington Teaching Fellows, led by a collaboration of small historic sites within Washington, DC, including Lincoln's Cottage, Ford's Theatre, Frederick Douglass House, and Tudor Place. They provided a wealth of information and resources about the Civil War and each added something to this post.

    Callie Hawkins represented Lincoln's Cottage and through her understanding of its importance to President Lincoln, breathed life into the site and demonstrated its endless educational possibility.

    Bibliography

    Bayne, Julia Taft. Tad Lincoln's Father. University of Nebraska, 2001. A memoir on the Lincolns' family life.

    Pinsker, Matthew. Lincoln's Sanctuary: Abraham Lincoln and the Soldiers' Home. New York: Oxford UP, 2003. This book captures the story of Lincoln's Cottage in detail.

    For more information

    Field trips may be out of the reach of many teachers, but historic sites can still offer rich teachable resources. Maybe you or your students can learn about opportunities to help preserve and pass on history in your area, or you might design an individualized field trip for students to pursue in their own time, at their own pace.

    Reminding students that people in the past differed from us in as many ways as they resembled us can be difficult. A research brief on reading Abraham Lincoln shows how students (and teachers) use modern-day frameworks of thought to approach historical sources. How can you challenge students' assumptions about how people in the past thought, felt, reasoned, and expressed themselves?

    Presidents in the Library Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 02/11/2011 - 12:36
    Date Published
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    Photo, US Flag, Kennedy Library, Boston, Feb. 16, 2009, Tony the Misfit, Flickr
    Article Body

    Happy (almost) Presidents Day! Have your ever thought about all of the papers a presidency must create? Emails, memoranda, schedules, notes, speeches, letters, drafts, on and on and on, an entire term (or terms) set down in a sea of potential primary sources. But how can educators access this wealth of materials?

    In many cases, all you have to do is go online. Before the 20th century, presidents had ownership of their papers, and many were lost to time or split up in private collections. However, in 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt decided that his papers should become the property of the American people following his presidency. He donated both his papers and part of his Hyde Park estate to the government, and the first presidential library was born.

    In 1955, the Presidential Libraries Act set rules for gifting the government with property and other resources to be used to establish the libraries, and in 1978, the Presidential Records Act made it official—presidential papers were government property.

    Today, 13 presidential libraries house the papers of the last 13 presidents. The National Archives and Records Administration, which oversees the libraries, describes them as combination archive-museums, “bringing together in one place the documents and artifacts of a President and his administration and presenting them to the public for study and discussion without regard for political considerations or affiliation.”

    Presidential Libraries Online

    Each of the libraries maintains its own website. Though the resources available on each vary greatly, almost all provide biographical information on the president and first lady, student and educator sections, and a selection of digitized photographs and documents. Some have extensive searchable databases full of documents, photos, and other primary sources! Here's a list of the libraries:

    • Herbert Hoover Presidential Library, West Branch, IA — features 13 simple online exhibits and Hoover Online! Digital Archives, a collection of suggested units and lesson plans for secondary students with primary sources.
    • Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY — the first presidential library, completed in 1940. Offers five curriculum guides, an online exhibit on the art of the New Deal, and the Pare Lorentz Center, which encourages using multimedia to teach about FDR.
    • Harry S. Truman Presidential Library, Independence, MO — offers a searchable lesson plan database and digitized photographs, audio clips, and political cartoons, as well as documents divided up by topic (topics include such teachable subjects as the decision to drop the atom bomb and Japanese Americans during World War II).
    • Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Abilene, KS — features a selection of online documents, grouped by topics (topics include Brown vs. Board of Education, Hawaiian statehood, McCarthyism, and others), and transcripts of oral history interviews.
    • John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Boston, MA — provides six online exhibits (including exhibits on the space program, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and desegregating the University of Mississippi), a photo gallery, major speeches, and a searchable digital archive. It also houses the Ernest Hemingway Collection.
    • Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library, Austin, TX — features a photo archive, the presidential daily diary, selected speeches, and the subsite LBJ for Kids!
    • Richard Nixon Presidential Library, Yorba Linda, CA — includes digitized documents, samples of the Nixon tapes, a photo gallery, video oral histories, four lesson plans, and online exhibits on Watergate, gifts to the head of state, and Nixon's meeting with Elvis.
    • Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library, Ann Arbor, MI — features 10 simple online exhibits, as well as digitized documents and photos.
    • Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, Atlanta, GA — offers selected documents and photographs, including the diary of Robert C. Ode, hostage in the Iran Hostage Crisis.
    • Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Simi Valley, CA — includes an image archive arranged by topic, and the public papers of Reagan, arranged by month and year.
    • George H. W. Bush Presidential Library, College Station, TX — includes 12 lesson plans, a photo archive, and searchable public papers of his presidency.
    • William J. Clinton Presidential Library, Little Rock, AR — has both virtual exhibits and a digital library in development.
    • George W. Bush Presidential Library — the newest of the public libraries, it does not yet have a permanent building. Many papers from the Bush administration are not yet available to the public (papers become public five years after the end of a presidency, which can be extended up to 12 years).

    Remember that many of the presidential libraries offer museum tours and activities for school groups! If your school is close to one, consider a field trip or participating in the professional development opportunities the library may offer.

    Beyond the Libraries

    Looking for resources on a pre-Hoover president? Several libraries exist outside of the official presidential library system, including the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center, William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum, and the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum. Try the Library of Congress's American Memory collections, as well, for papers that belonged to Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison.

    West Virginia: 6th-Grade Standards

    Article Body

    Sixth grade Social Studies provides an interdisciplinary examination of selected world regions: North America, South America, Western Europe and the Middle East. Students study historical and current development, characteristics of places, connections between regions and their impact on one another. Students learn the historic foundations and evolutions of developed and developing nations, states and nation-states. Emphasis is placed on how environment, technology and resources have helped to determine economic relations and conflicts between these regions in the past and how these factors will influence the interactions of these four regions of the world throughout the 21st Century. Various economic systems are introduced. The West Virginia Standards for 21st Century Learning include the following components: 21st Century Content Standards and Objectives and 21st Century Learning Skills and Technology Tools. All West Virginia teachers are responsible for classroom instruction that integrates learning skills, technology tools and content standards and objectives.

    Social Studies Standard 1: Citizenship

    SS.S.06.01 / Students will:

    • characterize and model good citizenship by building social networks of reciprocity and trustworthiness (Civic Dispositions).
    • model a respect for symbols, ideas and concepts of the United States and analyze the roles of significant individuals (Respect For People, Events, and Symbols).
    • develop and employ the civic skills necessary for effective citizenship by using criteria to make judgments, arrive at and defend positions and evaluate the validity of the positions or data (Evaluation Skills).
    • develop the participatory skills of interacting, monitoring and influencing that are essential for informed, effective and responsible citizenship, including participation in civic life to shape public policy (Participatory Skills).
    • recognize and communicate the responsibilities, privileges and rights of United States citizens (Civic Life).

    • SS.PD.06.1 / Performance Descriptors

      • Novice:
        • state the roles of American citizens and citizens in other nations.
        • state the influences of those citizensí actions on public policy through governmental and nongovernmental agencies.
        • recognize the benefits of peacefully resolving national and international conflicts.

      • Partial Mastery:
        • identify the roles of American citizens and citizens in other nations.
        • identify the influences of those citizensí actions on public policy through governmental and nongovernmental agencies.
        • identify one way of peacefully resolving national and international conflicts.

      • Mastery:
        • compare and contrast the roles of American citizens to citizens of other nations.
        • analyze the influence of those citizensí actions on public policy through governmental and nongovernmental agencies.
        • explain the benefits of peacefully resolving national and international conflicts.

      • Above Mastery:
        • analyze the roles of American citizens and compare them to citizens of other nations.
        • evaluate the influence of those citizenís actions on the development of public policy through governmental and nongovernmental agencies.
        • evaluate the benefits of peaceful national and international conflict resolution and predict the outcomes.

      • Distinguished:
        • anticipate how the roles of American citizens and citizens in other nations may change in the future.
        • assess the influence of those citizensí actions and public policy through governmental and nongovernmental agencies.
        • judge and defend the benefits of peacefully resolving national and international conflicts.

    • Objectives / Students will:

      • SS.O.06.01.01: explain the ways in which nations interact with one another and try to resolve problems.
      • SS.O.06.01.02: evaluate, take and defend positions on the purposes that government should serve.
      • SS.O.06.01.03: explain how nations benefit when they resolve conflicts peacefully.
      • SS.O.06.01.04: compare and contrast the role of American citizens with citizens of selected nations and states:
        • responsibilities
        • rights
        • privileges
        • duties
      • SS.O.06.01.05: analyze citizen actions (e.g., petitions, lobbying, demonstrations, civil disobedience) and public opinion (expressed through various media and meetings) and evaluate these influences on public policy and decision-making.

    Social Studies Standard 2: Civics

    SS.S.06.02 / Students will:

    • examine and analyze the purposes and basic principles of the United States government (Purposes of Government).
    • outline and evaluate and analyze the origins and meaning of the principles, ideals and core democratic values expressed in the foundational documents of the United States (Ideals of United States Democracy).
    • examine and distinguish the structure, function and responsibilities of governments and the allocation of power at the local, state and national levels (United States Government and Politics).
    • analyze how the world is organized politically and compare the role and relationship of the United States to other nations and to world affairs (United States Government and World Affairs).

    • SS.PD.06.2 / Performance Descriptors

      • Novice:
        • list competing ideas about the purposes of world governments and their functions.
        • identify governmental and nongovernmental international organizations.
        • list the purposes and influences of political divisions, political parties, and special interest groups of nations.
        • identify the impact of strong leadership on historic world events.

      • Partial Mastery:
        • explain competing ideas about the purposes of world governments and their functions.
        • describe governmental and nongovernmental international organizations.
        • explain the purposes and influences of political divisions, political parties, and special interest groups of nations.
        • describe the impact of strong leadership on historic world events.

      • Mastery:
        • evaluate competing ideas about the purposes of world governments and their functions.
        • compare and contrast governmental and nongovernmental international organizations.
        • debate the purposes and influences of divisions, political parties, and special interest groups of nations.
        • analyze the impact of strong leadership on historic world events.

      • Above Mastery:
        • research competing ideas about the purposes of world governments and their functions.
        • differentiate between governmental and nongovernmental international organizations.
        • compare and contrast the purposes and influences of political divisions, political parties, and special interest groups of nations.
        • research the positive and negative impact of strong leadership on historic world events.

      • Distinguished:
        • debate competing ideas about the purposes of world governments and their functions.
        • evaluate the effectiveness of governmental and nongovernmental international organizations.
        • justify the purposes and influences of political divisions, political parties, and special interest groups of nations.
        • compare and contrast the positive and negative impact of strong leadership on historic world events.

    • Objectives / Students will:

      • SS.O.06.02.01: evaluate competing ideas about the purposes government should serve (e.g., promoting the common good, protecting individual rights, providing economic security).
      • SS.O.06.02.02: analyze and explain how various types of government meet the needs and wants of citizens, manage conflict and establish security.
      • SS.O.06.02.03: analyze the impact of strong leadership on historic world events.
      • SS.O.06.02.04: debate the purposes of political parties and special interest groups and their influence on the political process.
      • SS.O.06.02.05: identify, explain and give examples of the political divisions of nations.
      • SS.O.06.02.06: describe, provide examples and classify different forms of government as either limited (having established and respected restraints of their power) or unlimited (having no effective means of restraining their power) governments.
      • SS.O.06.02.07: compare and contrast governmental and nongovernmental international organizations and critique their functions.

    Social Studies Standard 3: Economics

    SS.S.06.03 / Students will:

    • analyze the role of economic choices in scarcity, supply and demand, resource allocation, decision-making, voluntary exchange and trade-offs (Choices).
    • research, critique and evaluate the roles of private and public institutions in the economy (Institutions).
    • compare and contrast various economic systems and analyze their impact on individual citizens (Economic Systems).
    • illustrate how the factors of production impact the United States economic system (Factors of Production).
    • analyze the elements of competition and how they impact the economy (Competition).
    • examine and evaluate the interdependence of global economies (Global Economies).

    • SS.PD.06.3 / Performance Descriptors

      • Novice:
        • list economic reasons for immigration and migration worldwide throughout history.
        • identify and give examples of the interactive relationship of global marketing principles.
        • state the basic characteristics of communism, socialism, and capitalism.
        • recognize the impact of technology, trade cartels and treaties on the production, marketing and consumption of goods and services in selected nations.

      • Partial Mastery:
        • explain economic reasons for immigration and migration worldwide throughout history.
        • describe and give examples of the interactive relationship of global marketing principles.
        • explain the basic characteristics of communism, socialism, and capitalism.
        • recognize and define the impact of technology, trade cartels and treaties on the production, marketing and consumption of goods and services in selected nations.

      • Mastery:
        • infer economic reasons for immigration and migration worldwide throughout history.
        • summarize and give examples of the interactive relationship of global marketing principles.
        • compare and contrast the basic characteristics of communism, socialism, and capitalism.
        • analyze the impact of technology, trade cartels and treaties on the production, marketing and consumption of goods and services in selected nations.

      • Above Mastery:
        • evaluate the effects of immigration and migration on economics throughout world history and predict future movement.
        • research positive and negative examples of the interactive relationship of global marketing principles.
        • create a comparative chart of the basic characteristics of communism, socialism and capitalism.
        • evaluate the importance of the impact of technology, trade cartels and treaties on the production, marketing and consumption of goods and services in selected nations.

      • Distinguished:
        • anticipate future patterns for immigration and migration worldwide.
        • debate the effectiveness of positive and negative examples of the interactive relationship of global marketing principles.
        • using data, students create a comparative chart, and analyze the characteristics of communism, socialism and capitalism.
        • predict the future impact of technology, trade cartels and treaties on the production, marketing and consumption of goods and services in selected nations as development changes.

    • Objectives / Students will:

      • SS.O.06.03.01: infer the economic reasons for immigration and migration worldwide throughout history.
      • SS.O.06.03.02: summarize and give examples of the interactive relationship of global marketing principles:
        • production/consumption of goods and services
        • competition
        • supply and demand
      • SS.O.06.03.03: compare and contrast the basic characteristics of communism, socialism and capitalism.
      • SS.O.06.03.04: assess the economic impact of technology on world regions throughout history (e.g., internet, telecommunications, printing press).
      • SS.O.06.03.05: explain how trade cartels affect the world economy (e.g., Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries), trace the development of treaties and organizations related to trade and evaluate their influence on trade.

    Social Studies Standard 4: Geography

    SS.S.06.04 / Students will:

    • interpret, and choose maps, globes and other geographic tools to categorize and organize information about personal directions, people, places and environments (The World in Spatial Terms).
    • examine the physical and human characteristics of place and explain how the lives of people are rooted in places and regions (Places and Regions).
    • analyze the physical processes that shape the earthís surface and create, sustain and modify the cultural and natural environment (Physical Systems).
    • analyze and illustrate how the earth is shaped by the movement of people and their activities (Human Systems).
    • analyze the interaction of society with the environment (Environment and Society).
    • point out geographic perspective and the tools and assess techniques available for geographic study (Uses of Geography).

    • SS.PD.06.4 / Performance Descriptors

      • Novice:
        • use map tools to view information (e.g., continents, climate, bodies of water, natural resources, time zones).
        • identify the relationship of people with their environment regarding population demographics, settlement, transportation and trade.
        • identify the effects of physical geography on transportation, culture, economic activities, and population distribution.
        • list changes in urban areas as they moved from agricultural centers to industrial centers.

      • Partial Mastery:
        • use map tools to describe information (e.g., continents, climate, bodies of water, natural resources, time zones).
        • describe the relationship of people with their environment regarding population demographics, settlement, transportation and trade.
        • describe the effects of physical geography on transportation, culture, economic activities, and population distribution.
        • identify and discuss changes in urban areas as they moved from agricultural centers to industrial centers.

      • Mastery:
        • use map tools to locate and identify information (e.g., continents, climate, bodies of water, natural resources, time zones).
        • analyze the relationship of people with their environment regarding population demographics, settlement, transportation and trade.
        • evaluate the effects of physical geography on transportation, culture, economic activities, and population distribution.
        • examine and illustrate changes in urban areas as they moved from agricultural centers to industrial centers.

      • Above Mastery:
        • use map tools to interpret information (e.g., continents, climate, bodies of water, natural resources, time zones).
        • evaluate the positive and negative relationships people have with their environment due to population demographics, settlement, transportation and trade.
        • research the positive and negative effects of physical geography on transportation, culture, economic activities, and population distribution.
        • research positive and negative changes in urban areas as they moved from agricultural centers to industrial centers.

      • Distinguished:
        • use map tools to compare and contrast information (e.g., continents, climate, bodies of water, natural resources, time zones).
        • predict future relationships people may have with their environment because of population demographics, settlement, transportation and trade.
        • debate the positive and negative effects of physical geography on predicted transportation, culture, economic activities, and population distribution.
        • debate the positive and negative impacts upon urban areas today as they continue to transform from agricultural centers to industrial centers.

    • Objectives / Students will:

      • SS.O.06.04.01: determine the time of various world locations using a world time zone map.
      • SS.O.06.04.02: use map tools (e.g., legends, keys, scales) to interpret information (e.g., climate, landforms, resources).
      • SS.O.06.04.03: locate and identify the continents, major climates, major bodies of water, natural resources and landforms and analyze the relationship of people with their environment regarding population demographics, settlement and trade.
      • SS.O.06.04.04: locate the major waterways of North America, South America, Europe and the Middle East, and examine their impact on exploration, settlement, transportation and trade (e.g., discuss how the opening of the Erie Canal contributed to the rise of New York City).
      • SS.O.06.04.05: evaluate the effects of physical geography and the changing nature of the earthís surface on transportation, culture, economic activities and population density/distribution.
      • SS.O.06.04.06: interpret information on a population growth graph and a population pyramid (e.g., discuss the age of the population, growth potential, life expectancy) and apply it to explain the economics, education and movement of a selected region.
      • SS.O.06.04.07: examine and illustrate changes in the commercial form and function of urban areas in selected regions as they moved from agricultural centers to trade centers to industrial centers, and evaluate the shifts in population that occurred due to these changes.

    Social Studies Standard 5: History

    SS.S.06.05 / Students will:

    • organize, analyze and compare historical events, distinguish cause-effect relationships, theorize alternative actions and outcomes, and anticipate future application (Chronology).
    • use the processes and resources of historical inquiry to develop appropriate questions, gather and examine evidence, compare, analyze and interpret historical data (Skills and Application).
    • examine, analyze and synthesize historical knowledge of major events, individuals, cultures and the humanities in West Virginia, the United States and the world (Culture and Humanities).
    • use historical knowledge to analyze local, state, national and global interdependence (Interpretation and Evaluation).
    • examine political institutions and theories that have developed and changed over time; and research and cite reasons for development and change (Political Institutions).

    • SS.PD.06.5 / Performance Descriptors

      • Novice:
        • list the contributions of selected civilizations and recall their influence on other cultures.
        • tell the significance of people, places, documents, ideas and events in selected locations.
        • name selected world events and recognize their consequences.
        • use credible sources to name some of the impacts of historical events.

      • Partial Mastery:
        • describe the contributions of selected civilizations and connect them with the cultures they influenced.
        • describe the significance of people, places, documents, ideas and events in selected locations.
        • describe selected world events and identify their consequences.
        • use credible sources to identify and discuss historical events and the impact of those events.

      • Mastery:
        • categorize the contributions of selected civilizations and describe how those contributions influenced other cultures.
        • explain the significance of people, places, documents, ideas and events in selected locations.
        • examine selected world events and relate them to their respective consequences.
        • use credible sources to examine the causes and effects of historical events and analyze the impact of those events in selected world regions.

      • Above Mastery:
        • determine the contributions of selected civilizations and evaluate the importance of their influence on other cultures.
        • evaluate the significance of people, places, documents, ideas and events in selected locations.
        • use compiled data to show comparisons of selected world events and their consequences.
        • research and identify the credible sources required to evaluate the importance of historical events and the impact of and the reaction to those events worldwide.

      • Distinguished:
        • research and use data to discover and summarize the contributions of selected civilizations and explain the positive and negative effects of the contributions on other cultures.
        • create an original graphic connecting the significance of people, places, documents, ideas and events in selected locations.
        • research and compile data to evaluate and critique selected world events and connect their consequences.
        • choose credible sources to summarize world events and critique the influences on the outcomes of those events as they impacted various world regions in different ways.

    • Objectives / Students will:

      • SS.O.06.05.01: identify and evaluate contributions of past civilizations and show reasons for their rise and fall.
      • SS.O.06.05.02: examine the defining characteristics of monotheistic religions and analyze the impact of Arab/Islamic society and Judeo-Christian societies on western civilizations.
      • SS.O.06.05.03: determine the causes and consequences of the Protestant Reformation.
      • SS.O.06.05.04: analyze how Europeans benefited by expansion in the New World in the following:
        • economics
        • culture
        • trade
        • new agricultural products.
      • SS.O.06.05.05: examine the development of slavery and illustrate its impact on the political, economic and social systems throughout the world.
      • SS.O.06.05.06: research and describe major historical events in the development of transportation systems (e.g., water, rail, motor vehicles, aviation).
      • SS.O.06.05.07: illustrate the influx of ethnic groups into North America by interpreting timelines, charts and tables.
      • SS.O.06.05.08: examine the Industrial Revolution and explain the effects it had on the lives of people throughout the world and assume the role of a person who lived in that era.
      • SS.O.06.05.09: analyze and trace the development of democracy using a variety of credible sources.
      • SS.O.06.05.10: compare and contrast the worth of the individual in different societies over time and assume the role of one of these individuals.
      • SS.O.06.05.11: examine the causes and effects of the Great Depression and analyze the political responses of governments to this crisis (e.g., rise of Hitler, Fascism, militarism in Japan, New Deal in the United States).
      • SS.O.06.05.12: cite the global tensions that led to the outbreak of WW I and WW II and give examples of the impact each war had on selected regions of the world.
      • SS.O.06.05.13: point out the key figures, philosophies and events in the Civil Rights movements including minority rights and the rights of women (e.g., apartheid, Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., ).
      • SS.O.06.05.14: debate the pros and cons of the impact of nuclear power and analyze how it might relate to the issue of atomic weapons.

    Social Studies Standard 6: Reading

    SS.S.06.06 / Students will:

    • use the five reading components (phonemic awareness, phonics, background knowledge/vocabulary, high frequency word/fluency, comprehension, and writing) in their acquisition of social studies knowledge, insuring a foundation of college readiness in this genre.
    • recognize main ideas and supporting details to locate basic facts (e.g. names, dates, events).
    • distinguish relationships among people, ideas, and events.
    • recognize cause-effect relationships in content passages.
    • outline sequences of events.
    • summarize events and ideas. Infer main idea or purpose of content.
    • draw generalizations and conclusions about people, ideas and events.
    • write and edit organized texts of various genres to insure that information is clearly understood.

    (Refer to policy 2520.1 for specific grade level reading and writing objectives.)

    Utah's Sixth Grade Standards

    Article Body

    <ul class='teaching_standard'><li class='teaching_standards-li1'><h3 class='teaching_standards-level1h'>UT.1. Standard: Time</h3> Students identify the sequence of events that led to the establishment of ancient civilizations.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li2'><h4 class='teaching_standards-level2h'>1.2. Objective:</h4> Identify the sequence of history in the Fertile Crescent and ancient Egypt.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>1.2.a. Indicator:</h5> Examine how life in the Fertile Crescent changed over time; e.g., hunter/gatherer to agrarian society.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>1.2.b. Indicator:</h5> Trace the development of Egypt as a nation; e.g., three kingdoms, government, economy.</li></ul></li><li class='teaching_standards-li2'><h4 class='teaching_standards-level2h'>1.3. Objective:</h4> Trace the development of ancient Greece and Rome.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>1.3.a. Indicator:</h5> Examine the sequence of events that led to the development of democracy in ancient Greece.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>1.3.b. Indicator:</h5> Analyze the events that led to the rise and fall of ancient Rome.</li></ul></li></ul></li><li class='teaching_standards-li1'><h3 class='teaching_standards-level1h'>UT.2. Standard: Time</h3> Students trace the development of European history from the Middle Ages to 1900.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li2'><h4 class='teaching_standards-level2h'>2.1. Objective:</h4> Trace historical events of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>2.1.a. Indicator:</h5> Identify the stages of organization of governance; e.g., Germanic tribes, feudal system, merchant class, city-states.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>2.1.b. Indicator:</h5> Contrast the economic systems of the feudal manor and the Italian merchant-princes.</li></ul></li><li class='teaching_standards-li2'><h4 class='teaching_standards-level2h'>2.2. Objective:</h4> Describe the development of European countries from 1700 to 1900.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>2.2.a. Indicator:</h5> Examine how European countries developed over time; e.g., politics, war, economics, religion.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>2.2.b. Indicator:</h5> Identify major events of revolution and their affect on Europe; e.g., industrial, French, Russian.</li></ul></li></ul></li><li class='teaching_standards-li1'><h3 class='teaching_standards-level1h'>UT.3. Standard: Time</h3> Students trace the development of modern Europe from 1900 to the present.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li2'><h4 class='teaching_standards-level2h'>3.1. Objective:</h4> Examine the effects of war and political unrest on Europe.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>3.1.a. Indicator:</h5> Investigate major causes of World War I and World War II; e.g., economics, invasion, tyranny.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>3.1.b. Indicator:</h5> Identify technological and military developments of World War I and World War II; e.g., trench warfare, airplane, military armament.</li></ul></li><li class='teaching_standards-li2'><h4 class='teaching_standards-level2h'>3.2. Objective:</h4> Investigate political and economic development of post-World War II Europe to the present.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>3.2.a. Indicator:</h5> Examine political developments of Europe; e.g., NATO, Cold War, Eastern Europe unrest.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>3.2.b. Indicator:</h5> Explore the economic development of Europe; e.g., the Common Market, European Union.</li></ul></li></ul></li><li class='teaching_standards-li1'><h3 class='teaching_standards-level1h'>UT.4. Standard: People</h3> Students explore the cultures of ancient civilizations.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li2'><h4 class='teaching_standards-level2h'>4.1. Objective:</h4> Explore the culture of the Fertile Crescent and ancient Egypt.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>4.1.a. Indicator:</h5> Examine the role and characteristics of political and social structures in the Fertile Crescent and their significance to the modern world; e.g., Hammurabi's Code, slave labor, gender roles.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>4.1.b. Indicator:</h5> Explore the importance of religion in ancient Egypt; e.g., governance, art, architecture, everyday life, hieroglyphics.</li></ul></li><li class='teaching_standards-li2'><h4 class='teaching_standards-level2h'>4.2. Objective:</h4> Explore the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>4.2.a. Indicator:</h5> Compare life in Athens and Sparta; e.g., government, recreation, religion, arts, theatre, science.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>4.2.b. Indicator:</h5> Describe life in ancient Rome; e.g., government, religion, recreation, art.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>4.2.c. Indicator:</h5> Examine manmade structures of Rome; e.g., aqueducts, roads, Coliseum.</li></ul></li><li class='teaching_standards-li2'><h4 class='teaching_standards-level2h'>4.3. Objective:</h4> Identify the roots of democratic and republican forms of government.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>4.3.a. Indicator:</h5> Describe the components of Greek democracy; e.g., assembly, citizenship, banishment.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>4.3.b. Indicator:</h5> Describe the representative government of Rome; e.g., senate, citizenship, noncitizens, slaves, Plebeians.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>4.3.c. Indicator:</h5> Identify important leaders of Greece and Rome; e.g., Pericles, Caesar.</li></ul></li><li class='teaching_standards-li2'><h4 class='teaching_standards-level2h'>4.4. Objective:</h4> Participate in democratic processes.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>4.4.a. Indicator:</h5> Take part in establishing classroom rules.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>4.4.b. Indicator:</h5> Compare the responsibilities of a good citizen in the United States to a good citizen in Greece and Rome.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>4.4.c. Indicator:</h5> Practice the responsibilities of good citizenship; e.g., patriotism, respect others, be responsible.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>4.4.d. Indicator:</h5> Make a contribution to the school, neighborhood, and community; e.g., service project.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>4.4.e. Indicator:</h5> Participate in patriotic tradition; e.g., pledge allegiance to the flag.</li></ul></li></ul></li><li class='teaching_standards-li1'><h3 class='teaching_standards-level1h'>UT.5. Standard: People</h3> Students examine the development of European culture from the Middle Ages to 1900.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li2'><h4 class='teaching_standards-level2h'>5.1. Objective:</h4> Describe life under the feudal system.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>5.1.a. Indicator:</h5> Compare the lives of a feudal lord and serf.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>5.1.b. Indicator:</h5> Examine the role of religion in everyday life.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>5.1.c. Indicator:</h5> Describe economic structures of the Feudal system.</li></ul></li><li class='teaching_standards-li2'><h4 class='teaching_standards-level2h'>5.2. Objective:</h4> Explore the impact of inventions and new knowledge leading to and during the Renaissance.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>5.2.a. Indicator:</h5> Explore technological and scientific developments of the time period.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>5.2.b. Indicator:</h5> Examine the influence of merchant princes of Italy on the development of art and architecture.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>5.2.c. Indicator:</h5> Identify the Renaissance Masters and their contributions to art and architecture, perspective, portraiture, and sculpture.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>5.2.d. Indicator:</h5> Analyze the impact of the Reformation on Western Europe.</li></ul></li><li class='teaching_standards-li2'><h4 class='teaching_standards-level2h'>5.3. Objective:</h4> Examine social and economic issues of Europe from 1700-1900.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>5.3.a. Indicator:</h5> Determine the impact of the Industrial Revolution on Europe; e.g., labor, manufacturing, trade, availability of goods.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>5.3.b. Indicator:</h5> Identify the social classes of Europe; e.g., aristocracy, merchants, commoners.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>5.3.c. Indicator:</h5> Describe the impact of the French and Russian Revolutions on the people of Europe.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>5.3.d. Indicator:</h5> Describe how social and economic issues led to emigration.</li></ul></li></ul></li><li class='teaching_standards-li1'><h3 class='teaching_standards-level1h'>UT.6. Standard: People</h3> Students examine the development of European culture from 1900 to the present.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li2'><h4 class='teaching_standards-level2h'>6.1. Objective:</h4> Analyze the impact of war on Europe.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>6.1.a. Indicator:</h5> Examine the reasons for war; e.g., religion, politics, power, economics.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>6.1.b. Indicator:</h5> Identify the governance structures of Europe 1900-1945; e.g., fascism, socialism, communism.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>6.1.c. Indicator:</h5> Analyze the consequences of war on Europe; e.g., poverty, famine, disease, destruction of life and property.</li></ul></li><li class='teaching_standards-li2'><h4 class='teaching_standards-level2h'>6.2. Objective:</h4> Explore the culture and current events of modern Europe.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>6.2.a. Indicator:</h5> Examine governance and economic structures.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>6.2.b. Indicator:</h5> Explore the effect of world influence on country traditions; e.g., pop music, clothing, food.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>6.2.c. Indicator:</h5> Investigate issues facing Europe today; e.g., pollution, economics, social structure, country borders.</li></ul></li></ul></li><li class='teaching_standards-li1'><h3 class='teaching_standards-level1h'>UT.7. Standard: Places</h3> Students explore the geographical features of ancient civilizations.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li2'><h4 class='teaching_standards-level2h'>7.1. Objective:</h4> Examine the major physical and political features of early civilizations.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>7.1.a. Indicator:</h5> Compare the physical features surrounding the Fertile Crescent and ancient Egypt; e.g., water, deserts, mountains.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>7.1.b. Indicator:</h5> Examine the importance of water in the development of civilization.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>7.1.c. Indicator:</h5> Analyze the importance of geographical features and climate in agriculture.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>7.1.d. Indicator:</h5> Compare historical and modern maps of the region.</li></ul></li><li class='teaching_standards-li2'><h4 class='teaching_standards-level2h'>7.2. Objective:</h4> Explain how the physical geography of a region determines isolation or economic expansion.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>7.2.a. Indicator:</h5> Examine the impact of mountains and seas on ancient Greece.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>7.2.b. Indicator:</h5> Analyze the geographic features that aided Rome's growth; e.g., Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Nile River, mountains, plains, valleys.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>7.2.c. Indicator:</h5> Compare historical and modern maps of the region.</li></ul></li></ul></li><li class='teaching_standards-li1'><h3 class='teaching_standards-level1h'>UT.8. Standard: Places</h3> Students examine the boundary changes of Europe from the Renaissance to 1900.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li2'><h4 class='teaching_standards-level2h'>8.1. Objective:</h4> Analyze the influence of geographic features in determining country borders.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>8.1.a. Indicator:</h5> Use maps to identify the geographic features of Europe.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>8.1.b. Indicator:</h5> Relate the establishment of countries to the physical features of Europe.</li></ul></li><li class='teaching_standards-li2'><h4 class='teaching_standards-level2h'>8.2. Objective:</h4> Determine the influence of political change on country borders.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>8.2.a. Indicator:</h5> Compare maps of Europe from 1700 to 1900.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>8.2.b. Indicator:</h5> Describe the role of politics in changing country borders from 1700 to 1900.</li></ul></li></ul></li><li class='teaching_standards-li1'><h3 class='teaching_standards-level1h'>UT.9. Standard: Places</h3> Students analyze European boundary changes from 1900 to the present.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li2'><h4 class='teaching_standards-level2h'>9.1. Objective:</h4> Investigate the role of invasion on changing political boundaries of Europe.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>9.1.a. Indicator:</h5> Compare the changes in country borders before and after World War I.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>9.1.b. Indicator:</h5> Locate the Allied and Axis powers during World War II.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>9.1.c. Indicator:</h5> Compare pre- and post-World War II boundaries.</li></ul></li><li class='teaching_standards-li2'><h4 class='teaching_standards-level2h'>9.2. Objective:</h4> Describe the changes in country borders after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1990 and today.<ul><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>9.2.a. Indicator:</h5> Identify the European countries that emerged in 1990.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>9.2.b. Indicator:</h5> Compare maps of Europe in 1990 with those of today.</li><li class='teaching_standards-li3'><h5 class='teaching_standards-level3h'>9.2.c. Indicator:</h5> Identify current political and physical boundaries of modern Europe.</li></ul></li></ul></li></ul>

    South Carolina's Sixth Grade Standards

    Article Body

  • SC.6-1. Standard / Course: Early Cultures to 1600

    The student will demonstrate an understanding of the development of the cradles of civilization as people moved from a nomadic existence to a settled life.

    • 6-1.1. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

      Explain the characteristics of hunter-gatherer groups and their relationship to the natural environment.

    • 6-1.2. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

      Explain the emergence of agriculture and its effect on early human communities, including the domestication of plants and animals, the impact of irrigation techniques, and subsequent food surpluses.

    • 6-1.3. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

      Compare the river valley civilizations of the Tigris and Euphrates (Mesopotamia), the Nile (Egypt), the Indus (India), and the Huang He (China), including the evolution of written language, government, trade systems, architecture, and forms of social order.

    • 6-1.4. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

      Explain the origins, fundamental beliefs, and spread of Eastern religions, including Hinduism (India), Judaism (Mesopotamia), Buddhism (India), and Confucianism and Taoism (China).

    • Social Studies Literacy Skills for the Twenty-First Century:

      1. Explain change and continuity over time and across cultures.
      2. Interpret parallel time lines from different places and cultures.
      3. Identify and explain multiple causation and multiple effects.
      4. Compare the locations of places, the conditions at places, and the connections between places.

  • SC.6-2. Standard / Course: Early Cultures to 1600

    The student will demonstrate an understanding of life in ancient civilizations and their contributions to the modern world.

    • 6-2.1. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

      Describe the development of ancient Greek culture (the Hellenic period), including the concept of citizenship and the early forms of democracy in Athens.

    • 6-2.2. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

      Analyze the role of Alexander the Great (Hellenistic period), Socrates, Plato, Archimedes, Aristotle, and others in the creation and spread of Greek governance, literature, philosophy, the arts, math, and science.

    • 6-2.3. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

      Describe the development of Roman civilization, including language, government, architecture, and engineering.

    • 6-2.4. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

      Describe the expansion and transition of the Roman government from monarchy to republic to empire, including the roles of Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar (Octavius).

    • 6-2.5. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

      Explain the decline and collapse of the Roman Empire and the impact of the Byzantine Empire, including the Justinian Code and the preservation of ancient Greek and Roman learning, architecture, and government.

    • 6-2.6. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

      Compare the polytheistic belief systems of the Greeks and the Romans with the origins, foundational beliefs, and spread of Christianity.

    • Social Studies Literacy Skills for the Twenty-First Century:

      1. Explain change and continuity over time and across cultures.
      2. Interpret parallel time lines from different places and cultures.
      3. Identify and explain multiple causation and multiple effects.
      4. Compare the locations of places, the conditions at places, and the connections between places.
      5. Explain how political, social, and economic institutions are similar or different across time and/or throughout the world.

  • SC.6-3. Standard / Course: Early Cultures to 1600

    The student will demonstrate an understanding of changing political, social, and economic cultures in Asia.

    • 6-3.1. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

      Summarize the major contributions of the Chinese civilization from the Qing dynasty through the Ming dynasty, including the golden age of art and literature, the invention of gunpowder and woodblock printing, and the rise of trade via the Silk Road.

    • 6-3.2. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

      Summarize the major contributions of the Japanese civilization, including the Japanese feudal system, the Shinto traditions, and works of art and literature.

    • 6-3.3. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

      Summarize the major contributions of India, including those of the Gupta dynasty in mathematics, literature, religion, and science.

    • 6-3.4. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

      Explain the origin and fundamental beliefs of Islam and the geographic and economic aspects of its expansion.

    • Social Studies Literacy Skills for the Twenty-First Century:

      1. Explain change and continuity over time and across cultures.
      2. Interpret parallel time lines from different places and cultures.
      3. Identify and explain multiple causation and multiple effects.
      4. Compare the locations of places, the conditions at places, and the connections between places.
      5. Explain how political, social, and economic institutions are similar or different across time and/or throughout the world.

  • SC.6-4. Standard / Course: Early Cultures to 1600

    The student will demonstrate an understanding of the changing political, social, and economic cultures in Africa and the Americas.

    • 6-4.1. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

      Compare the major contributions of the African civilizations of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai, including the impact of Islam on the cultures of these kingdoms.

    • 6-4.2. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

      Describe the influence of geography on trade in the African kingdoms, including the salt and gold trades.

    • 6-4.3. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

      Compare the contributions and the decline of the Maya, Aztec, and Inca civilizations in Central and South America, including their forms of government and their contributions in mathematics, astronomy, and architecture.

    • 6-4.4. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

      Explain the contributions, features, and rise and fall of the North American ancestors of the numerous Native American tribes, including the Adena, Hopewell, Pueblo, and Mississippian cultures.

    • Social Studies Literacy Skills for the Twenty-First Century:

      1. Compare the locations of places, the conditions at places, and the connections between places.
      2. Explain change and continuity over time and across cultures.
      3. Interpret parallel time lines from different places and cultures.
      4. Select or design appropriate forms of social studies resources(6-4) to organize and evaluate social studies information.
      (6-4)Social studies resources include the following: texts, calendars, timelines, maps, mental maps, charts, tables, graphs, flow charts, diagrams, photographs, illustrations, paintings, cartoons, architectural drawings, documents, letters, censuses, artifacts, models, geographic models, aerial photographs, satellite-produced images, and geographic information systems.

    • SC.6-5. Standard / Course: Early Cultures to 1600

      The student will demonstrate an understanding of the Middle Ages and the emergence of nation-states in Europe.

      • 6-5.1. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Explain feudalism and its relationship to the development of European monarchies and nation-states, including feudal relationships, the daily lives of peasants and serfs, and the economy under the manorial system.

      • 6-5.2. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Explain the effects of the Magna Carta on European society, its effect on the feudal system, and its contribution to the development of representative government in England.

      • 6-5.3. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Summarize the course of the Crusades and explain their effects on feudalism and their role in spreading Christianity.

      • 6-5.4. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Explain the role and influence of the Roman Catholic Church in medieval Europe.

      • 6-5.5 Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Summarize the origins and impact of the bubonic plague (Black Death) on feudalism.

      • Social Studies Literacy Skills for the Twenty-First Century:

        1. Compare the locations of places, the conditions at places, and the connections between places.
        2. Analyze evidence, arguments, claims, and beliefs.
        3. Explain change and continuity over time and across cultures.
        4. Identify and explain the relationships among multiple causes and multiple effects.

    • SC.6-6. Standard / Course: Early Cultures to 1600

      The student will demonstrate an understanding of the impact of the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Age of Exploration on Europe and the rest of the world.

      • 6-6.1. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Summarize the contributions of the Italian Renaissance, including the importance of Florence, the influence of humanism and the accomplishments of the Italians in art, music, literature, and architecture.

      • 6-6.2. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Identify key figures of the Renaissance and the Reformation and their contributions (e.g., Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Johannes Gutenberg, John Calvin, and Martin Luther).

      • 6-6.3. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Explain the causes, events, and points of contention and denominational affiliations (of nations) of the Reformation and the Catholic Reformation (Counter Reformation).

      • 6-6.4. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Compare the economic, political, and religious incentives of the various European countries to explore and settle new lands.

      • 6-6.5. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Identify the origin and destinations of the voyages of major European explorers.

      • 6-6.6. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Explain the effects of the exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technology throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas (known as the Columbian Exchange).

      • Social Studies Literacy Skills for the Twenty-First Century:

        1. Compare the locations of places, the conditions at places, and the connections between places.
        2. Analyze evidence, arguments, claims, and beliefs.
        3. Explain change and continuity over time and across cultures.
        4. Identify and explain the relationships among multiple causes and multiple effects.
        5. Apply economic decision making to understand how limited resources necessitate choices.
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