Little Rock School District 6Th Grade Social Studies

Little Rock School District 6th Grade Social Studies

Quarter 1 (Weeks 1-2) Theme 1: Historical Tools/Mindsets
Compelling/Essential Question(s): How do we learn about the past? Why is it important to unravel history?
Supporting Question #1
Standards/SLEs / Formative Performance Task(s) / Featured Source(s)
Resources/Materials / Key Terms/Concepts
How do historians unlock the past? / Thinking Historically Introductory Video
Tools of the Historian:
Discuss some of the tools historians use to gain information about the past. Have students distinguish the difference between primary and secondary sources and the types of information they provide.
Determine what information can be gained from Primary and Secondary Sources.
Discuss the types of sources historians use in their research (i.e. diaries, letters, documents, artwork, artifacts and objects) Students will identify several primary and secondary sources from their own lives. (Think/Pair/Share) Which sources are most useful in telling the story of their life? Why do you think so?
Introduce oral history and timelines. Examine how historians use timelines and oral history to organize and draw conclusions about the past.
Construct a timeline based on events from your own lives and family histories. This will give students a visual representation of the continuity of time. Discuss how history is made up of many people's stories of the past, and begin to explore how we know about events that occurred prior to our own births.
Contextualization:
Oral Histories—Students will learn about contextualization through interviews of family members about a historical event. Each student will interview two family members about the same event, compare the two versions, and write or dictate their own version of the story, which becomes the "official" account. In this way, they will experience the power of both first-hand accounts and historical documentation. (i.e. the day you were born; mother and aunt to describe their first day of school). How do the accounts of the same event differ? How could time, place, and circumstances affect each account?
Sourcing/Corroboration:
Examine multiple primary and secondary source accounts of a lunchroom fight. Analyze a selected source to determine:
1. Who wrote this document?
2. What is the author’s perspective?
3. When was it written?
4. Where was it written?
5. Why was it written?
6. Is it reliable? Why? Why not?
7. Was there collaboration between sources?
Corroboration:
Use the “Reading Like a Historian: Make your Case” lesson to practice the historical thinking skill of corroboration. Students will evaluate and corroborate different accounts of who vandalized a locker room and who started a fight in a lunchroom. / Interactive Whiteboard: Types of Evidence (Primary and Secondary Sources) TE p.12
PowerPoint Primary and Secondary Sources
Investigating the Past PowerPoint
TE pp. 18-21
EDSITEment Lesson: What is History? Timelines and Oral History
OR
Reading Like a Historian Lesson: Snapshot Autobiography
It Happened in My Lifetime Whiteboard Activity TE p. 7
Background for Teachers: Video
What is Contextualization?
Contextualization Poster
Reading Like a Historian Lessons:
Lunchroom Fight (Sourcing)
Lunchroom Fight II (Corroboration)
Corroboration Poster
Sourcing Poster
Reading like a Historian: Make Your Case Lesson / Evidence
Primary Source
Secondary Source
Point of View
Bias
Reliability
Plagiarize
Supporting Question #2
Standards/SLEs / Formative Performance Task(s) / Featured Source(s)
Resources/Materials / Key Terms/Concepts
How do scientists unlock the past? / Examine the connection between science and history. Create a graphic organizer that compares and contrasts the roles, tools, and questions a historian / archeologist / anthropologist would use/ask.
Smithsonian Education “Archeological Thinking”: Identify “artifacts” from a contemporary setting. Describe the function of each artifact. Identify possible associations between artifacts to draw conclusions about their owner.
Anthropological Thinking: Using your findings from the previous activity, what can you determine about the values and beliefs of these people?
OR
Read an Artifact—Students are given an opportunity to look at a potential artifact and interpret what a future archeologist might think about the past. Have students write about what the coin in the lesson might mean to archeologist if found in the future. They should include the sources of information the archeologist would use and identify them as primary or secondary sources.
Ask students to make a list of 10 things in their room at home that would be clues about themselves for a future archaeologist. Have them write a paragraph describing what an archaeologist might infer about the student. / How Do We Learn About the Past?
Textbook: pp 8-9
Smithsonian Education “Archeological Thinking”
Interactive Whiteboard: It Happened in My Lifetime
Interactive Image/Lucy (TE)
Lesson 2 Uncovering the Past Archeologist (Video Clip 4:22 TE)
Primary Source Artifact
Interactive (TE)
Read an Artifact: Arizona Geography Alliance Lesson
PowerPoint Primary and Secondary Sources
Grading Rubric / Artifact
Fossil
Archaeology
Anthropology
Supporting Question #3
Standards/SLEs / Formative Performance Task(s) / Featured Source(s)
Resources/Materials / Key Terms/Concepts
How do we learn about civilizations and people through the study of geography, religion, politics, economics, and social structure? / GRAPES of Me Project: Create a presentation that demonstrates the connection between individual students and geography, religion, politics, economics, and social structure. Publish student work in an online forum where others can view and/or comment on student work (i.e. Class Weebly, Prezi). Use technology to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others. (WH.6-8.6) / Textbook pp. 32-37
Network Online Resource
Slide Show Tools of a
Geographer
GRAPES Poster
Five Themes of Geography You Tube Rap
Five Themes of Geography PowerPoint / Geography
Religion
Achievements
Politics
Economics
Social Structure
Performance/Summative Assessment
Iceman Mystery: In 1991, hikers in the Alps found a body frozen in an icy crevasse. They assumed they’d stumbled onto a mountain climber who had died while hiking; they had no idea they had just discovered at 5000 year old relic! (Choose readings and documents from the lesson to complete either a police report or narrative on Otzi.
Reading 1
Reading 2
Reading 3
Iceman Evidence Chart
Images of Iceman Activity
Theories About His Death
Using the skills and tools of Historians and Scientists, students will conduct an investigation into the life and death of Otzi. This includes:
-Meeting with fellow investigators to examine evidence and make inferences about Otzi’s life, death, etc.
-Examining multiple primary and secondary sources (Close Reading activity) to produce a police report of the events surrounding the death of Otzi.
Revisit the compelling/essential questions from this unit: How do we learn about the past? Why is it important to unravel history? After studying the Iceman, students should work in collaborative groups to create a historical narrative that details the life and death of Otzi and answers these questions. Follow up with students by discussing how learning about the past gives us insight into our modern world.
Additional Resources
Otzi: Iceman
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/otzi-the-iceman-murder/ Documentary Otzi Investigation
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/07/iceman/hall-text National Geographic “Last Hours of the Iceman”
http://www.geographypods.com/the-ice-man.html Otzi’s Icy Grave
Otzi – Human Origins and Early Civilizations: Prehistoric to 1000 B.C. Reading CCSS.RH.6-8.9
Otzi Online TE p. 66
National Geographic Iceman Autopsy Video Online
Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject matter under investigation. (WH.6-8.7)
Analyze the relationship between primary and secondary sources on the same topic. (RH. 6-8.9)
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources. (RH.6-8.1)
Additional Tasks
Q 1
“Seven Blind Mice” by Ed Young and “The Blindmen and The Elephant” by John Godfrey Saxe: These stories work well to demonstrate varying points of view towards any historical event.
Writing Without Bias: Create a poster that provides students with tips to avoid bias and plagiarism in their writing.
Photograph analysis of prehistoric man “Otzi”
Excerpt “Otzi the Iceman May Have Been Buried”.
Indians Before Europeans—Two Perspectives on the History of Arkansas Indians before Europeans
Indians Before Europeans American Indian Perspectives
Indians Before Europeans
Academic Perspectives
Reading Like a Historian: Evaluating Sources Use this activity to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different sources. Follow up with students by discussing if primary or secondary sources are more likely to be biased.
Common Core Standards
Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject matter under investigation. (WH.6-8.7)
Analyze the relationship between primary and secondary sources on the same topic. (RH. 6-8.9)
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources. (RH.6-8.1)
Taking Informed Action/Inquiry
What Do You Think? Should Artifacts Be Returned to Their Countries of Origin? TE pp. 16-17
Devise a plan or compromise that might solve the conflict over ownership of artifacts.
Quarter 1 (Weeks 3-4) Theme 2: Adaptations
Compelling/Essential Question(s): How do geography, climate, and other natural factors affect human life? How have civilizations evolved?
Understanding: Hunter Gathers adapted to their physical environment using resources, the natural world, and technological advancements. The agricultural revolution led to an increase in population, specialization of labor, new forms of social organization, and the beginning of societies. Archaeology provides historical and scientific explanations for how ancient people lived.
Supporting Question #1
SLEs / Formative Performance Task(s) / Featured Source(s)
Resources/Materials / Key Terms/Concepts
What differences exist between hunter-gatherer and agrarian societies?
G.10.6.2 Analyze the effects of environmental and cultural characteristics on the distribution and movement of people, goods, and ideas in various regions of the world using multiple sources of information (e.g. push-pull factors)
G.9.6.3 Analyze ways climate and environmental characteristics influenced where groups lived and how they adjusted to the environment in various civilizations up to 1500 C.E.
H.13.6.1 Compare hunter-gatherer and agrarian societies (e.g., tools, shelter, diet, use of fire, cave paintings, artifacts, clothing, rituals, daily life, gender roles) / Explain what images created by people in pre-history tell us about the people that created them and how they help us understand today what life was like many, many years ago.
Students will be examining human cave art and pictures of tools used by early people. RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.7
Use a variety of primary and secondary sources to compare and contrast life in the Paleolithic Era with life in the Neolithic Era. Record your findings. (e.g., tools, shelter, diet, use of fire, cave paintings, artifacts, clothing, rituals, daily life, and gender roles). Examine how environmental factors influenced where hunter-gatherer and agrarian societies lived and how they adjusted to the environment in order to survive and meet their daily needs. RH.6-8.7
·  How did geography and climate determine the lives of early humans?
·  Were agrarian societies better able to meet their basic needs?
·  What evidence from your findings either support that they were or were not?
Some historians think that the agricultural revolution was the most important event in human history. Others claim that the ability to control fire was the most important. Which development do you think was more important? Support your argument with evidence. Share your claim with a partner. RH.6-8.1, WHST 6-8.9
You are the leader of a hunter-gatherer society. You have seen other bands settle in river valleys begin to farm. Write a speech using evidence from your research to convince your own band to settle and begin farming or continue a nomadic lifestyle. Present your claims and findings.
WH.6-8, RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.7 / Investigate the Past: Prehistoric Artifacts (Pre-Post Reading)
Investigating the Past Full Text
Investigating the Past Notes
Investigating the Past: Prehistoric Art Recording Observations/Inferences
Cave Art: Discovering Prehistoric Humans through Pictures (EDSITEment Lesson)
Stone Age Toolkit
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/clovis/tool-nf.html
Early Civilization PowerPoint
Early Human PowerPoint
Textbook (pp. 54-59) Paleolithic Era
Textbook (pp. 62-67) Neolithic Era
I-Think World History – Pre-Colonial Africa Edition p.31-32 “Life in the Stone Age” (Comparison Visual)
Out with the Old In with the New
Networks Online Resources:
Ch. 3 Lesson 1
Paleolithic Tools
Image: Cave Paintings
Ch. 3 Lesson 2
Neolithic Artifacts Chart
Image Neolithic Farming
Communities
Map Early Farming
Stone Age Video
http://tinyurl.com/q8r2t8q
TE p. 71 Thinking Like a Historian
The River Valley Civilization Guide: Paleolithic-Neolithic Eras
Early Humans for Kids---Fire / nomad
technology
Paleolithic
Neolithic
Ice Age
Technology
Agrarian
Supporting Question #2
SLEs / Formative Performance Task(s) / Featured Source(s)
Resources/Materials / Key Terms/Concepts
How did farming lead to the development of human civilization?
H.13.6.1 Compare hunter-gatherer and agrarian societies (e.g., tools, shelter, diet, use of fire, cave paintings, artifacts, clothing, rituals, daily life, gender roles)
E.5.6.1 Analyze ways division of labor and specialization affected the development of civilizations
G.10.6.2 Analyze the effects of environmental and cultural characteristics on the distribution and movement of people, goods, and ideas in various regions of the world using multiple sources of information (e.g. push-pull factors) / Given a climate map of the world, students will reflect on most likely areas for early agricultural. Discuss the importance of rainfall and temperature in growing crops. ID most likely places on the map for agriculture centers in 7000 BC. Use information from maps to determine what areas of the world would be beneficial for crop planting and which ones would not. Support answers with a list of reasons for the conclusions drawn.
RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.7
Assess an area’s suitability for growth by determining where to build a farming settlement. After identifying a settlement, develop a plan that includes what crops will be grown, division of labor, specialization of jobs, and the risks and benefits associated with settlement. What criteria were used to determine where to build?
RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.7 / Maps (Physical and Climate
Textbook (p. 62-67)
Ch. 3 Lesson 2
Image Neolithic Farming
Communities
Map Early Farming
Physical Map of Arkansas
Climate Map of Arkansas / domesticate
Neolithic Revolution
Specialization
systematic agriculture
agrarian
hunter-gatherer
pre-history
physical maps
climate maps
Supporting Question #3
SLEs / Formative Performance Task(s) / Featured Source(s)
Resources/Materials / Key Terms/Concepts
What changes did agrarian settlement bring to human civilizations?
G.10.6.2 Analyze the effects of environmental and cultural characteristics on the distribution and movement of people, goods, and ideas in various regions of the world using multiple sources of information (e.g. push-pull factors)