The aim of the sixth-grade social studies curriculum is to provide students with various kinds of instruction that will enable them to gain a respect for individual and cultural differences in our world today.  Mr. Holmes will try to make this study as fun as possible.  Below are the units of study for the year:

·   Immigration

o   Early 20th century immigration process and life after immigration in the United States (Core text Immigrant Kids by Russell Freedman)

o   Ellis Island Interactive Tour with facts, pictures and video

·   Latin America + Great Depression

o   Geography, history, exploration, government, economy, and sociology of the major countries within Latin America. (Core Text: World Explorer: Latin America)

o   Oral sharing of the novel Morning Girl by Michael Dorris

o   Causes of the Great Depression, impact on the United States,

significance of the Dust Bowl, government programs that assisted Americans in the 1930s

·   9/11/01 and Life in Afghanistan

o   Geography, schooling, sociology (gender roles), government, immigration, refugees, and the current wars and quarrels (Core Text: Junior Scholastic and teacher created materials)

·   African American-Road to Freedom

o   1700’s (Beginning of Slavery), Civil War and Reconstruction, Civil Rights Movement (Core Text: Now Is Your Time! The African American Struggle for Freedom, by Walter Dean Myers)

Daily Geography:

       Throughout the year, students will be provided with basic geographic literacy instruction on a daily basis.  In addition, students will be expected to apply their geographic knowledge and pertain it to physical and human characteristics of various places and regions around the world.  Their geography curriculum will be aligned with current event issues that they will be exposed to using the magazine, Junior Scholastic.

      The following policies will be implemented throughout the school year regarding assessments:

1.      Students are accountable to spell geographical locations accurately.  A half point will be deducted for every spelling or capitalization error on tests. A word bank will be provided for most of the assessments.