Grade 6

Click here to access the year-long Grade 6 Course Overview.

Please note that we are currently in the process of publishing revised Grades 6-7 Investigating History materials on the DESE website. This site allows for easier batch copying of materials to your Google Drive, bulk downloading of whole units as PDF documents, and access to printable files for student and teacher materials.

Revised Unit 1 is currently available on the DESE website. Revised Units 2-4 will be available for preview beginning in late summer 2025 and published on the DESE website throughout the fall.

These revised materials are the most updated version of Investigating History. "Legacy" materials are available below but will be deactivated by the end of school year 2025-26.

Unit 1: Human Origins

Revised for 2025-26 and available on the DESE website • Legacy materials are available here

What were the most important turning points in early human history?

Unit 2: The Middle East and North Africa

Available for preview • Legacy materials are available here

How did early complex societies create systems of government and religion?

Please note that in school year 2026-27, this unit will also include a cluster on the origins of monotheistic religions in this region in alignment with Topic 6.T3e of the 2018 History/Social Science Framework. These materials are undergoing additional revision and their publication is forthcoming. For the 2025-26 school year, we recommend that teachers address this content using the legacy materials or others that are in alignment with the Framework.

Unit 3: Sub-Saharan Africa

Revised unit will be available for preview in late summer 2025 • Legacy materials are available here

How do we best tell the stories of ancient African societies and the factors that shaped them?

Unit 4: Central America, the Caribbean Islands, and South America

Revised unit will be available for preview in fall 2025 • Legacy materials are available here

How do the spaces and places people build represent their values?