Social Studies

Ancient World Cultures and Civilizations

In Grade 6, students begin a two-year study of the Ancient Word that is aligned with the newest Massachusetts state History Frameworks.   Specifically, students will explore how the past influences our societies today in a variety of ways.  We start the year with a unit on Egpyt and neighboring Kush so that students can consider how factors like location and geography impacted where and how ancient civilizations could thrive. We also use that unit to introduce key reading and writing strategies that will be used throughout middle school such as "marking up" or annotating text and writing with clear claims and specific evidence. These foci build on skills students have  already learned in elementary school as the level of text difficulty rises. 

 In the second part of the year, students will focus on one aspect of civilization: religion.  Students will examine how four/five major faiths began and will compare how each views the universe. Thus, there are units on Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and possibly Buddhism if time permits.  Students will describe how these religions came to be historically, and what these religious practices within the traditions look like in the United States/ world today.  Students should leave these courses with a rich understanding of how the ideas from the past shape our societies and with an appreciation for the variety of human beliefs in our world. 

Lastly, the social studies department has a goal for students to be informed and engaged citizens. So, teachers will take time to discuss current events topics as needed and will make attempts to connect issues from the past to the world today whenever possible. 

Goals:  In Grade 6, students will:

• Describe how and why Egypt and Kush developed as it did

• Analyze how  Egyptian society was organized and the role the Pharoah played as the leader of society

• Explain how ideas  and traditions went back and forth from the neighboring cultures in Egypt and Kush 

• Describe the role that religions play/have played in civilizations

• Summarize "basics" for four or five religions (origins, beliefs, symbols, scriptures, rituals, holidays, stories, key founders and  holy sites)

• Analyze how religions are distributed across the globe and how they are practiced in the United States

• Connect issues from the past  to the present wherever possible 

Guiding Questions for the Year:

• How did WHERE you live affect HOW you lived in the past? Is that still true today?

• What does a successful society look like? How do different groups answer that question in different ways?

• How do people use religion to guide their beliefs and actions? What problems does religion try to solve and how would we know if it is successful?

• How do different societies define their “we” and “they”? What happens when one group considers another group to be the “other”?

• What have and what can people today learn from societies in the past?