Course Overview

The Westfield Social Studies curriculum introduces students to ancient world history through historical thinking and inquiry. Students have the opportunity to learn about human societies and relationships by engaging in activities that increase their capacity to think critically. Students identify, interpret, assess, evaluate, and draw conclusions about persistent issues and problems that confront human societies. Participating in today’s global world requires an understanding of the complex nature of human society and an appreciation for the diverse cultures and societies in the world. While exploring how ancient civilizations evolved into distinct unique cultures, students develop an appreciation for the universal traits that all human societies share. By crafting historical inquiries and investigations about the ancient world, students understand how and why diverse cultures developed.

The sixth-grade social studies curriculum begins with a study of the origins of civilizations including the emergence of early agrarian societies, ancient river valley civilizations, and the classical civilization of ancient Greece. Through the study of Greece, students explore the basis of western civilization. The study of ancient civilizations provides students with an opportunity to explore the characteristics of flourishing cultures and the reasons for the success or failure of human societies.

Instruction is inquiry-driven guided by the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Social Studies, relevant state mandates, and essential questions from each unit. Students formulate their own inquiries and analyze social studies from multiple perspectives by consulting numerous primary and secondary sources. Students are challenged to assess the validity of these sources and place them into a historical context. As a result, students formulate informed conclusions and provide evidence to support their discoveries. Through the exploration of essential questions, students learn to apply their understanding of the ancient world to evaluate the problems faced by contemporary global societies. The sixth-grade curriculum integrates history, geography, archaeology, economics, and civics providing students with a comprehensive social studies experience. The study of these various disciplines also helps students understand how we construct knowledge of the past as well as how our ideas about the past inform our understanding of the modern world.