FRAME THE LESSON
Student Expectations Bundled in Lesson
Noun=Underline
Verb=Italicize
3B: Pose and answer questions about geographic
distributions and patterns for various world regions
and countries shown on maps, graphs, charts,
models, and databases
4F: Identify the location of major world countries
such as Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, the
United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Norway, Sweden,
Russia, South Africa, Nigeria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel,
Iran, India, Pakistan, the People's Republic of China,
the Republic of China (Taiwan), Japan, North and
South Korea, Indonesia, and Australia
Objective/Key Understanding:


Describe the location, physical features, and
climate of Israel and its neighbors.
Identify different ethnic and religious
groups in Israel and its neighbors, and
explain how access to water affects
relations between countries in the region.
CLASS: 6th Social Studies
TEACHER:
LESSON DATE: February 1-2
M T W TH F
Topic 6, Lesson 7: Geography of Israel and Its Neighbors
Teaching Points & Activities:
Resources/Materials:
Students will learn about the geographic patterns of the region, from the temperate
Mediterranean coast to the inland deserts, and the region’s population distribution, from the
density settled areas in the coast and highlands to the religious diversity of the region.
Pearson Contemporary
World Cultures TE, pgs.
Pearson Contemporary
World Cultures Digital
Resources:

Small Group Purposeful Talk Question Stems:





Where is most of the region’s habitable land located?
Where is the lowest land?
What geographic pattern defines the region?
How is the landscape of Israel different from that of Jordan?
What physical features separate Israel and Jordan?
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Vocabulary:
Fertile Crescent
Alawite
Rain shadow
Rift valley
Closing Product/ Question/ Informal
Assessment:
Aquifers
Desalination
Complete assessment on p. 382
Critical Writing Prompt:

Editable
Presentation
Start-Up Activity
Flyover Video:
Russia
3D Model: Globe
Interactive
Reading Notepad
Language Lesson:
Russian
Digital Activity:
HumanEnvironment
Digital Lesson Quiz
Rigor & Relevance
:
As a region, Israel and its neighbors are religiously diverse. However some individual
countries are not as diverse? Why do you think that is? How does the religious make-up of
this region compare to our own?
(Real World Connection): We
live in a global society. It’s
important that students
grasp the geographical and
societal peculiarities to a
particular region so that
they can relate to the
people around them.
Engage
Explore
Explain
Start-up activity: Looing at the physical map of Israel and its neighbors, What notable land and water features do you see? Based on the natural geography,
where would you most want to live and why? Where do you think it would be most challenging to live, and why?
Explore the lesson and its subtopics:
 Physical features and Climates of Israel and Its Neighbors p. 377
 People and Resources in Israel and Its Neighbors p. 379
Continue exploring the sub topics.
Use the Guided reading and discussion questions to check for understanding and start student discussion of materials.
Elaborate *Analyzing Maps and Charts & Digital Activity
See Online Resources from the previous page for this portion of the lesson.
*Active Classroom
Use the Sticky Note strategy to have students write three important ideas from the Flyover video.
*Topic of Inquiry
Students work in teams to examine different perspectives on this issue by analyzing several sources, arguing both sides of a Yes/No questions, then developing
and discussing their own point of view on the question:
Should the high Aswan Dam have been built?
FRAME THE LESSON
Student Expectations Bundled in Lesson
Noun=Underline
Verb=Italicize
18A Explain the relationships that exist between societies
and their architecture, art, music, and literature
18B Relate ways in which contemporary expressions of
culture have been influenced by the past
19B Explain the significance of religious holidays and
observances such as Christmas, Easter, Ramadan, the
annual hajj, Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, Diwali, and
Vaisakhi in various contemporary societies
Objective/Key Understanding:

Describe the origins and beliefs of Judaism and
trace the early history of the Jewish people.

Describe the origins and beliefs of Christianity,
and explain how it spread from Judea to other
parts of the world.


Identify different peoples and empires that have
ruled Israel and its neighbors, and describe their
impact.
Explain the origins of Zionism, and describe the
founding of Israel and major Arab-Israeli
conflicts since 1948.
:
Closing Product/ Question/ Informal
Assessment:
CLASS: 6th Social Studies
TEACHER:
LESSON DATE: February 3-4
Topic 6, Lesson 8: History of Israel and Its Neighbors
Teaching Points & Activities:
Resources/Materials:
Students will learn that the region was home to ancient peoples such as the Phoenicians and
Canaanites. It was also the birthplace of two major world religions- Judaism and Christianityand became a home to Islam, too. The region has a history of control by outside rulers, such
as the Romans, Byzantines, and Europeans. Anti-Semitism, World Wars I and II, The
Holocaust, and the rise of Zionism led to the creation of Israel. Since 1948, Israel and its
neighbors have fought several wars, and civil war broke out in Lebanon.
Pearson Contemporary
World Cultures TE, pgs.
Pearson Contemporary
World Cultures Digital
Resources:

Small Group Purposeful Talk Question Stems:






How do Jews celebrate their new year?
How is the observance of Yom Kippur connected to Judaism’s system of ethics?
How are observances of Christmas similar all over the world?
How is the Dome of the Rock important to all three of the region’s major religions?
How did anti-Semitism lead to Zionism?
What generalization can be made about the relationship among Israel and its neighbors in
the 1970s?
Vocabulary:
Agriculture
Prophet
Messiah
Anti-Semitism
Illumination
Trinity
Zionism
Icon
Crusades
Ritual object
Calligraphy
Ethics
Critical Writing Prompt:
What are the two important Jewish holidays? Explain the significance of each.
Complete Assessment on p. 396
M T W TH F
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





Editable
Presentation
Start-Up Activity
Flyover Video:
Russia
3D Model: Globe
Interactive
Reading Notepad
Language Lesson:
Russian
Digital Activity:
HumanEnvironment
Digital Lesson Quiz
Rigor & Relevance
We
live in a global society. It’s
important that students
grasp the geographical and
societal peculiarities to a
particular region so that
they can relate to the
people around them.
(Real World Connection):
Engage
Explore
Explain
Start-up activity: The region has Jewish, Christian, and Islamic religions. All three religions have holy sites in the region. Have students write three things that
they already know about the history of this region. Then have students write three questions they would like to answer.
Explore the lesson and its subtopics:
 Origins and Beliefs of Judaism of Judaism p. 384
 Origins and Beliefs of Christianity p. 387
 Historic Empires and Rich Cultures in Israel and Its Neighbors p. 390
 Independence and Conflict in Israel and Its Neighbors p. 394
Continue exploring the sub topics.
Use the Guided reading and discussion questions to check for understanding and start student discussion of materials.
Elaborate *Analyzing Maps and Charts & Digital Activity
See Online Resources from the previous page for this portion of the lesson.
*Active Classroom
Use the Sticky Note strategy to have students write three important ideas from the Flyover video.
*Topic of Inquiry
Students work in teams to examine different perspectives on this issue by analyzing several sources, arguing both sides of a Yes/No questions, then developing
and discussing their own point of view on the question:
Should the high Aswan Dam have been built?
FRAME THE LESSON
CLASS: 6th Social Studies
TEACHER:
Student Expectations Bundled in Lesson
Noun=Underline
Verb=Italicize
LESSON DATE: February 5
Topic 6, Lesson 9: Israel and Its Neighbors Today
Teaching Points & Activities:
3C Compare various world regions and countries
using data from geographic tools, including maps,
graphs, charts, databases, and models.
M T W TH F
Resources/Materials:
Students will learn about the region’s political and economic systems, significance, and
recent conflicts.
 What are the most important issues causing conflict in the region?
 What are the two most important goals that Palestinians likely want from a peace
settlement?
 What are two important goals Israel likely has for a peace settlement?
Pearson Contemporary
World Cultures TE, pgs.
Pearson Contemporary
World Cultures Digital
Resources:

Objective/Key Understanding:


Describe the different political systems of
Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.
Compare Israel and its neighbors’
economies using different geographic tools.
Small Group Purposeful Talk Question Stems:





Is Lebanon’s parliament representative of the population?
Which political system in the region is most like the political system in the United States?
Which details in the text support the idea that Syria has the least-stable government in the
region?
How does the region’s past help explain this contemporary expression of culture?
How is the West Bank similar to Gaza?
Vocabulary:

Examine the causes of the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict and describe the peace process.
Parliamentary democracy
Hereditary monarch
Capital
Autocracy
Israeli settlement
Intifada







Editable
Presentation
Start-Up Activity
Flyover Video:
Russia
3D Model: Globe
Interactive
Reading Notepad
Language Lesson:
Russian
Digital Activity:
HumanEnvironment
Digital Lesson Quiz
Rigor & Relevance
We
live in a global society. It’s
important that students
grasp the geographical and
societal peculiarities to a
particular region so that
they can relate to the
people around them.
(Real World Connection):
:
Closing Product/ Question/ Informal
Assessment:
Complete the assessment on p. 406
Critical Writing Prompt:
Engage
Explore
Explain
Start-up activity: The economies of the nations in this region vary greatly. Israel, for example, has a GDP per capita of $33,000 and an unemployment rate of 7
percent. However, in the West Bank and Gaza, GDP per capita is just $3,000 and unemployment is 23 percent. Have students write a short paragraph in which
they describe how they think life might differ for people in Israel and its neighboring nations today.
Explore the lesson and its subtopics:
 Political Systems in Israel and Its Neighbors p. 398
 Economies of Israel and Its Neighbors p. 401
 Conflict and Peace p. 403
Continue exploring the sub topics.
Use the Guided reading and discussion questions to check for understanding and start student discussion of materials.
Elaborate *Analyzing Maps and Charts & Digital Activity
See Online Resources from the previous page for this portion of the lesson.
*Active Classroom
Use the Sticky Note strategy to have students write three important ideas from the Flyover video.
*Topic of Inquiry
Students work in teams to examine different perspectives on this issue by analyzing several sources, arguing both sides of a Yes/No questions, then developing
and discussing their own point of view on the question:
Should the high Aswan Dam have been built?