Welcome to Mrs.Chitwood’s
6th Grade Social Studies
The focus of 6th grade social studies is physical and human geography of the
Eastern Hemisphere. Our studies include ancient civilizations and their lasting
impact on the world today. My classroom is an active classroom that promotes
higher achievement through cooperation, collaboration, and critical thinking.
Students will learn how to use the geographic inquiry process.
Units
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of Study:
Foundations of Geography including map skills and GRAPES
Ancient Mesopotamia and Southwest Asia
Ancient Egypt and Africa
Migration
Ancient India and Monsoon Asia
Ancient China and East Asia
Economics
Teaching Strategies
• Travel Journals: Students will keep notes, handouts and journal entries in
their spiral notebooks. Students will also use the notebook to reflect on
their learning. In addition, the notebook will:
- Help students with organization
- Help students understand information in a variety of ways.
- Become a record of the student’s growth throughout the year.
• Geographic Inquiry Process: Through this process the students will become
experts in:
1. Asking geographic questions
2. Acquiring geographic information
3. Organizing geographic information
4. Analyzing geographic information
5. Answering geographic questions
Grading:
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Formative assessment such as participation, travel journals, homework, and
in-class work will be 30% of a student’s grade. Formative assessment
assignments are practice of the skills and knowledge being learned. They
prepare the student for the summative or unit assessment. This work is
reinforced throughout the unit and can often be redone.
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Summative assessment such as tests, quizzes and projects will be 70% of a
student’s grade. Summative assessment is used to show what the student
has learned during the course of a unit.