A L I E F
Independent
School District
GRADE 6 SOCIAL STUDIES –CONTEMPORARY WORLD CULTURES
Unit 5: Southwest Asia and North Africa
Time: 6 Weeks
Hook ideas here!
Universal
Generalizations
Where people live
affects how people
live.
Line ideas here!
Social Studies Pacing Guide
Developed 2005
Revised 2006, 2011
Sinker ideas
here!
Unit Understandings
Geography plays a
major role in where
and how people live
in the Middle East.
TEKS
Topics/Content
Unit Questions
(6) Geography. The student
understands that geographical patterns
result from physical environmental
processes. The student is expected to:
(B) identify the location of renewable
and nonrenewable natural resources
such as fresh water, fossil fuels, fertile
soils, and timber; and (WG Place
Geography)
(C) analyze the effects of the interaction
of physical processes and the
environment on humans. (WG 8A and
8B)
Geography in
Southwest Asia and
North Africa
 Deserts and
Water
 Location“Crossroads of
Civilization”
How has the
location and
physical geography
of the Middle East
impacted how the
people in this
region live?
Resources
Essential Resources

InspirEd: Middle East
Unit, Defining Moment,
pp. 7-11
 Physical Features Map
Activity
 Printable Maps
Supplemental Resources




Lesson Plan: Physical
Examination
Lesson Plan: Virtual
Vacation
History Alive!
Contemporary World
Cultures, Adapting to
the Geography of the
Arabian Peninsula
InspirEd: Middle East
Unit, Background Info
& Questions, pp. 4-6
Instructional Considerations:
Alief ISD 2011
Grade 6
1
Contact with others
affects people’s way
of life.
Because of their
location the
societies of
Southwest Asia and
North Africa have
been influenced by
the spread of
cultures from many
different places.
Concepts :
cultural diffusion,
cultural borrowing
(17) Culture. The student understands
relationships that exist among world
cultures. The student is expected to:
(A) identify and describe how culture
traits such as trade, travel, and war
spread; (WG 1B and 18D)
(B) identify and describe factors that
influence cultural change such as
improved communication, transportation,
and economic development;
(C) evaluate the impact of improved
communication technology among
cultures; (WG 20A)
(D) identify and define the impact of
cultural diffusion on individuals and
world societies; and (WG 1B)
(E) identify examples of positive and
negative effects of cultural diffusion.
(WG 1B and 18D)
Cultural Diffusion in
the Region
 Cultural Diffusion
to and from
Southwest Asia
and North Africa
 Mapping the
Spread of Culture
To what extent has
cultural borrowing
shaped culture in
the Southwest Asia
and North Africa?
Essential Resources


vocabulary: culture,
cultural diffusion,
cultural borrowing
History Alive!
Contemporary World
Cultures, Cultural
Impressions of the
Middle East
Text, Ch. 21.1
Supplemental Resources

Text: Middle East
Culture- Background
Information
Instructional Considerations: To reach full comprehension of the unit understanding, it is essential that the teacher teach both the History Alive! Contemporary
World Cultures lesson for Cultural Impressions of the Middle East AND utilize the textbook Chapter 21.1.
A society’s beliefs
and traditions affect
its way of life.
Religion has had a
major impact on the
institutions and
everyday life in
Southwest Asia and
North Africa.
Concepts :
religion, institution,
culture
Alief ISD 2011
(19) Culture. The student understands
the relationships among religion,
philosophy, and culture. The student is
expected to:
(A) explain the relationship among
religious ideas, philosophical ideas, and
cultures; and (WG 17A)
(B) 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. (WG 17B)
Grade 6
Impact of Religion
on Culture
 Culture Traits in
the Region
 Religious aspects
of culture
vocabulary: religion,
Judaism, Christianity,
Islam
Do religious beliefs
have a similar
impact on culture
and life in
Southwest Asia
and North Africa as
they do in
America?
Essential Resources



History Alive!
Contemporary World
Cultures,
Understanding
Christianity, Islam, and
Judaism
Text, Ch. 26.4
Text, Ch. 22.1
(create two column
graphic organizer for
Egypt/Islam with
headings for Aspects of
the Religion/Impact on
the Culture)
2
Supplemental Resources
Lesson Plan: Three
Religions are Born
 Distribution of World
Religions
 Maps of Religions
Instructional Considerations: The lessons related to this unit understanding should follow these steps- 1. The teacher will provide instruction from wither the HA
lesson or use textbook pages in chapter 26, section 4. 2. After implementing one of those choices, the teacher will follow the initial lesson using textbook pages for
chapter 22, section 1.
Rising standards of
living sometimes
endanger traditional
cultural practices
and beliefs.
Alief ISD 2011
The growing
importance of the
Middle East’s
natural resources
has transformed its
economies and
challenged its
traditional cultures.
(4) Geography. The student
understands the factors that influence
the locations and characteristics of
locations of various contemporary
societies on maps and globes and uses
latitude and longitude to determine
absolute locations. The student is
expected to:
(D) identify and locate major physical
and human geographic features such as
landforms, water bodies, and urban
Grade 6
Oil & Water
 Geography of the
Region (focus on
natural
resources)
 Worldwide
Demand
 Impact of Oil
Industry on
Societies
What has been the
impact of oil and
water on the
economies and
cultures of
Southwest Asia
and North Africa
and the world?
Essential Resources



Sample Lesson – Saudi
Arabia: Islam and the
Oil Industry (Text: Ch.
28, Sec. 3)
InspirEd: Middle East
Unit, Just Like Oil and
Water, pp. 238-240
Text, Ch. 28.3-28.4
3
Concepts :
supply and demand,
resources, cartel
centers of various places and regions;
(WG Place Geography)
(5) Geography. The student
understands how geographic factors
influence the economic development,
political relationships, and policies of
societies. The student is expected to:
(A) identify and explain the geographic
factors responsible for the location of
economic activities in places and
regions; (WG 11B and 11C)
(7) Geography. The student
understands the impact of interactions
between people and the physical
environment on the development and
conditions of places and regions. The
student is expected to:
(A) identify and analyze ways people
have adapted to the physical
environment in various places and
regions; (WG 8A and 8B)
Supplemental Resources
vocabulary:
reserves, tradition,
modernize, cartel



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
InspirEd: Middle East
Unit, Background Info
& Questions, pp. 234237
Text, Regional
Database (pp. 639-641)
Text, Country and
Regional Profiles
o Saudi Arabia p.
528
Middle East Rainfall
Map
Middle East Fresh
Groundwater Sources
(8) Economics. The student
understands the factors of production in
a society's economy. The student is
expected to:
(C) explain the impact of relative
scarcity of resources on international
trade and economic interdependence
among and within societies. (WG 12A
and 12B)
Instructional Considerations:
Alief ISD 2011
Grade 6
4
Cultural differences
may intensify
conflict.
A dispute between
Jews and Arabs
over control of the
same land in
Palestine has led to
a prolonged conflict
that has affected
the entire Middle
East and the world.
Concepts :
cultural conflict
(1) History. The student understands
that historical events influence
contemporary events. The student is
expected to:
(A) trace characteristics of various
contemporary societies in regions that
resulted from historical events or factors
such as invasion, conquests,
colonization, immigration, and trade; and
(WG 18A)
(B) analyze the historical background of
various contemporary societies to
evaluate relationships between past
conflicts and current conditions.
Conflict In the
Middle East
 Background
(Highlight
Geography and
History)
 Claims of Both
Sides
 Impact on People
in the Region
 Impact Outside
the Region
(2) History. The student understands
the influences of individuals and groups
from various cultures to on various
historical and contemporary societies.
The student is expected to:
(A) identify and describe the influence of
individual or group achievements on
various historical or contemporary
societies such as the classical Greeks
on government and the American
Revolution on the French Revolution;
vocabulary:
homeland, refugee,
boundaries
What are the
origins of the
conflict in Palestine
and how has it
affected the Middle
East region?
Essential Resources

o
o

History Alive!
Contemporary World
Cultures
Lesson Overview
Jews and Palestinians:
Two Claims to
Palestine
Text, Ch. 25.4
(4) Geography. The student
understands the factors that influence
the locations and characteristics of
locations of various contemporary
societies on maps and globes and uses
latitude and longitude to determine
absolute locations. The student is
expected to:
(C) explain ways in which human
migration influences the character of
places and regions;
(5) Geography. The student
understands how geographic factors
influence the economic development,
political relationships, and policies of
societies. The student is expected to:
(B) identify geographic factors such as
Alief ISD 2011
Grade 6
5
location, physical features,
transportation corridors and barriers, and
distribution of natural resources that
influence a society's ability to control
territory; and (WG 14C)
(15) Culture. The student understands
the similarities and differences within
and among cultures in various world
societies. The student is expected to:
(D) analyze the experiences and
evaluate the contributions of diverse
groups to multicultural societies; (WG
17D)
Supplemental Resources
Lesson Plan: Trouble in
Paradise
Locate current events
information sources such
as web links, newspaper
articles, etc. to social media
impact.
(17) Culture. The student understands
relationships that exist among world
cultures. The student is expected to:
(A) identify and describe how culture
traits such as trade, travel, and war
spread; (WG 1B and 18D)
(B) identify and describe factors that
influence cultural change such as
improved communication, transportation,
and economic development;
Alief ISD 2011
Grade 6
6
Alief ISD 2011
Grade 6
7