Grade 6 Social Studies, Quarter 3
School Year 2014-2015
2014-15 Social Studies Assessment Transition Plan
There will not be an operational state Social Studies TCAP assessment in the 2014-15 school year. During the 2014-15 school year,
the Tennessee Department of Education will field test the new social studies assessments in lieu of administering the summative
social studies TCAP assessments. Operational Social Studies TCAP tests will be reinstated in the 2015-16 school year.
The department will be field testing new Social Studies TCAP Assessments in the 2014-15 school year that align to the new
standards. The new assessments will be field tested in the 2014-15 school year. More information about the field test will be released
in the coming months, but as with other pilots, the results of the field test will not be reported to students and will not affect students’
grades.
In order to best prepare for the 2015-2016 school year the new state standards for Social Studies should be implemented in all areas
of social studies instruction and assessment in our district. This curriculum guide should be regarded as a working document this
academic year. Please send feedback, additional resources, and any useful assessments to Melissa Hurt melissa.hurt@gmsdk12.org
or Missy Renshaw missy.renshaw@gmsdk12.org for inclusion.
Instructional Shifts Linking Literacy to Social Studies
Building knowledge through content rich non-fiction plays an essential role in literacy and in the Standards. In K-5, fulfilling the
standards requires a 50-50 balance between informational and literary reading. Informational reading primarily includes content rich
non--fiction in history/social studies, science and the arts; the K-5 Standards strongly recommend that students build coherent
general knowledge both within each year and across years.
In grades 6-12, the Standards for literacy in history/social studies, science and technical subjects ensure that students can
independently build knowledge in these disciplines through reading and writing.
The Standards place a premium on students writing to sources, i.e., using evidence from texts to present careful analyses, welldefended claims and clear information. Rather than asking students questions they can answer solely from their prior knowledge or
experience, the Standards expect students to answer questions that depend on their having read the text or texts with care. The
Standards also require the cultivation of narrative writing throughout the grades, and in later grades a command of sequence and
detail will be essential for effective argumentative and informational writing.
Likewise, the reading standards focus on students’ ability to read closely and grasp information, arguments, ideas and details based on
text evidence. Students should be able to answer a range of text-dependent questions, questions in which the answers require
inferences based on careful attention to the text.
**This is a working document. Please send any resources, lessons, or valuable links to melissa.hurt@gmsdk12.org
Under revision 2014-2015
Grade 6 Social Studies, Quarter 3
School Year 2014-2015
World History and Geography: Early Civilizations through the Decline of the Roman Empire (5th century C.E.)
Sixth grade students will study the beginning of early civilizations through the fall of the Roman Empire. Students will study the
geographical, social, economic, and political foundations for early civilizations progressing through the Roman Empire. They will
analyze the shift from nomadic societies to agricultural societies. Students will study the development of civilizations, including the
areas of Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Ancient Israel, Greece, and Rome. The study of these civilizations will include the impact
of geography, early history, cultural development, and economic change. The geographic focus will include the study of physical and
political features, economic development and resources, and migration patterns. The sixth grade will conclude with the decline and
fall of the Roman Empire. This course will be the first concentrated study of world history and geography and will utilize appropriate
informational texts and primary sources.
Tentative Dates: Topic
SPI’s
Resources
Ancient Israel, c. 2000 BC/BCE-70 AD/CE
Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, social, and religious structures of the civilizations of Ancient Israel.
6.39 On a historical map of the Mediterranean Sea,
January 4-22
Resources/Activities:
Jordon River, Sinai Peninsula, locate Asia Minor,
WH Text:
the kingdoms of the Hittites and Phoenicians,
Chapter 8- The Israelites
Map of Ancient Israel
ancient Israel, and Egypt. (G)
Geography of Israel
6.40 Examine the development of the ancient
Common Core Social Studies
Israelites, tracing their migrations from
Companion- Ancient Israel
Mesopotamia to Canaan, later called Israel, and
explain the significant roles of Abraham and Moses PBS: Lost Tribes of Israel
Lesson Plan: The Legacy of David
in their history. (C, H, G)
Nebuchadnezzar
6.41 Describe the monotheistic religion of the
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Israelites, including: (C, H)
YouTube: Hanging Gardens of Babylon
· the belief in one God (monotheism)
· the Ten Commandments
Cyrus the Great
· the emphasis on individual worth and personal
Darius the Great
responsibility
Xerxes
· the belief that all people must adhere to the same
Eyewitness to History: The Romans
moral obligations, whether ruler or ruled
Destroy the Temple at Jerusalem, 70
· the Torah and the Hebrew Bible as part of the
A.D.
history of early Israel
Eyewitness to History: Rome Celebrates
6.42 Describe the unification of the tribes of Israel
the Vanquishing of the Jews, 71 A.D.
under Kings Saul, David, and Solomon, including
**This is a working document. Please send any resources, lessons, or valuable links to melissa.hurt@gmsdk12.org
Under revision 2014-2015
Grade 6 Social Studies, Quarter 3
School Year 2014-2015
David’s founding of Jerusalem as his capital city in
1000 BC/BCE and the building of the first temple
by Solomon. (G, H, P)
6.42 Summarize the four major events after the rule
of King Solomon in the history of Israel, including
the breakup of the Kingdom of Israel, destruction of
the Northern Kingdom, Babylonian captivity under
Nebuchadnezzar, and the return of the Jews to their
homeland under the Persian Empire. (H)
6.43 Conduct a short research piece with supporting
details of Second Babylonian, Persian, and Median
Empires, including Nebuchadnezzar, the Hanging
Gardens of Babylon, Cyrus the Great, Darius the
Great, and Xerxes. (H)
6.44 Explain how Judaism survived the
expulsion/dispersion of the Jews to other lands (the
Diaspora) after the destruction of the second temple
in Jerusalem in 70 AD/CE, and the renaming of the
country by the Romans. (C, H)
Primary Documents and Supporting
Texts:
Tanakh
Dead Sea Scrolls
WH Textbook:
Primary Source: Excerpts from the
Torah
Writing Task:
SHEG: Assyrian Siege of Jerusalem
Ancient Greece, c. 800-300 BC/BCE
Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, social, and religious structures of the civilizations of Ancient Greece.
6.45 On a historical map of the ancient
January 25-March 11
Mediterranean area, locate Greece and trace the
WH Text:
Resources/Activities:
boundaries of its influence to 300 BC/BCE. On a
Chapter 9- The Ancient Greeks
Mr. Nicky Ancient Greece Song
contemporary
map
trace
the
current
boundaries
of
Chapter 10- Greek Civilization
Common Core Social Studies
Greece.
Companion- Ancient Greece
Compare and contrast the sphere of influence of
** This standard must be covered
General Ancient Greece Info
Greece in those two different eras. (G, H)
prior to Part 1 (extended response) of
More General Information
6.46 Explain how the geographical location of
the 2015-2015 Assessment.
British Museum: Ancient Greece
ancient Athens and other city-states contributed to
Activity on Mycenaean Trade
their role in maritime trade, their colonies in the
YouTube: Athens-Dawn of Democracy
Mediterranean, and the expansion of their cultural
BBC: Critics and Critiques of Athenian
influence. (C, E, G, H)
6.47 Trace the transition from tyranny and
Democracy
oligarchy to early democratic forms of government
Athenian Democracy: Solon &
and back to dictatorship in ancient Greece,
Cleisthenes
**This is a working document. Please send any resources, lessons, or valuable links to melissa.hurt@gmsdk12.org
Under revision 2014-2015
Grade 6 Social Studies, Quarter 3
School Year 2014-2015
including the significance of the development of the
idea of citizenship. (C, H, P)
6.48 Explain how the development of democratic
political concepts in ancient Greece lead to the
origins of direct Democracy and representative
Democracy , including: (C, H, P)
· the “polis” or city-state
· civic participation and voting rights
· legislative bodies
· constitution writing
· rule of law
6.49 Compare and contrast life in Athens and
Sparta. (C, H)
6.50 Compare and contrast the status of women and
slaves between Athens and Sparta . (C, H)
6.51 Analyze the causes, course, and consequences
of the Persian Wars. (C, H, G)
6.52 Analyze the causes, course, and consequences
of the Peloponnesian Wars between Athens and
Sparta. (H, P)
6.53 Explain the rise of Alexander the Great and the
spread of Greek culture. (C, G, H, P)
6.54 Analyze the causes and effects of the
Hellenistic culture of Greece. (C, E, G, H, P)
6.55 Describe the myths and stories of classical
Greece; give examples of Greek gods, goddesses,
and heroes (Zeus, Hermes, Aphrodite, Athena,
Poseidon, Artemis, Hades, Apollo), and events, and
where and how we see their names used today. (C,
H)
6.56 Compare and contrast the Titans with the
Olympian gods and explain the surrounding Greek
mythology. (C, H)
6.57 Explain why the city-states of Greece
instituted a tradition of athletic competitions and
describe the sports they featured. (C, H)
6.58 Describe the purposes and functions of the
lyceum, the gymnasium, and the Library of
The Polity of the Athenians
PBS: The Two Faces of Greece-Athens
and Sparta
Women in Sparta
Herodotus’ Persian War
Alexander the Great
Olympians v Titans
Lesson Plan from NEH on Ancient
Olympia
Brain POP: Greek Gods
Brain POP: Athens
Flocabulary:
“Party at the Parthenon”
Primary Documents and Supporting
Texts:
WH Text:
Primary Source- The History of the
Peloponnesian War
Primary Source- The Athenian
Constitution
Pericles’ Funeral Oration
PBS: Pericles Funeral Oration in Depth
Excerpt from Plutarch’s Life of
Alexander
Excerpts from Aesop’s Fables
Excerpt from Aristotle’s Athenian
Constitution
Eyewitness to History: The Battle of
Marathon
Eyewitness to History: Everyday Life in
**This is a working document. Please send any resources, lessons, or valuable links to melissa.hurt@gmsdk12.org
Under revision 2014-2015
Grade 6 Social Studies, Quarter 3
School Year 2014-2015
Alexandria, and identify the major
accomplishments of the ancient Greeks. (C, H)
· Thales (science)
· Pythagoras and Euclid (mathematics)
· Hippocrates (medicine)
· Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle (philosophy)
· Herodotus, Thucydides, Homer, Aeschylus,
Sophocles, Aristophanes, and Euripides (history,
poetry, and drama)
· the Parthenon, the Acropolis, and the Temple of
Apollo (architecture)
· the development of the first complete alphabet,
with symbols representing both consonants and
vowels
Ancient Greece
Writing Task:
SHEG: Battle of Thermopylae
SHEG: Athenian Democracy
**This is a working document. Please send any resources, lessons, or valuable links to melissa.hurt@gmsdk12.org
Under revision 2014-2015