Connecting Themes Used in
6th Grade Social Studies
Earth’s Human Geography
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The student will understand that
location affects a society’s economy,
culture, and development
Earth’s Human Geography
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Population – total number of people
Population Distribution – the way the
population is spread over the Earth
Population Density – The average
number of people who live in a square
mile or kilometer.
Population Density
Earth’s Human Geography
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Why is Population Distribution Uneven?
Many factors determine where people live:
a. water
b. fertile soil
c. flat land
d. climate
e. food
Earth’s Human Geography
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Discovering Population Density
Population density is figured by
dividing the number of people by the
square miles of land.
California
31,430,697 ÷ 155, 973sq mi =
201.5 people per sq mi
Earth’s Human Geography
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Examining the continents:
a) Asia, Europe, and North America contain
81% of the Earth’s people on 35% of the
world’s land…4.5 billion
b) Australia contains only 18 million people
on 3 million square miles. The state of New
York has about the same population.
c) Africa had 15% of the world’s land but
only 12% of the world’s population…why?
d) South America has only 309 million
inhabitants.
Earth’s Human Geography
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Birthrate – the number of live births each
year per 1000 people
Death rate – the number of deaths each year
per 1000 people
Life expectancy – the average number of
years people live.
Earth’s Human Geography
Questions
1)
2)
Why has the population increased greatly
over the last four or five decades?
How have science and technology
contributed to the growing population?
The Earth’s Cultural
Geography
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The student will understand that the
culture of a society is the product of
religion, beliefs, customs, traditions,
and government of that society.
The Earth’s Cultural
Geography
Vocabulary:
 Culture – The way of life of a group of people
who share similar beliefs and customs.
 Culture Trait – Skills, customs, and ways of
doing things.
 Technology – The tools and skills of a culture
 Cultural Landscape – What cultures and
peoples do to change the landscape to
include usage of technology.
The Earth’s Cultural
Geography
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Question – Take a minute to describe
our culture…
There were four important
developments in human culture:
a. Invention of tools
b. Discovery of fire
c. Agriculture
d. Writing
The Earth’s Cultural
Geography
Vocabulary:
 Social Structure – The cultures organize their
people into smaller groups.
 Nuclear Family – Father, mother and their
children
 Extended Family – Grandparents, aunts,
uncles, cousins, etc…
The Earth’s Cultural
Geography
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Ethics – Cultural defined standards of
acceptable behavior.
The family is the basic most
important social unit of a any
culture.
Matriarchal – Mother is in charge
Patriarchal – Father is in charge
The Earth’s Cultural
Geography
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There are three important features that
define a culture:
a. Language
b. Values/Beliefs
c. Religion
The Earth’s Cultural
Geography
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The student will understand that the
movement or migration of people and
ideas affects all societies.
The student will understand that while
change occurs over time, there is
continuity to the basic structure of that
society.
The Earth’s Cultural
Geography
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Migration – Moving from one place to another
Immigrant – People who move from one
country to another
Push–Pull Theory – People migrate because
something “pushes” them and the hope for
better living conditions pulls
Urbanization – The movement of people to
the cities
The Earth’s Cultural
Geography
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Rural Area – Villages in the countryside
or farm lands
Urban Area – The cities or nearby
towns
The Earth’s Cultural
Geography
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Cultural Diffusion – The movement of
customs and ideas
Acculturation – The process of accepting,
borrowing, and exchanging ideas
Three things that cause cultural change –
1) Environmental change
2) A new idea
3) Technology
The Earth’s Cultural
Geography
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What are some examples of cultural
diffusion and acculturation?
The cultures of the Caribbean Islands?
Economics
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The student will understand that the
productions, distribution, and
consumption of goods/services
produced by the society are affected by
the location, customs, beliefs, and laws
of society.
Economics
Vocabulary:
 Economy – A system for producing, distributing, and
consuming goods and services.
 Producer – Owners and workers are producers
 Goods – The products they make
 Services – Goods that people perform for other
people
 Consumers – People who buy or use these goods
and services.
Economics
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Economic Systems
Capitalism – Most basic and non-basic
businesses are privately owned
Mixed – The government owns most
basic industries for the good of society,
not for profit
Communism – The government owns all
basic and non-basic industries
Governance
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The student will understand that as a
society increases in complexity and
interacts with other societies, the
complexity of the government also
increases.
Governance
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Political Systems
Government – The system that sets up and
enforces a societies laws and institutions
Direct Democracy – Everyone participates in
running the affairs of the group
Monarchy – A king or queen rules the
government
Constitution – A set of laws that define and
often limit the government’s power
Governance
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Representative Democracy – Citizens elect
representatives to run the countries affairs.
Dictatorship – One person has almost total
power over the country.
~Quiz~
Compare and contrast the three main types of
economic systems.
Governance
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The beginnings of society and
governance:
Greeks – Democracy
Romans – Representative Democracy
Humans and Their
Environment
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The student will understand that
humans, their society, and the
environment affect each other.
Humans and Their
Environment
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Natural Resource – Any useful material found in
the environment or anything from the Earth that
meets the need for food, water and shelter
Raw Material – Resources that must be altered or
changed before they can be used
Recyclable resource – Materials that cycle
through a natural process….water
Renewable resource – A resource that can be
replaced….crops and food
Humans and Their
Environment
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Nonrenewable resource – When they are used
up, they cannot be replaced….fossil fuels
Fossil Fuels – A nonrenewable resource made
from the remains of prehistoric animals
Three types of resources:
a. Recyclable
b. Renewable
c. Nonrenewable
Humans and Their
Environment
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Manufacturing – When a product is
processed, changing it from a raw
material to a finished process.
Developed nation – Countries that have
many industries
Developing nation – Countries with few
industries
Humans and Their
Environment
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Developed Nations
Commercial Farming – Farms that are
commercially operated using advanced farming
technology
Developing Nations
Subsistence farming – Farmers raise enough food
and animals to feed their family
Plantations – Farms that employ many people
and owned but only a few people
Foreign Aid – Gifts or loans from one government
to another
Humans and Their
Environment
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Ecosystem – A place where living elements
depend on one another – and on nonliving
elements – for their survival
Deforestation – When people cut down forests
for farming or other needs
Habitat – The places where a species of animals
may live
Acid Rain – Rain that carries dangerous
chemicals
Humans and Their
Environment
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Ozone Layer – The layer of gas in the
upper part of the atmosphere
Global Warming – A slow increase in
the Earth’s temperature
Recycle – Re-use old materials to make
new products
Conflict and Change
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The student will understand the when
there is conflict between or within
societies, change will result.
Conflict and Change
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How does conflict with friends change
your relationship?
Why is there change when you have
conflict between or within societies?
Why does change always follow
conflict?