Ancient Cultures
Grade Level: 6th Grade
Subject: Social Studies
Time Frame: 8 weeks (October-December)
​
Big Understandings
​
- analyze and interpret primary and secondary sources to ask and research historical questions about the Western Hemisphere
- the historical eras, individuals, groups, ideas, and themes within regions of the Western Hemisphere and their relationships with one another
- Use geographic tools and resources to research and make geographic inferences and predictions about the Western Hemisphere
- regional differences and perspectives in the Western Hemisphere impact human and environmental interactions
​
Essential Questions
​
- what questions help us understand the development of the Western Hemisphere and the interactions of people in the region?
- why do sources in the same topic vary, and how do we determine which ones will help us effectively interpret the past?
- what key primary sources help us to understand the Western Hemisphere?
- how is the bias of the author of a source reflected in the source itself?
'- why have civilizations succeeded and failed?
- to what extent does globalization depend on a society's resistance to and adaptation to change over time?
- what factors influenced the development of civilizations and nations in the Western Hemisphere?
'- how can geographic tools be used to solve problems in the future?
- why does where we live influence how we live?
- how do populations, physical features, resources, and perceptions of place and regions change over time
- how have geographic factors influenced human settlement, economic activity, and land acquisition?
- what are different ways to define the Western Hemisphere based on human and physical systems?
- how have people interacted with the environment over time in a positive or negative way?
- how has globalization affected people and places?
- in what ways are places on Earth interdependent?
​
By the end of the unit, students will be able to:
​
- identify ways different cultures record history in the Western Hemisphere
- analyze multiple primary and secondary sources while formulating historical questions about Western Hemisphere (art, artifacts, eyewitness accounts, letters and diaries, real or simulated historical sites, charts, graphs, diagrams and written texts)
- gather, organize, synthesize, and critique information to determine if it is sufficient to answer historical questions about the Western Hemisphere
- explain ow people, products, cultures, and ideas interact and are interconnected in the Western Hemisphere and how they have impacted modern times
- determine and explain the historical context of key people, events, and ideas over time including the examination of different persepectives from people involved (Aztec, Maya, Inca, Inuit, early Native American cultures of North America, major explorers, colonizers of countries in the Western Hemisphere, and the Colombian Exchange)
- identify examples of the social, political, cultural, and economic development in key areas of the Western Hemisphere
- use geographic tools to identify, locate, and describe places and regions in the Western Hemisphere, to solve problems (latitude, longitude, scale on maps, globes, and other resources such as GPS and satellite imagery
- collect, analyze, and synthesize data from geographic tools to compare regions in the Western Hemisphere
- examine geographic sources to formulate questions and investigate responses
- interpret, apply, and communicate geographic data to justify potential solutions to problems in the Western Hemisphere at the local, state, national, and global levels
'- classify and analyze the types of human and geographic connections between places
- identify physical features of the Western Hemisphere and explain their effects on people who reside in the region
- analyze positive and negative interactions of human and physical systems in the Western Hemisphere and give examples of how people have adapted to their physical environment
​
Topics:
​
â—¦ Investigate Aztecs, Maya, Inuit, Native American Cultures, early explorers, and the Colombian Exchange
â—¦ Use and interpret historical sources to ask and research questions
â—¦ Research information regarding historical eras, individuals, groups, and ideas with regards to these cultures
â—¦ Interactions between the people of these cultures
â—¦ Examine the geography of the Western â—¦ Hemisphere where these cultures existed
â—¦ Use maps, charts, and geo-spatial technologies (Google Earth, GPS, etc.)
â—¦ Interactions between humans and the physical world (landforms, resources, climate)
​
Standards
SS.6.2.1