Unit Overview of Ohio Social Studies Strands For Sixth Grade

StudentsDr. Ron Helms

Ed 617

Ron Freeman

Contents

• Introduction

• Web sites

• The strands

• Performance objectives

• Conclusion

Introduction

Sixth grade students will be introduced to the people and the

history of the world in a way that will require them to analyze situations and

state their opinions, as opposed to restating facts. The Social Studies Strands are geared to guiding the

student to success in completing the performance objectives for the sixth

grade level.

Web Sites

– Ancient Civilizations http://www.bonus.com/applets/workshop/ANCIENT.HTM-Ancient Civilizations

– Women’s Suffrage www.city-net.com/imann/women/history/timeline.html-Womens Suffrage

Web Sites (Cont.)

– History/Social Studies http://www.iac.net/-pfilo/hyper.htm

– Time Magazine http://www.timeinc.com– United Nations

http://www.pbs.org/tal/un/classroom.html-United Nations-

Strand #1: American Heritage• Activities for this strand will involve:

– The identification of significant individuals from around the world,

– Grouping individuals by historically defined eras, &.

– Analyzing cause and effect relationships.

• Additional activities will include:– Following the chronological timeline of a well

known individual.– Understanding timelines.– Describing the “times” in which various people

have lived.

Strand #2: People in Societies• Activities involve:

– Comparing the roles of women in different societies around the world.

– Comparing the different religions of the world.

• Another activity for strand #2 will involve:– The examination of how different societies are

organized socially, politically & economically.

Strand #3: World Interactions• There are numerous activities for this

strand.– The students will develop and use map skills to

locate various regions of the world.– They will use grid systems and compass

directions to locate places.

• Additional activities include:– Using latitude and longitude to locate places on

a map.– Interpreting and analyzing maps, charts and

graphs.– Using geographic terms to describe regions.

• Strand #3 activities will also find students:– Examining the various historical contacts of

people from different regions.– Examining the spread of major ideas,

inventions, and religious ideas.

Strand #4: Decision Making & Resources

• Building on the mastery of the previous strands, students will:– Use maps to show how resources are unevenly

distributed around the world.– Explore how various nations use their

resources, and how they determine what & how to produce, & for whom to produce.

• Challenging activities for this strand will see the students:– Discussing issues of resource distribution to

international trade.– Explaining the trade concept of

interdependence between two nations.

Strand #5: Democratic Process

• Activities include:– Understanding and explaining the

characteristics of a monarchy, a dictatorship, and a democracy.

– Explaining the advantages and disadvantages of each of these types of governments.

• An important activity for strand #5 will be:– Students will analyze how the policies and

actions of various governments can either promote the public good or cause serious damage to the nation.

Strand #6: Citizenship Rights & Responsibilities.

• Students will be using newspapers, and the internet to:– Give examples of how citizens from various

countries participate in their government.– Interpret & analyze information about civic

issues.

• Students will also engage in :– Evaluating the reliability of information.– Predicting outcomes of situations.– Drawing conclusions based on available data.

• Other activities for strand #6 will be:– Identifying fair & equitable ways to solve

conflicts.– Creating and analyzing ways to solve certain

civic goals.– Working with others to achieve the best social

order within the classroom.

Strand #7: Science, Technology, & Society

• Activities for this unit will involve:– Finding major scientific & technological

advances from various cultures throughout world history.

– Analyzing how technology affects the world economy.

• A challenging activity for the students will be to:– Discuss the philosophical conflicts that have

developed in various societies because of the opposite views of those who believe in scientific findings and those who hold to religious beliefs.

Sixth Grade Performance Objectives:

• The learner will be able to identify a significant individual from a different region of the world and discuss cause & effect relationships surrounding a major event in the individual’s life.

• After selecting two societies, the learner will compare the roles of women, religious ideas, & class structures in those societies.

• Given a world map, the learner will identify physical and cultural regions & show relationships among regions

• Given information about global resource distribution, the learner will use the information to make generalizations about why nations engage in international trade.

• Given characteristics of government, the learner will classify the characteristics as typical of a monarchal, democratic, or dictatorial type of government.

• The learner will identify & analyze alternatives through which civic goals can be achieved by working with others to choose the best alternative.

Conclusion

• Using the strands as a guideline for choosing appropriate texts and activities for the classroom can be beneficial for the students. Student performance at all levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy can be assessed and the sixth grade performance objectives can be mastered if the effort is made to use the strands as a teaching guideline.