Grade 6 Social Studies Arkansas standards Standards

History

Geography

Economics

Civics

Grade 6 (World History Era 1: Beginnings of Civilizations through Era 5: 1500 C.E.)

Understand the impact of origins, structures, and functions of institutions and laws on society and citizens. This includes personal civic rights, roles, responsibilities, and processes by which laws are made and amended.

Research origins, purposes, and structures of government citing primary and secondary sources:<ul><li>Origins (e.g., Code of Hammurabi, Jewish Torah, Mandate of Heaven, Justinian Code, Twelve Tables, Magna Carta)</li><li>Purposes (e.g., belief systems, resource allocation)</li><li>Structures (e.g., patriarchal, matriarchal, tribal, city-state, national)</li></ul>

Compare the structure of leadership/government and functions of civilizations in different times and places (e.g., patriarchal, matriarchal, tribal, city-state, national).

Compare ways in which various civilizations foster social responsibility and civic virtues.

Demonstrate proper etiquette for interacting with the Arkansas and American flags while analyzing the role of flags and symbols in world history.

Compare rights, responsibilities, and privileges of individuals in various societies to 1500 C.E.

Evaluate the function and effects of rules, laws and treaties on civilizations by using historical documents. This may include the Code of Hammurabi, the Torah, the Twelve Tables, Law of Manu, Ancient Mayan law, Tang Code, and Justinian Code.

Analyze the impact of rules and laws on society and reasons people change rules and laws over time.

Explain the development of policies to address public problems in various civilizations over time.

Understand the impact of economic decision-making. This includes the exchange of goods and services; role of producers, consumers, and government in the marketplace; and growth, stability, and interdependence within a global economy.

Examine ways trade-offs have allowed civilizations to get the most out of scarce resources.

Analyze historical developments in various regions across the world using models of economic decision-making. Historical developments may include nomadic vs. agrarian, invasions, bartering, and trade.

Demonstrate how the division of labor and specialization led to the development of civilizations. This may include the increased productivity and quality of life civilizations experienced as they transitioned out of hunter-gatherer clusters and into agrarian, pastoral, and even feudal societies in which highly specialized skills could be developed, including artisans, cultivators, educators, and warriors.

Analyze ways human, natural, and capital resources were organized to produce and deliver goods and services in early civilizations (e.g., caravans, public works projects, Silk Road, trade routes).

Compare effects of supply and demand on early markets.

Evaluate the emergence of new economic systems and their impact on civilizations (e.g., manorialism, mercantilism).

Sequence the development of currency as a medium of exchange (i.e., barter > trade > progression of currency).

Evaluate the economic impact of war and conflict on societies and civilizations such as siege, reduction of labor, and spread of disease.

Identify barriers to trade and their impact on civilizations such as war/conflict, infrastructure, lack of technology, and geographic limitations.

Understand the purpose of geographic tools (e.g., maps, globes, charts, graphs) to understand, analyze, and explain human interaction with each other and with the environment. This includes the spatial characteristics and patterns of human settlement and connections between global regions.

Analyze the locations and environmental and cultural characteristics of various societies using maps, globes, and other geographic tools.

Compare ways spatial patterns of economic activities in a place change over time because of interactions with nearby and distant places.

Explain relationships between physical and human characteristics in various places using a variety of geographic tools such as maps, charts, and graphs.

Synthesize information from a variety of sources to construct maps and other geographic representations to ask and answer compelling questions.

Analyze effects of human-generated changes on the physical environment in various places and regions over time such as large building projects, canals, irrigation, farming, and deforestation.

Analyze ways cultural characteristics influenced population distribution in various civilizations. This may include Greek city-states, Phoenecian colonies and trade cities, and Chinese agrarian society.

Analyze ways climate and environmental characteristics influenced where groups lived and how the groups adjusted to the environment in various civilizations.

Analyze relationships between human settlements and movements and the location and use of natural resources in various regions.

Determine how environmental and cultural characteristics affected the distribution and movement of people, goods, and ideas in various regions of the world.

Evaluate the impact of major population shifts in various eras and regions.

Understand key historical periods from the beginning of civilization (World Era 1) through 1500 C.E. (World Era 5). This includes the patterns of social, economic, and political change over time and the ways people view, construct, and interpret the history of nations and cultures of the world.

Compare the characteristics of hunter-gatherer and agrarian societies. This may include tools, shelter, diet, use of fire, cave paintings, artifacts, clothing, rituals, daily life, gender roles.

Analyze the contributions of major empires and civilizations of the world. This may include the decimal, art, literature, architecture, law, fables, and proverbs (e.g., Aesop, Confucius, and Ancient Hebrews) of major world civilizations:<ul><li>African kingdoms and empires</li><li>Middle Eastern and Muslim Empires</li><li>European kingdoms and empires</li><li>East Asian empires and dynasties</li></ul>

Examine causes and effects of conflict within and among the major empires and civilizations. This may include the fall of the Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Mongol Empire, Songhai Empire, and Maya civilization.

Evaluate how the fall of the Roman Empire affected Europe:<ul><li>Loss of a centralized power (i.e. power vacuum)</li><li>Rise of power of the Roman Catholic Church</li><li>Norse invasions</li><li>Frankish Kingdoms (Charlemagne)</li></ul>

Examine key concepts and influences of major belief systems on societies:<ul><li>Buddhism</li><li>Christianity</li><li>Confucianism</li><li>Hinduism</li><li>Judaism</li><li>Islam</li></ul>

Analyze the global influence and impact of the achievements and perspectives of various individuals. This may include Gutenberg, Joan of Arc, Niccolo Machiavelli, Saladin, Sundiata Keita, Mansa Musa, and Genghis Khan.

Examine the effects invaders brought to various societies, including disease, famine, and cultural assimilation. Groups may include:<ul><li>Mongols</li><li>Vikings</li><li>Crusaders</li><li>Maya</li><li>Aztecs</li></ul>

Analyze effects of cultural interactions and connections on civilizations over time. This may include art, literature, religion, architecture, Zheng He's warships, printing press, Maya calendar, Great Zimbabwe, and technological innovations.

Evaluate the impact of disease and war on life within Europe including the Crusades, Feudalism, and Black Death.

Describe the impact of exploration on civilizations in the Americas:<ul><li>Aztec</li><li>Maya</li><li>Inca</li><li>Pre-Columbian societies in Arkansas such as Mississippians, Plum Bayou Culture, and prehistoric Caddo</li></ul>

Construct arguments about lasting achievements of early civilizations.

Evaluate the characteristics necessary for a civilization:<ul><li>Government/leadership structure</li><li>Culture (e.g., religion/beliefs, accepted practices/traditions)</li><li>Specialization of labor</li><li>Mastery of food supply</li><li>Technology</li><li>Economic systems</li><li>Education</li><li>Communication systems (e.g., spoken language, alphabetic and/or numeric systems, hieroglyphics, illustrations)</li></ul>

Compare characteristics, contributions, and achievements of early river valley civilizations:<ul><li>Mesopotamia</li><li>Egypt</li><li>Indus River Valley</li><li>China</li></ul>

Identify social and cultural effects of militarization and the emergence of new kingdoms on early civilizations (e.g., chariot transport, warfare, invaders).

Compare reasons for the rise and decline of major empires and civilizations:<ul><li>Egypt</li><li>Babylonia</li><li>Kingdom of Kush</li><li>Mali Empire</li><li>Greece</li><li>Gupta</li><li>China (Han)</li><li>Rome</li><li>Mayan Empire</li></ul>

Explain the significance and lasting effects of contributions made by major empires and civilizations of the world such as the concept of zero, crossbow, architecture, government, and calendar.

Examine causes and effects of conflict within and among the major empires (e.g., Persian War, Punic Wars, Greek city-states).

Examine key concepts and influences of major belief systems on societies:<ul><li>Buddhism</li><li>Christianity</li><li>Confucianism</li><li>Hinduism</li><li>Judaism</li></ul>