Welcome to 6th Grade Social Studies.
THIS CLASS IS FOCUSED ON THE ANCIENT WORLD, STRETCHING FROM PRE-HISTORY (BEFORE THE ADVENT OF WRITING) TO THE MIDDLE AGES AROUND 1200 C.E..
Objectives:
We focus on 3 common themes throughout the year:
- Power: This begins with early humans’ struggle for control their surrounding environment, all the way to the complexities and competitions for control in vast civilizations. Everything we humans do, we do for power.
- Change and Repetition: We have the unique vantage point of being able to learn from our ancestors’ successes and mistakes. We will look at how people can avoid the follies of earlier cultures.
- Cultural Interaction: History does not happen in a vacuum, and it should not be learned that way. The Ancient Greek, Egyptian, and Mesopotamian peoples all interacted, traded, and shared ideas. Some of the Western World’s best ideas came from as far away as Asia. This must be recognized.
What You Need to Succeed Everyday
Plan for the School Year
Aug 31st-Sept 21st
Everything you need to know about life before anyone bothered to write anything down. Yes, there will be Cavemen and Cavewomen.
Sept 24th-Oct 26th
The First Civilization. These people had to figure out everything. They were like the babies of modern humans, trying stuff and learning as they go. They probably cried.
Nov 5th -Dec 21st
Pyramids, Chariots and Ra, the Sun God. It’s all here. These people were a little better at civilization, but still newbies.
January 3rd- Feb 15th
These People are the Double Fudge Sundae of civilization. People, to this day, still think they did it perfectly. Spoiler Alert: They didn’t.
Feb 18th – Apr 19th
Gladiators? Check. Exciting story lines? Check. Backstabbing? Check. The largest empire that had yet existed? Check. Democracy? Ehhh….
Apr 29th- May 17th
What do you get when the biggest empire disappears basically overnight? You get chaos.
Learn about that chaos, knights, and castles here.
The Deadliest Conflict in History. Millions Dead. The Whole World is Reshaped.
Pick a person, event, or key concept to research….and GO!
Class Expectations
This course is writing-intensive (there will be LOTS of writing).
Students will learn to take information from multiple sources and create their own arguments based off of solid, factual information.
Everyone in the class will be expected to back up their statements with sound reasoning and proof, including myself.
You will not hear, “because I said so” from me. My expectations are high and are based off the belief that what we do and learn in 6th grade Social Studies will carry on with students for years.
Students must come ready to give their best effort. “The only failure is not trying.”
