Social Studies - 6th Grade (2024)
Lesson Plans

Strand 1: World Civilizations

Students will compare how the aspects of geography, culture, religion, government, technology, and systems in ancient civilizations met human needs and wants, as well as allowed and encouraged the growth and development of civilizations as humans migrated across the earth. They will compare early governments to the foundations of modern governments.

Compelling Questions:

• What characteristics or qualities must a group of people have to be considered a civilization?
• What role does religion play in the cultural expression of a civilization?
• How do cultures of different ancient civilizations compare? What influenced these similarities and differences?
• How do interactions between diverse groups of people influence the rise or fall of societies?
• How does appreciating and allowing for differences, while seeking out commonalities, contribute to the strength, resiliency, and sustainability of civilizations?

Standard 6.1.4

Identify some of the economic systems and technologies (for example, irrigation, writing systems, farming techniques, trading and bartering, coins and currency) created by three civilizations found in different regions of the world, and categorize how they met specific human needs or wants.

• Barter School House Rock
  I use this resources as a basic introduction to the concepts of trade a bartering. It does a fantastic job of giving a basic history from trading individual items to shells and coins and paper money until today when kids still might trade or barter.
• Building the Pyramids of Ancient Egypt
  This resource is a multimedia approach to the significance of the pyramids to Ancient Egypt. It includes videos, text, learning objectives, and opportunities for students to type answers to specific questions (requires a log in to save but you can continue as a guest).
• Egyptian Pyramids
  In this BYU arts integraion lesson plan, students will identify several Egyptian pyramid structures and explain how they evolved over time.
  They will represent various shapes and facts about the pyramids through dance.
• How did Nature Impact the Development of Ancient Societies? Comparing Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia
  This is an extensive lesson plan that allows students to compare Ancient Egypt and Ancient Mesopotamia in terms of geography, religion, and government. Inquiry based.

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http://www.uen.org - in partnership with Utah State Board of Education (USBE) and Utah System of Higher Education (USHE).  Send questions or comments to USBE Specialist - Robert  Austin and see the Social Studies website. For general questions about Utah's Core Standards contact the Director - Jennifer  Throndsen.

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