6th Grade Social Studies Overview Theme: Civilizations NCSS Strands: Culture: The beliefs, values, and behaviors of a culture form an integrated system that helps shape the activities and ways of life that define a culture; Power, Authority, and Governance: The ways in which governments meet the needs and wants of citizens, manage conflict, and establish order and security. Science, Technology, and Society: Science and technology have changed peoples' perceptions of the social and natural world, as well as their relationship to the land, economy and trade, their concept of security, and their major daily activities. -Grade-wide activity: Ancient Greece Festival, TedTalks

6th Grade Social Studies Overview Theme: Ancient Civilizations

Social Studies Unit 1: Intro To Civilizations: Ancient Mesopotamia

(Timeframe: 6-8 weeks)

Social Studies Unit 2: Ancient China

(Timeframe: 6-8 weeks )

Social Studies Unit 3: Ancient Greece

(Timeframe: 8-10 weeks ) Essential Question What does it mean to be a civilization?

Essential Questions How do geographic factors affect and influence the rise of civilizations? How have ancient cultural, technological, and philosophical achievements influenced modern civilization?

Essential Questions What patterns emerge in the characteristics of civilizations? How did different forms of government emerge and how have they influenced modern government?

Content /Skills - Demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics of a civilization, such as a stable food supply, social structure, government, writing system, religion, advances in technology, cities, and culture -Use maps to describe the physical characteristics of ancient Mesopotamia -Explain how the physical characteristics of ancient Mesopotamia influenced human activities, such as agriculture, transportation, art and architecture and economic activity - Analyze how ancient law systems such as Hamurabbi’s code and the Bible influenced modern codes of laws -Analyze artifacts -Compare ancient civilizations to modern civilizations and analyze how civilizations change over time *See nonfiction reading units for specific skills

Content /Skills -Analyze the geography of ancient China and explain how it led to isolation and development of the civilization -Interpret/create maps - Explain how the physical characteristics of ancient China influenced human activities, such as agriculture, transportation, art and architecture and economic activity -Compare settlement patterns and ways of life in Inner China vs Outer China -Evaluate the impact of cultural beliefs and traditions on social structures and the daily lives of citizens -Explain the principles of Confucianism, Legalism, and Daoism, and analyze their influence on imperial Chinese governments -Compare and contrast elements of ancient Chinese philosophies with Judaic philosophy *See argument and research reading/writing units for specific skills

Content /Skills -Describe the geography of ancient Greece and examine its impact on settlement patterns -Explain how the distribution of resources and the resulting need for trading and colonization affected the growth and development of ancient Greece -Compare and contrast various forms of government such as monarchies, oligarchies, tyrannies, direct democracies, and representative democracies -Compare eastern (Ancient Chinese) beliefs about family and community to western (Ancient Greek) beliefs and describe how those beliefs impact family and community interactions -Compare the social structure of Athens vs Sparta in Ancient Greece and explain the different roles of women, men, children, and slaves -Compare power and authority of rulers in Ancient Egypt and China vs the protection of citizens in Greek city-states -Compare modern civic participation in the US

with civic participation in early forms of democracy, such as direct democracy in Ancient Greece -Describe elements of culture such as art, music, religion, social structure, education, values, beliefs and customs, from ancient Greece -Describe the major cultural achievements of the Greek civilization, such as art, science, political systems, and philosophy across time -Interpret maps *See informational and research reading/writing units for specific skills

Assessment -Artifact Project -Informative paragraphs -Simulations -Quizzes -Research reports and historical investigations -Creative writing assignments- letters, journals, diary entries, short stories, poetry, etc -Multimedia projects

Assessment -Multi-paragraph argument comparing and contrasting elements of Chinese philosophies with Judaic theology -Quizzes -Debates and simulations -Informative paragraphs - Research reports and historical investigations - Creative writing assignments- letters, journals, diary entries, short stories, poetry, etc -Multimedia projects

Assessment -Ancient Greece Museum display and presentation -Plays and skits -Debates and simulations -Quizzes -Research reports and historical investigations -Creative writing assignments- letters, journals, diary entries, short stories, poetry, etc -Multimedia projects

6th Grade-Specific Writing Standards

• Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. o Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and evidence clearly. o Support claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant evidence, using credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the

topic or text. o Use words, phrases, and clauses to clarify the relationships among claim(s) and reasons. o Establish and maintain a formal style. o Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the argument presented.

• Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

o Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

o Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples. o Use appropriate transitions to clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts. o Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. o Establish and maintain a formal style. o Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the information or explanation presented.

• Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

o Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.

o Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters. o Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts from one time frame or setting to

another. o Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to convey experiences and events. o Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.

Production and Distribution of Writing

• Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience • With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing,

rewriting, or trying a new approach.

• Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of three pages in a single sitting.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

• Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate. • Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources; assess the credibility of each source; and quote or paraphrase the

data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and providing basic bibliographic information for sources. • Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

o Apply grade 6 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres [e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories] in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics”).

o Apply grade 6 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not”).

Range of Writing

• Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

6th Grade Writing Overview (Yearlong Units)

Writing Unit 1: Response to Reading

(Timeframe: yearlong)

Writing Unit 2: Writing for Research

(Timeframe: yearlong) Essential Question How do readers effectively communicate their ideas about a book through writing?

Essential Question How do researchers use writing to record and process information effectively?

Content/Skills -Take notes about inferences, connections, questions, and predictions while reading Paragraph Writing -Draft paragraphs that apply a logical organizational pattern of reasons supported by facts and details -Establish the focus of each paragraph with a topic sentence, stay on topic within a paragraph, elaborate with details and examples, and end with a main idea -Develop ideas with relevant facts, details, quotations, from texts -Use appropriate transitions to clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts -Develop increasingly complex ideas through writing -Use precise language to inform about or explain the topic -Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style -Maintain consistency in style and tone -Use 6th-grade appropriate mechanics and grammar

Content/Skills -Evaluate sources by applying a set of criteria (e g , accuracy, timeliness, reliability) -Locate and evaluate resources -Develop search terms vocabulary and searching strategies. -Take purposeful notes by direct quoting, paraphrasing, or drawing conclusions. -Evaluate and analyze the quality, accuracy, and sufficiency of notes. -Annotate notes by citing the source of all direct quotations -Develop a bibliography using acceptable form -Paraphrase information -Synthesize information from a variety of sources -Apply criteria for determining credibility of sources -Arrange information in an orderly manner (e g , outlining, sequencing) -Design and prepare a project using multiple sources -Analyze information from primary print and non-print -Use information from footnotes, illustrations, diagrams, charts, and graphs -Evaluate and select primary and secondary sources -Choose a variety of resources (e g , newspaper, magazine, reference books, electronic information) to gain new information -Organize and integrate information from a variety of sources (e g , books, interviews, library reference materials, web sites, CD/ROMS) -Navigate online sources -Utilize Noodletools for collection of notes -Cite the source of all paraphrased/summarized information

Assessment -Letters, journals, and diary entries -Literary essays -One-to-one conferences with teacher

Assessment -Notes -One-to-one conferences with teacher -Informative paragraphs

6th Grade Writing Overview Writing Unit 3:

Argument (Timeframe: 6-8 weeks)

Writing Unit 4: Informational: TedTalk (Timeframe: 6-8 weeks)

Writing Unit 5: Narrative: Short Story

(Timeframe: 6-8 weeks ) Essential Question How do writers convince others of their perspective/ point of view?

Essential Question How do writers create nonfiction texts that both inform and captivate readers?

Essential Question How do writers express a theme in a short story?

Content/Skills Paragraph Writing -Establish the focus of each paragraph with a topic sentence, stay on topic within a paragraph, elaborate with details and examples, and end with a main idea -Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and evidence clearly -Support claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant evidence, using credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text -Use words, phrases, and clauses to clarify the relationships among claim(s) and reasons -Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the argument presented -Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style -Begin to establish and maintain a consistent, formal style and tone Revision/Editing - Use writing process to brainstorm, draft, revise and edit -Conference effectively with adults and peers by listening actively and using suggestions to improve and strengthen writing -Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed -Use 6th-grade appropriate mechanics and grammar *See nonfiction reading unit for specific skills

Content/Skills -Use the nonfiction Inquiry process to research and create nonfiction articles using various techniques to inform and entertain the reader -Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e g , headings), graphics (e g , charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension Paragraph Writing -Establish the focus of each paragraph with a topic sentence, stay on topic within a paragraph, elaborate with details and examples, and end with a main idea or transition sentence -Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples -Use appropriate transitions to clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts -Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic -Establish and maintain a consistent, formal style and tone -Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style -Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the information or explanation presented Revision/Editing - Use writing process to brainstorm, draft, revise and edit

Content/Skills -Apply a theme from a novel to an original short story with a different setting, plot, and main character -Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically -Use symbols, repeated ideas, characterization and plot events to reveal a clear theme -Add sensory details to descriptive passages in the story -Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters -Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another -Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to convey experiences and events -Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style -Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events Revision/Editing - Use writing process to brainstorm, draft, revise and edit Revise to • ensure that the narrative demonstrates full

development, logical organization and effective use of language

• elaborate by adding description, details, thoughts and feelings, and clues to the theme where necessary.

• remove unnecessary detail and repetition. (cut to the bone)

-Conference effectively with adults and peers by listening

-Revise to • ensure that the writing addresses the audience

and purpose effectively • ensure a clear statement of the topic and clearly

conveyed and organized ideas and information • choose words and phrases for effect and to

convey ideas precisely • remove unnecessary detail and repetition

-Conference effectively with adults and peers by listening actively and using suggestions to improve and strengthen writing -Use 6th-grade appropriate mechanics and grammar

actively and using suggestions to improve and strengthen writing -Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed -Use 6th-grade appropriate mechanics and grammar

Assessments -Persuasive paragraphs -Debate Speeches -One-to-one conferences with teacher

Assessments -Notes -One-to-one conferences with teacher -Informative paragraphs -12-20 paragraph article presentation -Final TedTalk

Assessments -Short stories based on theme-Hero’s Journey, Dystopic Society, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs -One-to-one conferences with teacher -Creative writing exercises

6th Grade-Specific Reading Standards

Key Ideas and Details

• Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. • Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct

from personal opinions or judgments. • Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as

the plot moves toward a resolution. • Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. • Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from

personal opinions or judgments. • Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or

anecdotes).

Craft and Structure

• Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.

• Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.

• Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text. • Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings. • Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph, chapter, or section fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the

development of the ideas. • Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

• Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what they “see” and “hear” when reading the text to what they perceive when they listen or watch.

• Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.

• Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.

• Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.

• Compare and contrast one author’s presentation of events with that of another (e.g., a memoir written by and a biography on the same person).

6th Grade Reading Overview (Yearlong units)

Reading Unit 1: Comparative Genre study: Independent Reading

Reading Unit 2: Nonfiction

Essential Questions How does reading on a regular basis, in a variety of genres, help readers to appreciate literature and strengthen reading skills? How do readers look across texts to analyze characters, theme and structures of fiction?

Essential Question What tools do readers use to acquire and interpret information from nonfiction texts?

Content/Skills -Possible Readings: Independent, chosen by students -Form opinions and ideas about specific aspects of texts -Cite specific details from the texts to support ideas -Utilize comprehension and analytical skills taught in class -Determine and state evidence that confirms the important ideas and messages of a literary text. -Apply the basic elements of plot structure in a description of a story’s plot. -Apply the basic elements of plot structure and drama structure in a description of a drama’s plot. -Apply the elements of characterization in a description of character development. -Present ideas about reading to others: • Include specific details and facts that stay on topic and show

understanding of the text o Identify evidence to suggest logically what might be true about

characters, setting, plot, etc. o Use appropriate academic or domain-specific words when

discussing or writing about literature. o Distinguish between subjective and objective summaries. o Paraphrase significant events or details from a text. o State or compose a summary that includes events from the

beginning, middle, and end of a text. o Use a variety of transition words to convey sequence o Use precise words and descriptive details to convey events. o Give a conclusion that follows from events.

Possible Readings: Junior Scholastic, newspaper articles, websites, online databases and encyclopedia articles, research topic-specific books and articles

Content/Skills

-Apply appropriate pre-reading strategies to comprehend nonfiction texts such as questioning, skimming, and predicting -Self monitor understanding and adjust reading rate through skimming and scanning -Utilize guiding questions to locate information -Locate and evaluate resources with guidance and support from adults -Find data and/or information within a variety of sources including libraries, databases, websites, and first-hand research -Employ a variety of strategies to summarize information -Highlight important details, key words, or main ideas -Differentiate key details in an informational text from minor details -Synthesize main ideas to determine a central idea. -Determine and analyze the variety of ways that a person, event, or idea may be described or explained to a reader -Make inferences, conclusions, generalizations, predictions, and connections based on the evidence from the text -Interpret information from captions, illustrations, charts, diagrams, graphs, and other text features -Determine the general organizational pattern of a grade-appropriate informational text, e.g., transition words and phrases indicating chronological order, cause/effect, problem solution, etc. -Use evidence from informational texts to support analysis of text structure -Determine author’s point of view through attention to word choice, punctuation, and emphasis on ideas -Determine author’s purpose through attention to format, text features, and

• Communicate clearly by making eye-contact, using good posture, and including gestures to enhance presentation

-Adjust strategies as necessary for reading a self-selected and assigned range of grade-appropriate literary nonfiction texts representing diverse cultures, perspectives, ethnicities, and time periods while self-monitoring for comprehension -Comprehend fiction and nonfiction texts of steadily increasing complexity with scaffolding, as necessary -Set personal goals and conference regularly with adults to improve reading

key ideas. -Demonstrate knowledge of primary and secondary sources. -Present findings using pertinent details. -Explain the likenesses and differences between the main ideas or information from one author versus another.

Assessment -2-3 page reading responses -Book reviews and letters about literature -Book talk presentations -Book talk projects

-One-on-one conferring Assessment

-Written responses to reading -Annotated texts -Class discussions -Nonfiction articles

6th Grade Reading Overview cont’d Reading Unit 3:

Lit Element Study: Characterization (Timeframe: 6-8 weeks )

Reading Unit 4: Lit Element Study: Theme

Dystopian Novels (Timeframe: 6-8 weeks )

Reading Unit 5: Hero’s Journey

(Timeframe: 6-8 weeks)

Essential Questions How does the plot of a novel or story often force the protagonist to change? How do readers develop theories about characters across texts? What can fiction teach us about how to become self-actualized?

Essential Questions How does dystopian literature help readers to understand the world?

Essential Question How do archetypes provide a lens for readers to analyze literature?

Content/Skills Text Selections: Freak the Mighty, Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, Hatchet, Ella Enchanted, Tangerine, Kira Kira, Ida B, The Cat Ate My Gymsuit, The Devil’s Arithmetic, Esperanza Rising, The Wish List, Nothing to Fear, Al Capone Does My Shirts, InterWorld, House of the Scorpion, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie -Recognize and discuss aspects of narrative structure -Compare and contrast protagonists across texts -Develop theories about main and secondary characters within a text -Use Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to analyze character development -Recognize the writer’s use of language to convey irony, sensory images, feelings or mood -Consistently make predictions before, during and after reading using evidence from the text to support thinking -Analyze plot arch and connect it to character development -Use flexible definitions of complex words in order

Content/Skills Text Selections: The Hunger Games, The Giver, The Graveyard Book, Ender’s Game, The Uglies, InterWold, City of Light City of Dark, The Last Book in the Universe, The Forgotten Door -Analyze plot arch, character change, and symbols, repeated words to synthesize a theme -Use knowledge of narrative techniques as a means to comprehend events in literary texts -Use evidence from literary texts to support analysis of text structure -Examine the author’s word choice as an indicator of tone -Participate in sustained literature circle discussions: • Develop meaningful discussion questions • Use self-monitoring strategies to stay on

task and on topic, and to practice active listening during sustained discussions

• Compare perspectives with other readers

Content/Skills Text Selections: Powerless, Hunger Games, Last Dragonslayer, Lightening Thief, Fahrenheit 451, The Alchemist, Phantom Tollbooth, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Gregor the Overlander -Analyze texts with the lens of the Hero’s Journey -Identify the stages of the Hero’s Journey throughout the text -Use knowledge of narrative techniques as a means to comprehend events in literary texts -Use evidence from literary texts to support analysis of text structure -Participate in sustained literature circle discussions: • Develop meaningful discussion questions • Use self-monitoring strategies to stay on task

and on topic, and to practice active listening during sustained discussions

• Compare perspectives with other readers and build on the ideas of others; reflect on the information shared and use it to confirm and/or change previously formed opinions

to derive new meanings for them or understand figurative or connotative use -Participate in sustained literature circle discussions: • Develop meaningful discussion questions • Use self-monitoring strategies to stay on task

and on topic, and to practice active listening during sustained discussions

• Compare perspectives with other readers and build on the ideas of others; reflect on the information shared and use it to confirm and/or change previously formed opinions about the topic

-Use vocabulary knowledge when considering words and phrases important to comprehension

and build on the ideas of others; reflect on the information shared and use it to confirm and/or change previously formed opinions about the topic

-Find specific examples from a text to support ideas about theme -Recognize, understand and discuss symbolism -Use grade-appropriate strategies to understand and interpret the meanings of words and phrases

about the topic

-Demonstrate the behaviors of a strategic reader to a given literary text (set purpose for reading, previewing etc.) -Compare texts addressing comparable topics, ideas, or themes but written in different genres. -Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text -Use evidence from literary texts to support analysis -Present findings using pertinent details -Use grade appropriate strategies to understand and interpret the meanings of words and phrases

Assessment -Character change essay -Multimedia project -Literature circle discussions -One-on-one conferring -Plot arch diagram -Quizzes

Assessment -Literary Essay -Theme graphic organizers -Creative writing responses -Literature circle discussions -One-on-one conferring -Short Reading responses -Quizzes

Assessment -Reading responses -Literary analysis of text -Literature discussions -One-on-one conferring