Cultural Relationships
The lessons in this unit were organized to help students place the Middle East region into their knowledge of the world. Students should have learned about regions of the US in the fifth grade, so transfer may be made by having students find those regions on a map of the US, then telling them that the world is also divided into regions.
The Middle East/North Africa region, as all other world regions, is defined by certain cultural characteristics. In this unit, students will learn what those characteristics are and then, which are more powerful in defining this part of the world as a region. The teacher will want to be very sure that all students understand the concept of cultural characteristics as the rest of the year will build upon that knowledge.
Cultural Borrowing
The Cultural Borrowing unit is a logical one to follow the first unit, the Middle East. The purpose of the first unit was to have students understand that regional identity is usually connected to one or more common cultural traits. Once students understand this, they are ready to look at how cultures have borrowed from each other. Borrowing allows cultures to advance beyond their predecessors. A noted exception is the Early Middle Ages following the fall of Rome. This period serves as a useful example of what happens when borrowing does not take place. The great technological advances of Rome were lost when barbaric tribes conquered the Western Empire. Thus, people of the Early Middle Ages in Europe had to reinvent rather than build upon accomplishments of Rome.
The highlighted civilizations in this unit are Greece and Rome, followed by the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The Renaissance is a classic example of an era borrowing from and improving upon previous civilizations, Greece and Rome. Time does not permit an in-depth study of any one of these eras, but days have been built into the calendar to allow teachers to use some of their favorite activities. A study of current events of the region can be used to keep the information fresh.
Cultures in Transition
The Cultures in Transitionunitlooks at two cultural regions, Africa and Latin America, where economies are in the process of developing. These regions have also been characterized by political instability. Both the political instability and slower economic development can be attributed, in large part, to European imperialism and colonialism. In the 20th century, a growing nationalism across these two continents resulted in the removal of imperialistic powers. However, these developing nations are confronted with a variety of problems since their removal, including environmental and human rights issues.
Human Rights
The Human Rights unit is designed to help students understand that a repressive government is often accompanied by an economic system that limits consumer input and privileges. The focal point is the Soviet Union and its command economy. Comparisons with the U.S. free enterprise system are inevitable and necessary for student understanding of such a complicated system. Teachers may wish to add examples of the differences in the systems in focuses and syntheses whenever needed.
Most of the activities in this unit are from History Alive! and will be very experiential in nature. The debriefing questions at the end are critical to be sure that students understand what has happened in the classroom. Activities have been sequenced to insure that students have the knowledge necessary to do the final assessment. For instance, the videos that provide an overview of 20th century Russia are separated to the respective activities on Tsarist Russia, Soviet Russia, and Modern Russia. Additional videos and/or teacher-made activities could be used on the Connection Day.
The enduring understandings provide the cohesion to all activities and assessments. The teacher may wish to refer to these frequently during the unit. Some teachers may wish to use “power” and “abuse of power” as they affect human rights as a unit focus. Students could discuss why the founders of our country were very careful to write a constitution that is the law of the land and to divide power among three branches of government to keep one person or group from gaining too much power. Current events could also be helpful in student understanding of how too much power can be a dangerous thing.
Global Interaction
The Global Interactions unit concludes the 6th grade study of modern cultures. This would be a logical time to go back over what they have studied and tie up any loose ends. Students should be reminded that they have studied cultures in a variety of regions around the globe. The cultures are identified by one or more cultural traits that are shared by the people of that region. The teacher may wish to remind students that cultural traits can bind people together or be a source of contention, e.g., religious or political differences. The Enduring Understandings from all units may help students remember their previous studies.
Cultural borrowing has blurred the differences between cultures as many have adopted ideas from other groups. Modern communication technologies have transmitted cultural traits around the world. McDonald’s, American clothes and music, etc. are all over the world. Cultural diffusion has made it a “small world after all. The regions for study in this unit include Europe and the Pacific Rim.
Updated 06/26/02