Grade 6 – Ancient Civilizations Scope and Sequence of Lesson Topics
Unit 1: Early Humans
Chapter 4. The Rise of the Sumerian City-States
In a Response Group activity, students learn about and respond to key problems faced by ancient Mesopotamians to understand how Neolithic farming villages evolved into complex Sumerian city-states.
Chapter 5. Was Ancient Sumer a Civilization?
In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students analyze artifacts from ancient Sumer to determine if ancient Sumer was a civilization.
Chapter 6. Exploring Four Empires of Mesopotamia
Students learn about four empires that ruled Mesopotamia from approximately 2300 to 539 B.C.E. In a Problem Solving Groupwork activity, they create "mechanical dioramas" that illustrate the major achievements of Akkadia, Babylon, Assyria, and Neo-Babylonian Empires.
Unit 2: Ancient Egypt and the Near East
Chapter 7. Geography and the Early Settlement of Egypt, Kush, and Canaan
In this Experiential Exercise, students use their bodies to re-create the physical geography of ancient Egypt, Kush, and Canaan to understand how environmental factors in each region affected human settlement.
Chapter 8. The Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs
In a Writing for Understanding activity, students board a felucca--an Egyptian sailing boat--and "tour" selected sites along the Nile River. They view slides of monuments at these sites, read about the pharaohs who constructed them, and disembark to "visit" the monuments and learn even more. Finally, students write letters describing what they learned on their tour.
Chapter 9. Daily Life in Ancient Egypt
Students learn what life was like for five social classes in ancient Egypt. In a Problem Solving Groupwork activity, they read about the ancient Egyptian social pyramid. They then work in groups to create interactive dramatizations that bring to life typical scenes from daily life in ancient Egypt. Finally, students compare social classes in ancient Egypt to groups in contemporary society.
Unit 3: Ancient India
Chapter 13. Geography and the Early Settlement of India
In this Response Group activity, students learn how the geography of the Indian subcontinent influenced the placement of early settlements in India.
Chapter 14. Unlocking the Secrets of Mohenjodaro
Students assume the role of archeologists to explore the site of Mohenjodaro, an ancient city in the Indus-Sarasvati region. In an Experiential Exercise, students "excavate" the site by visiting eight research stations.
Unit 4: Ancient China
Chapter 19. Geography and the Early Settlement of China
In a Problem Solving Groupwork activity, students read about and create a relief map of China's five important geographic regions.
Chapter 20. The Shang Dynasty
In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students "excavate" a Shang tomb to learn about the government, social structure, religion, writing, art, and technology of this civilization.
Chapter 21. Three Chinese Philosophies
Students participate in an Experiential Exercise in which they learn about Confucianism, Daoism (Taoism), and Legalism and how these philosophies influenced the history of China.
Unit 5: Ancient Greece
Chapter 25. Geography and the Early Settlement of Greece
In this Experiential Exercise, students first choose settlement sites in a simulated landscape of ancient Greece to understand the influence of geography on settlement and culture.
Chapter 26. The Rise of Democracy
In this Experiential Exercise, students use the principles of four forms of government--monarchy, oligarchy, tyranny, and democracy--to select a song to play for the class.
Chapter 27. Life in Two City-States: Athens and Sparta
Students work in groups of four in a Problem Solving Groupwork activity to create a metope--the decorated square on the frieze of a Greek temple--that illustrates one aspect of life in either Athens or Sparta.
Unit 6: Ancient Rome
Chapter 32. Geography and the Early Development of Rome
In a Visual Discovery activity, students examine an artistic rendition of Roman life and identify Etruscan and Greek influences depicted in the image. Finally, students dramatize the influences they discovered in the images.
Chapter 33. The Rise of the Roman Republic
In an Experiential Exercise, students assume the roles of plebeians and patricians and negotiate how to work together to complete a mosaic project.
34. From Republic to Empire
In a Problem Solving Groupwork activity, students create columns to commemorate four key periods of growth of the Roman Empire. They then examine each other's columns, read about the related periods of growth, and write political commentary about the expansion during each period.
35. Daily Life in the Roman Empire
In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students read about eight aspects of ancient Roman life--such as food and drink and education--and explore how a teenager might have experienced them.
36. The Origins and Spread of Christianity
In a Visual Discovery activity, students match Biblical passages with artwork depicting one of five key events in the development of Christianity, such as the birth of Jesus. They then read about the event, draw connections between key phrases in the passage and details in the artwork, and record notes.
37. The Legacy of Rome in the Modern World
Students participate in a Response Group activity, in which they read and play a game to discover more about an aspect