Social Studies

Updated August 1, 2010

C u l t u r e a n d C u l t u r a l D i v e r s i t y / S i g n i f i c a n t I n d i v i d u a l s a n d
E v e n t s / S i x t h G r a d e
N M S t a n d a r d a n d B e n c h m a r k / C o m p l e x / S i m p l e
Standard 1/A –
Describe the relationships among ancient civilizations of the world(e.g. scientific discoveries, architecture, politics, cultures and religious systems) and their connection to the early development of New Mexico
1/C1-
Describe and compare the characteristics of the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia and China and explain the importance of their contributions to later civilizations, to include:
a-significance of river valleys
b-early irrigation and its impact on agriculture
c-forms of government (e.g., the theocracies in Egypt, dynasties in China)
d-effect on world economies and trade
e-key historical figures
f-religious traditions, cultural, and scientific contributions (e.g., writing systems, calendars, building of monuments such as the pyramids).
1/C2-
Describe and analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of early civilizations of India, to include:
a-location and description of the river systems and other topographical features that supported the rise of this civilization
b-significance of the Aryan invasions
c-structure and function of the caste system
d-important aesthetic and intellectual traditions (e.g., Sanskrit literature, medicine, metallurgy, mathematics including Hindu-Arabic numerals and the number zero).
1/C3-
Describe and analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the early civilizations in China, to include:
a-location and description of the origins of Chinese civilization in the Huang-He Valley, Shang dynasty
b-geographical features of China that made governance and movement of ideas and goods difficult and served to isolate the country
c-life of Confucius and the fundamental teachings of Confucianism and Taoism
d-rule by dynasties (e.g., Shang, Qin, Han, Tang, and Ming)
e- historical influence of China on other parts of the world (e.g., tea, paper, wood block printing, compass, gunpowder).
1/C5-
Compare and contrast the geographic, political, economic, and social characteristics of the Ancient Greek, Ancient Roman, Ottoman, Indian, Arabic, African, and Middle Eastern civilizations and their enduring impacts on later civilizations, to include:
a-influence of Mediterranean geography on the development and expansion of the civilizations
b-development of concepts of government and citizenship (e.g., democracy, republics, codification of laws, Code of Hammurabi)
c-scientific and cultural advancements (e.g., networks of roads, aqueducts, art, architecture, literature, theater, philosophy)
d-contributions and roles of key figures, (e.g., Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Augustus).
1/C6-
Compare and contrast the political and economic events and the social and geographic characteristics of Medieval European life and its enduring impacts later civilizations, to include:
a-creation and expansion of the Byzantine empire
b-reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire
c-new forms of government, feudalism, and the beginning of limited government with the Magna Carta
d-role of the Roman Catholic Church and its monasteries; causes, course, and effects of the Crusades
e-impact of the Black Plague
f-contributions and roles of key figures (e.g., Charlemagne, Joan of Arc, Marco Polo).
Standard 4/C2-
Analyze the impact of the Neolithic agricultural revolution on mankind and the impact of technological changes in the Bronze Age and the Iron Age.
1/B1-
Explain and describe the origins, obstacles, and impact of the Age of Exploration, to include:
a- improvements in technology (e.g., the clock, sextant, work of Prince Henry the Navigator)
b-voyages of Columbus to the New World and the later searches for the Northwest passage
c-introduction of disease and the resulting population decline, especially among indigenous peoples
d-exchanges of technology, ideas, agricultural products and practices. / T h e s t u d e n t w i l l b e a b l e t o :
• understand the influence of key people and events associated with ancient civilizations (e.g. Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, China, Greece, Rome, The Arabic Caliphate, and Europe during the Middle Ages, i.e., implications of Julius Caesar’s destruction of the Roman Republic)
• understand the impact of scientific and technological advances (e.g. bronze, Chinese inventions, clock, sextant, i.e. how the development of bronze weaponry helped Egypt become an empire)
• understand that history is based on artifacts discovered by archeologists (e.g. evidence of domestication at Catal Huyuk) / T h e s t u d e n t w i l l k n o w :
• Socrates, Julius Caesar, Henry
VIII, Columbus
• Building the Pyramids, The Fall of
Rome, The Black Death
• Scientific and technological advancement create change
• Ancient people left behind evidence of their civilizations
The student will recognize and recall the following Six Step vocabulary words:
• civilization
• technology
• artifact
• archeologists