Grade 6 Social Studies Curriculum
Written by Joanne Harriman Thursday, 10 February 2011 18:38
Bold-faced standards are the MDIRSS essential standards and the standards in regular font are supporting standards. Click on the green bold-faced MDIRSS essential standards to see the unpacked version, list of resources, and corresponding performance rubric for that standard.
Grade 6 Social Study Context: Western Hemisphere (Maine & Latin America)
Process Skills
A1. Students research, select, and present a position on a current social studies issue by proposing and revising research questions, and locating and selecting information from multiple and varied sources. A2. Students make individual and collaborative decisions on matters related to social studies using relevant information and research and discussion skills.
A3. Students select, plan, and implement a civic action or service-learning project based on a school, community, or State asset or need, and analyze the project’s effectiveness and civic contribution.
Civics and Government
B1a. Explain that the study of government includes the structure, functions / roles, political and civic activity of citizens.B1c. Describe and chart the structure and functions of the three branches of Maine's government.
B1c. Describe the roles of the leaders of the branches of Maine State government.
B1c. Examine the Maine State Constitution.
B1c. Explain the purpose and structure of the Maine State Constitution.
B1d. Explain the concept of checks and balances and how it functions in Maine State Government.
B1e. List the steps of how a bill becomes a law in Maine State Government.
B2b. Locate the Bill of Rights of Maine State Constitution.
B2b. Describe the overall purpose of the Maine State Bill of RIghts and U.S. Bill of Rights.
B2b. Examine the Maine State Bill of Rights.
B2b. Compare and contrast the Maine and U.S. BIll of Rights.
B2c. Identify examples of individual rights in current events.
B2d. List ways that people can impact government and work for the common good.
B3a. Explain the meaning and concept of unity and diversity as pertains to Maine’s quest for statehood.
B3b. Describe the political structure and civic responsibility of Maine Native American groups.
Economics
C1a. Describe the economy of Maine & Mexico (Latin Amer. countries) using the following terms: Scarcity, market economy, entrepreneurship, supply and demand, and personal finance.
C1a. Research a product or service and predict how these economic concepts relate, or could possibly relate to their product / service.
C1b. Describe the economic process of government taxing.
C1c. Identify factors that have impacted individual financial choices throughout Maine’s history.
C1c. Create a personal budget based on work, wages and income scenario.
C2a. Describe how Maine / Latin America / Native Americans have developed regional economies that result in unity, but also works with others interdependently to receive goods and services.
Students will be able to explain:
Unity - Maine has distinct regions based on the products/services that are produced. For example, coastal fishing regions, agricultural regions, logging regions, etc.
Interdependence - Maine does not have all of the resources it wants/needs, thus being dependent on other regions/countries for those goods/service.
C2a. Research a Maine product or service to demonstrate its place in the unity and diversity of Maine’s economy. For example, the Maine lobster industry has a distinct region and fosters unity within that, but it also is sold out of state, fostering economic interdependence.
C2b. Describe the economies of diverse groups within Maine, including the Wabanaki and European settlers.
C2b. Students will describe the characteristics of certain economies of Latin American countries, focusing on the cause and effect of one-resource economies, and of commonly used trade barriers.
Geography
D1a. Understand that geography helps us understand the relationship between humans and their environment.
D1b. Use the geographic grid and a variety of types of maps to gather geographic information.
D1c. Create maps that demonstrate spatial awareness of major regions of the Earth (for example, mental maps created free hand or digitally drawn)
D1c. Conceptualize mental maps when thinking about major regions of the Earth.
D2a. Understand that geography played a role in where people settled in where people settled in Maine.
D2a. Identify examples of geographic features that have created unity within different regions within Maine, to include Wabanaki groups, European settlers, and/or Mainers later in history. (i.e. fishing communities of Coastal Maine, the mill towns of Central Maine, etc.)
D2b. Understand the relationship that different Wabanaki tribes had with the land, including how they impacted the land and how the land impacted them.
D2b. Explain land use of different Wabanaki tribes.
D2b. Understand that groups of people were drawn to these geographic regions for employment and therefore, cultures developed within these regions. For ex. mill towns developed near the major rivers, fishermen were drawn to the coast, etc. (This also rounds out D2a)
D2b. Identify examples of groups of people that were drawn to different geographical regions for employment and the cultures that developed within these regions.
History
E1a. Explain that history includes the study of past human experience based on available evidence from a variety of sources.
E1c. Identify and trace the history of democratic ideals and constitutional principles in the history of the United States (specifically, in Maine).
E1c. Explain the importance of democratic ideals and constitutional principles in the history of the United States (specifically, in Maine).
E1d. Identify differences among interpretations of historical events that are based on different perspectives and evidence.
E2b. Identify and compare cultures of Maine Colonists and Natives through time.