5th & 6th Grade Social Studies

We will be following the NYS K-12 Social Studies Framework. 

The 5th-grade curriculum focuses on the Western Hemisphere, covering the geography, history, and culture of regions including the US, Canada, Mexico, and selected countries in Central and South America. 

The 6th-grade curriculum focuses on the Eastern Hemisphere, covering the geography, history, and culture of regions including the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe from prehistory up to the year 1300. 

Here is a simple overview of the big topics and content we will be covering this year. 

Please come back often and review the "Week in Review" page. I will update that weekly with the specific topics we covered so you can stay in the loop about everything we are learning in class this year, 

6th-Grade

Unit 1: Historian Training &  Geography of the Eastern Hemisphere
September to Mid-October

Topics:

• Analyzing Primary Sources

• Evaluating Point of View/Perspective

• Investigate/Analyze Historical Evidence

• Map Skills

• Globe Skills

• Geography Themes  (Location, Place, Human-Environment Interaction, Movement, Region)

• Continents, Oceans, Countries
  
  

Unit 2: First Humans and the Neolithic Revolution
Mid-October to November

Topics:

• Time/Timelines (B.C,E/C.E)

• Human Evolution

• Ice Age

• Paleolithic Age

• Neolithic Revolution

  • Nomadic Hunter-Gatherers to Sedentary Settlements

  • Domestication of Animals

  • Agricultural Technology Development

Unit 3: Origins of Civilization, Early River Valley Civilizations in the Eastern Hemisphere
November & December

Topics:

• Characteristics of Civilization

• Fertile Crescent

• Early River Valley Civilizations

  • Mesopotamia - Tigris and Euphrates

  • Nile River - Egypt

  • Indus River - India

  • Yellow River - China

Unit 4: Comparative World Religions
January

Topics:

• Polytheism to Monotheism

• Belief Systems

  • Judaism

  • Christianity

  • Islam

  • Buddhism

  • Hinduism

  • Confucianism

Unit 5: Classical Civilizations in the Eastern Hemisphere
February to April

Topics:

• Geography's Influence on Development of Civilizations

• Classical Civilizations

  • Ancient Greece

  • Ancient Rome

  • Ancient Persia

  • Ancient China

Unit 6: The Mediterranean World: Feudal Western Europe, The Byzantine Empire, and the Islamic Caliphates
April

Topics:

• Fall of Rome

• Feudalism

• Dark Ages (Middle Ages)

• Byzantine Empire

• Spread of Islam

• Crusades

Unit 7: Interactions across the Eastern Hemisphere
May & June

Topics:

• Trade Routes

• Silk Road

• Interregional Travelers and Spreading of Ideas/Resources

  • Marco Polo

  • Ibn Battuta

  • Mansa Musa

  • Zheng He

• The Mongols

• Technological Advances

5th-Grade

Unit 1:  Geography of the Western Hemisphere
September to Mid-October

Topics:

• Map Skills

• Globe Skills

• Geography Themes  (Location, Place, Human-Environment Interaction, Movement, Region)

• Landforms

• Continents, Oceans, Countries
  
  

Unit 2: Early People of the Americas
Mid-October to mid-November

Topics:

• Ice Age

• Migration

• Native Americans

• Development of Complex Civilizations

Unit 3: European Exploration
mid-November & December

Topics:

• European Exploration

• Columbus and the discovery of the 'New World'

• Columbian Exchange

• Colonization

• African Slave Trade

Unit 4: The United States
January

Topics:

• Geography of the US

• History of the US 

• Government of the US

• Culture/Lifestyle in the US

Unit 5: Canada
January

Topics:

• Geography of Canada

• History of Canada

• Government of Canada

• Culture/Lifestyle in Canada

Unit 6: Mexico
February

Topics:

• Geography of Mexico

• History of Mexico

• Government of Mexico

• Culture/Lifestyle in Mexico

Unit 7: Central America
March & April

Topics:

• Geography

• History

• Culture/Lifestyle

• Case Study: Selected countries

Unit 8: South America
May & June

Topics:

• Geography

• History

• Culture/Lifestyle

• Case Study: Selected countries