North Dakota Standards 6th Grade Social Studies Activities

ND.1. Skills and Resources: Students apply Social Studies skills and resources.

6.1.1. Resources: Use a variety of primary and secondary resources (e.g., magazines, journals, artifacts, interviews) to gather and interpret information

6.1.2. Time Lines: Construct, compare, and interpret complex time lines (e.g., multiple time lines)

6.1.3. Geographic Tools: Use geographic tools (e.g., maps, globes, graphs, diagrams, almanacs, GIS) and concepts to locate and describe physical features of places

ND.2. Important Historical Events: Students understand important historical events.

6.2.1. World History: Prehistory to Renaissance: Investigate and explain scientific evidence and discoveries related to early hominid development (e.g., evidence about daily life, major anthropological discoveries and their locations, key people associated with major anthropological discoveries)

6.2.10. World History: Prehistory to Renaissance: Compare the emergence, central leaders, beliefs, and traditions of major religions and= philosophies (e.g., Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism and Taoism)

6.2.11. World History: Prehistory to Renaissance: Identify the accomplishments (e.g., political and economic reasons for growth; contributions to art, literature, and architecture; citizenship, laws, and government; aqueducts) of Roman civilization, and the factors that led to its decline (e.g., Vandals and religious controversy, economic and military policies, lead)

6.2.12 World History: Prehistory to Renaissance: Describe the social, political, and economic characteristics of life in the Middle Ages (e.g., daily lives of peasants and serfs; the impact of the plague on Central Asia, China, the Middle East, and Europe; feudalism and manorialism; the economy under the feudal/manorial system)

6.2.13 World History: Prehistory to Renaissance: Describe the influences of the Roman Catholic Church and its effect on the structure of society (e.g., role in spreading Christianity, how monasteries preserved ancient language and learning)

6.2.13. World History: Prehistory to Renaissance: Describe the causes and effects (e.g., their role in spreading Christianity and introducing Muslim ideas and products to Europe) of the Crusades

6.2.3. World History: Prehistory to Renaissance: Trace the emergence of agriculture and its effect (e.g., climate changes, the impact of irrigation techniques, the domestication of plants and animals) on early human communities

6.2.4. World History: Prehistory to Renaissance: Identify the features of Mesopotamian civilization and its contributions to the modern world (e.g., early villages, specialization of labor, irrigation)

6.2.5. World History: Prehistory to Renaissance: Identify the features (e.g., religion, hierarchy of society) of Egyptian civilization and its contributions (e.g., trade networks) to the modern world

6.2.6. World History: Prehistory to Renaissance: Identify the features (e.g., the caste system, the role of Buddhism, the Mauryan Empire) of Indian civilization and its contributions (e.g., literature, art, mathematics) to the modern world

6.2.8. World History: Prehistory to Renaissance: Identify the features (e.g., class structures, religious customs and beliefs, government) of Central American (e.g., Aztec, Mayan, Incan) civilizations and their contributions (e.g., achievements in mathematics, astronomy, and architecture) to the modern world

6.2.9. World History: Prehistory to Renaissance: Identify the features (e.g., early democratic government, Olympics) and accomplishments of classical Greek civilization (e.g., contributions to art, literature, science, and philosophy; the development of the concepts of citizenship)

ND.3. Economic Concepts: Students understand economic concepts and the characteristics of various economic systems.

6.3.1. Early Economics: Explain how non-economic factors (e.g., culture, values, interest, abilities) influenced economic behaviors and decision making (e.g., building of pyramids, Olympic games)

6.3.2. Early Economics: Trace the development of civilizations from hunting/gathering based societies (e.g., hunting and gathering - cultivation and domestication) to trading/economy-based societies (e.g., surplus of food - specialization - trade/barter system)

ND.4. Government and Citizenship: Students understand the development, functions, and forms of various political systems and the role of the citizen in government and society.

6.4.1. Government Systems: Explain why government became necessary in ancient civilizations (e.g., need for hierarchy of power to prevent chaos, power of groups)

6.4.2. Government Systems: Describe how different forms of government (i.e., monarchy, oligarchy, aristocracy, democracy) distributed power within ancient societies.

ND.5. Concepts of Geography: Students understand and apply concepts of geography.

6.5.1. Human Geography: Identify geographic similarities of early civilizations (e.g., the significance of river valleys from the beginning of civilization, mountains created isolated cultures)

6.5.2. Human Geography: Explain the factors (e.g., trade routes, goods available, location) that influenced the growth of cities

ND.6. Human Development and Behavior: Students understand the importance of culture, individual identity, and group identity.

6.6.1. Culture: Compare how culture influences relationships, religion, and social institutions in various societies (e.g., different family structures, world religions, rituals, government structures, social policies)

6.6.2. Culture: Explain how differences among cultures (e.g., differences in beliefs and governments) often result in conflict

ND.CC.6-8.RH. Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies

Craft and Structure

6-8.RH.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.

6-8.RH.5. Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

6-8.RH.7. Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.

6-8.RH.8. Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.

6-8.RH.9. Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.

Key Ideas and Details

6-8.RH.1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.

6-8.RH.2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.

6-8.RH.3. Identify key steps in a text's description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

6-8.RH.10. By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

ND.CC.6-8.WHST. Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Production and Distribution of Writing

6-8.WHST.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

6-8.WHST.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently.

Range of Writing

6-8.WHST.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Text Types and Purposes

6-8.WHST.1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.

6-8.WHST.1.a. Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.

6-8.WHST.1.b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources.

6-8.WHST.1.c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

6-8.WHST.1.d. Establish and maintain a formal style.

6-8.WHST.1.e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

6-8.WHST.2. Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.

6-8.WHST.2.a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories as appropriate to achieving purpose; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

6-8.WHST.2.b. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.

6-8.WHST.2.c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.

6-8.WHST.2.d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

6-8.WHST.2.e. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone.

6-8.WHST.2.f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.

6-8.WHST.3. Narrative writing is not applicable as a separate requirement for history, social studies, science, and technical subjects. Students' narrative skills continue to grow in these grades. The Standards require that students be able to incorporate narrative elements effectively into arguments and informative/ explanatory texts. In history/social studies, students must be able to incorporate narrative accounts into their analyses of individuals or events of historical import. In science and technical subjects, students must be able to write precise enough descriptions of the step-by-step procedures they use in their investigations or technical work that others can replicate them and (possibly) reach the same results.