The scope of the 6^th grade social studies curriculum is world cultures and geography. We will focus on five main themes: history, geography, government, economics, and culture. While focusing on these themes, we will be visiting South America, Western Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Antarctica. As we study these continents, we will learn about them from a historical perspective, but from a contemporary perspective as well.

My emphasis in social studies is to stress the importance of the “cause & effect” relationships in history. No event in history is a “stand alone” event. There are reasons for the event to have happened and there are effects of that event. I will focus on critical thinking skills by challenging your children to “go beyond” the obvious in social studies. Also, learning about the “world” can seem to be intimidating. At a 6^th grade level, we cannot delve into every detail of every place and every topic we will be covering. My approach is to give your children a solid overview of the world based on our five themes above. I will make connections to events and people that are in the news today as we learn about different countries.  For example, we will first be learning about China so that we can make the connection to the recent Beijing Summer Olympics.   

Assessments will be based upon homework, tests/quizzes, papers, projects, and class participation. I will give homework within the context of the school policy as outlined in the Parent/Student Handbook, which is that 6^th graders should generally get 40 – 60 minutes per night for all subjects. I generally give homework two or three times a week with no one assignment taking more than 15 minutes to complete. Also, the homework I give is to reinforce important topics that will most likely show up on a future assessment. It is important for your child to complete his/her homework and in a timely fashion.

I do not want homework to be viewed as an opportunity to lose points or credit. For each homework assignment, your child will receive 5 points toward his or her overall grade for doing it. There will be times when your child may not be able to answer a question or part of an assignment just because they don’t know the material. That’s OK! If one child didn’t get it, there are probably others as well. I would rather have the question remain unanswered (after a serious attempt to answer it!) than to have someone at home come up with the answer for your child. I will then know what needs to be re-taught or if a particular student needs a little extra attention.

The textbook we will be using is World Cultures and Geography, McDougal Littell, 2005. Your child will use a CD-ROM version of the textbook at home. We have a set of textbooks for use in school, so the CD-ROMs may stay at home. If your child experiences any difficulty with the CD-ROM, please e-mail with your questions or problems and I will arrange to have it responded to immediately. I am hoping that the CD-ROMs will lighten your child’s backpack and be “technology friendly” for your child to use.

In class, I use the textbook as a point of departure to initiate learning, reinforce reading skill, and generate class discussion. I do, however, use a good amount of materials to supplement the textbook. I will use videos, audio cds, handouts, internet, debates, maps, and whatever else I can get my hands on! Occasionally, we will depart from the curriculum to take note of events or people in history. For example, we already spent time discussing Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech to commemorate the 45^th anniversary of the speech on August 28^th.