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Enduring Understandings - important ideas that students should carry
with them years beyond the instruction received this year.
- Maps, globes and other geographic tools are used to acquire process and
report information about the past and present.
- Physical and human characteristics of places define regions.
- People and events are organized chronologically to increase
understanding of historical relationships.
- Societies are diverse and change over time.
- Different forms of government have been developed, practiced, and
changed throughout history.
- Decisions must be made about the use of scarce resources.
- Trade, specialization, and interdependence influence relationships among
individuals, groups and societies.
Essential Questions
- most important “big picture” questions students should be able to answer
after completing learning activities.
- What are the significant physical and political features of
North America?
- Which physical and human characteristics (populations, political
divisions, and language) most impact peoples' lives?
- How can people and events in early history of
North America be organized
chronologically?
- How can two or more cultures be compared using one or more
elements of culture?
- What type of government do North
American countries have? How and why have
governments changed over time?
- What are the resources of North America?
- How are goods and services produced in
North America distributed? How does
trade and interdependence influence the relationship of neighboring
countries?
District 11 curriculum is designed to prepare and equip students to be
successful in the 21st Century. Curriculum resources and lessons included
here have been aligned to the Colorado Standards for each content area. In
addition, the entire program has been aligned with the knowledge, skills,
and learner attributes the
Partnership for
21st Century Skills promotes as necessary for success in the 21st
Century. You will see the highlighted core values embedded in these lessons
and activities.
Standards
Based Learning Indicators
Geography 1: Interpret maps, globes, charts, and geographic databases.
Geography
2: Define and identify regions by describing physical and human
characteristics of places.
History 1:
Organize events and people in chronological order and use this data to
determine cause/effect relationships.
History 3:
Describe basic cultural elements (traditions, customs, religion,
language, government).
History
5: Describe forms of government and give examples of societies that
practiced and changed them over time.
Economics 1: Identify and give examples of economic resources and make decisions
involving opportunity costs.
Economics
3: Describe how trade, specialization, and interdependence influence
relationships among individuals, groups, and societies.
Grade 6 Conceptual
Vocabulary
Research confirms that students must have at least 6
opportunities through varied means to experience the same vocabulary before
it can be applied. Here are 6 sample methods for teaching the vocabulary for
this unit:
These examples are endorsed by the
Mid-Continental Research in Education Laboratory (MCREL) Six Step Strategy
to Improving Vocabulary. Read more about
Research on Teaching
Vocabulary.
Step 1: Teacher Defines Word
Step 2: Student Defines Word with Examples
Step 3: Student Identifies or Designs a Visual Representation
Step 4: Practice With Games
Step 5: Practice Application
Step 6: Apply in Written and Oral Communication
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Lesson 1- 4:
Maps and Globes
and Atlases: Oh My!
Duration: Four
45 minute time periods
Materials Needed:
Textbook,
DOGSTAILS
Lesson,
Outline map of the Western Hemisphere,
Globe,
Atlas,
Appropriate Maps,
Prentice Hall World Studies Western Hemisphere
textbook
Assessment:
Writing Prompt: What are the major similarities
and differences among globes, maps, and atlases?
Assessment from lesson of DOGSTAILS.
Activities
- Compare
a globe, map and atlas and discuss similarities and differences.
- Use an atlas
to identify types and uses of maps. Read a map from the atlas. Discuss with
a partner what the map is showing.
- Complete the
Map of the Western Hemisphere. Include these six major landforms: Canada,
Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean Islands, and the
United States.
-
View the
Geography of North America video (4:25) by
Discovery Education.
- Use the
DOGSTAILS
Lesson to learn the common things all good maps contain.
Differentiation
Support: Graphic
organizer partially filled in with a word bank. Identify 5 of
the elements of DOGSTAILS.
SIOP Strategies: Eight
Components of Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol
Extensions: Determine ways of illustrating
similarities and differences among globes, maps, and other geographic tools,
other than writing. Find a map that identifies all the
components of DOGSTAILS.
Instructional Strategies for Gifted Students
Lesson 5 - 8:
Physical Features
and Human Characteristics
Duration: Four
45 Minute Class Periods
Materials Needed: Index
cards,
Color Pencils,
Prentice Hall World Studies
Western Hemisphere
Textbook,
Atlases,
Maps,
Picture
the Place
Assessment: Look at the picture on page
65 of the textbook. You will list physical and human characteristics.
Explain whether the physical and human characteristics are harmful or
helpful to the environment.
Activities
-
Watch the video
Geography Basics: Landforms and Living Patterns
(20:03).
- Use the
Picture the Place
document and maps and related pictures to identify
physical features including the following: (land/water forms), climate, soil, plants, and
animals; and human characteristics such as buildings, language, religion,
and government.
- Create physical feature and human characteristic
flashcards. Create a picture, or find a picture of each of the physical features
(land/water forms, climate, soil, plants, and animals) and each of the
human characteristics (buildings, language, religion, government) within
the Western Hemisphere. Then on the back of the flashcard write 3-5
sentences describing each feature and characteristic.
Differentiation
Support: Find pictures in text book and match to a list of physical and
human characteristics. Use the
SIOP Strategies: Eight
Components of Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol.
Extensions: Find pictures and
explain how characteristics affect the environment. Play the
Stop Disasters Simulation Game and discover human characteristics can
modify physical environments to protect people and property. Stop flooding and protect the housing of
a small town by changing the human characteristics of the town. Instructional
Strategies for Gifted Students
Lesson 9 - 11:
Plates, Pangaea, and
a Burning Ring of Fire
Duration: One
45 Minute Class periods
Materials Needed: Paper,
Colored Pencils,
Prentice Hall World Studies
Western Hemisphere
Textbook,
Atlases,
Maps,
*If
you choose to do the model for the assessment you will need materials to
make the model.
Assessment: Using information from
various resources, develop a summary statement and data to support the topic
of tectonics. Include a visual (i.e.: a picture, a graph, or a model)
Activities
- Students research and explore geographic features to
understand how and why they occurred. Their very important work helps us better
predict how the earth and our environment will change in the future.
- Look at the
Physical Map of the World
and notice the pattern between the western and eastern hemispheres. Make
a hypothesis or guess as to why both the shoreline of North and South
America fit so closely with the pattern of the shorelines in Europe and
Africa. After you have developed your own explanation to this
phenomenon, watch the
Pangea Simulation
and the
Simulation:
How Continents Formed.
Did your hypothesis or guess match what
actually happened?
Define
Pangaea. Describe
the movements of the continents.
-
Locate and
discuss the
Ring of Fire.
Explain why it is called the Ring of Fire and what significance it plays
in our daily lives.
-
Read the online audio book,
Ring of Fire (6)
then complete the
Ring of Fire (6) Practice.
Check your answers with the
Ring of Fire (6) Answers.
Differentiation
Support: Watch the
Explanation of Pangea in Spanish. Illustrate Pangaea and what the world looks like now.
SIOP Strategies: Eight
Components of Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol
Extensions:
using the computer find information about Pangaea, describing how the
continents were located and the effect on the earth. Example: migration of
animals and humans.
Instructional
Strategies for Gifted Students
Lesson 12 - 15:
Push
Me Out Of Here, Pull Me Over There
Duration:
Four
45 Minute Class sessions
Materials Needed: Paper
to create and illustrate a
T-
Chart,
colored pencils,
Prentice Hall World
Studies Western Hemisphere textbook
Assessment: Using the vocabulary words (migration, immigration, population density,
population distribution) develop a constructed response explaining reasons
for people moving to or away from an area.
Activities
- Discuss why
people move. List reasons, then categorize each as either "push" or "pull".
Push factors describe why people choose to leave a place to move to
another location. Pull factors are those that attract people to new
locations.
Who were the first
people to migrate to North America? Where did they come from? How did
they get here? Watch the
Migration to the Americas video (1:36) for the answers. Read pages 60- 70 in
the textbook. Identify immigration, migration, population density,
spatial organization, and "Push-Pull" factors. Print and
complete the
T-
Chart
of push
pull factors. On one side put the title push and on the other side the
title pull. Then underneath list push and pull factors. Illustrate the
T-
Chart
with a visual that will help you remember the push or pull factors.
Watch the
Rural Urban Migration
video (20:12). Listen for reasons people move from rural to urban areas.
Label as
either "push" or "pull."
Think of historical
examples of people moving. Determine the push and pull factors that
caused the movement.
Write a journal about
a time you moved somewhere else, or went somewhere else. Determine the
push factors and the pull factors that caused your family to move, or go
somewhere else. What push or pull factors could cause you to move from
your current home?
Differentiation
Support:
Create a paragraph where the vocabulary words are
provided in a word bank.
SIOP Strategies: Eight
Components of Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol
Extensions:
Using the
vocabulary, provide a scenario of why people move.
Instructional Strategies for Gifted Students
Lesson 16 - 18:
All About the
Environment
Duration: Three
45 minute class periods
Materials Needed: Pictures from a
calendar/computer that shows the environment e.g. forest, beach, etc.; also
pictures of buildings, factories, roads, modifications which may have helped
OR
Graphic organizer to list what changes were good/bad to the environment,
Prentice Hall World
Studies Western Hemisphere
Textbook
Assessment: Draw three human changes. Explain how they were good or bad to the environment.
Activities
-
Watch the video
Rise & Fall: Population, Urbanization, &
Environment (20:06).
- How do resources and
humans impact the environment? Look at pictures in the text book. Write a
paragraph discussing how humans have changed the environment.
-
Draw a map of your
neighborhood. Include all human changes made to the environment. Discuss how
these are good or bad for the environment.
-
What do you highly value; a shopping
mall, an amusement park, a dirt bike trail? What human characteristic
would you recommend adding to your neighborhood? What potential impact
would it have on the population growth of your community? What would be
the potential impact on the environment?
-
With a partner, play the
Stop Disasters Simulation Game and discover human characteristics can
modify physical environments to protect people and property. Stop flooding and protect the housing of
a small town by changing the human characteristics of the town. Each
team of partners will receive a final score on how well you added human
characteristics with the least damage to the environment and the lowest
cost.
Differentiation
Support:
Draw a picture showing how humans have changed your community.
SIOP Strategies: Eight
Components of Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol
Extensions:
Draw a map
showing what a selected site looked like prior to human modifications and
what that site looks like now.
Instructional Strategies for Gifted Students
Lesson 19 - 20:
Major
Landforms and Water of the Western Hemisphere
Duration: Two
45 minute class periods.
Materials Needed: Blank
map of the Western Hemisphere,
Prentice Hall World
Studies Western Hemisphere, Textbook
Assessment:
Using an atlas and an
outline map of the world, label the bodies of water, major landforms.
Activities
-
Watch the video
Geography
Principles: Physical Features of Earth (20:04)
- Review the
DOGSTAILS
Lesson.
DOGSTAILS
lesson.
- On a blank map, identify and locate bodies of
water and major landforms and continents. Include
all of the elements from DOGSTAILS. Also add all six areas in
the Western Hemisphere (Canada, United States, Mexico, Central America,
South America, and the Caribbean Islands). Include also all oceans,
seas, and gulfs.
- Continuous Improvement
Process - Your teacher wants feedback on this unit so it can constantly
be improved. Print the
Continuous Quality
Improvement Survey and answer each question, or answer online.
Differentiation
Support:
Give an enlarged map of the world; provide the labels and have students
transfer info to the map.
SIOP Strategies: Eight
Components of Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol
Extensions:
Using a pumpkin
or circular objects have the students draw the continents, bodies of water
along with the latitude and longitude lines.
Instructional Strategies for Gifted Students
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