What will my child be learning about in social studies and why?

Students in grade six expand their understanding of history by studying the people and events that ushered in the dawn of the major Western and non-Western ancient civilizations. Geography is of special significance in the development of the human story. Continued emphasis is placed on the everyday lives, problems, and accomplishments of people, their role in developing social, economic, and political structures, as well as in establishing and spreading ideas that helped transform the world forever. Students develop higher levels of critical thinking by considering why civilizations developed where and when they did, why they became dominant, and why they declined. Students analyze the interactions among the various cultures, emphasizing their enduring contributions and the link, despite time, between the present-day and ancient worlds.  Our journey will begin in the order as follows:  Early Humans, Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Nubia, Ancient India, Ancient China, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and Ancient Mayans.  My primary purpose is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for themselves and the good of the public.  Sixth grade students will develop an understanding of concepts through the following guided questions:

•  How did physical geography affect the growth of ancient civilization?

•  For what historical accomplishments is each civilization known?

•  What legacies have been left by cultures of the past?

•  How did ancient civilizations develop governments?

•  How did ancient civilizations develop economic systems?

•  How did ancient history shape my world today?

I want to thank you in advance for your support in communicating to your child the importance of learning/studying about Ancient History!

What should I expect my child to have for homework?

At the end of each lesson your child will be given discussion questions and vocabulary.  The discussion questions should be answered using the notes taken in class and the text book.  All questions MUST be rephrased and have a capital at the beginning of the sentence and punctuation at the end of the sentence or points will be deducted.  By sixth grade, I strongly emphasize the importance of capital letters and periods.  Also, by rephrasing the question in the answer, it helps the student to remain focused.  Additionally, this will be beneficial during the ISAT extended response.  The vocabulary words must have a definition (used from context clues - not the back of the book) and a picture to help describe the meaning of that word.  Drawing a picture of a new or unfamiliar vocabulary term aids in a students' comprehension of the meaning of a word. Sometimes, simply reading a word in context does not provide enough clues to the meaning.  For sixth grade students, all sixth grade social studies teachers require that they draw a picture that helps them think of the definition of the vocabulary word.  I do not require that they draw a picture of the word itself, nor do I "grade" the student on his/her choice of illustrations.  The cognitive process that occurs as a result of thinking of what to draw often aids in the comprehension of the word itself, or at least is a "trick" to remember the word on a test or in future encounters.  Research that supports this technique can be found by reading the work of Howard Gardner (educational psychologist on multiple intelligences) at the websites http://www.infed.org/thinkers/gardner.htm or http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/mi/front_mi.htm  Most generally, students are given a whole class period (48 minutes) to work on their discussion questions and vocabulary.  Students that use their class time wisely usually finish their assignment; others will have it as homework.  Additionally, students will be given workbook pages that reinforce ideas being taught and geography skills.  Oral presentations, collages, pictographs, and other hands-on projects will be given throughout the year to help your child relate and connect Ancient History to their world today!

Will late assignments/homework be accepted?

If your child comes to school without his or her homework completed it will be counted as late.  All social studies homework is due at the beginning of the class period.  I take off 20% for one day late, 40% for two days late, and 60% for three days late.  Also, as a whole class we discuss, grade, and review the answers from our homework the day it is due.  Your child will be asked to sit in the hall during this process to avoid hearing answers to the homework assignment that he/she did not complete.  Please discuss the importance of completing assignments and turning them in on time.  My goal for your child is to become an independent learner and learn to take responsibility for his or her actions.  Checking his or her assignment notebook every night is an excellent way to see if there was homework assigned.  After school tutoring programs are in place if your child is in need of additional help – contact Cindy Frank, CMS Counselor.

What can I do to ensure success for my child in social studies?

• The best way is to have an open line of communication!  Please don’t wait if you have an issue you want to discuss till conferences.  I have found (through experience) that e-mail is a wonderful communication tool!  If you have a work or home e-mail address you would be willing to share, I can e-mail you should any concerns arise and vise versa! 
• Make sure they are using their assignment book and recording assignments each and every day at school.  As a parent/guardian, check their assignment book every night and ask to see the completed social studies assignment.  A parent/guardian is asked to sign the assignment book each and every day.  Make sure all answers are complete and offer advice to improve work.  Turning in daily work that is neat and fully completed is over half of his or her grade!
• Make sure you are looking through your child’s Friday Folder every Friday for graded work.  You should almost always find a graded social studies assignment every week.  Work will leave the school in a folder, but it will be your child’s responsibility to make sure it gets home to you!  Go through his or her graded work and discuss errors he or she made.
• If your child is absent due to sickness, vacation, etc., please call ahead of time to pick up any missing assignments.  All homework missed will be placed in the office at the end of the day.  If your child needs a book from his or her locker, you’ll need to get the locker number and combination from your child before coming to pick up their missed homework.  I have found that if a student has missed school days, he or she has a hard time catching back up when homework was not picked up.