6th Grade Individuals and Societies are taught thematically giving students skills in order to understand human behavior. Historical topics are taught by giving students a foundational understanding of the features of civilizations such as government, religion, technology, economy, culture, social hierarchy, writing and communication, and geography. These important prerequisite topics are taught and instilled for every civilization that is covered. Fields taught under Social Studies which is much broader than one field (subject) and fall under the umbrella of topics taught in 6th Grade I&S include: History attempts to understand the past and casual events. Students will learn historical thinking skills. Students will be introduced to the concepts of corroboration, perspective, contextualization, sourcing, and motive as they learn how to construct arguments using claims, reasons, evidence, analysis, and counterclaims. Students are asked to think about what are the Social Sciences. They are asked to think What is History and How is history written?How do historians construct historical narratives? How do historians corroborate information? Complex societies and civilizations share common characteristics of religion, economies, cities, government, language/writing systems, technology, and social hierarchy, culture all of which can transcend into the understanding of the world today. Economics is how people produce goods (make things), how people (distribute goods) get things, and how people utilize those goods (get things that they need). Political Science is the study of how completely different governments arise and the values they impose on their people and vice versa. Political states and empires employed a variety of techniques for expanding and maintaining control. Students will be asked what sustains a political state? What impact does the structure of a government have on the people it rules? How do political states consolidate and maintain power? How does cultural diffusion lead to advancements in political states? Periods of stability and prosperity enabled cultural, technological, and scientific achievements and innovations that built on or blended with available knowledge and often led to cultural diffusion Geography is how human beings interact with their environment and utilize and adapt to their surroundings.The development of agriculture enabled the rise of the first civilizations, located primarily along river valleys; these complex societies were influenced by geographic conditions and shared a number of political, social, and economic characteristics. The study of Eastern Hemisphere nations includes countries from each continent. As the river civilizations of the Eastern Hemisphere (Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley) turned to agriculture, world populations grew. Students will be asked What are the features of a civilization?Why did civilizations develop where they did? What makes a civilization a civilization? Complex societies and civilizations adapted to and modified their environment to meet the needs of their population. Anthropology understanding the origin of human life (where human beings came from) This is taught by thinking about the features of civilization including; Government, Civilization, Geography, and economics. Students are asked what effect does geography have on the rise and fall of civilizations? Why do civilizations rise and fall? How do civilizations increase and consolidate power? Archaeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture.Students are asked What made civilization possible? Civilizations and cultures of the Eastern Hemisphere (China, India, Greece, and Rome) are explored through the arts and sciences, key documents, and other important artifacts. Sociology: The emergence and spread of belief systems influenced and shaped the development of cultures, as well as their traditions and identities. Important similarities and differences between these belief systems are found in their core beliefs, ethical codes, practices, and social relationships. How have religion shaped governments, cultures, social hierarchies, economies, technologies, and worldviews?