Grade 6 Social Studies

Transcription

1 Grade 6 Social Studies Content This Exam for Acceleration/Credit by Exam can help you prepare for the exam by giving you an idea of what you need to study, review, and learn. To succeed, you should be thoroughly familiar with the subject matter before you attempt to take the exam. Every question that appears on the Exam for Acceleration/Credit by Exam is grounded in the knowledge and skills statements and student expectations within the state-mandated standards, the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). It should be noted that an exam will not test every student expectation. However, it is important that students study and know the entire scope of the TEKS so that they can develop a complete understanding of the content. The s are a global exam grounded in the TEKS and are not designed to be a final exam. For a specific listing of the knowledge and skills for this grade level and subject area, please reference the TEKS online at Since questions are not taken from any one source, you can prepare by reviewing any of the state-adopted textbooks. General Introduction The study of social studies is a process that develops from kindergarten through high school. This process helps students understand their place in the world and their role as responsible citizens. Social studies education enables students to develop critical-thinking skills, to prepare to participate productively in society, and to expand their horizons to include people and places far removed from their daily lives. The establishment of social studies as a graduation requirement in Texas s assessment program attests to its importance and should further encourage students intellectual and civic growth. History is important to students because past events provide context for understanding both present and future challenges. Students learn to seek information before forming opinions and to distinguish fact from opinion and bias from objectivity. Geography works hand in hand with the study of history. Where events occur has much to do with why they occur. Geography provides a basis for understanding nature and the influence of climate and terrain on human cultures. In addition, geography plays a significant role in the growing global economy. While the successful demonstration of social studies knowledge and skills is now a graduation requirement, this is only the most basic reason for students to develop social studies literacy. The greatest benefit not just to Texas students but also to the state of Texas as a whole is the broadened perspective that a solid social studies education provides. The social studies s are designed to assess those portions of the TEKS deemed essential to measure by Texas educators, administrators, and other stakeholders. Beginning in kindergarten, the social studies curriculum builds a skills and content foundation that continues to develop through high school. In other words, the curriculum is vertically aligned. Vertical alignment is crucial, since concepts and skills cross grade levels. 1

2 In Grade 6, students study people and places of the contemporary world. Societies selected for study are chosen from the following regions of the world: Europe, Russia and the Eurasian republics, North America, Middle America, South America, Southwest Asia-North Africa, Sub- Saharan Africa, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Realm. Students describe the influence of individuals and groups on historical and contemporary events in those societies and identify the locations and geographic characteristics of selected societies. Students identify different ways of organizing economic and governmental systems. The concepts of limited and unlimited government are introduced, and students describe the nature of citizenship in various societies. Students compare institutions common to all societies such as government, education, and religious institutions. Students explain how the level of technology affects the development of the selected societies and identify different points of view about selected events. Students should use a variety of rich primary and secondary source material such as biographies and autobiographies; novels; speeches and letters; and poetry, songs, and artwork. Selections may include Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. Motivating resources are also available from museums, art galleries, and historical sites. Objective 1 Students demonstrate an understanding of issues and events in U.S. and world history. understand that historical events influence contemporary events. describe characteristics of selected contemporary societies such as Bosnia and Northern Ireland that resulted from historical events or factors such as invasion, conquests, colonization, immigration, and trade; and analyze the historical background of selected contemporary societies to evaluate relationships between past conflicts and current conditions. understand the contributions of individuals and groups from various cultures to selected historical and contemporary societies. explain the significance of individuals or groups from selected societies, past and present; and describe the influence of individual and group achievement on selected historical or contemporary societies. understand the early development of their nation. understand the short-term and long-term consequences of the important events that occurred during this time period. know about the historical events that have shaped our country, and understand why these events occurred and how these events shape America s present course. 2

3 Objective 2 Students demonstrate an understanding of geographic influences on historical issues and events. use maps, globes, graphs, charts, models, and databases to answer geographic questions. create thematic maps, graphs, charts, models, and databases depicting various aspects of world regions and countries such as population, disease, and economic activities; pose and answer questions about geographic distributions and patterns for selected world regions and countries shown on maps, graphs, charts, models, and databases; and compare selected world regions and countries using data from maps, graphs, charts, databases, and models. understand the characteristics and relative locations of major historical and contemporary societies. locate major historical and contemporary societies on maps and globes; identify and explain the geographic factors responsible for patterns of population in places and regions; explain ways in which human migration influences the character of places and regions; and identify and explain the geographic factors responsible for the location of economic activities in places and regions. understand how geographic factors influence the economic development, political relationships, and policies of societies. explain factors such as location, physical features, transportation corridors and barriers, and distribution of natural resources that influence the economic development and foreign policies of societies; and identify geographic factors that influence a society s ability to control territory and that shape the domestic and foreign policies of the society. understand the impact of physical processes on patterns in the environment. S describe and explain how physical processes such as erosion, ocean circulation, and earthquakes have resulted in physical patterns on Earth s surface; describe and explain the physical processes that produce renewable and nonrenewable natural resources such as fossil fuels, fertile soils, and timber; and analyze the effects of physical processes and the physical environment on humans. understand the impact of interactions between people and the physical environment on the development of places and regions. identify and analyze ways people have adapted to the physical environment in selected places and regions; identify and analyze ways people have modified the physical environment; and describe ways in which technology influences human capacity to modify the physical environment. know, understand, recognize, and appreciate the geographic issues that affect their daily lives. 3

4 4 EA6 SS Objective 3 Students demonstrate an understanding of economic and social influences on historical issues and events. concentrate on the role of economic and social factors in history. understand the various ways in which people organize economic systems. compare ways in which societies organize production and distribution of goods and services; identify and differentiate among traditional, market, and command economies in selected contemporary societies, including the benefits of the U.S. free enterprise system; and explain the impact of scarcity on international trade and economic interdependence among societies. understand the role factors of production play in a society s economy. describe ways in which factors of production (natural resources, labor, capital, and entrepreneurs) influence the economies of selected contemporary societies; and identify problems and issues that may arise when one or more of the factors of production is in relatively short supply. understand categories of economic activities and the means used to measure a society s economic level. define and give examples of primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary industries; and describe and measure levels of economic development using various indicators such as individual purchasing power, life expectancy, and literacy. understand the relationship among individual rights, responsibilities, and freedoms in democratic societies, and identify the importance of voluntary civic participation in democratic societies. understand the similarities and differences within and among cultures in different societies; describe traits that define cultures; identify examples of conflict and cooperation between and among cultures within selected societies such as Belgium, Canada, and Rwanda. understand that certain institutions are basic to all societies, but characteristics of these institutions may vary from one society to another. identify institutions basic to all societies, including government, economic, educational, and religious institutions; and compare characteristics of institutions in contemporary societies. understand relationships that exist among world cultures. explain aspects that link or separate cultures and societies; explain the impact of political boundaries that cut across culture regions; analyze how culture traits spread; explain cultural borrowing; evaluate how cultural borrowing affects world cultures; evaluate consequences of improved communication among cultures. understand the relationship between artistic, creative, and literary expressions and the societies that produce them; relate ways in which expressions of culture have been influenced by the past; describe ways in which societal issues influence creative expressions; and identify examples of art, music, and literature that have transcended the boundaries of societies and convey universal themes. understand the relationships among religion, philosophy, and culture and explain the significance of religious holidays and observances such as Christmas and Easter, Ramadan, and Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah in selected contemporary societies.

5 Objective 4 Students demonstrate an understanding of political influences on historical issues and events. understand the concepts of limited governments, such as constitutional and democratic governments, and unlimited governments, such as totalitarian and non-democratic governments. describe characteristics and identify examples of limited and unlimited governments; and identify reasons for limiting the power of government. understand and identify examples of alternative ways of organizing governments such as rule by one, few, or many; identify historical origins of democratic forms of government; and compare how governments function in selected world societies such as China, Germany, India, and Russia. understand that the nature of citizenship varies among societies; describe roles and responsibilities of citizens in selected contemporary societies including the United States; explain how opportunities for citizens to participate in and influence the political process vary among selected contemporary societies; and compare the role of citizens in the United States with the role of citizens from selected democratic and non-democratic contemporary societies. understand the relationships among science and technology and political, economic, and social issues and events. give examples of scientific discoveries and technological innovations, including the roles of scientists and inventors, that have transcended the boundaries of societies and have shaped the world; explain how resources, belief systems, economic factors, and political decisions have affected the use of technology from place to place, culture to culture, and society to society; and make predictions about future social, economic, and environmental consequences that may result from future scientific discoveries and technological innovations. Objective 5 Students use critical thinking skills to analyze social studies information. focus on the use of critical-thinking skills to analyze social studies information. integrate critical-thinking skills into the studying of the other four objectives. apply critical-thinking strategies to both primary and secondary sources. apply critical thinking skills to analyze both historical and current information. 5

6 About the Exam The consists of 100 objective questions that are equally weighted. The exam may consist of multiple-choice and true-false questions. The exams will include an exam booklet and a separate computer graded answer sheet. Student responses must be recorded on the computer graded answer sheet. Students will be allowed 3 hours to take the exam Sample Questions These sample questions will give you a better idea of the types of questions you can expect on the. These are provided to illustrate the format of the exam. They are not the actual exam. In order to be successful on the exam, you must study the TEKS for this grade level and subject area. 1. In the Colonial Era, the New England colonist grew only enough food to provide for themselves and their families. This type of food production is called A subsistence agriculture. B cottage industry. C commercial agriculture. D commercial industry. 2. The heritage of more than half the people of Iran can be traced to this ancient civilization. A Hebrews B Egyptians C Persians D Mongols 3. In 1942, American troops were attacked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. This event caused the United States to enter A World War II. B World War I. C the war in Vietnam. D the war in Korea. Answer Key Item Number Correct Answer 1 A 2 C 3 A 6