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The PSU SSE Framework for NH is embedded in a living Google Document. The version visible on these pages is dated 12.08.25 and lacks links to related inquiries and resources. For full resources, follow the link to the Framework below. 

Ancient Stone Structure

Grade 6: 

Cultural Geography and Civilizations I

Grades 6 and 7 form a two-year sequence in which students study regions of the world by examining physical geography, nations in the region today, and selected ancient and classical societies before 1000 CE. Regions for grade 6 are: Western Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East; Sub-Saharan Africa; and Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. Students investigate guiding questions such as “How does geography affect how societies develop and interact?” and “How have human societies differed from one another across time and regions?” Additional supporting questions appear under each topic. The questions are included to stimulate teachers’ and students’ own questions for discussion and research.

Grade 6 Social Studies Topics

  • Studying Complex Societies Past and Present

  • Human origins, the Neolithic and Paleolithic Eras

  • The Middle East and North Africa

  • Sub-Saharan Africa

  • Central America, the Caribbean, and South America

Literacy in Social Studies

In studying these topics, students apply grades 6-8 reading, writing and speaking and listening skills, and learn vocabulary and concepts related to history and social science.

​​​Looking Ahead: Connections to Social Studies in Kindergarten

Fourth Graders studied New Hampshire history and the origins of the American government. Fifth graders learned about U.S. history thematically through the 19th to 20th centuries. Seventh graders will continue the study of Cultural Geography and Civilizations, focusing on Asia, Oceania, and Europe.

Grade Level Statewide Programs

National History Day in New Hampshire, a program for teaching historical research that culminates in the state history competition.

 

Mikva Challenge, a program for teaching civic speech writing that culminates in a competition for students. Supported by NH Civics.

Major Resources

Standards for

History and Social 

Science Practice, Pre-K-12 

 

  1. Develop focused questions or problem statements and conduct inquiries.

  2. Organize information and data from multiple primary and secondary sources.

  3. Analyze the purpose and point of view of each source; distinguish opinion from fact.

  4. Evaluate the credibility, accuracy, and relevance of each source.

  5. Argue or explain conclusions, using valid reasoning and evidence. 

  6. Determine next steps and take informed action, as appropriate.

Topic 1. Studying Complex Societies, Past and Present

Compelling Question:  What do the social sciences contribute to our understanding of the world? 

Suggested Content:

  1. Explain how different academic fields in the social sciences concentrate on different means of studying societies in the past and present. 

  2. Give examples of ways in which a current historical interpretation might build on, extend, or reject an interpretation of the past. 

  3. Give examples of how archaeologists, historians, geographers, economists, and political scientists work as teams to analyze evidence, develop hypotheses, and construct interpretations of ancient and classical civilizations.Clarification statement: Building on what students have learned about civics, economics, geography, and history in previous grades, the grades 6 and 7 standards are designed to deepen students’ understanding of how the social science disciplines can be used systematically in the study of countries, regions, and the past.

Suggested Inquiries:

1.0 Digital Inquiry Group: Historical Thinking Chart

1.1 Investigating History: How do we study and represent the distant past?

1.2 Investigating History: How can our perception of the past change over time?

1.2 Digital Inquiry Group: Why do historical accounts differ?

1.3 Investigating History: How do experts work together to interpret the past?

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Suggested Resources:

Coming soon!

Topic 2. Human Origins, the Neolithic and Paleolithic Eras

Compelling Question: How did life on Earth begin and why did humans form complex societies?

Suggested Content:

  1. Describe the great climatic and environmental changes that shaped the earth and eventually permitted the growth of human life.

  2. Identify sites where archaeologists have found evidence of the origins of modern human beings and explain current theories of how human groups moved from Africa over time into the continents now known as Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Oceania. Give examples of how ongoing archaeological research adds new data that changes interpretations of how migrations and habitation sites are dated.

  3. Explain that the term Paleolithic Era refers to the period of earliest human history, beginning c. 2.6 million years ago to c, 11,700 years ago, characterized by the first use of stone tools, fire, hunting and gathering weapons, and, about 50,000 years ago, by cave painting, sculpture, tools, and artifacts using diverse materials such as bone, shell, stone, mineral pigments, and wood).

  4. Explain that the term Neolithic Era refers to the period beginning about 10,000 years ago to c. 4500 or c. 2000 BCE in different parts of the world, in which the technologies of agriculture (growing crops and the domestication of animals) and metallurgy (mining and working of metals) were invented and refined, and in which complex societies begin to appear.

  5. Explain how complex societies that practice agriculture may differ, some developing into permanently settled communities, some being nomadic and moving livestock from place to place, some cultivating land temporarily and moving to another location when a plot of land is no longer productive.

  6. Explain that scholars have attempted to define the characteristics of a complex society (sometimes called “civilization”) since the early 20th century, and although debates are ongoing, many cite these characteristics:

  7. an economy that produces food surpluses

  8. dense populations in distinct areas or cities

  9. stratified social classes

  10. specialized occupations 

  11. developed systems of government, religion, and learning 

  12. achievements in technology, art, and monumental architecture

  13. systems of record keeping, either written or oral 

  14. Explain the ways in which complex societies interact and spread from one region to another (e.g., by trade, cultural or linguistic exchanges, migration, religious conversion, conquest, or colonization). 

  15. Construct and interpret a timeline that shows some of the key periods in the development of human societies in the Paleolithic and Neolithic Eras. Use correctly the words or abbreviations for identifying time periods or dates in historical narratives (decade, age, era, century, millennium, CE/AD, BCE/BC, c. and circa). Identify in BCE dates the higher number as indicating the older year (that is, 3000 BCE is earlier than 2000 BCE).

  16. Clarification statement: This can be the beginning of a cumulative timeline that may be in a digital or other format. Students may add to it as they study additional civilizations studied in grades 6 and 7. An ongoing visual timeline can heighten understanding of the relationships among civilizations and provide a foundation for learning about later periods of world history in high school. 

Suggested Inquiries:

2.1-8: Investigating History: What were the most important turning points in early human history?

2.2: Coming Soon: How does current archaeological research change what we know about humanity’s growth & migration? 

2.5 Coming Soon: How did early societies and civilizations differ in the methods they worked to feed their people?

2.6 Coming Soon: What factors make a society or civilization complex? Which of these factors seem the most essential?
2.7 Coming Soon: How do complex societies grow and expand? How do complex societies interact with one another?

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Suggested Resources:

Coming soon!

Topic 3. Western Asia, the Middle East and North Africa

Compelling Question: See below

Suggested Content:

Modern countries in Western Asia and the Middle East

Bahrain, Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, area governed by the Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

Modern countries in North Africa

Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, Western Sahara (mostly under Moroccan Administration)

Significant ancient states and empires in Western Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, c. 3500 BCE- 700 CE

Mesopotamia (Sumer, Babylon, Assyria), Phoenicia, ancient Israel and Palestine, ancient Egypt and Nubia; Carthage, the Persian Empire, the Empire of Alexander the Great, the Roman Empire, the beginning of the Islamic Empire 

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Physical and political geography of modern Western Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa

  1. On a physical map, use cardinal directions, map scales, key/legend, and title to locate important physical features of the region (e.g. the Indian Ocean, the Black Sea, Aegean Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Arabian Peninsula, the Persian Gulf, the Nile, Tigris, and Euphrates Rivers, the Strait of Gibraltar, the Bosporus, and the Suez Canal). Use other kinds of maps (e.g., landform, population, climate) to determine important characteristics of this region.

  2. On a political map of the region, demonstrate map reading skills to distinguish countries, capitals, and other cities and to describe their absolute location (using latitude and longitude coordinates) and relative location (relationship to other countries, cities, or bodies of water); use knowledge of maps to complement information gained from text about a city, country or region.

  3. Explain how absolute and relative locations, major physical characteristics, climate and natural resources in this region have influenced settlement patterns, population size, and economies of the countries.

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Western Asia, the Middle East and North Africa: 
Mesopotamia, c. 3500-1200 BCE

Compelling Question: What are the best explanations for why writing developed in Mesopotamia?

  1. Explain how the presence of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers contributed to the development of agriculture and ancient complex societies; explain why historians have called the region that surrounds these rivers “the Fertile Crescent.” 

  2. On a map of archaeological sites in the region, and identify the locations and time periods of the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians as successive states and empires.  

  3. Describe how irrigation, mining and metalsmithing, agriculture, the domestication of animals, and inventions such as the wheel, the sail, and the plow contributed to settlement and the growth of Mesopotamian civilizations. 

  4. Analyze the important characteristics and achievements of early Mesopotamia. 

a. a complex society with rulers, priests, soldiers, craftspeople, farmers, and enslaved people

b.  a religion based on polytheism (the belief in many gods) 

c. monumental architecture (the ziggurat) and developed art (including large relief sculptures, mosaics, carved cylinder seals)

d. cuneiform writing, used for record keeping tax collection, laws and literature 

e. the first epic (the Epic of Gilgamesh) and the first set of written laws (the Code of Hammurabi, for example, “If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out.” [An eye for an eye]).

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Ancient Egypt, c. 3000-1200 BCE

Compelling Question: How did Ancient Egypt’s rigid class structure affect its social and cultural development?

  1. Identify the locations of ancient Upper and Lower Egypt and ancient Nubia; and explain what the terms “Upper” and “Lower” mean in this context.

  2. Describe the significance of the Nile River to ancient Egyptians.

  3. Analyze the kinds of evidence that have been used by archaeologists and historians to draw conclusions about the social and economic characteristics of ancient Nubia (the Kingdom of Kush) and their relationship to the characteristics of ancient Egypt. 

  4. Analyze the role of the pharaoh as god/king, and describe how pharaohs were represented in painting and sculpture, the concept of dynasties, and significant acts of at least one pharaoh or queen (e.g., Khufu, Akhnaten, Ramses II, Nefertiti, Cleopatra).

  5. Describe the relationships among social classes (e.g., the relationship of the pharaoh to priests, nobles, government officials, soldiers, scribes, artisans, farmers, and peasants, laborers, and enslaved people).

  6. Describe the polytheistic religion of ancient Egypt with respect to beliefs about death, proper behavior, the afterlife, mummification, and the roles of deities. 

  7. Summarize important achievements of the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms (e.g., the agricultural system; knowledge of mathematics, astronomy, the invention of a calendar; the invention of papyrus and hieroglyphic writing; the organization of monumental building projects such as the Pyramids and Sphinx at Giza; the centralization of government and military power).

 

Ancient Phoenicia, c. 1000-300 BCE 

Compelling Question: Why were traders and merchants important in ancient societies? 

  1.  On a map of the ancient Mediterranean world, locate Greece, Asia Minor, Crete, Phoenicia, the Aegean and the Red Sea.

  2.  Explain how the location of Phoenicia contributed to its domination of maritime trade in the Mediterranean from c. 1000-300 BCE. 

  3. Describe how the alphabetic Phoenician writing system differed from Mesopotamian cuneiform or Egyptian hieroglyphic writing; explain how Phoenician maritime traders contributed to the spread of the use of the alphabetic system, which eventually evolved into the Greek alphabet and then into letter symbols used in other languages.

Ancient Israel, Palestine, c. 2000 BCE -70 CE

Compelling Question: What were the consequences of the unification of tribes for ancient Israel?

  1. On a historical map of the Mediterranean, locate Asia Minor, Greece and Mesopotamia, the kingdoms of the Hittites and ancient Israel and Palestine and ancient Egypt. 

  2. Trace the migrations of the ancient Israelite tribes from Mesopotamia to the land called Canaan, and explain the role of Abraham and Moses in Hebrew history.

  3. Describe the history of ancient Israel and early Christianity:

  1. monotheistic religion (e.g., the belief in one God, the Ten Commandments, the emphasis on individual worth and personal responsibility, the belief that rulers and the ruled must adhere to the same moral obligations) 

  2. the Hebrew Bible’s accounts of the history of early Israel: the unification of the tribes of Israel under Saul, David, and Solomon; the founding of Jerusalem as capital city by David (c. 1000 BCE), the building of the first temple by Solomon (c. 900-800 BCE), the destruction of the first temple (c. 400 BCE), the annexation of Judea by the Roman Empire and the Roman destruction of the second temple (c. 70 CE). 

  3. the emergence of Christianity as a distinct religion, with roots in Judaism, but increasingly diverse followers throughout the Roman Empire and the relationship of early Christians to the officials of the Roman Empire.  

  4. the central features of Christianity (e.g., the belief in a messiah who could redeem humans from sin, the concept of salvation, the belief in an Old and a new Testament in the Bible, the life and teachings of Jesus.). 

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The ancient Arabian Peninsula (7th century CE)

Compelling Question: Why is the belief in one God significant to Islam, Judaism, and Christianity? 

  1. On a map of the Arabian Peninsula, identify the Red Sea and the cities of Mecca and Medina as the sites of the beginning of the Muslim religion.

  2. Explain Islam’s historical relationship to Judaism and Christianity as monotheistic religions.

  3. Describe the life and teachings of Muhammad (570-c. 632 CE) and the significance of the Qur’an as the primary source of Islamic belief.

Clarification statement: This is intended as a brief introduction to the historical beginnings of one of the major world religions practiced today; in addition to learning about the beginnings of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in grade 6, students will learn about Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism in grade 7. 

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Interactions among ancient societies in Western Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East

Compelling Question: How did ideas spread across ancient societies in this region?

  1. Describe the impact of encounters through trade, cultural exchange, and conquest among the societies and empires in the region, in particular, exchanges on land routes of the Silk Roads linking Europe, the steppes of West Asia, East Asia, and Africa, and the goods, languages, and cultural motifs exchanged (e.g., gold, ivory from Africa, grain from Western Asia, produce, horses, livestock, wood, furs from the steppes, ceramics, silk, and other luxury goods from China).

  2. Use information from primary and secondary sources to research contributions of one of the ancient Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Phoenician, Israelite, Islamic, and Eurasian societies to the modern world.

Suggested Inquiries:

3.1-3.25 Investigating History: How did early complex societies create systems of government and religion?

3.3 Coming Soon: How have absolute and relative locations, major physical characteristics, climate and natural resources in this region influenced settlement patterns, population size, and economies of the countries within the region?

3.4 Coming Soon: Why were the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers so essential to the complex civilizations of Mesopotamia?

3.5 Digital Inquiry Group: What happened during Sennacherib’s siege of Jerusalem?

3.6 Coming Soon: What technologies helped Mesopotamia thrive and how did they promote the growth of the civilizations in the region?

3.7 Digital Inquiry Group: What can we learn about Babylonia from Hammurabi’s Code?

3.7 Remedial Herstory Project: How did Hammurabi’s code solidify gender norms? 

3.8 Remedial Herstory Project: How did women come to power in the ancient world?

3.10 Coming Soon: How do historians compare the economic and social aspects of ancient Nubia and ancient Egypt?

3.11 Digital Inquiry Group: Did Cleopatra die by snakebite?

3.12 Coming Soon: How were different social classes related to one another and how did they interact?

3.12 & 3.14 Digital Inquiry Group: Did enslaved people build the Great Pyramid at Giza?

3.14 Coming Soon: What characterizes the distinct eras of the Old, Middle. and New Kingdoms in ancient Egyptian history? What were the major achievements of each era?

3.17 Coming Soon: How did Phoenician trade spread their unique writing system and how did their alphabet differ from Egypt and Mesopotamia?

3.23 Coming Soon: How did Mohammed’s life and the Qur’an impact the development of Islam?

3.24 Coming Soon: How do the interactions of civilizations, both peaceful and hostile, impact the development of complex societies and humanity as a whole?

3.24 Digital Inquiry Group: Ibn Battuta: What was the muslim world like in the 1320s?

3.24 Digital Inquiry Group: How did the early Islamic empire expand?

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Suggested Resources:

Excerpts from the Epic of Gilgamesh (c.2150-1400 BCE): article on Gilgamesh with maps, photographs, and link to 10-minute video animation. Full text of the epic illustrated with photographs of Assyrian sculpture. 

Excerpts from The Code of Hammurabi (c. 1754 BCE): article with photograph of stele (stone sculpture) showing Hammurabi from the Louvre Museum. Full text of the Code. Video interpretation of the stele with the Code of Hammurabi 

Ancient Egypt

Sculpture of King Menkaura (Mycerinus) and Queen (2490-2472 BCE), Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; see also the museum’s tour s of the collections of Egyptian Art and Nubian Art

The Egyptian Hymn to the Nile (c.2100 BCE)

Excerpts from The Egyptian Book of the Dead, Negative Confessions (c.1570-1069 BCE): text and article with illustrations. Text alone of the Negative Confessions  

Ancient Israel and Early Christianity

Exodus, Chapter 20, the Ten Commandments (c.600 BCE, based on earlier oral tradition). 

Background and analysis of the Ten Commandments. 

New Testament, Gospel of Matthew, Chapters 5-7: Sermon on the Mount (c. 80-110 CE)

Islam

Selections from the Qu’ran, 1, 47 (609-632 CE)

Topic 4. Sub-Saharan Africa

Compelling Question: See below

Suggested Content:

Modern countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte (Fr.), Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Reunion (Fr.), Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Significant early Sub-Saharan African states and societies

Ancient Ghana, ancient Mali, Songhai, the ancient Kingdom of Axum, the Swahili city-states, Great Zimbabwe

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Physical and political geography of Sub-Saharan Africa

  1. On a map of the world, locate the continent of Africa, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea. On a map of Africa, locate the northern, eastern, western, central, and southern regions of Africa, the Sahara Desert, Mount Kilimanjaro, the Cape of Good Hope, the Great Rift Valley, Lake Victoria). Use other kinds of maps (e.g., landform, population, climate) to determine important characteristics of this region.

  2. On a political map of the region, demonstrate map reading skills to distinguish countries, capitals, and other cities and to describe their absolute location (using latitude and longitude coordinates) and relative location (relationship to other countries, cities, or bodies of water); use knowledge of maps to complement information gained from text about a city, country or region.

  3. Explain how absolute and relative locations, major physical characteristics, climate (including drought and desertification), and natural resources in this region have influenced settlement patterns, population size, and economies of the countries. 

 

Selected Sub-Saharan African states and societies, c. 100-1000 CE

Compelling Question: How did long-distance trade influence the development of early sub-Saharan African states and societies?

  1. Identify the location, sources of wealth, and importance of the Kingdom of Axum (c. 100-940 CE); explain the role it played in the adoption of Christianity in Ethiopia and the role east African societies played in the spread of Islam to South Asia,

  2.  Explain the pivotal role Swahili coastal societies along the Indian Ocean played in linking trade networks between interior Africa and maritime routes along the coasts of Central and South Asia, and connecting to China; identify key goods in this trade (e.g., gold, ivory, iron, enslaved people from Africa, and cloth, glass beads, and porcelain from Asia). 

  3. Identify the locations, sources of wealth and importance of West African cities and empires, including the city of Timbuktu (beginning c.5th century CE), and the empire of ancient Ghana (beginning c. 700 CE). Clarification statement: Students will study the later empires of ancient Mali and Songhai in   World History I. 

  4. Explain the pivotal role these societies played in the Indian Ocean Trade and the role of ocean currents in facilitating it, trans-Saharan trade, the spread of Islam, and trade with North Africa, Europe, West Asia in gold, ivory, and enslaved people and the contributions of these societies to the modern world. 

Topic 5. Central America, the Caribbean Islands, and South America

Compelling Question: See below

Suggested Content:

Modern countries in Central America and the Caribbean Islands

Anguilla (U.K.), Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda (U.K.), British Virgin Islands (U.K.), Cayman Islands (U.K.), Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guadeloupe (Fr.), Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique (Fr.), Montserrat (U.K.), Netherlands Antilles (Saint Maarten, Saba, Saint Eustatius, Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao), Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico (U.S.), St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St.-Pierre and Miquelon (Fr.), St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands (U.K.), Virgin Islands (U.S.)

Modern countries in South America 

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Falkland Islands (U.K. territory), French Guiana (Fr.), Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela

Significant ancient societies and empires in Central and South America (Mesoamerica)

Maya, Teotihuacán, Olmec, Toltec, Zapotec, Chavín, Moche, Nazca

Note that students will study the later Aztec and Inca empires in World History I

 

Physical and political geography and indigenous populations of Central America and the Caribbean Islands

  1. On a physical map of the world, use cardinal directions, map scales, key/legend, and title to locate Central America, the Caribbean Sea. On a map of the region, identify important physical features of the region (e.g. Gulf of Mexico, Yucatan Peninsula, the Panama Canal, Greater Antilles and Lesser Antilles). 

  2. Demonstrate knowledge of political geography by locating the current countries and major cities of Central America and the Caribbean Islands on a political map; use knowledge of maps to complement information gained from text about a country or region.

  3. Explain how absolute and relative locations, climate, major physical characteristics and natural resources influenced settlement, population size, and the economies of regions and countries in Central America and the Caribbean Islands. 

  4. Describe the culture and way of life of the indigenous populations of the region (e.g., Carib [Antilles and South America], Taino [Cuba, Trinidad, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico], Lenca [Honduras], Miskito [Nicaragua], Huatares and Chorotegas [Costa Rica], Lokono, also known as Arawak [Trinidad and Tobago]).

 

Physical and political geography of South America

  1. On a physical map of the world, use cardinal directions, map scales, key/legend, and title to locate South America and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. On a map of South America, locate important physical features of the region (e.g. Isthmus of Panama, Andes Mountains, Cape Horn, Amazon River, and the southern, northern, eastern, and western regions of South America). Use other kinds of maps (e.g., landform, population, climate) to determine important characteristics of this region.

  2. On a political map of the region, demonstrate map reading skills to distinguish countries, capitals, and other cities and to describe their absolute location (using latitude and longitude coordinates) and relative location (relationship to other countries, cities, or bodies of water); use knowledge of maps to complement information gained from text about a city, country or region.

  3. Explain how absolute and relative locations, major physical characteristics, climate and natural resources in this region have influenced settlement patterns, population size, and economies of the countries.

Major ancient societies in Central America and South America, c. 1400 BCE-1600 CE

Compelling Question: What are the most important contributions of ancient societies in the Americas to the modern world?

  1. Research and report on one of the major ancient societies that existed in Central America (Maya, Teotihuacán, and other civilizations such as the Olmec, Toltec, and Zapotec), or one of the major pre-Columbian Andean civilizations (Chavín, Moche, Nazca), their locations, and their cultural characteristics. (See Standard 7.)

Suggested Inquiries:

5.1-8 Investigating History: How do the spaces and places people build represent their values?

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Suggested Resources:

Images and text about Mayan architecture and culture c. 900 BCE to 1500 CE in Tikal National Park, Guatemala Note: Teachers may choose other sites and use other similar resources.

Library Computer Workstations

Skills Matter: teach the four dimensions of inquiry

Dimension 1: Developing Questions

Dimension 2: Applying Disciplinary Concepts and Tools

Dimension 3: Evaluating Sources and Using Evidence

Dimension 4: Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Action

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Learn more at C3teachers.org

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Grades 6–8 Reading Standards for Literacy in the Content Areas: History/Social Science 

 

Key Ideas and Details

  1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, quoting or paraphrasing as appropriate. (See grades 6–8 Writing Standard 8 for more on paraphrasing.)

  2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions. 

  3. Identify key steps in a text’s description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).

 

Craft and Structure

  1. Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.

  2. Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally), including how written texts incorporate features such as headings.

  3. Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).

 

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

  1. Integrate visual information (e.g., charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.

  2. Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.

  3. Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.

 

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

  1. Independently and proficiently read and comprehend history/social studies texts exhibiting complexity appropriate for the grade/course. 

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Grades 6–8 Writing Standards for Literacy in the Content Areas 

Text Types and Purposes

  1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.

    1. Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims/critiques, and organize the reasons and evidence logically in paragraphs and sections.

    2. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources.

    3. Use words, phrases, and clauses with precision to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims/critiques, reasons, and evidence.

    4. Establish and maintain a style appropriate to audience and purpose (e.g., formal for academic writing).

    5. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

  1. Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.

  1. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; use paragraphs and sections to organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories as appropriate to achieving purpose; include text features (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

  2. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.

  3. Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas, concepts, or procedures.

  4. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

  5. Establish and maintain a style appropriate to audience and purpose (e.g., formal for academic writing).

  1. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.

  1.  (See note; not applicable as a separate requirement.)

 

Production and Distribution of Writing

  1. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

  2. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.

  3. Use technology, including current web-based communication platforms, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently.

 

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

  1. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.

  2. When conducting research, gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

  3. Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, interpretation, reflection, and research. (See grades 6–8 Reading Standard 1 for more on the use of textual evidence.)

 

Range of Writing 

  1. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

 

Grades 6–8 Speaking and Listening Standards for Literacy in the Content Areas 

Comprehension and Collaboration

  1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on discipline-specific topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

    1. Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion. (See grades 6–8 Reading Standard 1 for more on the use of textual evidence.)

    2. Follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.

    3. Pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to others’ questions and comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas.

    4. Acknowledge new information expressed by others, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views in light of the evidence presented.

  2. Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation.

  3. Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and relevance and sufficiency of the evidence and identifying when irrelevant evidence is introduced. 

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Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

  1. Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate vocabulary, eye contact, volume, and pronunciation.

  2. Integrate multimedia components and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest.

  3. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

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