Grade 6 Social Studies: World History and Connected Societies
Free Grade 6 Social Studies unit on World History and Connected Societies: 10 lessons in order. Includes practice questions and answer keys.
10 lessons in this unit
Historical periods and chronology
Define chronology, century, millennium, BCE and CE, period and periodisation, place events in order on a timeline, calculate time gaps across BCE and CE, explain that historians divide the past into periods for convenience (such as prehistory, ancient, medieval, early modern and modern), and explain that periods differ in different regions.
Lesson 2Early societies
Define prehistory, hunter-gatherer, Neolithic Revolution, agriculture, domestication and settlement, explain that anatomically modern humans first appeared in Africa roughly 300,000 years ago, describe life as hunter-gatherers and the shift to farming beginning around 10,000 BCE in several regions independently, explain consequences of farming (surplus, villages, specialisation, inequality, new tools), and recognise that evidence comes from archaeology.
Lesson 3Civilisations and cultural achievements
Define civilisation, city, writing system, law code, monument and achievement, describe features shared by early civilisations (cities, writing, organised government, specialised work, trade, monuments) with examples from Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, China, Kush, Nok and Mesoamerica, explain that the term civilisation is debated and does not mean other societies lacked achievements, and compare achievements.
Lesson 4Trade routes and exchange
Define trade route, caravan, Silk Roads, Indian Ocean trade, trans-Saharan trade and exchange, explain how goods, ideas, technologies, religions, crops and diseases spread along routes, describe how routes connected Africa, Asia and Europe (for example the Silk Roads from about the 2nd century BCE, the monsoon Indian Ocean network and trans-Saharan caravans), and explain how routes created wealth, cities and cultural mixing as well as risks.
Lesson 5Migration and settlement
Define migration, settlement, push and pull factors, diaspora and expansion, describe major migrations in history (the spread of Homo sapiens from Africa, the Bantu-speaking expansion over about 3,000 years, Polynesian voyaging across the Pacific, movements along the Silk Roads), explain push and pull factors, explain evidence for migration (language, genetics, archaeology and oral history), and treat migrants with dignity.
Lesson 6Empires and states
Define state, empire, tribute, administration and legitimacy, describe how states and empires were formed and ruled (armies, roads, taxes, officials, trade, shared symbols), give examples from different regions (Han China, the Roman Empire, the Mali Empire c.1235, Songhai, Inca, Ottoman and Mongol), explain reasons for rise and decline, and compare how empires affected the peoples they ruled with attention to different perspectives.
Lesson 7Technological developments
Define technology, invention, innovation, diffusion and revolution, trace major technological developments (fire, tools, the wheel, writing, paper, iron working, printing, the compass, the steam engine, electricity, the telephone, computers and the internet), explain how technologies spread and change societies, explain that inventions often build on earlier ideas from many places, and weigh benefits and costs.
Lesson 8Colonialism and independence
Define colonialism, colony, protectorate, nationalism, independence and decolonisation, explain in age-appropriate non-graphic terms how several European powers took control of much of Africa, Asia and other regions, especially from the late 1800s (the Berlin Conference of 1884-85 and the Scramble for Africa), describe different effects on societies, explain how independence movements grew and how many countries became independent (India 1947, Ghana 1957, many African states around 1960, Sierra Leone 1961), and recognise different perspectives and continuing legacies.
Lesson 9Historical continuity and change
Define continuity, change, turning point, progress and decline, analyse what changed and what stayed the same over a long period (such as farming, trade, writing or government), identify turning points and their causes, explain that change can be fast or slow and can be seen as progress by some and loss by others, and use the language of change and continuity.
Lesson 10Comparative historical investigation
Define comparison, similarity, difference, case study and generalisation, conduct a comparative investigation of two societies, empires, trade routes or technologies using a common set of questions, write balanced claims about similarities and differences with evidence, avoid unfair generalisation, and reflect on what comparison shows that studying one case cannot.