Grade 6 Social Studies: Global Organisations and International Cooperation
Free Grade 6 Social Studies unit on Global Organisations and International Cooperation: 10 lessons in order. Includes practice questions and answer keys.
10 lessons in this unit
Why countries cooperate
Define cooperation, treaty, alliance, common interest, global challenge and collective action, explain why countries cooperate (shared problems that cross borders such as disease, climate and trade, shared benefits, safety, standards and rules), give general examples (postal and air travel standards, health cooperation, trade agreements, disaster response), explain the difficulties of cooperation (different interests, fairness, trust, sovereignty), and show that cooperation can happen at many levels.
Lesson 2International organisations
Define international organisation, member state, intergovernmental organisation, non-governmental organisation (NGO), charter and secretariat, explain how international organisations are created by treaties and work through meetings, rules and shared funds, distinguish global from regional and governmental from non-governmental organisations, name examples (UN, WTO, WHO, UNESCO, UNICEF, African Union, ECOWAS, Red Cross and Red Crescent movement), and explain limits (members must agree, funding, sovereignty).
Lesson 3United Nations introduction
Describe the founding of the United Nations on 24 October 1945 after the Second World War, its main purposes in the Charter (maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations, promote cooperation and human rights), its six principal organs (General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Trusteeship Council, International Court of Justice, Secretariat), that it has 193 member states, that Sierra Leone joined in 1961, and its work through agencies and programmes, in neutral terms that acknowledge debate about how effective it is.
Lesson 4African Union introduction
Describe the African Union (AU), founded in 2002 as the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU, 1963), its headquarters in Addis Ababa, membership of 55 member states, its aims (unity, peace, development, human rights, integration), its Agenda 2063 vision, and its main organs (Assembly of Heads of State and Government, Executive Council, Commission, Pan-African Parliament, Peace and Security Council, Court), and discuss challenges in neutral terms.
Lesson 5Regional organisations such as ECOWAS
Define regional organisation, community, free movement and common market, describe ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States, founded by the Treaty of Lagos in 1975, headquarters in Abuja, aims of economic integration, trade, free movement of people, peace and security, and a common approach to development), mention that membership has changed over time and should be checked in a current source, describe the Mano River Union (1973) and its members as a smaller regional group, and discuss benefits and challenges of regional cooperation neutrally.
Lesson 6Humanitarian assistance
Define humanitarian assistance, relief, aid, emergency, humanitarian principles (humanity, neutrality, impartiality, independence), explain who provides help (national agencies, local communities, UN agencies such as WFP and UNICEF, the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, NGOs), describe stages of response (preparedness, relief, recovery), explain the Geneva Conventions of 1949 in simple terms as rules to protect people in war, and discuss respectful, dignified aid that involves affected communities.
Lesson 7International trade cooperation
Deepen earlier trade lessons by exploring why countries make trade agreements and rules (predictability, fair competition, dispute settlement), define trade agreement, free trade area, customs union, subsidy, dispute settlement and fair trade, describe the WTO (1995) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA, signed 2018 and trading from 1 January 2021), explain how rules aim to lower barriers and protect fairness, present benefits and concerns neutrally (cheaper goods and bigger markets, protecting young industries, uneven gains), and analyse a made-up agreement.
Lesson 8Global public-health cooperation
Describe how countries cooperate on health: the World Health Organization (founded 7 April 1948, World Health Day), surveillance and information sharing, vaccination campaigns, research, and training, define epidemic, pandemic, vaccine, immunisation, surveillance and public health, explain why diseases cross borders, use the eradication of smallpox (declared in 1980) and progress against polio (Africa region certified wild-polio-free in 2020) as examples of cooperation, and explain that good hygiene, clean water, vaccines and trusted information protect communities.
Lesson 9Peacebuilding and diplomacy
Define diplomacy, ambassador, embassy, negotiation, mediation, ceasefire, peace agreement, peacekeeping and peacebuilding, explain how countries and groups try to prevent and end conflicts (talks, mediation, treaties, peacekeepers, reconciliation, justice, rebuilding), explain that peace is more than the absence of fighting (fairness, rights, trust), refer to Sierra Leone’s experience of post-war recovery only in brief, document-based and non-graphic terms (including that Sierra Leone later contributed to peacekeeping missions), and practise a diplomatic skill with a fictional case.
Lesson 10International cooperation case study
Carry out a guided case study of one successful example of international cooperation (the global eradication of smallpox, 1967–1980) using a source pack: define the problem, trace the timeline, identify who cooperated (WHO, countries, health workers, communities), explain the methods (surveillance, vaccination, ring vaccination, training), identify factors that made cooperation work (shared goal, trust, resources, local knowledge), note challenges and limits, and write a balanced evidence-based conclusion.