Social Studies

[lbuchanan]

I teach sixth grade social studies and I'm always looking for new and exciting ways to make it more interesting. A project we always have during the first six week period is for the students to create their own country. (the shape, landforms. scale, etc.) I've just started thinking about an idea that would carry this project through the entire year. As the year would continue as we learn about different types of govt. economy, etc. the students would use the country they created and use it to create their own economy, govt. etc. and they could keep all of the information in some type of folder or portfolio. Does anyone used this idea? What do you think about this? Give me any ideas on this? In my head this sounds like a great idea.

[JBBallard]

This does sound like a great idea. If you want to carry it through the year, have your students update their country throughout the year according to the topics you're teaching throughout. For example, instead of having them pick the type of government they want up front, wait until you teach about different government types and then have them choose the one they want to implement in their created country.

Your idea also provides you with the possibility of implementing other subjects into your social studies class as well. For example, you could implement geography by having students decide what kind of terrain or landscape their country will have (maybe they could begin by choosing a specific continent in which to place their country), and this, in turn, could even allow them to consider something like weather and the toil it could have on their country. You could incorporate health--the plague could definitely come in here.

It definitely sounds exciting, and there is so much you could do with it. Great idea and good luck with it!

[Boxcar]

I absolutely love this idea! It is going to be a lot of fun for you and the students.

[hweber]

You can also do a lot of writing assignments with this too. Write constitutions, campaign ideas, newspaper articles, travel brochures. Math, science, the possibilities are endless.

[SS Rocks!]

What subject matter is covered in your sixth grade curriculum?

I also teach sixth grade and we learn about the ancient world.

[Boxcar]

SS Rocks!, how did you get the cool little degrees symbol? I can never figure out the keys to push...

[SS Rocks!]

SS Rocks!, how did you get the cool little degrees symbol? I can never figure out the keys to push...

I found a website that used them and used copy and paste. :)

[lbuchanan]

Hi, sorry I've been out of town. I went zip-lining outside of Austin. It was scary, but I did it. To answer: what's involved in the curriculum let me start by saying that we use the book "World Cultures and Geography" by McDougal Littell. We start the year off with
* N. America Geography-landforms, immigrants, culture,
culture traits, Incas, Aztecs, Maya, diversity, economy,
technology
* Latin Amer. Geography-Elevation, climate, adaptation,
climate, agriculture , culture borrowing, urban, rural,
globalization
* Europe-literacy rates, life expectancy, imports,
exports, types of govt. Medieval Europe, social
classes, equal opportunity, pop. density, migration
* Africa-Tigris river, papyrus, mosque, Eup. River,
OPEC, primary prod. conflict and cooperation,
slavery, refugee, cash-crop, sub. farming,
* Asia- archipelago, Monsoon, GPS,
* Australia- we usually end up with about a week left
for Australia.
These are a few things under each topic that I teach each year. I think it would be great if the SS teachers could give each other ideas during the year of what they are doing in their classrooms.

[lbuchanan]

Oh, thanks for all of the ideas of extending the "Create a Country" throughout the year. I teach sixth grade.

[dsmms]

We take our students to a "Medieval and Renaissance Fair" every year at a local university. Kids love it!

Also, you could use the 2008 Newbery Medal winner, Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz to have the students perform skits based on the characters in the story.

donna