Developing national identity is a goal of schools around the world. Historically this goal has been especially important for nations coming out of colonization as new governments seek to unify their nations and promote national identities. From 1842 to 1997, Hong Kong was a British colony whose excellent harbor made it a linchpin of British…

When archaeologists dig up the artifacts of ancient civilizations, they make discoveries and attempt to find out what life was like for ancient people. Students in the classroom explore the civilizations of the ancient world attempting to answer questions about how people lived thousands of years ago. In this activity for grade 6, students, in…

This unit for sixth graders focuses on the origins of Chinese civilization, the rise of early Chinese imperial centers, and the breakdown of order by the beginning of the sixth century B.C. Among the topics in the unit are: Early history and geography of India; Buddhism; Early history and geography of China; Confucius; and Culture, politics,…

This teaching guide for sixth grade social studies teachers focuses on the roles of women in European history and the roles women play in more contemporary European, American, African, and Asian societies. Study units provided include: (1) "Daily Life in Ancient Greece"; (2) a unit on the equality of the sexes in ancient Egypt; (3) a…

The document contains eight activity sets suitable for grades 6 and 7. Topics focus on governmental, social, and educational systems in foreign countries. Each activity set contains background reading materials, resources, concepts, general objectives, and instructional objectives. Grade 6 sets are "Soviet Youth Organizations,""How…

In this grade 6 interdisciplinary language arts and social studies unit, students are required to assume the role of a team and describe their country's participation in trade along the Silk Road. Countries represented in the unit include Egypt, Italy, Iraq, India, Israel, and China. The team is asked to create a display showing artifacts, journal…

A unit in a Glendale, California sixth grade social studies curriculum is presented as a model for addressing two problems in the instruction of the growing population of limited English-proficient (LEP) students: (1) inadequate teacher training; and (2) shortage of appropriate, effective instructional materials. For the curriculum segment on…

The major objective of this instructional program on the People's Republic of China is to help elementary grade students develop an understanding and tolerance of cultural relativism. The development of intellectual, affective, and psychomotor skills through the utilization of subject matter is also an important objective of the program. The…