6th Grade Social Studies

About Me• Spent formative years in Southern

CA; dual citizen• Mother of two boys (16 and 18);

husband is an attorney; have two labradoodles (Sunny & Cher)

• Bachelor’s in Communication (BYU), Master’s in Education (Pepperdine)

• CA and TX certified; ESL and GT endorsement

• 21st year teaching• Teach social studies and PE

Our curriculum…• Modern World Cultures and

Geography

Geography• We begin each unit with a mapping

lab, and then finish with a map test.• Mapping labs consist of labeling

physical and political maps, and then using thematic maps to answer questions about “where” and “why there?”• Ex “Where?”: One of the longest rivers in the world flows from the

Plateau of Tibet to the East China Sea. What is the name of this river? Through which country does it flow?

• Ex “Why There?”: Which three Latin American countries have the most land for livestock raising? In which of these countries do climate and vegetation make it most suitable for livestock raising? Why?

We stress how geography shapes a culture.

Culture• 1st 6 weeks is all about map skills,

and learning the fundamentals of geography

• We usually highlight specific cultures/countries as we study different regions.

• We emphasize food, religion, housing, education, taboos—aspects students find interesting.

Interactive Notebooks• Used for class notes and reading

notes and other assignments• The purpose is to enable your child

to become a creative, independent thinker and writer

• When you want to know what is going on in social studies, ask to see your child’s Interactive Notebook

Warm-ups• Everyday we begin class with a

geography warm-up.• Example: 27.Between which two islands

is the Davis Strait? Greenland and Baffin Island

• Every four weeks we have a warm-up test which counts as a major grade (half).

• Students use their warm-up notes (kept in the back of the Interactive Notebook) to take the test.

Daily Grades• Daily grades--40% • Daily work that does not get finished

in class should be completed at home; however, your child should not being needing to complete much work at home.

• Daily work most often consists of papers related to the text pages covered in class.

Major Grades• Major grades--60% • Chapter tests, projects, and warm-up

tests • Students will not be given a study

guide for each test. They will be informed of the material covered on the test.

Projects• Grading rubrics are used to grade

projects• We devote lots of class time to

projects.

Contact Information• The easiest way to reach me is by

email:

• kduckworth@misd.org