6^th Grade: Overarching Essential Questions

(Bulleted questions represent era specific essential questions)

1. Why people live and move where they do?

·         What role did geography play in the development of the United States?

·         How did geography play a role in the growth of our country?

2. What do people believe?
   • Define Revolution
   • Who is an American?
   • (Religion, culture, politics, government, civics)
   • How has immigration changed the definition of who is an American?
   • How did Americans strive to reform society and create a distinct culture?
3. What do they do and how do they do it?
   • Why was there an American Revolution?
   • Why was the U.S. Constitution a revolutionary idea?
   • How did the first American government come about?
   • How did technology affect the culture and economic development of the United States?
   • How did the government reflect the rapidly changing needs of a new nation?
4. What happens when cultures collide?
   • Why was there a French and Indian War? American Revolution? Civil War?
   • Why was it difficult for European settlers and natives to coexist?

7^th Grade Group Notes: Overarching Essential Questions

1. Why do people live where they do? (Geography)
2. How does technology affect peoples’ lives? (Technology)
3. Why do people believe what they do? (Religion)
4. How do social scientists know what they know? (Historiography)
5. Why do people move where they do? (Geography/Movement)
6. Why do people live the way they do? (Culture)
7. How do people organize society to bring order to their world? (Civics)
8. How has geography affected history and how has history affected geography? (Geography/History)
9. How has the past affected our lives today? (History)
10. How does economics* play a role in the development of human society?

*Definition = the availability, production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

8^th Grade Group Notes: Overarching Essential Questions

1. Why do people live where they do? Include in your response affects of the government, economy, culture (way of life, dress, values, architecture, food, etc.), environment, religion (beliefs) and technology.
2. How and why do civilizations expand and/or decline? What is a civilization? Include in your response the 6 characteristics of a civilization as found in History Alive.
3. Why is there conflict? Include in your response economics and government.
4. *How does technology affect people’s lives? Include in your response culture, government, environment, religion.

*This last question’s format could be used for all themes.

Other 8^th Grade Group Notes/Ideas:

·         How would the crosswalk developed by Mike and Charlie address the 8 essential questions?

·         Are we looking for universal themes through grades 6-8? Our answer is “Yes.”

·         Grades 7 &8: a review of topical and essential questions. Is there a need for consolidation?

·         Why do people live where they do? What’s the role and purpose of government?

·         Should we teach ancient and modern Greece (for example) at the same time?