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=Dr. Harper's 6th Grade Ancient Civilizations Course= Welcome 6th grade students and parents to our Ancient Civilization's Wiki. The purpose of this Wiki site is to provide a guide, resources, and links designed to enhance student learning of the Core Curriculum concepts for 6th grade social studies. Please contact me if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions related to the Wiki site. My district email address is: HarpDA@dfusd.net =__**Course Essential Questions**__=

**__Unit 1:__ Early Humans and Societies**

 * **What are the jobs of historians, archaeologists, and geographers?**
 * **What do archaeological studies of the early physical and cultural development of humankind reveal from the Paleolithic era to the agricultural revolution?**

**__Unit 2:__ Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Kush**

 * **What are the essential features of the land and rivers of Mesopotamia?**
 * **What important Sumerian people, religious beliefs, or social developments contribute to understanding the development of Mesopotamia?**
 * **What are Sumerian achievments contributing to the development of Mesopotamia?**
 * **What groups of people, other than the Sumerians, contributed to civilizations in the Fertile Crescent?**
 * **What are some of the important geographical features and historical events of Egypt?**
 * **What are some of the unique religious and societal characteristics of the Old Kingdom?**
 * **Who were some of the important Pharaohs and how did each one impact daily Egyptian life?**
 * **What Egyptian achievements in writing, architecture, and art made Egypt different from other places?**
 * **What people and events contributed to the rise and fall of Kush?**

__**Unit 3:**__ **Civilizations in India and China**

 * **How are India's early geographical features and civilizations described?**
 * **How can a complex religion like Hinduism be described?**
 * **What made the life of Buddha and his moral teachings unique?**
 * **How did Buddhism spread across India, Ceylong, and Central Asia?**
 * **How can the growth of the Maurya Empire and the political and moral achievements of the emperor Asoka be described?**
 * **What are some aesthetic and intellectual achievements of the people of ancient India?**
 * **What are some of the major events contributing to the development of early Chinese societies?**
 * **How did thinkers and teachers shape China's history?**
 * **What positive and negative impacts did Shi Huangdi have on China's history?**
 * **What impact did the Chinese rulers and the ideas that developed within Chinese society have on Han China?**
 * **What are the wars, invasions, and peaceful events that changed Chinese history?**

__**Unit 4:**__ **Foundations of Western Ideas**

 * **What people and events played key roles in shaping Hebrew history?**
 * **How are Hebrew teachings reflected in today's society?**
 * **How did Judaism survive and develop after the destruction the second temple in AD 70?**
 * **What are important geographical features of Greece that contributed to the development of Greek city-states?**
 * **What are the key differences between Athenian, or direct, democracy and representative democracy?**
 * **What was the significance of Greek mythology to the ancient Greeks?**
 * **What were the main events surrounding the founding, expansion, and political organization of the Persian Empire?**
 * **How were the roles of Athens and Spart alike and different in relationship to the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars?**
 * **What were the major events of the rise of Alexander the Great and the spread of Greek culture eastward and into Egypt?**
 * Who are some of the important Greek figures and what were some of their enduing contributions in the areas of art and science?

__**Unit 5:**__ **The Roman World**

 * **How did Rome's location and government help it to become a major power in the ancient world?**
 * **How did Rome's tripartite government and written laws help create a stable society?**
 * **What crisis' presented challenges for the Roman Empire during the later period of the Republic?**
 * **How did Julius Caesar and Augustine lead Rome's transition from a republic to an empire?**
 * **How did life improve for the Roman people after Augustus became emperor?**
 * **What are some of the features of Roman culture that influence modern lives?**
 * **Why did the Romans consider Judaism a threat?**
 * **What were some of the acts and teachings of Jesus important to the Christian religion?**
 * **How did Christianity become Romes official religion?**

__**Unit 6:**__ **Endings and Beginnings**

 * **What caused the Roman Empire to split and the western half to collapse?**
 * **What caused the eastern half of the Roman Empire to prosper?**
 * **How did the landforms and climate of the Americas affect farming and the development of early cultures?**
 * **What were the important characteristics of Mayan civilizations?**
 * **What were some important achievements of Mayan society in the areas of art, science, math, and writing?**