Are you cutting corners when it comes to teaching your sixth-grade child history and geography as part of their homeschooling? If so, don’t feel too bad. Many parents relegate these topics to a lower priority. At present, it is necessary to take action and devise a curriculum that is full of engaging and useful information.
Bear in mind that what is suitable for one homeschooled sixth-grader may not be suitable for another. As a parent, you must investigate and locate a course of instruction that interacts with your child, conveying the knowledge in a way they can understand and giving them the highest likelihood of success.
Exploring what is generally expected of 6th graders in school, in combination with researching the best educational lesson plans for homeschool, can enable any home schooling parent to pick a program that meets their student’s needs most effectively.
The 6th Grade History and Curriculum Overview and Expectations
In terms of geography and history education in a home setting, there are numerous resources you can pick from. According to information from the National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies for sixth-graders, the typical social studies curriculum should include the following topics:
- Culture
- Individual development and identity
- Time, change, and continuity
- Power, authority, and governance
- People, places, and environments
- Society, technology, and science
- Individuals, groups, and institution
- Production, consumption, and distribution
- Civic practices and ideas
- Global connections
It is evident that there are numerous possibilities included in the sixth-grade history and geography program that can be utilized to further your kid’s education. You can provide your child with instruction in topics like what is happening in the world right now, the economy, government, the study of human behavior, and others.
Curriculum Options to Consider for Your Sixth-Grade Student
If you want to decide on a suitable history and geography program for your sixth grader, then look at some of the possibilities outlined here.
Brimwood Press
This program provides an engaging way of instruction that is based around literature, enabling students to creatively display learning visually using practical activities. It is especially appealing to those of this age. Within the span of a few weeks, your student will be receiving a comprehensive understanding of chronology starting from antiquity to modern day. It gives an outstanding analysis of the principal historical times, happenings, and individuals. Many parents who choose to school their children at home believe that this is a great starting point for further history education during the year.
Rod and Staff
This homeschool program follows Christian principles and is suitable for students in grades 2-12. A desirable characteristic of the Rod and Staff program is that it is all-encompassing, as well as introducing young scholars to verbal terms not covered in other courses.
Parents who teach their children at home will find that the costs of the program they are using are not too hefty, with prices ranging from $9.00 to $76.50, depending upon the grade of the student. The program also provides student and teacher manuals which enable parents and students to choose whether to complete exercises by talking or writing, depending on which they prefer.
Mystery of History
This lesson plan has a Christian focus and provides an uncomplicated, faith-based, historically valid series. It features options for all grade levels.
The school curriculum is organized chronologically to reflect the sequence of global historical events. The Bible’s account of history was based on a Christian perspective, incorporating tales, histories, and cultures from across the world for context alongside what is stated in the Scriptures.
The Mystery of History curriculum is designed to capture the imagination of young people and encourage further learning. Routines such as lively lessons, timeline instructions, memory cards, hands-on and research-based activities, mapping exercises and semester tests and quizzes help to do this.
Story of the World
Susan Wise Bauer’s book, The Story of the World, is a highly acclaimed choice for homeschoolers in search of a truly all-encompassing course.
The narrative unfolds in a captivating and simple format over the course of four parts, starting with the long ago and bringing us to the present day. Utilizing this educational program, students will be able to virtually explore Europe, Africa, China, and the Americas to learn about the past in these places. This is a perfect set of stories for parents to narrate to their child about various cultures and civilizations across the globe.
Knowledge Quest Maps
This curriculum, devised by Terri Johnson, boasts a substantial range of timelines and maps that can supplement any further historical studies.
This program provides opportunities to study both the history of the United States and the history of the world. For each key stage in the timeline, there are around 60 named maps, with the same amount of unnamed ones, up to five pages of lesson outlines, a list of geographical areas, a vocab list, and additional resources.
Mapping the World with Art
Ellen Johnston McHenry made this program as an additional activity which would work well with any lesson plan in history.
This is intended to be used by kids who are 11 years old and older, and you can choose tasks that go with the other instruction you have been given. With this program, pupils have access to graph paper, allowing them to develop detailed maps that emphasize essential occurrences and other information regarding history, such as political line divisions.
This approach helps students form a mental image of the geographical location of specific occurrences. The book features illustrations which can be followed by the students, providing them with a practical, visual learning experience.
New World History and Geography by Abeka
Abeka is a popular home education course and it has an instruction module tailor-made for sixth-graders.
In this lesson, a brief summary of the United States’ history until the 2008 election of President Barack Obama will be discussed. The text not only includes facts and information, but also colorful illustrations, large maps, and “Geography Fact” assignments that correlate with each chapter.
Certain parts of the writing come across as energized and stimulating, however, some sections may appear dull. Despite not being as intriguing, certain aspects may be crucial to fully understand the overall idea.
Daily Geography and Beginning Geography
This collection of books has been created for 6th-graders and follows the National Geographic benchmarks for a full school year.
This incorporates expectations such as examining connections between lands, territories, and the population; investigating the natural energy that influences the Earth’s surface; the effect on ecosystems; the ability to interpret all types of maps; the features of regions; the correlation between human action and geography; and additional elements.
Best Integrated Geography, Government, and State History Program
My Country, My State, My Responsibility! Angela O’Dell
At the sixth-grade level, it can be a great experience to make learning about U.S. geography, American government, and the history of your child’s home state fun and worthwhile. If you have an affinity for this style of learning, take a look at Angela O’Dell’s brilliant My Country, My State, My Responsibility! teaching plan. O’Dell has created a program which ties together geography, government, and state history, providing a versatile and fun experience for sixth graders.
This program is wonderfully designed to fit the imaginative and potential of middle school students. Pupils gain knowledge by utilizing a mixture of reading assignments and practical assignments that encourage them to hone their analytical abilities. Pupils acquire a robust basis in the geography and policy of the United States, and additionally have the chance to deepen their knowledge about the precise state in which they live. The straightforward arrangement and clear writing of the program enable learners to utilize it with ease. The program is user-friendly for parents and requires minimal preparation time, making it a popular choice.
This program is divided into four parts: My Country, My State, My Responsibility! The initial curiosity gives an explanation of the US geography, the second one constructs an arrangement for students to evaluate the area they live in, the third looks into the American political system and the fourth examines city and state governments. This program consists of nine lessons each unit, making it suitable for a 36 week academic year when studied three times every week.
This program has the advantage of having few materials that need to be provided. Get My Country, My State, My Responsibility!, the National Geographic Kids United States Atlas, and the book Eat Your Way Through the U.S.A. by Loree Pettit to complete your collection. As well, make certain that you possess clear adhesive tape, adhesive, multi-hued pencils, pointed tipped markers, and a compilation of images or postcards of the multiple states.
Best Online Program
Calvert Homeschool 6th Grade History & Geography
If you want to find a stimulating homeschool course that combines world history and geography, think about Calvert Homeschool’s program for 6th graders. Calvert Homeschool has been at the forefront of providing secular homeschooling programs for a long time. The entirety of the school’s classes from 3rd grade through 12th grade are only available to take over the internet, and the level of excellence still remains the same. Most students find that the learning experience is made even more engaging and successful with the use of the media-loaded digital platform.
Calvert’s internet programs do not necessitate Zoom gatherings or virtual lessons at set times of the day. Rather, learners finish the classes according to their own timetable and at their preferred rate, similar to what they would do with printed homeschool materials. The web-based system does keep tabs on tasks and timetables and is able to perform most grading tasks automatically. The plan has been designed to enable children to have a simple experience functioning by themselves, but their parents can access the Teacher’s Dashboard at any given moment for an update on their children’s progress.
Calvert’s 6th Grade History & Geography course covers a broad selection of world history and geography, concentrating particularly on Ancient Greece and Rome, the Middle Ages, Europe split into East and West, South America and Africa. The following topics are explored: World Geography, The Cradle of Civilization, The Civilizations of Greece and Rome, Life in the Middle Ages, Six South American Countries, Seven South American Countries, Africa, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Development of Our World.
Calvert 6th Grade History & Geography is available to buy on its own, or it can be part of a Calvert Homeschool subscription, which gives you entry to the site’s great digital curricula. There are numerous subscription plans to pick from, the costs of which will be determined by the duration of your subscription, in addition to how many members of your family who will be utilizing the service. These subscriptions are an excellent choice if you are teaching more than one youngster at home or if your kid will be taking multiple classes through Calvert Homeschool.
Best Christian Program
Lifepac 6th Grade History & Geography, Alpha Omega Publications
If you’re in the market for a dependable sixth grade social studies program with a Christian orientation, the Lifepac 6th Grade History & Geography course by Alpha Omega Publications (AOP) is worth taking into consideration. This Lifepac curriculum is orderly, self-guided, and warmly welcomed by both pupils and their families.
This lesson plan is set up as a worktext program with ten individual student booklets and one guide for the instructor. Each book is focused on just one unit and contains all the necessary reading material, along with images, maps, language words, comprehension inquiries, exercises, and self-assessments. The teacher’s manual contains answer keys for the assessments and a lot of details about the course and instructions on aiding your child to work through the material.
This course has the same structure and topic coverage as Calvert Homeschool’s 6th Grade History and Geography. The key disparities between the two programs are primarily the fact that Calvert’s is virtual while this one is done using paper copies, and second, Calvert’s is non-religious while this one has a strong Christian foundation. The following topics are included in the curriculum: “World Geography”, “The Cradle of Civilization”, “The Civilizations of Greece and Rome”, “Life in the Middle Ages”, “Six South American Countries”, “Other South American Countries”, “Africa”, “Modern Western Europe”, “Modern Eastern Europe”, and “Development of Our World”.
Best Classical History Program
Story of the World, Susan Wise Bauer
If you practice The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home philosophy of homeschooling, then you would know about the comprehensive Story of the World curriculum developed by Susan Wise Bauer. This course of study is widely embraced by homeschoolers who have diverse methods. This learning program is organized in a way that is intuitive, enjoyable, and attracts attention, and it gives people the option of advancing at their own speed and concentration on any material they choose.
Leave a Reply