Tennessee K–6 social studies standards

Describe familiar people, places, things, and events within a student’s home, school, and community.

Compare and contrast family traditions and customs, including: food, clothing, homes, and games.

Distinguish between wants and needs.

Identify and explain how basic human needs of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation are met

Explain the benefits of saving money.

Recognize and describe different types of jobs, including work done in the home, school, and community.

Give examples of how people use money to make purchases.

Use personal directions such as: up, down, near, far, left, right, in front of, and behind.

Explain what a map and globe represent.

Recall the student’s and/or school’s street address, city/town, and state

Give examples of the following concepts: authority, fairness, responsibility, and rules.

Identify the following state and national symbols: American flag, Tennessee flag, and the words of the Pledge of Allegiance.

Recognize and name the current President of the U.S.

Explain that the President is the leader of the U.S.

Describe roles of authority figures in the home, school, and community, including: caregivers, teachers, school principal, police officers, and fire/rescue workers.

Use correct words and phrases related to chronology and time, including: Now, Morning, Today, Week, Long ago, Last, Afternoon, Tomorrow, Month, Before, Next, Night, Yesterday, Year, After

Identify days of the week and months of the year.

Identify days of the week and months of the year.

Identify and discuss the following holidays, and analyze why we celebrate them: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Veterans Day

Explain the purpose of rules and laws.

Organize data from a variety of sources in order to: Compare and contrast multiple sources, Recognize differences between multiple accounts, Frame appropriate questions for further investigation

Construct and communicate arguments supported by evidence to: Demonstrate and defend an understanding of ideas, Compare and contrast viewpoints, Illustrate cause and effect, Predict likely outcomes, Devise new outcomes or solutions

Gather information from a variety of primary and secondary sources, including: Printed materials (e.g., literary texts, newspapers, political cartoons, autobiographies, speeches, letters, personal journals), Graphic representations (e.g., maps, timelines, charts, artwork), Artifacts, Media and technology sources

Critically examine a primary or secondary source in order to: Summarize significant ideas and relevant information, Distinguish between fact and opinion, Draw inferences and conclusions, Recognize author’s purpose, point of view, and reliability

Develop historical awareness by: Recognizing how and why historical accounts change over time, Recognizing how past events and issues might have been experienced by the people of that time, with historical context and empathy rather than present-mindedness, Identify patterns of continuity and change over time, making connections to the present

Develop geographic awareness by: Determining relationships among people, resources, and ideas based on geographic location (local, national, global), Determining the use of diverse types of maps based on the purpose, Analyzing the spatial relationships between people, circumstances, and resources, Analyzing interaction between humans and the physical environment, Examining how geographic regions and perceptions of the regions change over time

Describe the cultural aspects of a place, including a student’s community and state.

Define multiculturalism as many different cultures living within a community and state.

Compare and contrast family traditions and customs among different cultures within a student’s community and state.

Give examples of products (goods) that people buy and use.

Give examples of services (producers) that people provide.

Distinguish how people are consumers and producers of goods and services.

Recognize major products and industries found in Tennessee (e.g., agriculture, manufacturing, mining, music, and tourism).

Determine the difference between basic wants and needs, and provide examples of each.

Assess factors that could influence a person to use or save money.

Recognize basic map symbols, including: cities, land, roads, and water.

Locate Tennessee, Nashville, and Washington, D.C. on a U.S. map.

Use cardinal directions on a map

Distinguish the difference between a lake, mountain, ocean, and river.

Identify the three grand divisions of Tennessee on a map.

Identify the Governor and the President, and explain their roles.

Explain the importance of patriotic traditions, including the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem, and respectful behavior during both.

Distinguish the differences between rules and laws, and give examples of each.

Define citizenship, and recognize traits of good citizens, such as respecting the rights of others, voting, following laws, etc

Explain that voting is a way of making choices and decisions.

Recognize that a mayor is the leader of a town/city, and explain his/her role.

Identify Tennessee symbols, including: state flag, state tree, state flower, state bird, state animal, and the significance of the state nickname.

Arrange the events from a student’s life in chronological order.

Use correct words and phrases related to chronology and time, including: past, present, and future.

Interpret information from simple timelines.

Compare ways people lived in the past to how they live today, including: forms of communication, modes of transportation, and types of clothing.

Identify and describe the events or people celebrated during the following national holidays, and examine why we celebrate them: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Columbus Day, Presidents’ Day, Veterans’ Day, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving Day, Independence Day

Identify various cultural groups within the U.S. and the students’ community.

Compare and contrast the beliefs, customs, ceremonies, and traditions of the various cultures represented in the U.S.

Distinguish how people from various cultures in the community and nation share principles, goals, and traditions.

Examine different types of producers and consumers in the U.S.

Recognize major U.S. industries and their products, including: agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, transportation, etc.

Analyze how supply and demand influence production.

Differentiate between imports and exports.

Evaluate how imports and exports help to meet the needs of people in the U.S.

Explain why and how producers advertise to sell a product or service.

Describe the purpose of a budget.

Compare how maps and globes depict geographical information in different ways.

Identify and locate the four hemispheres (i.e., Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western), equator, prime meridian, North and South Poles, and the seven continents.

Recognize that the U.S. is part of the North American continent, and identify the U.S land/water borders including: Canada, Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and Gulf of Mexico.

Recognize the difference between physical and political maps

Use legends and cardinal directions to determine locations on physical and political maps.

Compare physical features of the earth, including: Island, Ocean, Plateau, Lake, Peninsula, River, Mountain, Plain, Valley

Compare and contrast regions of the U.S. (i.e., Southeast, Northeast, Great Plains, Southwest, Rocky Mountain, and Pacific Northwest) in terms of climate, physical features, and population.

Analyze how the location of regions affects the way people live, including their: food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and recreation.

Recall the origins, meaning, and lyrics of the “Star Spangled Banner.”

Identify and examine the significance of well-known national symbols and landmarks, including: Mt. Rushmore, the White House, the Statue of Liberty, and the bald eagle.

Recognize that the U.S. has a constitution, which is the basis for our nation’s laws

Recognize that Tennessee has a constitution, which is the basis for our state’s laws.

Describe the three branches of U.S. government and the basic role of each.

Recognize that our nation makes laws and that there are consequences for breaking them.

Identify the rights and responsibilities of citizens of the U.S.

Understand that there are laws written to protect citizens’ right to vote.

Compare the ways one becomes a citizen (i.e., by birth or naturalization).

Describe the fundamental principles of American democracy, including: equality, fair treatment for all, and respect for the property of others.

Examine the significant contributions made by people of the U.S., including: Neil Armstrong, Martin Luther King, Jr., Wilma Rudolph, David Crockett, Rosa Parks, Sequoyah, Benjamin Franklin, Jackie Robinson, George Washington

Describe periods of time in terms of: Days, Years, Weeks, Decades, Months, Centuries

Analyze and interpret events placed chronologically on a timeline.

Contrast primary and secondary sources.

Analyze maps and globes using common terms, including: Country, North Pole, Equator, Prime meridian, Hemisphere, Region, Latitude, South Pole, Longitude, Time zones

Use cardinal directions, intermediate directions, map scales, legends, and grids to locate major cities in Tennessee and the U.S.

Examine major physical features on globes and maps, including: Basin, Desert, Ocean, Sea, Bay, Gulf, Peninsula, Strait, Canal, Island, Plain, Stream, Canyon, Isthmus, Plateau, Valley, Delta, Mountain, River

Examine major political features on globes and maps, including: boundaries, cities, highways, railroads, and roads.

Use different types of maps (e.g., political, physical, population, resource, and climate), graphs, and charts to interpret geographic information.

Identify and locate the major continents and oceans using maps and globes: Africa, Europe, Atlantic Ocean, Antarctica, North America, Indian Ocean, Asia, South America, Pacific Ocean, Australia, Arctic Ocean, Southern Ocean

Identify and locate major countries, including: India, Brazil, Italy, China, Japan, Egypt, Russia, France, Spain, Great Britain

Identify major physical features of the world, including: Rivers—Amazon, Nil, Mountains and Ranges—Alps, Andes, Himalayas, Deserts— Gobi, Sahara, Bodies of Water—Mediterranean Sea, Straits of Magellan, Landforms—Great Barrier Reef, Niagara Falls

Identify and locate the fifty states of the U.S.

Identify and locate major cities in the U.S., including: Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, Miami, Washington, D.C.

Identify major physical features of the U.S., including: Rivers—Colorado, Mississippi, Ohio, Rio Grande, Mountains—Alaska Range, Appalachian, Rockies, Bodies of Water—Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico, Desert— Great Basin, Landforms—Grand Canyon, Great Plains

Locate the following cities and physical features in Tennessee: Cities—Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, Nashville, Rivers—Cumberland, Mississippi, Tennessee, Mountain Range—Great Smoky Mountains

Explain how geographic challenges are met with: Bridges, Irrigation systems, Canals, Landfills, Dams, Tunnels, Freshwater supply

Compare natural resources within the three grand divisions of Tennessee, and trace the development of a product from natural resource to a finished product.

Interpret a chart, graph, or resource map of major imports and exports in Tennessee.

Describe how scarcity, supply, and demand affect the prices of products.

Compare and contrast how goods and services are exchanged on local and regional levels.

Analyze how people interact with their environment to satisfy basic needs and wants, including: housing, industry, transportation, and communication.

Compare and contrast the geographic locations and customs (i.e., housing and clothing) of the Northeast, Southeast, and Plains North American Indians.

Describe the conflicts between American Indian nations, including the competing claims for the control of land.

Identify the routes and contributions of early explorers of the Americas, including: Christopher Columbus, Hernando de Soto, Ferdinand Magellan, and Amerigo Vespucci.

Examine how American Indian cultures changed as a result of contact with European cultures, including: decreased population, spread of disease (smallpox), increased conflict, loss of territory, and increase in trade.

Describe the failure of the lost colony of Roanoke and the theories associated with it.

Explain the significance of the settlement of Jamestown and the role it played in the founding of the U.S.

Explain the significance of the settlements of Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth and the role they played in the settling of our country.

Examine how the regional (i.e., New England, Middle, and Southern) geographic features of the Thirteen Colonies influenced their development.

Identify the economic, political, and religious reasons for founding the Thirteen Colonies and the role of indentured servitude and slavery in their settlement.

Identify representative assemblies and town meetings as early democratic practices during the colonial period.

Explain the cooperation that existed between colonists and American Indians during the 1600s and 1700s, including: fur trade, military alliances, treaties, and cultural exchanges.

Examine how long hunters (e.g., Daniel Boone and William Bean) created interest in land west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Describe life on the Tennessee frontier and reasons why settlers moved west.

Analyze the impact of conflicts between colonists and American Indian nations brought on by the intrusions of colonization.

Describe the contributions of Benjamin Franklin during this era, including the development of the Albany Plan of Union and the “Join or Die” political cartoon.

Analyze the causes and consequences of the French and Indian War, and recognize Fort Loudoun’s role in it.

Evaluate how political and economic ideas and interests brought about the American Revolution, including: Tea Act, 1773, Resistance to imperial policy, “Taxation without Representation” (Proclamation of 1763), Intolerable/Coercive Acts, 1774, The Stamp Act, 1765, The role of Patrick Henry, The Townshend Acts, 1767

Explain the different forms of protests colonists used to promote change in British policies, including: the Boston Tea Party, tarring and feathering, letter writing, and boycotts.

Determine the historical and present-day significance of the Declaration of Independence, including the roles of Thomas Jefferson and John Hancock. (T.C.A. § 49-6-1028)

Contrast how the principles set forth in the Declaration of Independence clashed with treatment of different groups including: women, slaves, and American Indians

Determine the importance of the following groups to the American Revolution: Loyalists (Tories), Redcoats, Minutemen, Sons of Liberty, Patriots

Examine major events and battles of the American Revolution, including: Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, Battle of Saratoga, Battles of Lexington and Concord, Valley Forge, Battle of Bunker (Breed’s) Hill, Battle of Yorktown

Evaluate the contributions made by women during the American Revolution, including: Abigail Adams, Betsy Ross, Mary Ludwig Hays (Molly Pitcher), Phillis Wheatley

Identify the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, including: no power to tax, weak central government, and the impact of Shays’ Rebellion.

Identify the roles of James Madison and George Washington during the Constitutional Convention, and analyze the major issues debated, including (T.C.A. § 49-6-1028): Distribution of power between the states and federal government, Great Compromise, Slavery and the Three-Fifths Compromise

Describe the conflict between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists over ratification of the Constitution, including the need for a Bill of Rights. (T.C.A. § 49-6-1028)

Describe the principles embedded in the Constitution, including (T.C.A. § 49-6-1028): Purposes of government (listed in the Preamble), Separation of powers, Branches of government, Checks and balances, Recognition and protection of individual rights (in the 1st Amendment)

Examine the legacy and significance of the presidency of George Washington, including: the creation of cabinet member positions, two-party split, and the push for a strong central government.

Map the exploration of the Louisiana Territory, and describe the events, struggles, and successes of the purchase, including the significance of: Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and Sacagawea.

Identify major causes, events, and key people of the War of 1812, including: Trade restrictions, Burning of Washington, D.C., Impressment, Francis Scott Key, Battle of New Orleans, Andrew Jackson

Analyze the impact of Andrew Jackson’s presidency, including: the Indian Removal Act, Trail of Tears, and preservation of the union.

Contrast regional differences in the early 19th century, including: the emerging urbanization in the North, the expansion of the plantation system in the South, and the developing West.

Analyze the impact of the American Industrial Revolution, including the significance of: Watermills (influence of geography), Robert Fulton (steamboats), Samuel Slater (factory system), Eli Whitney (cotton gin)

Compare and contrast the characteristics of slave life in plantations, cities, and other farms

Describe the experiences of settlers on the overland trails to the West, including the purpose of the journeys and influence of geography.

Examine the impact of President James K. Polk’s view of Manifest Destiny on westward expansion.

Explain the significance of the California Gold Rush in westward expansion.

Analyze the sectional differences between the North and the Antebellum South, including: Economic, Social, Political, Transportation, Population

Identify abolitionist leaders and their approaches to ending slavery, including: Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, William Lloyd Garrison, Harriet Tubman

Explain how slavery became a national issue during the mid-19th century, including the significance of: Missouri Compromise, Kansas-Nebraska Act, Compromise of 1850, Dred Scott v. Sandford decision, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, John Brown’s Raid (on Harper’s Ferry)

Compare and contrast the various sectional stances on states’ rights and slavery represented by the presidential candidates in the election of 1860, including Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas.

Evaluate the significance of the Battle of Fort Sumter and the impact it had on secession

Explain the efforts of both the Union and the Confederacy to secure the border states for their causes

Explain how the Union’s Anaconda Plan used geographic features to isolate and defeat regions of the south and the Confederacy as a whole

Describe the roles of major leaders during the Civil War, including: Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, President Abraham Lincoln

Evaluate the significant contributions made by women during the Civil War, including Clara Barton and Dorothea Dix.

Examine the significance and outcomes of key battles of the Civil War, including: First Battle of Bull Run, Battle of Shiloh, Battle of Antietam, Battle of Gettysburg

Explain the purpose of the Emancipation Proclamation, and identify its impact on the country.

Describe the significance of the Gettysburg Address.

Describe the physical, social, political, and economic consequences of the Civil War on the southern U.S. after the surrender at Appomattox Court House

Describe the impact President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination had on the nation.

Identify the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments as efforts to help former slaves begin a new life.

Compare and contrast the Reconstruction plans of President Abraham Lincoln, President Andrew Johnson, and Congress.

Examine the significance of the Compromise of 1877 on the U.S.

Explain the need for the South’s move toward industrialization after the Civil War.

Examine the appeal and challenges of settling the Great Plains from various cultural perspectives, including: settlers, immigrants, Buffalo Soldiers, and American Indians.

Analyze the ideas and events of the Gilded Age, including economic disparity (e.g., mistrust of money) and industrial capitalists (e.g., John D. Rockefeller).

Explain the role of labor unions and the American Federation of Labor in changing the standards of working conditions.

Examine the contributions and impact of inventors on American society, including: Alexander Graham Bell, George Washington Carver, and Thomas Edison.

Examine the impact of important entrepreneurs on American society, including: Andrew Carnegie, Henry T. Ford, and Cornelius Vanderbilt.

Analyze the causes, course, and consequences of the Spanish-American War, including: Imperialism, Rough Riders, USS Maine, Yellow journalism

Describe the challenges of the journey and process for successful entry into the U.S. through Ellis Island and Angel Island, and examine the role of immigrants in the development of the U.S.

Analyze the major goals, struggles, and achievements of the Progressive Era, including: Prohibition (18th Amendment), women’s suffrage (19th Amendment), and the lack of child labor laws

Summarize the events leading to U.S. entry into World War I, including the attack on the RMS Lusitania and the Zimmerman Telegram.

Identify and locate the major countries of the Central and Allied Powers during World War I, including: Austria-Hungary, Great Britain, France, Russia, Germany

Describe the impact of U.S. involvement on World War I.

Explain the aims of world leaders in the Treaty of Versailles and why the U.S. Senate rejected President Woodrow Wilson’s League of Nations.

Examine the growth of popular culture during the “Roaring Twenties” with respect to the following: Music, clothing, and entertainment, Automobiles and appliances, Harlem Renaissance

Identify the causes of the Great Depression, President Herbert Hoover’s role, and its impact on the nation, including: Consumer credit and debt, Hoovervilles, Mass unemployment, Soup kitchens

Describe how New Deal policies of President Franklin D. Roosevelt impacted American society with government-funded programs, including: Social Security, expansion and development of the national parks, and creation of jobs

Explain the structures and goals of the governments in Germany and Japan in the 1930s.

Determine the significance of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and its impact on the U.S.

Identify and locate the Axis and Allied Powers, including: Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, Japan, Soviet Union

Examine the reasons for the use of propaganda, rationing, and victory gardens during World War II.

Analyze the significance of the Holocaust and its impact on the U.S.

Examine the growth of the U.S. as a consumer and entertainment society after World War II, including: Suburbs, Increased access to automobiles, Interstate Highway System, Television, radio, and movie theaters

Examine how Cold War events impacted the U.S., including: Arms race, Berlin Wall, Cuban Missile Crisis, Space Race

Analyze the key people and events of the Civil Rights Movement, including (T.C.A. § 49-6- 1028): Martin Luther King Jr. and non-violent protests, Montgomery Bus Boycott and Rosa Parks, Brown v. Board of Education and Thurgood Marshall, Freedom Riders and Diane Nash

Explain the impact of John F. Kennedy’s presidency on the country, including: passage of the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, the space program, and his assassination.

Explain how the name “Tennessee” originated from the Yuchi language, referring to where the rivers come together.

Identify the cultures of the major indigenous settlements in Tennessee, including: the Paleo (Coats-Hines Site), Archaic, Woodland (Old Stone Fort, Pinson Mounds), and Mississippian (Chucalissa Indian Village).

Identify the pre-colonial American Indian tribes residing in Tennessee (e.g., Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek, and Shawnee), and analyze their various customs and traditions.

Explain how the Cumberland Gap and Wilderness Road influenced migration into the Tennessee region following the Proclamation of 1763.

Explain the significance of the Watauga Settlement on Tennessee history, including the following: Watauga Compact, Dragging Canoe, John Sevier, and Nancy Ward

Describe the founding of and the obstacles faced with the establishment of the Cumberland Settlements, including: the Battle of the Bluffs, John Donelson, and James Robertson.

Explain the importance of Tennesseans (i.e., Overmountain Men) in the Battle of Kings Mountain during the American Revolution.

Identify the Lost State of Franklin as Tennessee’s first attempt at statehood, and explain the reasons for its failure.

Locate the Territory South of the River Ohio (i.e., Southwest Territory), identify its leaders, and explain how it was the first step to Tennessee’s statehood.

Describe the steps that Tennessee took to become a state (i.e., population requirement, vote by the citizens, creation of a state constitution, and Congressional approval). (T.C.A. § 49-6- 1028)

Identify the year Tennessee became a state, its first governor, and the original capital.

Describe Tennessee’s involvement in the War of 1812, including: Andrew Jackson, the Tennessee volunteers, and Battle of Horseshoe Bend.

Analyze the impact of Andrew Jackson’s presidency on the American Indian population of Tennessee, including: the Indian Removal Act, Trail of Tears, Treaty of Echota, and John Ross

Explain how the western boundary of Tennessee was expanded with the Jackson Purchase.

Identify the impact of important Tennesseans prior to the Civil War, including: David Crockett and Sam Houston (Texas War for Independence and the Alamo), President James K. Polk (Manifest Destiny), Sequoyah (Cherokee syllabary)

Examine the issue of slavery in the three grand divisions and the impact their differences had on Tennessee’s secession from the Union.

Describe the significance of the following Civil War events and battles on Tennessee: Siege of Fort Donelson, Battle of Stones River, Battle of Franklin, Battle of Nashville

Explain the impact of the Tennessee Constitutional Convention of 1870, including: poll taxes, segregation, and funds for public education. (T.C.A. § 49-6-1028)

Explain the development and efforts of the Freedmen’s Bureau in helping former slaves begin a new life, including Fisk University. (T.C.A. § 49-6-1028)

Identify how the rise of vigilante justice (e.g., Ku Klux Klan), black codes, and Jim Crow laws impacted Tennessee and the nation. (T.C.A. § 49-6-1028)

Explain how the end of Reconstruction impacted Tennessee’s African American elected officials. (T.C.A. § 49-6-1028)

Identify Tennessee’s role in the passage of the 19th Amendment, including the impact of Anne Dallas Dudley and Harry Burn.

Describe the effects of the Great Depression on Tennessee and the impact of New Deal policies in the state (i.e., Tennessee Valley Authority and Civilian Conservation Corps).

Describe Tennessee’s contributions during World War I and World War II, including: the conversion of factories to wartime production, the importance of Oak Ridge, and the influence of Tennesseans (i.e., Cornelia Fort, Cordell Hull, and Alvin C. York).

Identify Tennessee’s significant contributions to the Civil Rights Movement, including (T.C.A. § 49-6-1028): Highlander Folk School, Tent City Movement of Fayette County, Nashville Sit-Ins, The Clinton Twelve

Discuss the development of the music industry in Tennessee, including (T.C.A. § 49-6-1028): Country music (e.g., Grand Ole Opry, WSM, and the Carter family), Blues music (e.g., W.C. Handy and Bessie Smith), Rock ‘n’ roll (e.g., Elvis Presley, Stax Records, and Sun Studio)

Identify influential Tennesseans from the late 20th century, including: Al Gore, Jr., Wilma Rudolph, Alex Haley, Oprah Winfrey, Dolly Parton

Compare and contrast the three grand divisions of Tennessee in terms of the following: Major industries (e.g., Eastman, FedEx, and Nissan), Tourism (e.g., Bristol Motor Speedway, Civil War sites, and Graceland), Agriculture and livestock (e.g., soybeans in West TN, tobacco in Middle TN, and dairy in East TN), Geography (i.e., Gulf Coastal Plains, the Nashville Basin, the Highland Rim, the Cumberland Plateau, the Great Valley, and the Great Smoky Mountains)

Describe the structure of Tennessee’s government, including the role of each of the three branches, the governor, and state representatives.

Identify the meaning of time designations and abbreviations used by historians, including: BC / BCE • AD / CE • Circa (c. or ca), decades, centuries

Describe the characteristics of the nomadic hunter-gatherer societies, including their use of: • Basic hunting weapons • Fire • Shelter • Tools

Explain the impact of the Agricultural Revolution, including: • Barter economy • Food surpluses • Domestication of plants and animals • Labor specialization • Emergence of permanent • New sources of clothing and shelter

Identify and explain the importance of the following key characteristics of civilizations: • Culture • Stable food supply • Government • Technology • Religion • Writing • Social structure

Identify and locate geographical features of ancient Mesopotamia, including: • Black Sea • Persian Gulf • Euphrates River • Tigris River • Mediterranean Sea • Zagros Mountains

Explain how geographic and climatic features led to the region being known as the Fertile Crescent.

Explain how irrigation, silt, metallurgy, production of tools, use of animals, slave labor, and inventions such as the wheel, sail, and plow led to advancements in agriculture.

Analyze how advancements in agriculture in Sumer led to economic growth, expansion of trade and transportation, and the emergence of independent city-states.

Explain the basic concepts of monarchy and empire, and identify Mesopotamia as the regional location of the world’s first empire.

Explain the concept of polytheism and its presence in Mesopotamia, with respect to beliefs about the relationship of deities to the natural world and their importance in everyday life.

Identify important achievements of the Mesopotamian civilization, including cuneiform, clay tablets, and ziggurats, and identify the Epic of Gilgamesh as the oldest written epic.

Analyze the impact of the introduction of written law in the Code of Hammurabi, and explain its basic principles of justice.

Identify and locate geographical features of ancient Egypt, including: • Mediterranean Sea • Red Sea • Nile Delta • The regions of Upper and Lower Egypt • Nile River • The Sahara

Explain how agricultural practices impacted life and economic growth in ancient Egypt, including the use of irrigation and development of a calendar.

Explain the structure of ancient Egyptian society, including: • Relationships between groups of people • How social classes were organized by occupation • Positions of pharaohs as god/kings • Role of slaves

Explain the polytheistic religion of ancient Egypt, with respect to beliefs about the afterlife, the reasons for mummification, and the use of pyramids

Analyze the impact of key figures from ancient Egypt, including: • Growth under the leadership of Queen Hatshepsut and her economic policies • Ramses the Great’s military conquests leading to growth of the kingdom • Significance of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb on the understanding of ancient Egypt.

Analyze the achievements of ancient Egyptian civilization, including: hieroglyphics, papyrus, and the pyramids and Sphinx at Giza.

Examine the cultural diffusion of ancient Egypt with surrounding civilizations through trade and conflict, including its relationship with Nubia.

Identify and locate geographical features of ancient Israel, including: • Dead Sea • Mediterranean Sea • Jerusalem • Red Sea • Jordan River • Sinai Peninsula

Describe the development of the ancient Israelites, and explain the reasons for their movements from Mesopotamia to Canaan (later called Israel), from Canaan to Egypt, and from Egypt back to Canaan.

Describe the origins and central features of Judaism: • Key Person(s): Abraham, Moses • Sacred Texts: The Tanakh (i.e., Hebrew Bible) • Basic Beliefs: monotheism, Ten Commandments, emphasis on individual worth and personal responsibility

Identify the importance of Saul as the first king of Israel, David as the second king who founded Jerusalem as the capital, and Solomon as the third king who built the first temple.

Summarize the breakup of the Kingdom of Israel, Babylonian captivity, and the return of the Jews to their homeland under the Persian Empire.

Identify and locate geographical features of ancient India, including: • Ganges River • Indus River • Himalayan Mountains • Monsoon winds • Indian Ocean • Subcontinent of India

Explain the emergence of the Harappan civilization in the Indus River Valley as an early agricultural civilization, and describe its achievements, including: • Architecture built with bricks • Arranging roads into a series of grid-systems • Sanitation and sewer systems

Describe the social structure of the caste system, and explain its effect on everyday life in ancient India.

Describe the origins and central features of Hinduism: • Key Person(s): origins in Aryan traditions • Sacred Texts: The Vedas • Basic Beliefs: dharma, karma, reincarnation, and moksha

Describe the origins and central features of Buddhism: • Key Person(s): Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) • Sacred Texts: Tripitaka • Basic Beliefs: Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path, Nirvana

Identify the long-lasting intellectual traditions that emerged during the late empire of ancient India, including: medical education, medical techniques, and mathematics (e.g., Hindu-Arabic numerals).

Identify and locate geographical features of ancient China, including: • Gobi Desert • Plateau of Tibet • Himalayan Mountains • Yangtze River • Pacific Ocean • Yellow River

Analyze the influence of geographic features on the origins of ancient Chinese civilization in the Yellow River Valley, and explain how China’s geography helped create a unique yet diverse cultural identity that was isolated from the rest of the world.

Describe how the size of ancient China made governing difficult and how the concepts of the mandate of heaven and Legalism emerged as solutions to this problem.

Identify the political and cultural problems prevalent in the time of Confucius and how the philosophy of Confucianism and The Analects emphasized the concepts of kinship, order, and hierarchy to address these problems.

Explain the significance of the unification of ancient China into the first Chinese empire by Qin Shi Huangdi, beginning the Qin Dynasty.

Explain how the implementation of the philosophy of Confucianism led to the political success and longevity of the Han Dynasty.

Explain the major accomplishments of the Han Dynasty, including: the magnetic compass, paper making, porcelain, silk, and woodblock printing.

Describe how the desire for Chinese goods influenced the creation of The Silk Road and initiated cultural diffusion throughout Eurasia, including the introduction of Buddhism into ancient China.

Identify and locate geographical features of ancient Greece, including: • Asia Minor • Mediterranean Sea • Athens • Peloponnesian peninsula • Macedonia • Sparta

Analyze how the geographical features of ancient Greece, including its mountainous terrain and access to the Mediterranean Sea, contributed to its organization into city-states, role in maritime trade, and colonies in the Mediterranean.

Examine the concept of the polis in Greek city-states, including the ideas of: citizenship, civic participation, and the rule of law.

Explain the basic concepts of direct democracy and oligarchy.

Explain the characteristics of the major Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta, including: • Advantages of each geographic location • Status of women • Approaches to education • Styles of government • Practice of slavery

Analyze the causes and consequences of the Persian Wars, including the role of Athens and its cooperation with Sparta to defend the Greek city-states.

Analyze the causes and consequences of the Peloponnesian Wars, including how the growing political conflict between Athens and Sparta led to war and left the city-states open to conquest by the Macedonians.

Explain the polytheistic religion of ancient Greece, with respect to beliefs about the humanlike qualities of the deities, their importance in everyday life, and the emergence of the Olympic Games to honor Zeus.

Explain the historical significance of ancient Greek literature, including how the Iliad and the Odyssey provide insight into the life of the ancient Greeks.

Examine the influence of ancient Greek philosophers (e.g., Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates) and their impact on education and society in Greece.

Describe the purposes of major Greek architecture, including the Parthenon and the Acropolis.

Explain the unification of the Greek city-states by Macedonia, and analyze the impact of Alexander the Great and the diffusion of Hellenistic culture.

Identify and locate the geographical features of ancient Rome, including: • Constantinople • Mediterranean Sea • Italian Alps • Rome • Italian Peninsula • Tiber River

Analyze how the geographical location of ancient Rome contributed to its political and economic growth in the Mediterranean region and beyond.

Describe the government of the Roman Republic, including: • Branches of government • Representative democracy • Checks and balances • The rule of law and the Twelve Tables • Civic participation

Describe the class system of ancient Rome, including the role of patricians, plebeians, and slaves in Roman society.

Describe the characteristics of Julius Caesar’s rule, including: • Leadership in the military • Popularity amongst plebeians • Role as dictator for life • Assassination

Analyze the influence of Augustus Caesar, including the establishment of the Roman Empire and its political, geographic, and economic expansion during the Pax Romana.

Analyze how innovations in engineering and architecture contributed to Roman expansion, including the role of: • Aqueducts • Domes • Arches • Roads • Bridges • Sanitation • The Colosseum

Explain the polytheistic religion of ancient Rome, with respect to beliefs about the humanlike qualities of the deities and their importance in everyday life.

Describe the origins and central features of Christianity: • Key Person(s) Jesus, Paul • Sacred Texts: The Bible • Basic Beliefs: monotheism, sin and forgiveness, eternal life, Jesus as the Messiah

Explain the expulsion of the Jews from their homeland by the Romans, which began the Jewish diaspora.

Explain the division of the Roman Empire into East and West, and identify the later establishment of Constantinople as the capital by Constantine.

Analyze the fall of the Western Roman Empire, including difficulty governing its large territory, political corruption, economic instability, and attacks by Germanic tribes, and identify the continuation of the Eastern Roman Empire as the Byzantine Empire.