This unit, China in the 21st Century, was developed for sixth grade students. In this unit, students will have an opportunity to explore China and discover the major role it will play in the 21st Century and how that will impact their lives. The length of the unit is approximately three to four weeks. It contains a variety of assessments, including classroom observations, an open response item with rubric, journal entries, and student performance tasks.
Content Standards: The targeted content standards are:
Program of Studies:
Economics: Students will examine economic interdependence among regions.
Geography: Students will analyze the physical and human characteristics of places and regions.
Culture and Society: Students will examine the concept of culture in the modern world.
Government and Civics: Students will compare and contrast forms of government in the modern world.
Core Content for Assessment:
SS-M-3.4.3 Personal, national, and international economic activities are interdependent.
SS-M-4.11 Maps (e.g., map projections - Mercator and Robinson), globes, photographs, models, and satellite images are representations of Earth with different characteristics and uses.
SS-M-4.4.2 The physical environment both promotes and limits human activities (e.g., exploration, migration, trade).
SS-M-4.4.1 Technology assists human modification of the physical environment (e.g., damming a river, irrigating a desert, cooling or heating a living area).
SS-M-2.2.1 All cultures develop institutions, customs, beliefs, and holidays reflecting their unique histories, situations, and perspectives.
SS-M-1.1.1 Governments may take different forms (e.g., constitutional, totalitarian, democratic, republic).
Academic Expectations:
2.18: Students understand economic principles and are able to make economic decisions that have consequences in daily living.
2.19: Students recognize and understand the relationship between people and geography and apply their knowledge in real-life situations.
2.16 Students observe, analyze, and interpret human behaviors, social groupings, and institutions to better understand people and the relationships among individuals and among groups.
2.15 Students can accurately describe various forms of government and analyze issues that relate to the rights and responsibilities of citizens in a democracy.