Harcourt Social Studies Grade 6

1. Social Studies
Chapter 1:
The World’s Geography

2. Introduction
⦿ What is Social Studies?
Culture & Society

3. History
⦿ In history we learn about the past.
We try to understand why events happened.

4. ⦿ Historians look for evidence, or proof, about
the past in the objects and records that
people have left behind.
Can you think of any things that a historian studies
to find out about the past?
Written records
Buildings
Works of art
Tools

5. ⦿ Historians have to understand the past from
different perspectives, or points of view.
⦿ Because people lived differently in the past,
we have to be careful not to judge people by
the way we live now.

6. ⦿ How does this picture make you feel?
Slavery was normal at that time, so people then
saw it differently. They had a different perspective.

7. Geography
⦿ Geography is the study of Earth and the
people who live on it.
⦿ We can divide geography into different
themes.

8. Location
⦿ Everything on Earth has its own location, or
where it can be found.
⦿ We use maps to study location.

9. Physical Systems
⦿ Geographers study the physical features of
Earth.
⦿ Things like…

10. Human Systems
⦿ Geographers also study population and
human activities, including settlement, trade,
and interaction.
Seoul: a busy city with a big
population.
Rotterdam: the busiest port in
Europe.
Ellis Island: where immigrants from
all over the world arrived in the
USA.

11. Culture and Society
⦿ People live together in groups called
societies.

12. ⦿ This Hmong society is in Vietnam, but very
different from the society we know in Ho Chi
Minh City.

13. ⦿ Every society has its own culture, or way of
life.
⦿ Culture includes clothing, food, arts, and
many other things.

14. ⦿ Korean culture is different than Americna
culture.
⦿ For example, traditional instruments are
different.

15. ⦿ Can you think of some more cultural
differences between Korea and the USA?
Think about…
⦿ Food
⦿ Clothing
⦿ Holidays

16. Government
⦿ Societies need leaders and laws to live
together safely.

17. ⦿ Different societies have different kinds of
government.
⦿ Look at North and South Korea.

18. Economics
⦿ Economics is about money and how people
make, buy, and sell goods.

19. ⦿ Different societies have different economies.
⦿ Germany makes and sells a lot of cars and
sportswear.

20. ⦿ Can you think of some goods that Korea
makes and sells?

21. Review
⦿ History
⦿ Geography
⦿ Society
⦿ Culture
⦿ Government
⦿ Economics

22. Review
⦿ ___________ – a society’s way of living
⦿ ___________ – studying how a society makes
buys, and sells goods
⦿ ___________ – studying the events of the past
⦿ ___________ – a society’s leaders and laws
⦿ ___________ – a group of people living together
⦿ ___________ – studying Earth and its people
economics
government
culture
society
geography
history