Grade 6 Social Studies: how to help at home
What your child learns in Grade 6 social studies in the Saskatchewan Curriculum, and simple things to try at home.
The Big Ideas this year
- Interactions and Interdependence (IN6.1–IN6.4): Evaluate and represent personal beliefs and values by determining how culture and place influence them. Examine the social and cultural diversity that exists in the world, as exemplified in Canada and a selection of… Develop an understanding that global interdependence impacts individual daily life in Canada and a selection of… (and 1 more outcome)
- Dynamic Relationships (DR6.1–DR6.4): Analyze the impact of the diversity of natural environments on the ways of life in Canada and a selection of… Analyze ways in which the land affects human settlement patterns and social organization, and ways in which human… Appraise the strategies human societies have used to orient themselves within time and place in the natural… (and 1 more outcome)
- Power and Authority (PA6.1–PA6.3): Examine the relationship between an individual's power and authority and the power and authority of others. Analyze the distribution of power and privilege in Canada and a selection of countries bordering the Atlantic… Explore the effects of injustice or abuse of power on its victims, including victims of the Holocaust.
- Resources and Wealth (RW6.1–RW6.2): Examine and analyze factors that contribute to quality of life, including material and non-material factors. Contribute to initiating and guiding change in local and global communities regarding environmental, social, and…
Easy ways to practise social studies at home
- Follow a current event together and ask who is affected and why people see it differently.
- Build a timeline of a family event or a historical topic they are studying.
- Use an atlas or online map to trace a trade or travel route.
- Ask “Whose voice is missing from this story?” when reading about the past.
What each unit covers
Map Skills
Reading latitude and longitude on a grid and in a table, telling which hemispheres a place is in, and knowing the continents, oceans and key lines like the equator and prime meridian.
Cities & Migration
Push and pull factors, immigrants, refugees and internal migrants, how and why cities grow, and the challenges of rapid urbanization, with a short reading and a population table.
Global Challenges
Poverty and inequality, global environmental problems, and how individuals, governments, NGOs and the UN work together, including the Montreal Protocol as a cooperation success story.
Trade & Globalization
Imports and exports, market, command, traditional and mixed economies, supply and demand, tariffs and trade disputes, and the benefits and costs of globalization, presented from several points of view.
Canada in the World
What the UN, NATO, WHO, UNICEF, the Commonwealth and La Francophonie do, how NGOs differ from governments, peacekeeping, and why countries sign accords.
What Makes Canada, Canada?
Official languages, parliamentary democracy and the constitutional monarchy, multiculturalism, the Charter, built and physical features, and groups working for inclusion.
What the report card levels look like at home
- Beginning
- Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Approaching
- Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practising the tricky parts.
- Meeting
- Has it! Meeting is the goal for every outcome. Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Exemplary
- Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Your child’s teacher decides the level on the report card. Read the Saskatchewan report card guide.
Common questions
How can I help my Grade 6 child with social studies?
Follow a current event together and ask who is affected and why people see it differently. Build a timeline of a family event or a historical topic they are studying. Keep sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes, and stop on a success.
What does my child learn in Grade 6 social studies in Saskatchewan?
The Saskatchewan Curriculum Grade 6 social studies units include map skills, cities & migration, global challenges, trade & globalization, canada in the world, what makes canada, canada?.
Free printable Grade 6 social studies practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.