6th Grade Social Studies Essential Elements - Pink Passport
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(2014-15)
Name
I’ve found the “Pink Passport” to success in social studies! Geography & Map Skills - SS 8.3.1, SS 8.3.2
1. What is geography? the study of the world, its people, and the features people create to make it unique
2. What is a map? a flat drawing that shows all or part of the Earth’s surface
3. What is a globe? a spherical, or ball-shaped, model of the entire planet
4. What direction do lines of latitude run around the globe? east and west
5. What direction do lines of longitude run around the globe? north and south
6. What is the line of latitude at 0 (zero) degrees that splits the earth into northern and southern
hemispheres?
equator
7. What are the 5 essential features of a map?
a. title - shows what the subject of a map is
b. compass rose - a directional indicator showing which way north, south, east, and west is on the
map
c. scale - used to represent the distances between points on a map
d. legend - a key used to explain symbols on a map
e. locator map - a smaller map showing where in the world the area on the map is located
8.-19. Identify Earth’s 7 continents and 5 oceans.
Identify Earth’s 4 hemispheres. 20. western 21. southern 22. eastern 23. northern Landforms & 5 Themes of Geography - SS 8.3.2
24. What is an island? an area of land surrounded entirely by water
25. What is a peninsula? an area of land that sticks out into a lake or ocean
26. What is a strait? a narrow body of water connecting two larger bodies of water
27. What is a plain? a nearly flat area of land
28. What is a desert? an extremely dry area with little water and few plants
29. What is a mountain? an area of land that rises very high above the land around it and that is higher than a hill
30. What is a gulf? a large area of ocean that is partly surrounded by land
31. What is a plateau? a large flat area of land that is higher than other areas of land that surround it
32. What is an archipelago? a group of islands
33. What theme of geography describes where something is? location
34. What theme of geography describes the feature that make a site unique? place
35. What theme of geography describes areas that share common characteristics? region
36. What theme of geography looks at how and why people, ideas, and things move? movement
37. What theme of geography looks at how people interact with their environment?
human-environment interaction
38-53. Identify the countries of North America.
Climate & Resources - SS 8.3.3
54. What is weather? the short-term changes in the air for a given place and time
55. What is climate? a region’s average weather conditions over a long period of time
56. How is a tropical climate zone described? the area that is located between the Tropic of Cancer and
the Tropic of Capricorn that is warm with much rain
57. How is a dry climate zone described? an area with little or no rain
58. How is a temperate climate zone described? mild with 4 seasons (warm or hot summers and cool or
cold winters)
59. How is a polar climate zone described? found in high latitudes near the poles; cold with little
precipitation
60. How is a highland climate zone described? a wide range of temperatures and precipitation amounts,
depends on elevation and location
61. What is a natural resource? any material in nature that people use and value
62. What are renewable and nonrenewable resources? renewable - resources that the Earth replaces
naturally; nonrenewable - resources that cannot be replaced
Culture - SS 8.3.4
63. What is culture? the set of beliefs, values, and practices that a group of people has in common
64. What is an ethnic group? a group of people who share common culture and ancestry
65. What is the state of having a variety of cultures in the same area? cultural diversity
66. What is the spread of culture traits from one region to another? cultural diffusion
67. How is a democracy described? rule by many
68. What is communism? a political system in which the government owns all property and dominates all
parts of life
69. How is a monarchy described? a country ruled by a king or queen
70-82. Identify the provinces and territories of Canada.
83-95. Identify the countries of South America.
The Ancient Americas - The Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas - SS 8.3.2, SS 8.3.4
96. What current day countries were the Mayas located? Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras
97. What current day country were the Aztecs located? Mexico
98. What current day countries were the Incas located? Chile, Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador
99. What is polytheism? the belief in many gods
100. What is an empire? a land with different territories and people under a single ruler
revised 6­24­14 for 2014­2015