Unit Plan 19 (Grade 6 Social Studies): The Geography of the Mediterranean

Focus: Locate major seas, islands, straits, and trade routes; analyze how physical systems and map tools explain Mediterranean settlement and exchange.

Grade Level: 6

Subject Area: Social Studies (Geography • Inquiry/Skills • History)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

Students explore how the Mediterranean basin—its seas, islands, coastlines, winds, and straits—shaped travel, trade, and contact among peoples. Using coordinates, scale, and thematic layers, learners build a mental map of the region and explain how physical geography guided routes and ports that connected societies.

Essential Questions

• How do seas, islands, and straits organize movement and power in the Mediterranean?
• In what ways do climate, currents, and landforms shape settlement, crops, and trade?
• How do map tools (title, legend, scale, latitude/longitude, grid) help us make and defend geographic claims?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Identify and compare Mediterranean subregions by physical/cultural features (basins, coasts, languages, economies).
2. Use and create maps with title, legend, scale, and coordinates to locate places, measure distance, and plot routes.
3. Explain how physical systems (winds/currents, climate, landforms) influenced settlement, agriculture, hazards, and trade.
4. Gather and organize information from multiple source types (basemaps, climate graphs, route maps, credible articles) to support claims.

Standards Alignment — 6th Grade (C3-based custom)

• 6.C3.Geo.1 — Identify and compare world regions using physical and cultural criteria (landforms, climate, language, religion, economy).
• 6.C3.Geo.2 — Use and create maps with titles, legends, scale, latitude/longitude, and grid coordinates to analyze location, distance, and direction.
• 6.C3.Geo.3 — Explain how physical systems (rivers, monsoons, deserts, tectonics) influence settlement, agriculture, trade, and hazards.
• 6.C3.Inq.2 — Gather information from multiple source types (maps with scale/coordinates, charts, artifacts, primary/secondary texts, credible digital sources).

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can locate and label major seas, islands, straits, and ports using coordinates and an accurate legend.
• I can measure and compare route distances with scale and explain why some routes were preferred.
• I can explain with evidence how climate, winds/currents, and landforms affected settlement, crops, and trade.