Dawood Public School Course Outline 2013-14
History Class VI
Books:
Roberts Martin, 2008. Timeline the ancient world Book 1. ( Second edi ) Oxford University Press
Yearly Syllabus:
Month
Chapter
Contents Page #
August
No.2 No.3
First Farmers
Invention of Writing
6-10 11-17
September
No.4 No.5
The Land of the two Rivers Ancient Egypt of the Pharaohs. C3200-1200BC
18-22 23-28
October
No.7 No.8
The Indus Civilization Indo-Gangetic Kingdoms
32-37 38-42
November
No.9 Ancient China
Revision for Mid-Term Exam
43-47
December
Mid-Year Examination
January
No.11 No.12
Persians and Greeks Greek Ideas and How They Spread
53-59 60-66
February
No.15 No.18
The Mauryan Empire: 326-184B The Roman Republic: 510-31BC
78-83 98-103
March
No.19 No.20
The Roman Empire: 31BC-AD180
Christianity and the end of Roman Empire
104-109 110-114
April
No.21
The Qin and Han Dynasty Revision for Final Exam
115-120
May
Final Examination 2014
Syllabus Contents:-
August:
Early Farmers
Contents Learning Outcomes Activity
First Farmers
Pg 6-10
Early human’s struggle for
survival led to the adoption of:
Most dangerous profession of
hunting was adopted.
Invention of farming
techniques
Realization of sowing wild
seeds
Storage of crops for the supply
whole year round
The best plants were cereals
and pulses
Discovery of sowing the seeds
in particular well- drained area
Development of better stone
tools
Involvement in other
activities:
Use of heat for baking bricks
and firing clay pots
Copper was smelted from the
ore
Obsidian was discovered
Farmers wove woolen clothes
Made ornaments from copper,
shells and precious stone
Impact of these activities:
Trade began between villages
People started establishing
settlements
Oldest Neolithic settlement
was Jericho and the largest
Neolithic settlement was Catal
Huyuk
Write a research report on the origin
of “Brick Kilns” and make a
comparison of the present day set ups
with that of the ancient times.
Population increased and
people moved towards the
other parts of the world in
search of better farmland
Archeological findings:
Archeologists found three
layers of fossils
The deepest layer was of the
oldest people
These fossils and the remains
gave the idea about the living
styles of the people living
there
Key words:
Neolithic = the time when
humans used better stone
tools and started farming
period = a section of time
cereals = edible grain
Obsidian = a glassy stone from
volcano
Barter system = system in
which the goods are
exchanged for other goods.
Model Questions:
1. How did farming start?
2. What were the impacts of the development of farming on the humans of that period?
3. What is Obsidian? What was it used for?
Cuneiform Indus civilization writing
Topic Learning Outcomes Activity
The Invention of Writing Pg 11- 17
One of the Britain’s most popular tourist site 2500 - 2000
People don’t know much about them because they could not write
Sargon the Great 2300- 2150
Maker of the first empire of the
Students will bring clay and will make their own writing using ancient patterns.
world in the Land of Two Rivers.
He was not a royal and he seized the throne of his former master
Egypt 2500 – 2000
Egypt was witnessing its downfall due to floods and weak leadership
Mentuhotep II showed the courage and reunited Egypt
Impacts of Invention of Writing
Communication became easy
Trade increased
Laws were designed
Priests formulated religion
Thinking and behaviour of humans changed drastically
Deciphering of the writing on Behistun Rock
Sir Henry Rawlinsion , a British army officer, translated the writing of Sumerians that is cuneiform
Deciphering of the writing on Rosetta stone
Champollion, a French scholar, is credited for translating the hieroglyphics, writing of Egyptians, on Rosetta stone.
Contradictory views of Archeologists and decipherers about Maya people
Archeologists thought they were led by priests. There remains show that they were peaceful and religious
Decipherers discovered that they were led by warrior kings and fought great wars and far from being peaceful they were fierce fighters
Model Questions:
Q1. Who established the first empire of the world? And how?
Q2. What do you know about the decipherer of the writing on Behistun Rock?
Q3. How was the writing on the Rosetta stone deciphered by Champollion?
September:
Ziggurat Smerian necklace
Topic Learning outcomes Activity
The Land of the Two Rivers Pg 18 - 22
Introduction to civilization.
Civilization is a time and place in which humans live in cities as well as in the countryside.
They engage themselves in different activities and pursue different careers like art, music , writing , trade etc
Sumer’s civilization and its people.
They lived in Mesopotamia.
They very creative, inventive and impressive
They built temples and palaces
Tamed floods
Began the study of mathematics
Wrote stories
Invented wheel
Hammurabi and his laws
He was a king of Babylon
He had 282 laws carved on stone pillars
Babylon and Assyria
Rise and fall of Babylon
Attack by Assyrians
Nabopolassar’s victory over Assyrians
Nebuchadnezzar development in Babylon
Key words
Mutilation = to deprive a person or animal with his essential body part.
Swamp = to fill with water.
Ziggurat = A temple tower of the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians.
……………………….
Flash cards activity will be conducted to revise the main contents of the chapter in an interesting way.
Model Questions:
What is the historical importance of the Land of the Two Rivers?
How did Sumerians prove to be impressive people?
Mysterious Sphinx Ancient Egyptian clothing
Topic Learning Outcomes Activity
Ancient Egypt of the Pharaohs. C3200-1200BC
Pg 23-28
River Nile
The Nile is the longest river of the world
Egyptians knew its important and wrote hymns about the river Nile
Sources of information about Egyptians
Writing
Pyramids
Tombs and temples
Mummies
Three periods of effective rules of Pharaohs
The old kingdom
Pyramids were built
Imhotep, the first architect known to history, designed step pyramid
Pharaoh khufu’s Great pyramid was built
Former historians thought they were built by slaves but now it is believed that farmers built them due to the floods in their fields
The Middle kingdom
Old kingdom ended due to the famine and weak pharaohs
Mentuhotep II united the country again
His successors also had a strong rule, fought battles and built fine temples and tombs
Most famous pharaoh of this Kingdom was Senusret III
The new Kingdom
Most glorious period of Egyptian history
Thutmose III defeated king of the Mittani and collected immense booty
Hatshepsut was one of the strongest women of that time and declared herself pharaoh. She built a magnificent temple for herself
Ramesses II
Most famous pharaoh of all
He over praised himself and made the servants carve his good deeds on the
Flash cards activity will be conducted in class to recall the important dates and events of the chapter.
walls of different temples
Nefertari was his favourite wife
Key words
Hymns = a song of praise to a god or gods
Mummification = a method of preserving dead bodies
Model Questions:
How do we know about the Ancient Egypt?
How important was religion to the Egyptians? Whom did they worship?
Write down the similarities between Indus, Euphrates, Tigris and Nile that led to the birth of Indus valley
civilization.
October:
Dancing Girl Statue King Priest Statue
Topic Learning Outcomes Activity
The Indus Civilization Pg 32 - 37
Indus Valley
There are many similarities between River Euphrates, Tigris , Nile and Indus as well as the civilizations developed along these rivers.
Mysterious civilization
Because many facts are unveiled of this civilization
Things known about Indus civilization
Location
Population
Crops grown by them
Brick makers
Had citadels
There were traders and craftsmen
Things not known about Indus civilization
Who ruled them?
Were they fighters or not?
Were they religious or not?
Was the large place at Lothal a
Slide show will be screened for the students about the excavations from the site of Indus Valley.
reservoir or a harbour?
Indus civilization seals
They had seals made up of steatite
Different animal are carved on them
Their actual purpose is still unknown
End of Indus civilization
Different theories have been given by the archeologists regarding the end of this civilization
River Theory
Flood Theory
Invasion Theory
Key words
Excavations= pits made by digging the ground.
Citadel = Fortress guarding a city.
Seal = a piece of wax , metal or stone with a design on it, used to stamp documents as a guarantee or fixed to something to show who it belonged to.
……………………….
Model Questions:
What is steatite? Describe the seals which have been found by archaeologists in Indus Valley.
List the differences between the Indus valley civilization and the Egyptian civilization.
Aryan’s Castes Aryans
Topic Learning Outcomes Activity
Indo-Gangetic Kingdoms Pg 38 - 42
Indo-European nomads, the Aryans.
They were fierce people with horse drawn chariots.
They used weapons made of bronze
They were pastoral farmers.
They spoke Indo-European language.
They were ruled by Rajas and Kings.
Caste system
Society was divided into four different casts.
Brahmins, priests and teachers.
Kshatriyas, nobles and the rulers.
Vaishiyas, farmers and merchants.
Quiz will be conducted in classroom.
Shudras, untouchables.
Religion
Worshipped many gods.
Made sacrifices to keep away the wrath of the god.
Sang Vedic hymns.
Social life
Lively and courageous.
Interested in gambling, music and dancing.
Religious Epics
Ramayana
Mahabharata
Model Questions:
What were the four main castes of the Aryans?
Write briefly about the social life of Aryans?
November:
Shang Dynasty Mask Shang Dynasty
Topic Learning Outcomes Activity
Ancient China
China
Highly populated country
Vast land with mountain ranges, deserts and ocean.
The Yellow River
Civilization started along the river as a result of proper irrigation and flood control.
This civilization was based mainly on one plant, millet.
Rice grew in the Yangtze valley.
The Shang Dynasty
Shang was the name of first tribe to control the Yellow River Valley.
Fought in horse drawn chariots and used bows, arrows and halberds.
They had workshops for metal and pottery.
Oracle
It is a divine message which tells people about the future, about how to
A research assignment will be given to students on ancient China.
act to be successful or to avoid disaster.
Religion
The emperor and nobles worshipped their ancestors.
Ordinary people worshipped nature gods
Chinese skills
Discovered the method of making Silk.
Carved Jade.
Had developed proper writing with 5000 different symbols.
The Zhou Dynasty
Shang were replaced by Zhou clan
They ruled for 300 years.
Key words
Dynasty = a line of rulers related to each other.
Halberd = a kind of weapon which contains spear and a battle-axe.
Model Questions:
Write briefly about civilization that developed along the Yellow river?
List the skills that the Chinese were good at?
December:
Mid-Term Examination
January:
Battle of Marathon Battle of Salamis
Topic Learning Outcomes Activity
Persians and Greeks Pg 53 - 59
Greeks
Lived around Aegean sea
Land was mountainous
Traded and founded colonies
Lived in city-states
Had democratic form of government
Athens
One of the strongest city state
Rich traders because of Silver mine of Laurion.
Most democratic city- state
Famous for artists, buildings, entertainment and pottery.
Sparta
It was a collection of villages
They were having near-slaves, helots
Spartan men were soldiers
Had kingship
They disliked change
The wars between Persians and Greeks.
The battle of Marathon
Greeks were victorious and Persians had to retreat
The battle at Thermopylae
Athenians and Spartans both participated in the war.
Persians occupied the city, Spartans fought till the end and Athenians fled to the countryside.
The Battle at Salamis
It was a naval war
Greeks won the war and Persians lost the control over Greece.
The Peloponnesian war
Wars between Athenians and Spartans
It was a no-win situation
Philip of Macedon established his control over Greece.
Key words
Democracy = A form of government in which people choose leaders through voting
Helots = One of the class of serfs in ancient Sparta, neither a slave nor a free citizen.
Documentary will be shown to students about the famous battles to give them an idea about how these battles were fought.
Model Questions:
Which sea was important to the Greeks and why? Explain in detail. How did the Spartans train their men to be strong and disciplined warriors?
Socrates Thales
Topic Learning Outcomes Activity
Greek Ideas and How They Spread Pg 60 - 66
Influence of ancient Greece
Due to the translation of Greek writings their influence in various fields can be seen.
Greek religion
They were polytheist
Science and medicine
Thales predicted eclipse
Greek thinkers preferred four basic elements water, earth, fire and air
Hippocrates often called “Father of medicine” who lived in the fifth century BC.
Mathematics
Pythagoras, mathematician and philosopher, formed theorems and principles of how to behave.
Archimedes made important discoveries in Geometry and calculus.
Philosophy
Greatest Greek philosophers were
Socrates
Believed in group discussions
Plato
Founded world’s first university “The Academy”
Wrote book “The Republic”
Aristotle
Plato’s student
Founded his college “ The Lyceum”
Taught Alexander the Great
Greek columns
Corinthian
Doric
Ionic
Sculpture
Greatest sculptor was Mayron
Influence of Greek sculpture can be seen in the ruins of Gandhara and Taxila
Key words
Documentary and slide show will be screened for students about Greek Philosophers, Scientists and Architecture and research on any one.
Polytheist = One who believes in a plurality of gods
Oracle =An authoritative person who divines the future
Model Questions:
List out the contributions made by Greeks in the field of Medicine, Science and Mathematics?
What was the main purpose of Ancient Olympic Games? Why did they come to an end?
February:
India under Ashoka Ashoka’s Pillars
Topic Learning Outcomes Activity
The Mauryan Empire: 326-184BC
Pg 78 – 83
Mauryan Empire
Chandrgupta overthrew the Nanda King with the help of the cunning priest, Kautliya.
Chandragupta Maurya
Good general
Reigned over a large empire
Defeated Seleukos Nikator, Alexander’s general
Had a well organized army and established active espionage system.
Followed Jainism
Starved himself to death which was a good way to die according to Jain teachings.
Followed by Bindusra
Ashoka
Son of Bindusra
Ruled very well
Erected stones and pillars, all over
A documentary on the life of King Ashoka will be screened to the students.
the empire, with the messages to his people on them.
Became a Buddhist affected by the immense destruction inflicted by his army in the war of Kalinga
Considered himself the father of his people
Had a large army
Developed Dharma
Dharma
Included
Tolerance
Thoughtfulness
Respect for teachers
Obedience to parents
Generosity
Care for all living things
Key words
Espionage = the systematic use of spies to obtain secret information
Edict = a command issued by authority
Model Questions:
Who was Kautilya? What role did he play in setting up the Mauryan Empire?
What did Asoka believe to be his main duty as an emperor?
Julius Caesar Roman Forum
Topic Learning Outcomes Activity
The Roman Republic: 510-31BC
Rome
Was a farming country beside the banks of river Tiber
Had Republican government
Had two main groups of citizens
Pg 98 - 103 Patricians, belonged to noble families
Plebeians, belonged to poor families
Carthage
Colony of Phoenicians
Traded all round the Mediterranean
Had a powerful fleet to defend trade
Rich merchants governed it
Punic wars
Fought between Carthaginians and Roman
First Punic war
Fought over island of Sicily
Continued for 23 years
Romans won the war
Second Punic war
Fought to seize control of Spain
Hannibal and Hasdrubal, Carthaginian brothers, attacked Rome
Carthage lost the war
Third Punic war
This was fought to destroy Carthage once and for all
Further expansion
Romans further expanded their empire in almost all directions
End of Roman Republic
Roman Republic ended with the march of Roman general, Marius
He killed all of his rivals
Julius Caesar was another general who was killed
Mark Antony and Octavian killed Brutus and Cassius for planning Caesar’ murder
Octavian also murdered Mark Antony and Cleopatra after a fight
Key words
Dictator = a ruler with complete power
Phoenician = someone or something from Phoenicia
Model Questions:
What is meant by the phrase ‘Roman Republic’? What influence did the ordinary people have in its government?
Who were: a) Sulla b) Julius Caesar c) Brutus and d) Octavian? What part did they play in weakening the Roman Republic?
March:
Colosseum Gladiator Pompeii
Topic Learning Outcomes Activity
The Roman Empire: 31BC-AD180
Pg 104 - 109
The golden age of Rome
There was peace and rule of law
Governors ruled provinces and were helped by legions
Trade flourished
Roman city
Pompeii
Was a pleasant city
Had 20000 inhabitants
Had Basilica, theaters, temples, palaestra, well drained streets, fine houses, heating and plumbing systems and baths.
Engineering
Their engineering skills were unmatched
Built roads, large and strong building, temples and aqueducts
Slavery
Had large number of slaves Treatment of slaves depended on their masters
There were different forms of slavery
Religion
They were polytheist
Made sacrifices to God
Key words
Basilica = A public building of ancient Rome used as courtroom
Aqueducts =a conduit that resembles a bridge but carries water over a valley
Model Questions:
What do you know about the Golden age of Rome? Discuss in detail.
Name any two examples of Roman engineering which are still prevalent today.
Coins of St.Helena Arch of Constantine
Topic Learning Outcomes Activity
Christianity and the end of Roman Empire
Pg 110 - 114
The origin of Christianity
Jesus entered Jerusalem
Jews were afraid of him
Jews demanded Roman governor to order his crucifixion
Jesus was crucified but his religion was preached by his disciples
Early years of Christianity
It was a simple religion
Romans were dissatisfied of their old religion
Christians suffered badly for their religion
Nero blamed Christians for fire damage and had wild dogs tear them to pieces
Decius and Diocletian sacrificed them to the old gods
Destroyed churches and burnt books
Official religion of Rome
After 300 years Christianity became the official religion of Rome
Constantine built many churches
From then on, no other religion, apart from Islam, challenged its leading position in Europe
End of Roman empire
Roman empire was in danger due to its weak leadership
Goths and vandals, Barbarian tribes, invaded more frequently
Serious plagues killed off many citizens
Emperor Constantine shifted the capital to Byzantium
Odoacer, a German chief, ended the reign of the last Roman emperor
Key words
Disciples = One who believes and help to spread the teachings of other
Barbarian = A fierce, brutal or cruel person
Model Questions:
Why did Christianity gain popularity?
How did the early Christians suffer for their beliefs? Why was Constantine’s conversion to Christianity important in the history of Europe and the World?
April:
Great Wall of China Qin Soldiers
Contents Learning Outcomes Activity
The Qin and Han Dynasty Pg 115 - 120
The Qin
They were strong rulers
Had simple laws
Took advice of philosophers
Conquered six other kingdoms and gave China its name
They named themselves Shi Hungdai which means First Emperor
They were energetic, determined, ambitious and ruthless
The Western Han
Shi Hungdai died
Peasants were ordered to go on military campaign
Some peasants got late and punishment of being late was death
They became rebels
Thousands of other peasants joined them
Civil war started and the Qins were defeated
The Han Government
Respected the teachings of Confucius
Students will gather information about ancient dynasties of China.
Aimed to win the support of their subjects
Created many Confucian schools
Brought fairer and more efficient rule to China
The Emperor Wudi
Ruled for more than fifty years
Was a great lover of horses
Conquered many areas
Sima Gaung
Best source of information about early Chinese history
He was a senior official at Wudi’s court
Got into serious trouble with the emperor
Wrote “historical record”
Wang Mang
After Wudi’s death nobles fought for the throne
Country grew poor
Terrible floods in the Yellow river valley hurt millions of peasants
Wand Mang died and Han were back
Better times returned
Silk road improved
Paper was invented
Education and literature flourished
Three generals over threw the Eastern Han empire
Key words
Ruthless = without pity
Mutilation = punishment by cutting off part of a person’s body
Revision for Final Examination
May:
Final Examination 2014
Method of Assessment:
Students will be given questions on selected topics weekly.
Oral response of previous lecturess will be taken in every class.
Monthly Test will be taken.
Students should identify the important places on map and pictures. Required Reading:
Crompton, T. 2007. History in Focus 1. ( 3rd edition ) Malaysia: Peak Publications.
Moss, P. Oxford History for Pakistan.