For many students, the sixth grade is the first time that social studies venture outside the United States, and that history begins earlier than 1492.  The standard sixth grade history curriculum — covering ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Mesopotamia, Israel, et cetera — challenges even the brightest students.  The remoteness of thousands of miles and thousands of years makes history suddenly more abstract, as it describes places that students cannot see immediately around them.  Southern California students are, after all, more likely to visit the San Juan Capistrano mission than Jerusalem. Read the rest of this entry »