CBSE/ICSE Class 6 Social Science

(a) The time frame under study.

(b) The geographical framework.

(c) Sources.

(a) Hunting and gathering as a way of life, its implications.

(b) Introduction to stone tools and their use.

(c) Case study: the Deccan.

(a) Implications of farming and herding.

(b) Archaeological evidence for crops, animals, houses, tools, pottery, burials, etc.

(c) Case study: the North-West, and North-East.

(a) The settlement pattern of the Harappan civilisation.

(b) Unique architectural features.

(c) Craft production.

(d) The meaning of urbanism.

(e) Case study: the North-West.

(a) The Vedas and what they tell us.

(b) A contemporary chalcolithic settlement.

(c) Case studies: the North-West and the Deccan.

(a) Janapadas to Mahajanapadas

(b) Case study: Bihar, Magadha and the Vajji confederacy.

(a) Upanisads.

(b) Jainism.

(c) Buddhism.

(a) The expansion of the empire.

(b) Asoka

(c) Administration.

(a) The second urbanisation.

(b) Agricultural intensification.

(c) Case study: Tamil Nadu.

(a) The Sangam texts and long distance exchange. Suggested regions: the Tamil region, extending to south east Asia and the west.

(b) Conquerors from distant lands: north western and western India.

(c) The spread of Buddhism: north India to Central Asia.

(a) Gupta empire and Harshavardhana.

(b) Pallavas and Chalukyas.

(a) Literature, including the Puranas, the epics, other Sanskrit and Tamil works.

(b) Architecture including early monasteries and temples, sculpture, painting (Ajanta);

(c) Science

At the elementary stage, the idea is to introduce students to various aspects of political, social and economic life. This will be done through a preliminary focus on certain key concepts, knowledge of which is essential to understand the functioning of Indian democracy. These concepts will be explained using imaginary narratives that allow children to draw connections between these and their everyday experiences. There will be no attempt made at this level to cover all aspects of India’s democratic structure, but rather the effort is more to provide an overview with which the child learns to critically engage by constructing herself as an interested citizen of a vibrant and on-going democratic process. The focus on the real-life functioning of institutions and ideals is to enable the child to grasp the deep interconnectedness between the political and social aspects of her everyday life, as well as the impact of these two in the realm of economic decision-making.

Objectives

• To enable students to make connections between their everyday lives and the issues discussed in the textbook;
•  To have students imbibe the ideals of the Indian Constitution;
• To have children gain a real sense of the workings of Indian democracy: its institutions and processes;
•  To enable students to grasp the interconnectedness between political, social and economic issues;
•  To have them recognise the gendered nature of all of the issues raised;
• To have them develop skills to critically analyse and interpret political, social and economic developments from the point of view of the marginalised;
•  To have them recognise the ways in which politics affects their daily lives

In this unit we focus on various aspects of diversity. The first section begins by having the child recognise diversity as a fact of being human and understanding diversity as different ways of doing the same thing. The second section builds on this by having the child interrogate societal prejudices against diversity, recognising that the self can be made up of multiple identities and that the Constitution compels us to respect diversity.

Section 1

• Diversity as a fact of being human.
• What diversity adds to our lives?
• Diversity in India.

Section 2

• Prejudice and discrimination.
• Inequality and discrimination.
• Recognition of multiple identities in oneself.
• The Constitution and respect for diversity.

This unit introduces the student to the idea of government. The first section focuses on the need for it, the history of adult franchise, the various types of governments that exist at present. The second section discusses the key elements that influence the functioning of democractic government.

Section 1

• The need for government.
• Decision-making and participation.
• The quest for universal adult franchise through examples of the sufferagate movement and the antiapartheid struggle.
• Various forms of government and absence of collective sanction.

Section 2

Key elements that influence the functioning of democratic government:

• Participation and accountability.
• Resolution of Conflict.
• Concerns for Equality and Justice.

This unit familiarises the student with both rural and urban local government. It covers the Panchayati Raj, rural administration and urban government and administration. The effort is to have the child draw contrasts and comparisons between the ways in which urban and rural local government function.

Section 1

Panchayati Raj

• Description of panchayat including electoral process, decision making, implementation of decisions
• Role of a gram sabha
• Women and the panchayat

Section 2

Urban Local Government

• Municipal corporation elections, decision making structures
• The provision of water and the work of the municipal corporation
• Citizens protests to get their grievances addressed

Section 3

Rural Administration

• Focus on a land dispute and show the role of local police and patwari.
• On land records and role of patwari.
• On the new inheritance law.

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This unit focuses on individuals earn a livelihood both in the rural and the urban context. The rural context focuses on various types of farmers and the urban one on various types of occupations people engage in to earn an income. The student should be able to compare and contrast the urban and the rural context.

Section 1

Rural Livelihoods

• Various types of livelihoods prevalent in a village.
• Different types of farmers: middle farmer, landless labourers and large farmers.

Section 2

Urban Livelihoods

• Difference between primary, secondary and tertiary occupations.
• Descriptions of various types of livelihoods including vegetable vendor, domestic servant, garment worker and bank employee.
• Differences between self-employed, regular employment and wage employment.
• The interlink age between rural and urban lives through a discussion of migration