SOCIAL SCIENCE VOCABULARY

GRADE 6

 

The World

 

 

 

Vocabulary                             Definition

 

 

Unit 1 – Chapter 2 Early Civilization

Lesson 1

civilization                                 a group of people who have a complex and organized society within a culture (p. 35)

 

fertile                                        rich, as in soil (p. 35)

 

plateau                                     an area of high flat land (p. 36)

 

irrigation                                   a system of transporting water to crops (p. 36)

 

region                                       an area on Earth with common physical features (p. 38)

 

Lesson 2

society                                      an organized community with established rules and traditions (p. 42)

 

polytheism                                the worship of many gods (p. 42)

 

empire                                      a large territory consisting of many different places under the control of a single ruler (p. 45)

 

dynasty                                     ruling family (p. 45)

 

Lesson 3

conquest                                   the defeat of another group (p. 52)

 

Lesson 4

covenant                                   an agreement (p. 55)

 

monotheism                              the worship of only one god (p. 55)

 

Judaism                                    monotheistic religion founded by Abraham (p. 55)

 

slavery                                      the practice of one person owning another person (p. 55)

 

descendent                               a person born later into the same family (p. 55)

 

barter                                       to exchange one kind of good or service for another (p. 59)

 

 

Unit 2 – Chapter 3 Ancient Egypt and Nubia

Lesson 1

delta                                         a triangular-shaped area at the mouth of some rivers (p. 79)

 

Lesson 2

unify                                         to unite, combine, or bring together (p. 85)

 

economy                                  the way people use and manage resources (p. 89)

 

Lesson 3

independent                              free (p. 94)

 

 

Unit 2 – Chapter 4 Ancient China

Lesson 2

provinces                                  political divisions (p. 110)

 

ancestor                                   relative who lived longer ago than a grandparent (p. 111)

 

Lesson 3

nobility                                     high-ranking social class (p. 115)

 

Confucianism                            a way of thinking and living based on teachings of Confucius (p. 116)

 

Daoism                                     the belief on finding the “way,” or Dao, of the Universe (p. 117)

 

 

Unit 2 – Chapter 5 Ancient India and Persia

Lesson 2

Hinduism                                  main religion of India that is based on Aryan beliefs (p. 137)

 

dharma                                     in Hinduism, the order of the Universe (p. 138)

 

caste                                        in Hinduism, a lifelong social group into which a person is born (p. 139)

Lesson 4

Buddhism                                 the religion that is based on the teachings of the Buddha (p. 141)

enlightenment                            in Buddhism, a state of pure goodness; the goal of reincarnation (p. 142)

 

 

Unit 3 – Chapter 6 Mesoamerican Civilizations

Lesson 1

peninsula                                  land that is nearly surrounded by water on three sides (p. 164)

 

Lesson 2

theocracy                                 a system of government in which the rulers are believed to represent the will of the gods (p. 169)

 

alliance                                     an agreement to work with other city-states (p. 177)

 

 

Unit 3 – Chapter 7 The Early Peoples of South America

Lesson 1

wetland                                    land that is covered with moist soil, such as in a swamp (p. 187)

 

biome                                       a place that has a distinct climate, plants, and animals (p. 188)

 

archipelago                               a group of islands (p. 189)

 

 

Unit 4 – Chapter 9 Ancient Greece

Lesson 2

aristocracy                                a government controlled by a few wealthy people (p. 255)

 

democracy                               a government controlled by the people (p. 255)

 

Lesson 3

reason                                      logical thinking (p. 262)

 

 

Unit 4 – Chapter 10 Ancient Rome

Lesson 2

patrician                                   a wealthy, powerful citizen of ancient Rome (p. 283)

 

plebian                                     a common citizen of ancient Rome (p. 283)

 

republic                                    a form of government in which citizens have the right to choose their leaders (p. 283)

 

representative                           a person elected to represent the people (p. 283)

 

Senate                                      a governing body in which ancient Roman patrician representatives served (p. 283)

 

dictator                                     a person who has total control over the people (p. 283)

 

Lesson 3

emperor                                   the ruler of an empire (p. 289)

 

Lesson 4

Christianity                               monotheistic religion based on the life, teachings, and death                                                        of Jesus (p. 295)

 

persecute                                  to punish for religious beliefs (p. 296)

 

 

Unit 5 – Chapter 11 Byzantine Empire and Ancient Arabia

Lesson 2

icon                                          a religious image (p. 328)

 

Lesson 3

pilgrimage                                 a journey to take place of religious importance (p. 331)

 

Islam                                        monotheistic religion revealed to and based on the teachings of Mohammad (p. 331)

 

jihad                                         in Islam, a military or peaceful struggle (p. 333)

 

 

Unit 5 – Chapter 14 Medieval Europe

Lesson 3

missionary                                a person who teaches a religion to people with different beliefs (p. 401)

 

monarch                                   a king or queen who is a supreme leader (p. 401)

 

serf                                           a person who lived on and farmed feudal land (p. 401)

 

chivalry                                     a knight’s code of behavior (p. 401)

           

feudalism                                  a social, political, and economic system used in the Middle Ages (p. 401)

 

manor system                           in the Middle Ages , a way to manage feudal lands (p. 402)

Lesson 4

Crusades                                  major military expedition by Christians to win back control of Palastine and to protect the Byzantine Empire (p. 407)

 

epidemic                                   a disease that spreads quickly (p. 410)

 

plague                                      an epidemic of an often fatal disease (p. 410)

 

 

Unit 6 – Chapter 15 New Beginnings

Lesson 1

commerce                                the buying and selling of a large quantity of goods (p. 431)

 

Renaissance                              intellectual and economic movement that saw revival of art, social, scientific, and political thought (p. 431)

 

indulgence                                in the Roman Catholic Church, a pardon for sin (p. 436)

 

Reformation                              reform or change of church beliefs or practices; the religious movement in Europe that aimed at reforming the                                                                             Roman Catholic Church but led to the establishment of  Protestantism (p. 437)