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Learning Standards Standards

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year social studies zooms out from Texas to the wider world. Students compare countries and regions, looking at how geography, trade, and migration shape how people live. They start backing up their ideas with evidence from maps, charts, and short readings instead of just opinions. By spring, students can pick a region, describe its land and culture, and explain one way it connects to the rest of the world.

  • World regions
  • Maps and globes
  • Migration and trade
  • Culture
  • Using evidence
  • Government basics
Source: Texas Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills
Year at a glance
How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.
  1. 1

    Mapping the world's regions

    Students start the year with maps and globes, learning to find countries, oceans, and landforms. They look at how mountains, rivers, and climate shape where people live and how regions are grouped.

  2. 2

    How people and cultures spread

    Students study how people move, trade, and share ideas across regions. They notice how food, language, and customs travel from one place to another and why some communities change while others stay the same.

  3. 3

    Markets and money choices

    Students look at how buyers and sellers shape prices and how supply and demand show up in everyday life. They also practice thinking through real decisions about earning, spending, saving, and using credit.

  4. 4

    Government and citizens

    Students learn how the U.S. Constitution splits power between branches and between the federal government, Texas, and local government. They also study what citizens can do to take part, from voting to speaking up in their community.

  5. 5

    People who shaped history

    Students study major events and the people behind them, including contributions from many backgrounds. They look at how new tools and inventions changed daily life, work, and how communities grew over time.

  6. 6

    Thinking like a historian

    Students close the year by working with primary sources, sorting fact from opinion, and backing up their ideas with evidence. They practice writing, speaking, and presenting what they have learned.

Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 6.
History

  • Historical Eras and Themes

    TX-SS.HIST.6.1

    Major turning points in history shaped how societies were built and why the world looks the way it does today. Students study key people and events across eras to understand those connections.

  • Cause and Effect

    TX-SS.HIST.6.2

    Students read about a major historical event and explain what led up to it and what changed because of it. The focus is on connecting causes to effects, not just memorizing what happened.

  • Continuity and Change

    TX-SS.HIST.6.3

    Students trace how governments, economies, and daily life shift over centuries while some patterns stay the same. They look for what changed, what didn't, and why.

Geography

  • Maps and Place

    TX-SS.GEO.6.1

    Reading maps and globes, students identify where places are, what physical features like rivers and mountains look like, and how humans have shaped the land through cities and roads.

  • Human-Environment Interaction

    TX-SS.GEO.6.2

    Students look at why people build dams, clear forests, or irrigate deserts, and how those changes ripple outward to shape the way nearby communities live and identify themselves.

  • Movement

    TX-SS.GEO.6.3

    Students trace why people move, how goods travel between regions, and how ideas and customs spread from one culture to another.

Economics

  • Goods, Services, and Markets

    TX-SS.ECON.6.1

    Producers make goods and sell them; consumers buy what they need or want. This standard covers how prices rise and fall when supply and demand shift, and how free markets connect buyers and sellers.

  • Personal Financial Literacy

    TX-SS.ECON.6.2

    Students practice the basics of managing money: how wages are earned, how to weigh spending choices, why saving matters, and what borrowing actually costs.

Government

  • Foundations of Government

    TX-SS.GOV.6.1

    Students learn how the U.S. government is organized: why power is split among three branches, and why some decisions belong to the federal government while others stay with individual states.

  • Texas Government

    TX-SS.GOV.6.2

    Students learn how Texas state government is organized, what it actually does, and how it connects to city, county, and national government.

Citizenship

  • Rights and Responsibilities

    TX-SS.CIT.6.1

    Citizens in a constitutional republic have both rights (protections the government must respect) and responsibilities (duties like voting or jury service). Students learn what those rights and duties are and why both matter for the system to work.

  • Civic Participation

    TX-SS.CIT.6.2

    Students learn how people get involved in civic life, from voting and attending meetings to joining local groups. The focus is on real actions individuals and communities take to shape decisions around them.

Culture

  • Cultural Contributions

    TX-SS.CULT.6.1

    Students study how people from different backgrounds shaped Texas, the country, and the world through art, science, leadership, and daily life.

  • Comparing Cultures

    TX-SS.CULT.6.2

    Students look at two or more cultures side by side and find what they share and where they differ, from daily habits to big historical moments, across different parts of the world and different points in time.

Science, Technology, and Society

  • Science, Technology, and Society

    TX-SS.STS.6.1

    Students study how inventions and discoveries change the way people live, vote, and earn a living. They look at real examples like printing presses, vaccines, or the internet to understand why new technology shifts power and reshapes economies.

Social Studies Skills

  • Source Analysis

    TX-SS.SKILL.6.1

    Students read original documents and secondhand accounts, then sort out what is a proven fact and what is someone's opinion. This skill runs through every history and geography topic they study in sixth grade.

  • Communicate Findings

    TX-SS.SKILL.6.2

    Students write, speak, or create visuals to share what they've learned about history, geography, or culture, backing up each point with facts or sources.

  • Problem Solving and Decision Making

    TX-SS.SKILL.6.3

    Students learn a step-by-step process for tackling real problems: name the problem clearly, gather evidence, weigh the options, and predict what will likely happen before choosing a path forward.

No state assessments at this grade
Students take their next one in Grade 8.
State Summative

STAAR Social Studies (Grade 8)

STAAR Social Studies is the grade 8 spring social studies test, aligned to the TEKS for grade 8 US history through Reconstruction.

When given:
spring
Frequency:
annual
Official source
National Monitoring

NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress)

Federally administered sample-based assessment in reading, mathematics, science, writing, and other subjects. NAEP results inform state-by-state comparisons rather than individual student or school accountability.

When given:
biennial in winter
Frequency:
every two years
Official source
Common Questions
  • What does sixth grade social studies cover?

    Students look at world regions and how people, places, and history shape each other. They study maps, cultures, governments, and economies across different parts of the world, and they connect what they learn back to Texas and the United States.

  • How can I help with social studies homework at home?

    Ask students to tell the story of what they read in their own words. Pull up a map on a phone when a country comes up in the news or a show. Five minutes of real conversation about a place or event does more than rereading a chapter.

  • How should I sequence the year?

    Most teachers start with geography skills and map work so students have tools to use all year. From there, move region by region, weaving in history, economics, government, and culture for each one. Save bigger comparison projects for the second semester once students have content to compare.

  • What does mastery look like by June?

    Students can locate major regions on a map and describe how geography shapes life there. They can explain causes and effects of a historical event, compare two cultures, and back up a claim with evidence from a source.

  • My student says history is boring. What helps?

    Connect it to something they already care about: food, sports, music, video games, or family stories. Ask where a favorite food or song comes from and trace it back. History sticks when it feels like it belongs to them.

  • Which skills usually need the most reteaching?

    Reading a primary source and separating fact from opinion is the hardest lift. Map skills also slip if they only come up in one unit. Build short source analysis routines and quick map warm-ups into every week instead of teaching them once.

  • How do I help with current events without pushing my own views?

    Ask students what they think happened, who is affected, and what evidence supports their view. Let them do the talking. The goal at this age is practicing how to weigh information, not landing on the right opinion.

  • How do I know students are ready for seventh grade Texas history?

    They should be comfortable reading a map, taking notes from a short text, and writing a paragraph that uses evidence. If they can explain why an event mattered, not just when it happened, they are ready.