Grade 6 Alberta Social Studies Time and Place Unit | Paper and Digital

Get your unit about the origins of democracy planned in minutes. Learn about democracy origins in Athens, Rome and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Magna Carta, Bill of RIghts and more through activities, investigations, and complete lessons. Everything you need to teach the whole unit is included!

COMING SOON! Save $$$ with a whole year of Alberta Grade 6 Social Studies!

This unit designed for Alberta teachers includes:

• lesson plans with step-by-step instructions and options for modifications.
• instructions for how to use our activities with and without technology so you can be flexible for your students and classroom environment.
• instructions for printing student workbooks while still offering differentiated options.
• detailed outlines of each activity with a list of materials along with a centralized list and reminders in each section of the lesson plan.
• optional Teacher Slides to support instruction and content delivery. You can choose to teach with or without them.
• vocabulary list with phonetic pronunciations and definitions to help support your students.
• “I can” statements written in student-friendly language so students can self-assess their learning.
• student pages and templates.
• answer keys and suggested answers.
• photos of student examples.
• activities to support learning content specific vocabulary.
• background information for teachers so you don't need to be an expert.
• simple assessments like quizzes. Rubrics are included for teachers to use for marking projects.
• ideas for how to use this resource in the classroom, online, or a mix.
• digital versions of all the student reading and writing pages that use Google Slides. You must download the PDF files and use the access links in the files to get your digital copies.
• an alignment guide for Alberta Outcomes in each resource broken down by lesson and activity.
  

The unit includes additional bonus materials:

• a unit plan to assist with sequencing.
• a list of Alberta Social Studies outcomes to help with planning.
• a list of materials outlined for each activity.
• vocabulary support materials: word wall words, glossary pages, definition worksheets, digital flashcards, word with with phonetic pronunciations and definitions.
• extra assessments to assess student learning of the whole unit.

These resources are included in this unit:

• Origins of Democracy: backlash from Authoritarian rule, Draconian Constitution, direct democracy, social classes in Ancient Greece (citizens, metics, enslaved people), The Ecclesia, The Boule and the Dikasteria, voting in Athens, fundamental principles of democracy: equality under the law, prespresentation, justice and freedom; geographic challenges in Rome compared to Greece, representative decmocracy, social classes in Ancient Rome (patricians, plebeians, enslaved people), the executive (2 consuls), legislative (Senate, Comitia Centuriata, Comitia Tributa, Concilium Plebis, Comitia Curiata) and judicial (judges) branches of the Roman Republic, voting for magistrates in Rome, modern connections to early democracies, comparing democracies
• Haudenosaunee Confederacy: the democratic principles and decision-making process of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, fundamental principles of democracies (equality under the law, justice, freedom, representation), the roles of a chief (Hoyaneh) and clan Mother in decision-making, the purpose and function of The Grand Council, the purpose and function of The Great Law of Peace, the role and function of consensus including an activity to get a consensus from a group over a decision
• Comparing Democracies Drama Circle: comparing democracies in Athens, Rome and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy
• Roots of Democracy: understanding how social classes are an example of inequality; Divine Right of Kings and the Absolute Monarchy; documents and legislation that protected democratic principles: The Magna Carta (1215), The Habeas Corpus Act (1679), The Bill of Rights (1689); pillars of democracy: equality under the law, justice, freedom and representation
• All About Democracy Interactive Game: 30 self-checking questions about everything that has been learned in the unit.

Ninja Note: If you teach in Alberta, this resource has been written for the new social studies curriculum. Learn more about how we're writing and adjusting resources for the new curriculum. https://brainninjas.ca/social-studies-in-alberta/

This activity aligns with:

• the Alberta Social Studies Curriculum Grade 6 ©2025

This activity supports:

• the origins of direct and representative democracy
• consensus in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy
• founding democratic documents Magna Carta, Habeas Corpus and Bill of Rights
  

Looking for more social studies for Alberta teachers? Our unit plans include extra vocabulary supports and assessments.

• Time and Place Unit for Alberta Social Studies Grade 6
• Systems Unit for Alberta Social Studies Grade 6 COMING SOON!
• Citizenship Unit for Alberta Social Studies Grade 6 COMING SOON!

COMING SOON! Save $$$ with a whole year of Alberta Grade 6 Social Studies!

Ninja Note: This file is a ZIP file. It requires downloading and extracting before opening the individual PDF files. Each resource contains the digital links and instructions for using the file. 

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