Human Systems (G4)

G4 HUMAN SySTEMS
Explain that human activities may be seen on Earth’s surface. 
Human systems include the way people divide the land, decide where to live, develop communities that are part of 
the larger cultural mosaic, and engage in the cultural diffusion of ideas and products within and among groups. 
G4.1 Cultural Mosaic
Describe the characteristics, distribution and complexity of Earth’s cultural mosaic.
6 – G4.1.1 Identify and explain examples of cultural diffusion within the Americas (e.g., baseball, soccer, 
music, architecture, television, languages, health care, Internet, consumer brands, currency, 
restaurants, international migration).
G4.2 Technology Patterns and Networks
Describe how technology creates patterns and networks that connect people, products, and ideas. 
6 – G4.2.1 List and describe the advantages and disadvantages of different technologies used to move 
people, products, and ideas throughout the world (e.g., call centers in the Eastern Hemisphere 
that service the Western Hemisphere; the United States and Canada as hubs for the Internet; 
transport of people and perishable products; and the spread of individuals’ ideas as voice and 
image messages on electronic networks such as the Internet).
Social Studies Content Expectations Grade SixGRADES K-8 SOCIAL STUDIES CONTENT EXPECTATIONS V. 12/07 MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 
G4.3 Patterns of Human Settlement
Describe patterns, processes, and functions of human settlement.
6 – G4.3.1 Identify places in the Western Hemisphere that have been modified to be suitable for settlement 
by describing the modifications that were necessary (e.g., Vancouver in Canada; irrigated 
agriculture; or clearing of forests for farmland). 
6 – G4.3.2 Describe patterns of settlement by using historical and modern maps (e.g., coastal and river 
cities and towns in the past and present, locations of megacities – modern cities over 5 million, 
such as Mexico City, and patterns of agricultural settlements in South and North America).
G4.4 Forces of Cooperation and Conflict
Explain how forces of conflict and cooperation among people influence the division of the Earth’s surface and its 
resources. 
6 – G4.4.1 Identify factors that contribute to conflict and cooperation between and among cultural groups 
(control/use of natural resources, power, wealth, and cultural diversity).
6 – G4.4.2 Describe the cultural clash of First Peoples, French and English in Canada long ago, and the 
establishment of Nunavut in 1999.