The purposes of the grades 6 and 7 standards are to:
extend students’ knowledge of the physical and political geography of the world
expand their capacity for geographical reasoning
strengthen their ability to develop research questions and conduct inquiries
introduce the cultural achievements of ancient and classical civilizations worldwide
establish foundational knowledge about types of societies and governments in preparation for Civics in grade 8 and World History and United States History in high school.
The Massachusetts State Frameworks organizes the content standards for grades 6 and 7 into seven regions:
6th grade covers:
North Africa, the Middle East, and Western Asia
Sub-Saharan Africa
Central America, the Caribbean, South America
7th grade covers:
South and Central Asia
East Asia
Southeast Asia and Oceania
Europe
You may have noticed that North America was not included in either list. This is because North America was supposed to be covered in elementary school during grades K-5.
The topics within this two-year sequence offer rich opportunities for students to inquire about their world and humanity’s very long history of achievements.