Unit 4
Europe and Russia
UNDER CONSTRUCTION: Some pages might be updating to new curriculum for 7th and 8th grade
Europe and Russia
In this unit, students study and map the physical and human geography of Europe and Russia. Topics include: The Physical and Human Geography of Europe and Russia, Supranational Cooperation in the European Union, Population Dilemmas in Europe, Invisible Borders: Transboundary Pollution in Europe, Russia's Varied Landscape: Physical Processes at Work, and Nation-States from the Old Soviet Empire: How Have They Succeeded?
How can we describe the physical and human geography of Latin America?
What do we know about the ancient civilizations in the Americas?
Why does spatial inequality exist in urban areas?
How do Indigenous peoples preserve their traditional culture while adapting to modern life?
What causes extreme weather, and how do people deal with it?
How should the resources of rainforests be used and preserved?
How do people adapt to living in a mountainous region?
Social Studies
Label physical and political maps of the region.
Use latitude and longitude to identify locations on a map.
Identify and describe characteristics of the region’s physical and human geography by using maps and charts.
Practice layering geographic information, similar to geographic information systems (GIS).
Compare and analyze information presented on different types of maps of the same region.
Recognize the role of traditions, including oral traditions, across cultures, past and present.
Explain why our knowledge about the first people to live in the Americas continues to evolve.
Identify the features of early Indigenous civilizations in the Americas.
Discuss theories about the collapse of early Indigenous civilizations in the Americas.
Compare early Indigenous civilizations in the Americas.
Identify causes and consequences of urbanization.
Explain how spatial inequality affects people living in Mexico City.
Examine standards of living around the world to understand that spatial inequality exists on a global scale.
Create interactive dramatizations that demonstrate the ways in which Indigenous peoples in the highlands of Guatemala and Chiapas have preserved their traditional Maya culture and have also adapted to modern life.
Identify the successes and challenges of Indigenous peoples around the world in maintaining their traditional cultures in the modern world.
Describe the weather conditions that cause a hurricane to form and strengthen.
Identify ways in which people deal with hurricanes in the Caribbean.
Analyze the relationship between El Niño and extreme weather around the world.
Examine the views of groups who have an interest in the preservation or use of the resources of the Amazon rainforest.
Analyze and discuss a series of questions to understand the competing viewpoints of these various groups.
Investigate ideas about addressing land use conflict in the rainforest, and determine which would be most applicable to the Amazon region.
Describe the physical characteristics of four elevation zones: tierra caliente, tierra templada, tierra fría, and tierra helada.
Identify ways in which people of the central Andes have adapted to life in each of the four elevation zones.
Analyze the impact of retreating mountain glaciers on people living in mountainous regions around the world.
Language Arts
Summarize information that is presented graphically in writing.
Support a claim with evidence and reasoning in writing.
Draw conclusions from text, images, and videos.
Use evidence to support a claim.
Interpret information that is presented orally.
Synthesize information from a variety of sources.
Write informative text to explain a topic.
Research information to answer a specific question.
Synthesize information obtained from a variety of sources.
Present information orally and in writing.
Organize information to write an explanation.
Select relevant details to support a main idea.
Identify a range of opinions on a topic.
Present information orally and in writing.
Create an argument, and support it with evidence and reasoning.
Organize information to write explanations.
Choose relevant details to support a main idea.
NJ Student Learning Standards for (Content Area):
6.2.8.GeoPP.3.a:.Use geographic models to describe how the availability of natural resources influenced the development of the political, economic, and cultural systems of each of the classical civilizations and provided motivation for expansion.
6.2.8.GeoPP.3.b:.Explain how geography and the availability of natural resources led to both the development of classical civilizations and to their decline.
6.2.8.EconEM.3.a:.Analyze the impact of expanding land and sea trade routes as well as a uniform system of exchange in the Mediterranean World and Asia.
6.2.8.EconGE.3.a:.Explain how classical civilizations used technology and innovation to enhance agricultural/manufacturing output and commerce, to expand military capabilities, to improve life in urban areas, and to allow for greater division of labor.
6.2.8.HistoryCC.3.a:.Determine the extent to which religion, economic issues, and conflict shaped the values and decisions of the classical civilizations.
6.2.8.HistoryUP.3.a:.Compare and contrast social hierarchies in classical civilizations as they relate to power, wealth, and equality.
6.2.8.HistoryCA.3.a:.Evaluate the importance and enduring legacy of the major achievements of Greece, Rome, India, and China over time.
6.2.8.CivicsDP.4.a:.Cite evidence of the influence of medieval English legal and constitutional practices on modern democratic thought and institutions (i.e., the Magna Carta, parliament, the development of habeas corpus, and an independent judiciary).
6.3.8.CivicsPI.2:.Evaluate the extent to which different forms of government reflect the history and values of various societies (e.g., monarchy, democracy, republic, dictatorship).
7.PAaE.1.Using a variety of formats designed for a purpose and an authentic audience forms the basis for clear communication. Strong arguments contain claims with organized evidence and valid reasoning that respects the diversity of the world and the dignity of each person. Writing findings and engaging in civil discussion with an audience provides a key step in the process of thinking critically about conclusions and continued inquiry.
6.3.8.CivicsPR.4:.Use evidence and quantitative data to propose or defend a public policy related to climate change.
NJSLStandards - Technology and other content areas
Career Readiness, Life Literacies, and Key Skills Practices: Consider the environmental, social and
economic impacts of decisions. Activity: Students will identify the jobs that were used in Feudal Society and trace one’s history that is still a job in today’s society.
Career Ready Practice: 9.2.8.CAP.3: Explain how career choices, educational choices, skills, economic conditions, and personal behavior affect income.
8.1.8.DA.CI: People use digital devices and tools to automate the collection, use, and transformation of data.