7thGrade Social Studies Syllabus

Brandywine Heights Area School District

2022-2023

Janet Huston janhus@bhasd.org


Overview: The 7th grade Social Studies course is designed to assist students in better understanding our changing and complex world through the study of geography. Comprehensive and organized by region, this course helps students understand the Earth’s physical and human diversity. We will study geography from the physical, historical, and cultural perspective through the Five Geographical Themes of location, place, human environment interaction movement, and region, as well as the Eight Elements of Culture: Social Groups, Religion, Language, Daily Life, The Arts, Government, History, and Economy. Special emphasis will be placed on geographical skills and geographic literacy (map skills, locating countries, capitals, and physical features of the world). While studying humans around the world, students compare development, standards of living, systems of government and economic factors across the globe. In addition, students gain a rich understanding of global cultures and the historical factors that have shaped the world around us.

Textbook Used: National Geographic: World Cultures and Geography

Outline of Content:

Content listed below is subject to change based on the needs of the students.*

A. Geography of the World

1. Geography Handbook

2. Looking at the Earth

3. Water, Climate, and vegetation

4. The World’s People and Culture

5. The Five Themes of Geography

B. Latin America

1. Physical geography

2. Human geography

3. Historical overview of the region to present day


C. North Africa and Southwest Asia

1. Physical geography

2. Human geography

3. Historical overview of the region to present day

D. Africa South of the Sahara

1. Physical geography

2. Human geography

3. Historical overview of the region to present day


Grading Policy

  • All district gradebooks will utilize a weighted scale. Summative assessments will comprise 60% of a student’s quarterly grade, and formative assessments will comprise 40%.

    • Summative assessments = a measure of student learning at the end of an instructional unit (i.e. - Tests, Quizzes, etc.)

    • Formative assessments = an ongoing measure of student learning used by the teacher to guide instruction (i.e. - Classwork, Homework, etc.)


Assignments

  • Tests/quizzes

  • Projects

  • Classwork

  • Homework


Retesting

  • On summative assessments, students wishing to demonstrate higher levels of content mastery are allowed/encouraged to retest

    • Students must “earn” the right to retest (e.g. - Make test corrections, complete an alternate assignment, etc.)

    • Students may only retest one (1) time per assessment

    • Students will earn the higher of the assessment results (original or retest - not an average of the two)

    • Students have a maximum of two weeks to complete the retest