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What will we be studying this year?
Seventh grade I & S is the second year of a two-year World Area Studies course. In sixth grade, students learned about Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada, Europe, and Australia. This year we will be exploring the historical, geographical, government/civic, and economic understandings of Africa, Southwest Asia (or the Middle East), and Southern and Eastern Asia.
Unit 1: Community and Identity
Unit 2: SOUTHWEST ASIA (MIDDLE EAST)
Unit 3: Africa
Unit 4: Southern and Eastern Asia
Unit 1: Who Am I
Approximately: 8/17 - 9/25
Inquiry Statement: Elements of identity influence interactions in communities
Introduction: Vocabulary & getting to know you
Activities: Self Identity, Local Communities & Connections, and Global Community & Connections
Summative: Knowledge & Understanding, Investigative
Unit 2: Southwest Asia (Middle East)
Inquiry Statement: Limited resources impact culture and cause conflict.
Introduction: Middle East or NOT???
Mapping: Identifying key features (countries and physical features)
Physical features: Euphrates River, Jordan River, Tigris River, Suez Canal, Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, and Gaza Strip
Political features: Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey
SUMMATIVE: Knowledge & Understanding (labeling map)
Physical & Human Geography (with Economics)
Resources - Water & Oil
Oil - Location and Distribution
SUMMATIVE: Knowing & Understanding (Multiple Choice) AND Communicating (Short Answer + Extended Response)
Ethnic v. Religious Groups: Religions - “Invisible Walls: Jerusalem” Activity: Key Elements Chart
SUMMATIVE: Thinking Critically (Compare/Contrast Essay + Slides of images)
History
Hammurabi’s Code/Sumeria
Rise and Fall of the Ottoman Empire
Suleiman
Creation of Israel
Arab Israeli Conflict
Modern Conflicts: Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, Iraq War, 9/11, War on Terror
SUMMATIVE: Knowledge & Understanding (Multiple Choice + Short Answer + Extended Response)
Unit 3 - Africa
Inquiry Statement: Global interconnectedness leads to opportunity and conflict.
Introduction - Virtual Trip to Africa
Mapping - Identifying key features (countries, physical features)
Physical features: Congo River, Niger River, Nile River, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, Atlas Mountains, Kalahari Desert…
Political features: Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, South Africa, Nigeria, DRC…
SUMMATIVE: Knowing & Understanding (Labeling map)
Physical & Human Geography (with Economics)
Regions Exploration: Sahara, Sahel, Savanna, Tropical Rainforest
SUMMATIVE: Africa Postcard (Investigating & Communicating)
Environmental Issues
Acacia Tree - desertification
Carbon for Water - water, deforestation
SUMMATIVE: Environmental Issues News Broadcast (Investigating & Communicating)
4. African Ethnic Groups:
Ashanti, Maasai, Bantu, Swahili
History
Mansa Musa - Africa’s Wealth (UpFront Magazine)
Time Maps Analysis
Scramble For Africa
Congo/King Leopold
Independence Movements - Charts/Dates
“Africa in Transition” video clips
Kenya v. Nigeria Ind. Movements
South Africa - Apartheid, Nelson Mandela
SUMMATIVE: History Test (Knowing & Understanding)
SUMMATIVE: Annotated Bibliography (Investigating, Thinking Critically, opt:Communicating)
Unit 4 - Southern and Eastern Asia
Inquiry Statement: Location and perspectives determine how power and resources are allocated and used.
Introduction: Virtual Field Trip
Mapping:
China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Ganges, Yangtze, Huang He, Mekong, Indus, Himalayan, Gobi Desert, Taklimakan, Bay of Bengal, Sea of Japan, Yellow Sea, South China Sea, Indian Ocean, Korean Peninsula
SUMMATIVE: Mapping (Knowledge & Understanding)
Eastern Religions:
Buddhism, Hinduism, Shintoism, Taoism, Confucianism
4. Environmental Issues:
Water pollution, Air pollution, desertification
5. History:
Rise of Communism in China
Korea / Korean War
Vietnam independence
Vietnam War,
Independence in India and Gandhi
SUMMATIVE: Gandhi Film Study (Investigating, Thinking Critically)
