The World Geography and Cultures curriculum for grades 6 and 7 is designed to broaden students' geographical reasoning and knowledge of the world’s physical and political landscapes. Organized into seven key regions—ranging from Africa and the Americas to Asia, Oceania, and Europe—this two-year sequence establishes a vital foundation for future studies in Grade 8 Civics and high school history. By exploring the cultural achievements of ancient and classical civilizations, students gain essential insights into the different types of societies and governments that have shaped our global history.

Beyond historical and geographical facts, these standards emphasize the development of critical inquiry and research skills. The curriculum encourages students to investigate the "human" element of history, exploring the ethical concepts and community bonds that guide interactions between individuals and nations. This framework provides schools and districts with the flexibility to design instructional paths that inspire curiosity, helping students engage deeply with international events and the diverse lives of people across the globe.

Students will:

• Create an Identity Web

• Analyze the article The Nacirema

• Apply our knowledge of We and They to the film The Lunch Date

• Analyze the poem We and They by Rudyard Kipling

• Analyze an episode of Bill Nye the Science Guy

• Recall or create examples of We/They situations

• Determine the various ages of famous individuals

• Determine if sources are primary or secondary

• Define the term “Archaeology” and explain what archaeologists do

• Identify the skills an archaeologist needs to use in order to effectively study the past

• Turn our definitions of observation and inference into application as we practice these skills

• Analyze an artifact image by using the skills of observation and inference

• Discuss and collaborate with a partner to create accurate observations and inferences  

• Explain what a fossil and an artifact  is and their importance to studying the past

• Identify and differentiate between fossils and artifacts 

• Identify and differentiate between statements that are facts, opinions, or reasoned judgments

• Explain why knowing the difference between these types of statements makes us better thinkers

Students will:

• Describe, in chronological order, the appearances and capabilities of five early human groups that depict how humans have adapted over time.

• Explain how environmental changes impacted the needs, migration, development, and inventions of early humans.

• Describe the sequence of cause and effects that led to the creation of city-states within Mesopotamia.

• Construct an irrigation system to simulate how early communities handled the difficulty of controlling the floodwaters once agriculture was developed

Students will:

• Define the GREATS, understand why communities need all 6 of the GREATS in order to be a civilization, and explain why using the GREATS is an important tool for studying civilizations

• Prove that Sumer was a civilization by

  • Analyzing different sources and artifacts to support our ideas

  • Evaluate the effectiveness of different sources and artifacts to decide which is best to prove our ideas

  • Analyze a primary source called The Standard or Ur

    • Create careful observations & inferences to develop accurate ideas about this artifact

• Define and explain the concepts of just law, unjust law, equity and equality

• Apply our understanding of these concepts to analyze specific laws from Hammurabi’s Code and evaluate if they are just are unjust

• Identify four of the greatest empires in Mesopotamian history, how they developed and declined, and name their most famous contributions

  • Consider the impact that these achievements have had on our society and history

Students will:

• Evaluate life in Egypt by considering the gifts and challenges of its geography.

• Analyze leadership qualities of various pharaohs in ancient Egyptian history.

• Discover facts about various Egyptian gods and goddesses and analyze and identify ways in which religion played an integral part in Egyptian daily life. 

• Identify each level of the Egyptian social class pyramid and evaluate the role of social structure in a society.

Students will:

• Evaluate India’s geographic features and rank them based on 

  • Availability of natural resources

  • Ability to trade

  • Habitability

• Form hypotheses about the function of artifacts and ruins from an ancient city in the Indus Valley by 

  • Analyzing artifacts to draw conclusions about daily life in the Indus Valley settlement.

  • Using artifacts to gather evidence for the GREATS to determine if the settlement was part of a civilization.

• Explain why Mohenjodaro is an important archaeological site.

• Explain the history and spread of Hinduism by

  • Describing important beliefs in Hinduism and discussing their influence on daily life.

• Describe the life of Siddhartha Gautama and explain how he became the Buddha. 

• Summarize the main teachings of Buddhism.

• Describe the expansion of the Mauryan Empire and the political and moral achievements of King Ashoka. 

• Explain how King Ashoka and his edicts contributed to the spread of Buddhism in India, Ceylon, and Central Asia. 

• Describe the important aesthetic and intellectual traditions of ancient India, including literature, medicine, and mathematics. 

• Explain why the period during the Gupta Empire is known as a “golden age.”

Students will:

• Identify the major geographic features of China, including

  • Analyzing features of each region and explaining where & why the people of ancient China settled where they did

• Describe the government, social structure, religion, writing, art, and technology of the Shang dynasty.

• Analyze artifacts to draw conclusions about the Shang dynasty.

• Identify political and cultural issues at the end of the Zhou dynasty. 

• Explain how various schools of thought affected political rule in China. 

• Apply Confucian, Daoist, and Legalist principles to contemporary situations. 

• Explain how the emperor Shi Huangdi unified northern China under the Qin dynasty by

  • Analyzing the policies and achievements of the Emperor of Qin. 

  • Evaluating what makes someone a good leader (including Emperor of Qin)

• Explain how the Han dynasty expanded their empire. 

• Describe the political contributions of the Han dynasty and evaluate the impact of inventions and discoveries in the fields of warfare, government, agriculture, industry, art, medicine, and science.

Students will:

• Examine the physical geography of the Greek peninsula. 

• Analyze thematic maps of ancient Greece, including locations of colonies and trade routes. 

• Discuss connections between the geography of Greece and the development of ancient Greek city-states.

• Examine forms of government in ancient Greece. 

• Identify the advantages and disadvantages of monarchy, oligarchy, tyranny, and democracy as ways of governing in ancient Greece. 

• Explain key differences between direct and representative democracy. 

• Describe the differences between Athens and Sparta (Gov’t, Ed., Econ, Women/Slavery)

• Understand and analyze Greek myths

• Construct and create an original Greek-styled myth

• Create a persuasive argument and presentation to convince an audience whether a particular city-state (Athens or Sparta) was a better place to live

Students will:

• Locate Rome on a map and identify key geographical features within Rome’s territories

• Trace the expansion of the Roman Empire

• Describe the rise of the Roman Republic

• Define separation of powers and its importance/impact

• Describe the influence of Julius Caesar and Augustus on Rome’s transition to an empire

• Explain the reasons for the growth and long life of the Roman Empire

• Discuss how economic growth was promoted through currency, roads, and protection

• Explain how multiple forces led to the decline of Rome

• Describe the contributions of the Romans to art and technology

• Describe how scientific/philosophical ideas diffused throughout Eurasia

• Explore the lasting legacy of Ancient Roman society