Seventh Grade Social Studies

SDE Course Code: 0712

MNPS Course Code: SOC5007Y

Course Description

The seventh grade social studies curriculum content is a study of world geography. Students study in detail the six essential elements of geography: world in spatial terms, places and regions, physical systems, human systems, environment and society, and the uses of geography. This study places great emphasis on the characteristics and uses of various types of maps, globes and other geographic tools. Students also study in detail the various governments, cultures and religions throughout the world. There is also an emphasis on the impact that man has on the environment, and the consequences of that impact.

Course of Study

Using Maps and Globes

Differences between Maps and Globes
Hemispheres
Map Projections (Mercator, Goode’s Interrupted, Robinson)
Mental Maps

Review Seven Continents, Four Oceans, Equator, Prime Meridian

Map Skills

Five Basic Parts of a Map (Key, Scale, Compass Rose, Title, Grid System)
Different Kinds of Maps (Political, Physical, Contour, Special Purpose)
Large scale vs. small scale maps
How to Read a Map
Latitude and Longitude

Equator, Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn, Arctic Circle, Antarctic Circle, North Pole, South Pole, Prime Meridian, International Date Line

Time Zones

How to Study Geography

Five Themes of Geography

Location, Place, Movement, Human/Environment Interaction, Region

Six Essential Elements

The World in Spatial Terms, Places and Regions, Physical Systems, Human Systems, Environment and Society, The Uses of Geography

Looking at the Earth

Characteristics of Place
GPS/GIS
Uses of Geography
The Earth in Space

Solar System
Revolution vs. Rotation

The Seasons
Solstices and Equinoxes

The Earth’s Structure

Plate Tectonics & Movement
Weathering & Erosion

Landforms

The Water Planet

Water vs. Land (percentages)
The Water Cycle
Water Resources

Freshwater vs. Salt Water

Influences on Climate

Weather vs. Climate
Latitude and Climate
Wind and Climate

El Nino and La Nina

Ocean Currents and Climate
Landforms and Climate

Rain Shadow Effect

People and Climate

The Greenhouse Effect/Global Warming

Climate Zones and Vegetation
The World’s People

What is Culture?

Eight Cultural Traits

Introduce Different Types of Government

democracy, autocracy, oligarchy, monarchy, dictatorship

Introduce Different Types of Economies

Terms to Know: import, export, barter system, tariff, closed and emerging markets, supply and demand, inflation, recession, depression

Ancient River Valley Civilizations
Cultural Diffusion
Culture Regions & Ethnic Groups

Population

Population Growth

birthrate, death rate, literacy rate, gross domestic product, life expectancy

Population Density
Population Distribution

Urbanization

Introduce Megalopolis
Problems Caused by Urbanization

Immigration, Emigration, and Refugees

Reasons People Move

Push and Pull Factors

Resources and World Trade

Natural Resources
Renewable Resources
Nonrenewable Resources
Food Distribution
Basic Economics and Trade
Developed vs. Developing Countries

People and the Environment

Pollution (air, land, and water)
Acid Rain
Deforestation

Canada

Political and Physical Features

World’s 2^nd Largest Country
Political Features: Ten provinces and three territories

British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories, Nunavut

Physical Regions

Eastern Highlands

Laurentian Highlands

St. Lawrence and Great Lakes Lowlands

St. Lawrence River

Canadian Shield and the Arctic Islands

Hudson Bay
Canadian Shield

Interior Plains

Lake Winnipeg

Rocky Mountains
Pacific Coast

Mt. Logan

The Climate

Most live within 100 miles of the US/Canadian border

Economic Regions
Canadian History and Government

The United States

Political Features

Fifty States: 48 contiguous

Physical Features

Appalachian Mountains, Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada, Mt. Whitney, Mt. McKinley, Great Lakes, Great Plains, Death Valley, Great Basin, Mississippi River, Great Salt Lake, Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean

Climate

Mid-Latitude, Dry, High Latitude, Tropical

Economic Regions

The Northeast, South, Midwest, Interior West, Pacific

NAFTA
History and Government

Tennessee

Tennessee Geography

Three Grand Divisions

East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, West Tennessee

Six Physical Regions

Blue Ridge Mountains, Great Valley of Tennessee, Cumberland Plateau, Nashville Basin, Highland Rim, Gulf Coastal Plain

Rivers and Lakes

Mississippi, Tennessee, Cumberland Rivers
TVA
Reelfoot Lake

Climate

Tennessee’s History
Tennessee’s Government
Tennessee’s Economy
Tennessee Today

Latin America

Mexico: Land of the Shaking Earth

Political Features

Chihuahua, Monterrey, Tijuana, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Acapulco

Physical Features

Baja California, Sierra Madre Occidental, Sierra Madre Oriental, Sierra Madre del Sur, Yucatan Peninsula, Gulf of Mexico, Pacific Ocean, Gulf of California, Plateau of Mexico

Economic Regions
NAFTA
History and Government

Aztecs and Mayas
President Vicente Fox and Political Parties (PRI)

Issues Facing Mexico Today

Pollution, Debt, Population growth

Central America

Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Belize
Importance of the Panama Canal

The West Indies

Cuba

Fidel Castro and Communism in the Western Hemisphere

Puerto Rico: US Commonwealth
Jamaica & the Bahamas (Importance of Tourism)
Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic)

South America

Locate and label all countries
Physical Features:

Angel Falls, Andes Mountains, Lake Titicaca, Atacama Desert, Tierra del Fuego, Strait of Magellan

Brazil

Amazon River
Amazon Rainforest

Native Peoples

Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Brasilia (capital)
The Economy
Brazilian Culture
Favelas

Argentina

Buenos Aires
Patagonia and Pampas
Economy

Venezuela: Oil Producer
Columbia: Drug Trafficking
Bolivia: Landlocked
Peru: Incas

Europe

Political Features:

Locate the countries of Europe and the following cities: London, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Rome, Athens

Physical Features:

Alps, Apennines, Carpathians, Pyrenees, Danube River, Rhine River, Seine River, Thames River, Adriatic Sea, Aegean Sea, Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, North European Plain, English Channel, Ruhr Valley, Iberian Peninsula, Scandinavian Peninsula, Po River Valley, Balkan Peninsula

European Union & Common Market

Maastricht Treaty

United Nations & NATO
United Kingdom

Divisions of United Kingdom

England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland

British Monarchy-Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Prince William
North Atlantic Current
Impact of the Industrial Revolution
Catholic-Protestant Strife
Chunnel

Ireland
France
Germany

Largest Country in Europe
World War II & The Holocaust
Reunification & Berlin Wall
Black Forest & Acid Rain

Southern Europe

Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece
Cultural Heritage of countries (especially Italy & Greece)

Eastern Europe

Former Soviet Influence

Russia and the Independent Republics

World’s Largest Country (most time zones)
Two continents (Europe and Asia)

Population concentrated west of Ural Mountains (Europe)

Political Features:

Moscow, St. Petersburg, Volgograd, Vladivostok, Siberia

Physical Features:

Volga River, Don River, Ural Mountains, Caspian Sea, Aral Sea, Bering Strait, Lake Baikal, West Siberian Plain, North European Plain, Central Siberian Plateau, Caucasus Mountains

Independent Republics

Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Baltic Republics (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia), Muslim Republics (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan), Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia

Communism to Capitalism/Free Enterprise/Democracy

Russian History

Czars to Communism to Capitalism

Cold War
Soviet Legacy and Problems Left Behind

Environmental Concerns

Middle East (Southwest Asia)

Political Features:

Locate the countries of the Middle East and the following cities: Baghdad, Jerusalem, Kuwait, Beirut, Tel Aviv, Kabul, Istanbul

Physical Features:

Mediterranean Sea, Dead Sea (lowest point on the earth), Arabian Peninsula, Tirus and Euphrates Rivers, Caspian Sea, Black Sea, Aral Sea, Hindu Kush, Anatolia, Red Sea, Persian Gulf

Oil and Demand

Saudi Arabia and Iraq
OPEC

Water Crisis
Israel

Three Monotheistic Religions

Jerusalem

Judaism (Wailing Wall, Temple Mount), Christianity (Church of the Holy Sepulcher), Islam (Dome of the Rock)

Palestinian-Israeli Conflict
Law of Return

Turkey (Two Continents)

Kurdish minority (also in Iraq & Iran)

The United States Involvement in the Middle East

Israel
September 11^th
Persian Gulf War
Iraqi Freedom

Africa

North Africa

Political Features:

Locate each of the countries of North Africa and the following: Cairo (largest city in Africa)
Algeria (largest country in North Africa)

Physical Features:

Red Sea, Nile River (longest river), Sahara Desert, Sinai Peninsula, Suez Canal, Atlas Mountains, Mediterranean Sea

Egypt

Most Populous Arab country
Importance of the Nile River (and delta)
Review Ancient Civilization
Conflict with Israel
Aswan High Dam

Africa: South of the Sahara Desert

Physical Features

Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika, Mount Kilimanjaro, Namib Desert, Kalahari Desert, Serengeti Plain, Niger River, Congo River, Great Rift Valley, Sahel, Horn of Africa, Cape of Good Hope

Countries to Know:

Sudan (largest country), Nigeria (largest population), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya (wildlife), Tanzania (wildlife), Ethiopia (one of the oldest African countries and never colonized by Europe), Eritrea (formerly part of Ethiopia—Newest country in Africa) Madagascar, South Africa (huge exporter of diamonds)

Climate Zones
Apartheid in South Africa
AIDS Epidemic
Imperialism in Africa and its Legacy
Hutus and Tutsi
Poverty & Famine

South Asia

Subcontinent

Locate all the countries on the Indian subcontinent

Physical Features:

Himalayas, Mt. Everest (world’s highest mountain), Ganges River, Indus River, Brahmaputra, Arabian Sea, Bay Bengal

High Population (and Population Density) of the South Asian Countries: Bangladesh, Pakistan, India
India

World’s 2^nd largest population
Physical Features

Great Indian Desert, Deccan Plateau, Ganges Plain, Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats

Important Cities:

Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta

Hinduism

Caste System
Gandhi
Tension with Muslims

East Asia

Locate countries of East Asia
China

World’s largest population
4^th in Land Area
Physical Features:

Huang He (Yellow) River, Yangtze River, Gobi Desert, Tibetan Plateau

Great Wall of China
The Silk Road
Buddhism
Human Rights & Violations
Communism

Japan & Korea

Physical Features:

Honshu, Sea of Japan, Mt. Fuji, Pacific Ocean, Korean Peninsula

Japan: World’s 2^nd largest economy after the United States

Tokyo, Hiroshima (atomic bomb)

Pearl Harbor & World War II
Ring of Fire

Earthquakes and Volcanoes

Shintoism & Buddhism
North Korea: Communist

United States Talks with

Nuclear Weapons

South Korea: Democratic

Indonesia: 4^th largest population and largest Islamic population in the world

Australia

Continent and Country
Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane
Great Barrier Reef
The Outback
Aborigines

Antarctica

98% of land area covered by ice cap
No Permanent Population: Only Scientists

Ozone Research
Antarctic Treaty: No single country can control the continent

Reading: In addition to use of the textbook, students are expected to read from a variety of sources including essays, studies, newspapers/periodicals, maps, charts, graphs, political cartoons, and government documents. Students are expected to gain literal understanding of readings and also interpret, analyze, and evaluate information from readings.

Writing: Students are expected to write regularly and effectively in various domains including narrative, descriptive, persuasive, analytical, and practical. Suggested written assignments include essays, book reviews, document based questions, journals, surveys, and research papers.