1. Welcome to 7 th Grade Social Studies! 7A—Mrs. Nix

2. About Me … Originally from Chattanooga, TN (Signal Mountain) Moved to Dalton, GA where my mother was also a 7 th grade teacher (now she teaches AC Science at Vickery Creek Middle in Forsyth) Attended the University of Georgia for undergraduate school (1999) and graduated from Kennesaw State University (2006) for grad. school 17 th year teaching social studies (14 years at HTMS, 3 years in Athens)

3. About Me Personally… Moved to Atlanta in the summer of 2002 after getting married to my “college sweetheart” 2 children—Preston (6) and Blakely (3) HUGE Georgia Bulldogs fan & alumni Love to travel on our yearly SCUBA diving trips & to see our friends in Rosemary Beach each summer Teach 8 th grade Sunday School @ church & help coordinate camp

4. Area of Study: The Eastern Hemisphere Geography Review The Middle East Africa Asia Just like in 6 th grade— each unit will include physical geography, culture, history, government, and economics along with application of material to present times (less focus on GOV/ECON if you prove that you remember what you learned last year). Goals: Writing through the curriculum (preparation for Honors and AP courses); Exceeding standards on standardized testing Current Events discussions (Student News is a great conversation starter for this) Stock Market Game Global Awareness Art/S.S. connection

5. Physical Geography Basic map and globe skills Map quizzes Global Awareness Physical and Human geography Download TapQuiz! Bookmark the CIA World Factbook page on your computer (online atlas)

6. The Middle East Geography, culture, history, religions Historic conflicts Oil/Economics Common misconceptions Current conflicts Model UN-type debates/activities

7. Africa History, culture, geography Wildlife/ National Parks Change/ Progress Colonialism and its impact We will work in groups to build our own empires 4 unique regions: –North Africa –Eastern/Central Africa –West Africa –Southern Africa

8. Asia Geography Focus on India & Pakistan, China, Japan, North and South Korea, Vietnam Spotlight on famous historic world leaders from Asia We end the year with a big modern history unit—20 th Century US/Asian relations Pacific Theater WW11, Korean War, Vietnam War, modern issues (pollution, population, policies)

9. Writing Through the Curriculum… SAT/ACT College entrance exams Preparation for high school honors or AP history courses Life skill Application of language arts/writing skills to a given area of study to encourage future success Expect an essay question on every test & expect it to take me a week to grade!

10. Stock Market Game Students will compete against their classmates along with other students across the state of Georgia. Begins in September (We compete in the Fall) Application of economic terms in real- world situations Social Studies/Math/Business Connection Fun game with possible prizes!

11. The Key to Success in Advanced Social Studies… Application of knowledge Motivation/effort Work completion The “Above and Beyond” factor

12. Along with learning many important skills this year, students will see that learning about the world around us is FUN!