Welcome to 7 th Grade Social Studies! The Eastern Hemisphere Mr. Corbett

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

Physical Geography Basic map and globe skills Map quizzes Global Awareness Physical and Human geography Download TapQuiz if you have IOS devices Use Lizardpoint or Sheppard Software (links on our blogs & handout) if you prefer Bookmark the CIA World Factbook page on your computer (online atlas) or download from IOS

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

Africa History, culture, geography 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

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)

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 written responses/essay questions on just about every test

Stock Market Game Students will compete against their classmates along with other students across the state of Georgia in the grades 7-12 category. Begins the first week of October Application of economic terms in real- world situations Social Studies/Math/Business Connection Fun game with possible prizes!

The Key to Success in Advanced Social Studies… Application of knowledge Motivation/effort Work completion The “Above and Beyond” factor Organization of your work and especially time management are extremely important! Check the blog and write the agenda daily Ask questions if you need to; don’t wait!

Along with learning many important skills this year, students will see that learning about the world around us is FUN! …and a little scary. I encourage all of my students to talk with you about anything we cover in class.