Social Studies 7: World Geography

Grade 7 Social Studies is a cultural and physical geography course designed to open students up to the world and how it works. We consistently revisit the theme, "Where you live shapes how you live." The course is grounded initially in physical geography, and we spend the early portion of the year solidifying our understanding of landforms, maps, and where things are located in order to build the skills necessary to study the world as geographers. After that, our exploration of the world and its different cultures takes off, and we approach various regions of the world with the same questions: What is the physical layout of this area? What are some of the cultural characteristics of this area? What are the connections between these two ideas?

In addition to this regional approach to cultural and physical geography, students in the course are expected to keep a close eye on current events, as they are discussed in class on a regular basis and students are encouraged to develop their own opinions. There are also specific concepts and themes that we cover with each region and occasionally revisit throughout our journey. Some of the learning units and concepts include the fundamentals of physical geography, globalization, climate change, environmental access, demographics, urbanization, spatial inequality, colonization and imperialism, migration, climate change, refugees and human rights, culture, and history in South, Southeast, and East Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America.