Courses of Study : Social Studies

Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 7
Geography
All Resources: 4
Learning Activities: 1
Classroom Resources: 3
1 ) Describe the world in spatial terms using maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies.

•  Explaining the use of map essentials, including type, projections, scale, legend, distance, direction, grid, and symbols
Examples: type—reference, thematic, planimetric, topographic, globe and map projections, aerial photographs, satellite images

distance—fractional, graphic, and verbal scales

direction—lines of latitude and longitude, cardinal and intermediate directions

•  Identifying geospatial technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective
Examples: Google Earth, Global Positioning System (GPS), geographic information system (GIS), satellite-remote sensing, aerial photography

•  Utilizing maps to explain relationships and environments among people and places, including trade patterns, governmental alliances, and immigration patterns
•  Applying mental maps to answer geographic questions, including how experiences and cultures influence perceptions and decisions
•  Categorizing the geographic organization of people, places, and environments using spatial models
Examples: urban land-use patterns, distribution and linkages of cities, migration patterns, population-density patterns, spread of culture traits, spread of contagious diseases through a population

Unpacked Content
Strand: Economics, Geography, Civics and Government
Course Title: Geography
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Demonstrate the use of geographic representations, tools and technologies.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • spatial thinking
  • spatial relationships
  • spatial perspective
  • spatial patterns
  • spatial models
  • geospatial technologies
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • Types of maps or geographic resources—reference, thematic, planimetric, topographic, globe and map projections, aerial photographs, satellite images.
  • The difference between aerial photography and satellite images and their properties for interpreting spatial patterns.
  • The uses of GIS in portraying geographic or spatial patterns and in answering geographic questions.
  • The uses of mapping technology to trace diseases through a population geographic trade patterns, governmental alliances, and immigration patterns, mental maps, cultures, urban land-use patterns, distribution and linkages of cities, migration patterns, population-density patterns, spread (diffusion) of culture traits, spread (diffusion) of contagious.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Read, analyze and interpret maps, aerial photography, satellite images, and other types of mapping technology.
  • Use mental maps.
  • Use GPS for locations.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • Maps portray human and physical geographic patterns, understand the use of GPS and GIS in explaining geographic patterns, that mental maps are important in understanding cultural perceptions and the organization of cultural landscapes.
Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 7
Geography
All Resources: 1
Classroom Resources: 1
2 ) Determine how regions are used to describe the organization of Earth's surface.

•  Identifying physical and human features used as criteria for mapping formal, functional, and perceptual regions
Examples: physical—landforms, climates, bodies of water, resources

human—language, religion, culture, economy, government

•  Interpreting processes and reasons for regional change, including land use, urban growth, population, natural disasters, and trade
•  Analyzing interactions among regions to show transnational relationships, including the flow of commodities and Internet connectivity
Examples: winter produce to Alabama from Chile and California, poultry from Alabama to other countries (Alabama)

•  Comparing how culture and experience influence individual perceptions of places and regions
Examples: cultural influences—language, religion, ethnicity, iconography, symbology, stereotypes

•  Explaining globalization and its impact on people in all regions of the world
Examples: quality and sustainability of life, international cooperation

Unpacked Content
Strand: Economics, Geography
Course Title: Geography
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Identify the reasons for organizing geographic information by region and use regional information to organize geographic information.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • regional geography
  • functional and perceptual regions
  • spatial process and regional change
  • regional interactions
  • culture
  • perception
  • globalization
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • Geographic features can be organized into regions in order to understand activities and processes within and between places.
  • Formal, functional, and perceptional regions; land use, urban growth, natural disaster, commodity, Internet connectivity, globalization, sustainability, international cooperation.
  • Physical regions—landforms, climates, bodies of water, resources.
  • Human regions—language, religion, culture, economy, government.
  • Cultural influences characterizing regions—language, religion, ethnicity, iconography, symbology, stereotypes how to use regions for identification of related phenomena, interpretation of processes causing regional change, analysis of interactions among regions in terms of economic activities, migration, cultural diffusion, and evaluation of the impacts of globalization.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Construct various types of regions, determine regional boundaries or transitional boundary zones.
  • Read and analyze thematic maps that display information, such as climate, religion, international commodity flows, arranged by geographic regions.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • Regions are a way of organizing spatial (geographic) information for specific social, economic, and political purposes.
Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 7
Geography
All Resources: 5
Classroom Resources: 5
3 ) Compare geographic patterns in the environment that result from processes within the atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere of Earth's physical systems.

•  Comparing Earth-Sun relationships regarding seasons, fall hurricanes, monsoon rainfalls, and tornadoes
•  Explaining processes that shape the physical environment, including long-range effects of extreme weather phenomena
Examples: processes—plate tectonics, glaciers, ocean and atmospheric circulation, El Niño

long-range effects—erosion on agriculture, typhoons on coastal ecosystems

•  Describing characteristics and physical processes that influence the spatial distribution of ecosystems and biomes on Earth's surface
•  Comparing how ecosystems vary from place to place and over time
Examples: place to place—differences in soil, climate, and topography

over time—alteration or destruction of natural habitats due to effects of floods and forest fires, reduction of species diversity due to loss of natural habitats, reduction of wetlands due to replacement by farms, reduction of forest and farmland due to replacement by housing developments, reduction of previously cleared land due to reforestation efforts

•  Comparing geographic issues in different regions that result from human and natural processes
Examples: human—increase or decrease in population, land-use change in tropical forests

natural—hurricanes, tsunamis, tornadoes, floods

Unpacked Content
Strand: Economics, Geography
Course Title: Geography
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Use maps, charts, and diagrams to: recognize, compare, and understand spatial (geographic) patterns resulting from human and natural processes within the atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere of Earth's physical systems.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • geographic or spatial patterns
  • regions
  • compare
  • geographic issues
  • human and natural processes
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • Geographic patterns in the environment that result from processes within the atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere of Earth's physical systems.
  • Earth-Sun relationships regarding seasons, fall hurricanes, monsoon rainfalls, and tornadoes.
  • Processes that shape the physical environment, including long-range effects of extreme weather phenomena, such as plate tectonics, glaciers, ocean and atmospheric circulation, El Niño long-range effects—erosion on agriculture, typhoons on coastal ecosystems.
  • Characteristics and physical processes that influence the spatial distribution of ecosystems and biomes on Earth's surface.
  • How ecosystems vary from place to place and over time, such as alteration or destruction of natural habitats due to effects of floods and forest fires, reduction of species diversity due to loss of natural habitats, reduction of wetlands due to replacement by farms, reduction of forest and farmland due to replacement by housing developments, reduction of previously cleared land due to reforestation efforts.
  • Geographic issues in different regions that result from human and natural processes.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Interpret reasons for spatial patterns of Earth's regions.
  • Compare variations between and within geographic regions.
  • Explain processes that shape the physical environment.
  • Compare and explain geographic issues in different regions.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • Spatial patterns are caused by human and physical processes in the atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, and the hydrosphere.
Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 7
Geography
All Resources: 1
Lesson Plans: 1
4 ) Evaluate spatial patterns and the demographic structure of population on Earth's surface in terms of density, dispersion, growth and mortality rates, natural increase, and doubling time.

Examples: spatial patterns—major population clusters

demographic structure—age and sex distribution using population pyramids

•  Predicting reasons and consequences of migration, including push and pull factors
Examples: push—politics, war, famine

pull—potential jobs, family

Unpacked Content
Strand: Economics, Geography, History, Civics and Government
Course Title: Geography
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Describe and analyze spatial patterns, the demographic structure of population on Earth's surface, and changes in the demographic structure of population.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • demographic structure
  • population pyramid
  • density
  • dispersion
  • growth
  • mortality rate
  • natural population increase
  • doubling time and migration
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • Spatial patterns—major population clusters. Demographic structure—age and sex distribution using population pyramids.
  • Types of migration and reasons for migration including both push and pull reasons.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Interpret demographic and population data.
  • Predict and calculate changes in population.
  • Evaluate causes and consequences of historical events, such as migration.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • There are spatial patterns and demographic structure to the population on Earth's surface.
Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 7
Geography
All Resources: 1
Lesson Plans: 1
5 ) Explain how cultural features, traits, and diffusion help define regions, including religious structures, agricultural patterns, ethnic enclaves, ethnic restaurants, and the spread of Islam.

Unpacked Content
Strand: Economics, Geography, History
Course Title: Geography
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Explain how cultural features, traits, and diffusion help define regions.
  • Analyze changes in regions over time.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • cultural traits
  • diffusion
  • agriculture
  • ethnic
  • cultural landscape
  • culture regions
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • How cultural features, traits, and diffusion help define regions.
  • Cultural characteristics of regions including religious structures and agricultural patterns.
  • Changes in the cultural characteristics of regions including development of ethnic enclaves, introduction of ethnic restaurants, and changes in religious belief such as the spread of Islam.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Define and recognize elements of culture and expressions of culture on the landscape that collectively define a culture region, i.e., Mormon culture region.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • Cultural features, traits, and diffusion help define regions and change over time.
Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 7
Geography
All Resources: 0
6 ) Illustrate how primary, secondary, and tertiary economic activities have specific functions and spatial patterns.

Examples: primary—forestry, agriculture, mining

secondary—manufacturing furniture, grinding coffee beans, assembling automobiles

tertiary—selling furniture, selling caffé latte, selling automobiles

•  Comparing one location to another for production of goods and services
Examples: fast food restaurants in highly accessible locations, medical offices near hospitals, legal offices near courthouses, industries near major transportation routes

•  Analyzing the impact of economic interdependence and globalization on places and their populations
Examples: seed corn produced in Iowa and planted in South America, silicon chips manufactured in California and installed in a computer made in China that is purchased in Australia

•  Explaining why countries enter into global trade agreements, including the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA), the European Union (EU), the Mercado Común del Sur (MERCOSUR), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Unpacked Content
Strand: Economics, Geography, History, Civics and Government
Course Title: Geography
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Evaluate the nature of primary, secondary, and tertiary economic activities.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • primary economic activities
  • secondary economic activities
  • tertiary economic activities
  • economic interdependence
  • globalization
  • trade agreements
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • The nature, characteristics and spatial expressions of three broad categories of economic activities.
    Examples:
    • primary—forestry, agriculture, mining
    • secondary—manufacturing furniture, grinding coffee, beans, assembling automobiles
    • tertiary— selling furniture, selling café latte, selling automobiles
  • Economic activities create spatial patterns and the type and degree often reveal the developmental nature of the geographic area.
  • Reasons for trade between regions.
  • Definition and examples of globalization and the effects of increased globalization.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Evaluate the properties of primary, secondary and tertiary economic activities.
  • Compare locations of economic activities.
  • Evaluate benefits and drawbacks of trade agreements.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • Primary, secondary, and tertiary economic activities have specific functions and spatial patterns.
Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 7
Geography
All Resources: 2
Learning Activities: 1
Lesson Plans: 1
7 ) Classify spatial patterns of settlement in different regions of the world, including types and sizes of settlement patterns.

Examples: types—linear, clustered, grid

sizes—large urban, small urban, and rural areas

•  Explaining human activities that resulted in the development of settlements at particular locations due to trade, political importance, or natural resources
Examples: Timbuktu near caravan routes; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Birmingham, Alabama, as manufacturing centers near coal and iron ore deposits; Singapore near a major ocean transportation corridor (Alabama)

•  Describing settlement patterns in association with the location of resources
Examples: fall line settlements near waterfalls used as a source of energy for mills, European industrial settlements near coal seams, spatial arrangement of towns and cities in North American Corn Belt settlements

•  Describing ways in which urban areas interact and influence surrounding regions
Examples: daily commuters from nearby regions; communication centers that service nearby and distant locations through television, radio, newspapers, and the Internet; regional specialization in services or production

Unpacked Content
Strand: Economics, Geography, History, Civics and Government
Course Title: Geography
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Analyze and describe spatial patterns of settlement in different regions of the world.
  • Evaluate the influence of changes in settlement over time.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • linear
  • clustered
  • grid
  • settlement
  • settlement patterns
  • urban area
  • spatial interaction
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • Different types of settlements by type, size, major functions, such as linear, clustered, grid, large urban, small urban, and rural.
  • Ways in which urban areas interact and influence surrounding regions.
    Examples: daily commuters from nearby regions; communication centers that service nearby and distant locations through television, radio, newspapers, and the Internet; regional specialization in services or production
  • Regions where human activities resulted in the development of settlements at particular locations due to trade, political importance, or natural resources.
    Examples: Timbuktu near caravan routes; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Birmingham, Alabama, as manufacturing centers near coal and iron ore deposits; Singapore near a major ocean transportation corridor (Alabama)
  • Settlement patterns in association with the location of resources.
    Examples: fall line settlements near waterfalls used as a source of energy for mills, European industrial settlements near coal seams, spatial arrangement of towns and cities in North American Corn Belt settlements
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Classify types and sizes of settlements.
  • Determine geographic and cultural reasons for settlement locations.
  • Evaluate relationships between different settlement regions.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • There are spatial patterns of settlement in different regions of the world.
Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 7
Geography
All Resources: 3
Classroom Resources: 3
8 ) Determine political, military, cultural, and economic forces that contribute to cooperation and conflict among people.

•  Identifying political boundaries based on physical and human systems
Examples: physical—rivers as boundaries between counties

human—streets as boundaries between local government units

•  Identifying effects of cooperation among countries in controlling territories
Examples: Great Lakes environmental management by United States and Canada, United Nations (UN) Heritage sites and host countries, Antarctic Treaty on scientific research

•  Describing the eruption of territorial conflicts over borders, resources, land use, and ethnic and nationalistic identity
Examples: India and Pakistan conflict over Jammu and Kashmir, the West Bank, the Sudan, Somalia piracy, ocean fishing and mineral rights, local land-use disputes

Unpacked Content
Strand: Economics, Geography, History, Civics and Government
Course Title: Geography
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Evaluate the effects of political, military, cultural and economic forces on cooperation and conflict among people.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • conflict
  • cooperation
  • economic forces
  • human and physical systems
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • Political boundaries created by human and physical systems.
  • The effect of cooperation among countries in controlling territories.
  • The effects of territorial conflicts over borders, resources, land use, and ethnic and nationalistic identity.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Evaluate the spatial influence of political, military, cultural forces on the landscape and among people.
  • Identify various ways boundaries are identified.
  • Evaluate the reasons for territorial conflicts.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • Political, military, cultural and economic forces contribute to cooperation and conflict among people.
Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 7
Geography
All Resources: 0
9 ) Explain how human actions modify the physical environment within and between places, including how human-induced changes affect the environment.

Examples: within—construction of dams and downstream water availability for human consumption, agriculture, and aquatic ecosystems

between—urban heat islands and global climate change, desertification and land degradation, pollution and ozone depletion

Unpacked Content
Strand: Economics, Geography, History
Course Title: Geography
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Explain the ways peoples' actions produce both positive and negative effects on the physical environment at the local to global level.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • modification
  • induced changes
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • How human actions modify the physical environment within and between places.
  • How human-induced changes affect the environment.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Recognize the effects of human actions on the physical environment.
  • Evaluate changes in the physical environment.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • Physical environment and actions play a major role in changing the face of Earth's environments.
Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 7
Geography
All Resources: 0
10 ) Explain how human systems develop in response to physical environmental conditions.

Example: farming practices in different regions, including slash-and-burn agriculture, terrace farming, and center-pivot irrigation

•  Identifying types, locations, and characteristics of natural hazards, including earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and mudslides
•  Differentiating ways people prepare for and respond to natural hazards, including building storm shelters, conducting fire and tornado drills, and establishing building codes for construction
Unpacked Content
Strand: Economics, Geography, Civics and Government
Course Title: Geography
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Explain how human systems develop in response to physical environmental conditions.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • human systems
  • differentiating
  • response
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • How human systems develop in response to physical environmental conditions.
  • Farming practices in different regions, including slash-and-burn agriculture, terrace farming, and center-pivot irrigation.
  • Types, locations, and characteristics of natural hazards, including earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and mudslides.
  • Ways people prepare for and respond to natural hazards, including building storm shelters, conducting fire and tornado drills, and establishing building codes for construction.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Interpret regional and global spatial patterns.
  • Evaluate adaptions to physical environmental conditions.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • Human systems develop in response to physical environmental conditions.
Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 7
Geography
All Resources: 0
11 ) Explain the cultural concept of natural resources and changes in spatial distribution, quantity, and quality through time and by location.

•  Evaluating various cultural viewpoints regarding the use or value of natural resources
Examples: salt and gold as valued commodities, petroleum product use and the invention of the internal combustion engine

•  Identifying issues regarding depletion of nonrenewable resources and the sustainability of renewable resources
Examples: ocean shelf and Arctic exploration for petroleum, hybrid engines in cars, wind-powered generators, solar collection panels

Unpacked Content
Strand: Economics, Geography, History
Course Title: Geography
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Evaluate and explain different cultural viewpoints about use and value of natural resources and changes in distribution, quantity, and quality of resources through time and by location.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • cultural concept
  • cultural viewpoint
  • spatial distribution
  • non-renewable and renewable
  • resources
  • sustainability
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • The ways cultural viewpoints about the use and value of natural resources can change over time.
  • Reasons for the changes in value, distribution, quantity, and quality of resources.
  • Issues related to the use of non-renewable resources.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Read thematic maps to locate particular resources and their global distribution.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • Cultural concepts of natural resources and changes in spatial distribution of resources differ over time.
Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 7
Geography
All Resources: 2
Lesson Plans: 1
Classroom Resources: 1
12 ) Explain ways geographic features and environmental issues have influenced historical events.

Examples: geographic features—fall line, Cumberland Gap, Westward Expansion in the United States, weather conditions at Valley Forge and the outcome of the American Revolution, role of ocean currents and winds during exploration by Christopher Columbus

environmental issues—boundary disputes, ownership of ocean resources, revitalization of downtown areas

Unpacked Content
Strand: Economics, Geography, History, Civics and Government
Course Title: Geography
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Analyze and describe the ways geographic features and environmental issues have influenced historical events.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • geographic features
  • physical environments
  • environmental issues
  • revitalization
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • The ways geographic feature can effect historical events.
  • The ways environmental issues can effect historical events.
  • Geographic features: fall line, Cumberland Gap, desert southwest, global and local landscape patterns, climate and weather conditions (local to global), central business district/downtown.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Read and interpret physical geography maps related to historical events.
  • Trace the progression of a historical event or era on a map.
  • Analyze changing realities of natural resources.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • Historical events are influenced by geographic features and environmental issues.