Seventh Grade Syllabus 2nd nine weeks
October 16-October 30—Determine how people organize economic systems to
address basic economic questions regarding which goods and services will be
produced, how they will be distributed, and who will consume them. I.e. Capitalism,
communism, feudalism. Use economic concepts to explain historical and current
developments and issues in global, national, and state contexts. Increase in oil
prices resulting from supply and demand.
November 3-15—appraise the relationship between the consumer and the
marketplace in the economy of the United States regarding scarcity, opportunity
cost, trade-off decision making, and the stock market. Describe effects of
government policies on the free market, identify laws protecting rights of
consumers, and avenues of recourse when those rights are violated, compare
economic systems, including market, command, and traditional.
November 17-25-Apply principles of money management to the preparation of a
personal budget that addresses housing, transportation, food, clothing, medical
expenses, insurance, checking and savings accounts, loans, investments, credit, and
comparison shopping.
December 1-December 12-Describe individual and civic responsibilities of the
citizens of the United States. Respect for rights of others, self-discipline,
negotiation, compromise, fiscal responsibility…respect for law, patriotism, and
participation in political processes. Differentiate rights, privileges, duties, and
responsibilities between citizens and non-citizens. Explain how U.S. citizenship is
acquired by immigrants. Explain character traits that are beneficial to individuals
and society…honesty, courage, compassion, civility, loyalty


Students will be given Unit Tests after each unit is completed.
The students will also be given the opportunity to research and write a paper
on a topic within any of the themes that are discussed this 9 weeks. The
paper will be modeled on the 5 paragraph essay. This paper will be due on
December 19.

The students will also be given the opportunity participate in discussions
related to various themes, participate in role-play simulations, and problem
solving situations relevant to the past and present.
7th grade Syllabus Third 9 Weeks
January 6-January 30-Describe in spatial terms using maps and other geographic
representations, tools, and technologies. Explain the use of map essentials,
including type, projections, scale, legend, distance, direction, grid, and symbols.
Type examples…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, GPS systems, geographic
information system, satellite-remote sensing, aerial photography.
Utilize maps to explain relationships and environments among people and places,
including trade patterns, governmental alliances, and immigration patterns. Apply
mental maps to answer geographic questions, categorize geographic organization of
people, places, and environments using special maps. Examples…urban land usage
patterns, distribution and linkage of cities, migration patterns, population-density
patterns, spread of cultural traits, spread of diseases.
February 2-February 13-Determine how regions are used to describe the
organization of the Earth’s surface
Identify physical and human features used as criteria for mapping
regions…landforms, climates, bodies of water, resources. Language, religion,
culture, economy, and government.
Interpret processes and reasons for regional change: land use, urban growth,
population change, natural disasters, and trade.
Analyze interactions among regions to show transitional relationships, including
flow of commodities and Internet connectivity…winter produce to Alabama from
Chile and California, and poultry from Alabama to other countries.
Compare how culture and experience influence perceptions of places and regions,
language, religion, ethnicity, iconography, symbology, stereotypes.
Explain globalization and its impact in all regions of the world.
February 17-February 27-Compare geographic patterns in the environment that
result from processes within the atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, and
hydrosphere of Earth’s physical systems.
Compare the earth-sun relationship regarding seasons, fall hurricanes, monsoon
rainfalls, and tornadoes. Explain the process that shape physical environment
including long-range effects of extreme weather phenomena such as plate
tectonics, glaciers, ocean and atmospheric circulation, El Nino, erosion,
Describe the characteristics and physical processes that influence the spatial
distribution of ecosystems and biomes on Earth’s surface. How do ecosystems vary
from place to place and how they vary over time. Place to place examples, soil
differences, climate, and topography. Overtime examples-alteration of natural
habitat due to flood, fire, reduction of species diversity due to loss of natural
habitat, reduction of wetlands due to replacement of farms, reduction of forests
and farmland due to replacement of housing development, and reforestation
efforts.
Compare geographic issues in different regions—hurricanes, tsunamis, tornadoes,
floods.
March 2-13—Evaluate spatial patterns and demographic structure of population on
Earth’s surface in terms of density, dispersion, growth, and mortality rates,
natural increase, and doubling time.
Predict reasons and consequences of migration, including push and pull factors—
politics, war, famine…potential of jobs and family.
7th grade syllabus 4th 9 weeks
March 16-31—spring break in the middle of this unit…Explain how cultural
features, traits, and diffusion help define regions, including religious structures,
agricultural patterns, ethnic enclaves, ethnic restaurants, spread of Islam.
April 1-10-Illustrate how primary, secondary, and tertiary economic activities have
specific functions and special patterns.
Primary—forestry, agriculture, mining
Secondary—manufacturing furniture, grinding coffee beans, assembling
automobiles
Tertiary—selling furniture, selling café latte, selling automobiles
Compare one location to another for production of goods and services…fast food
restaurants in highly accessible locations, medical offices near hospitals, legal
offices near courthouses, and industries near transportation routes.
Analyze impact of economic interdependence and globalization on places and
populations…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 sold in
Australia.
Explain why countries enter into global trade agreements…NAFTA, DR-CAFTA, EU,
MERCOSUR, and ASEAN
April 13-April 23-Classify spatial patterns of settlement in different regions of
the world, including types and sizes of settlement patterns…types-linear,
clustered, grid…Sizes-large urban, small urban, rural.
Explain how human activity that resulted in the development of settlements at
particular locations due to trade, political importance, or natural
resources…Timbuktu near trade routes, Pittsburgh, and Birmingham near coal and
iron ore deposits, Singapore near ocean transportation corridor.
Describe settlement patterns in association with the location of resources…fall line
settlements near waterfalls to use energy for mills. European Industrial
settlements near coal seams, special arrangements of towns and cities in North
American Corn Belt settlements.
Describe ways in which urban areas interact and influence surrounding
regions…Daily commuters from region to region, communication centers that
service nearby and distant locations through radio, television, newspapers, and
internet.
April 27-May 8-Determine Political, Military, cultural and economic forces that
contribute to cooperation and conflict among people.
Identify political boundaries based on physical and human systems, rivers as
boundaries between countries, streets as boundaries between local governments
Identify effects of cooperation among countries in controlling territories…UN,
NATO, etc.
Describe the eruption of territorial conflicts over boundaries, resources, land use,
and ethnic identity…India, Pakistan conflict over Jammu and Kashmir, West Bank,
Sudan, Somalia Piracy, Iraq,
May 11-22-explain how human systems develop in response to physical
environmental conditions.
Farming practices in different regions, slash-and-burn agriculture, terrace
farming, center-pivot irrigation
Identify types, locations, and characters of natural hazards, earthquakes,
hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, mudslides.
Differentiate ways people prepare for and respond to natural hazards, including
storm shelters, fire and tornado drills, building codes for construction.