7 th Grade Social Studies Introduction Ms. Finnegan’s Class

Where we will go… Asia China, Japan, India, Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia Middle East Iraq, Iran, Israel, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey Africa Egypt, Sudan, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo

First Unit 8 Connecting Themes Review of maps Latitude/longitude Themes of geography Elements of economy

ASIA Geography Do you know where the Ganges River is? Impact of Location What things influence where people choose to live? Government Do you know what kind of government China has? Religion Do you know what religions started in Asia? Environment What is the Asian Brown Cloud? Economy Do you remember what a command economy is? History Do you know what happened to Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

MIDDLE EAST Geography Can you find Iraq on a map? Impact of Location Why do people live so far apart in the region? Government Do you know what Sharia law is? Religion Do you know what 3 religions originated here? Environment What are the biggest environmental problems in the region? Economy What made the Saudi Royal family one of the richest in the world? History Do you know why Israel and Palestine are fighting?

AFRICA Geography What is the longest river in the world? Impact of Location How does the unique geography of Africa affect people’s jobs? Government Which country is governed by dictator? Religion What is animism? Environment How many oil spills does the Niger River average per day? Economy What is one of the poorest countries in the world? History What European country colonized South Africa?

3 Main Projects Travel Brochures of Asia ABCs of the Middle East Africa Cereal Boxes **None of these projects require typing or any computer programs- only the internet**

Other Stuff We will learn about Money Management - Credit, Interest, Income - How to make a budget We will also be reading novels that take place in the countries that we will be studying We will have a guest speaker who has travelled to Kazakhstan We will have “show and tell” opportunities during each unit for you to bring in pictures and other stuff from the countries we are studying.

Looking Forward to a great year!