Social Studies — Grade 7

Traveling through Africa

Students will plan a one-week, three country trip through Africa and create a travelogue of places they will visit. The students will create an electronic scrapbook of highlights of the trip (including cultural highlights, historical points of interest, geographic features, etc.)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Social Studies)

By Ren Bryan.

Salt trading in Asia

In this interdisciplinary lesson, students explore the mineral salt from a variety of perspectives — scientific, geographic, and cultural. The lesson incorporates images of salt production in Nepal and Vietnam, and may be used with grade 4 or grade 7.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 and 7 Science and Social Studies)

By Edie McDowell.

Regions of Nepal: A virtual trek

This lesson for grade seven helps students understand the connections between geography and culture. Students experience a virtual trek through the different regions of Nepal, conduct research about the ethnic groups living in each region, and maintain travel logs documenting what they've learned.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Social Studies)

By Edie McDowell.

Resources on the web

Where in the world would you like to live?

Students compare thematic maps of the continents and the world as a whole to determine where they would like to live. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

What is Asia?

This Xpeditions lesson introduces students to diversity in Asia. After considering what is meant by the term "Asia," students identify the various regions in Asia and consider factors for determining what is considered a "region". (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

The travels of Ibn Battuta

In this Xpeditions lesson, students work in groups to research the different areas that the 14th-century Islamic traveler Ibn Battuta visited. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

The shape of things to come

In this Xpeditions lesson, students explore the shapes of countries around the world. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

River sources and stories

In this lesson, from Xpeditions, students learn about the differences in precipitation levels and elevation in the regions of the Nile and its source rivers (the White Nile and the Blue Nile). (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

Oil and water in the Middle East region

In this lesson, from Xpeditions, students explore the roles of oil and water in the Middle East, especially in Iraq. Students use maps to look at the distribution of oil in the Middle East and discuss what it means for the different countries in the region. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

Mapping the past

Students gain experience in working with historical maps as cultural artifacts that reflect the views of particular times and places. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7–8 Social Studies)

Provided by: National Endowment for the Humanities

Living through a drought

In this Xpeditions lesson, students practice map-reading skills. Using a drought map of Afghanistan, students learn how to recognize drought, where drought can occur, and how drought affects the people who live in those places. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Science and Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

Lions and people: Keeping the balance

In this Xpeditions lesson, students read an article about the conflicts between lions and people. They focus on an area of Kenya outside of the national park system that is being managed and studied in an attempt to maintain a healthy lion population. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Science and Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

Investigating central Asia through maps

In this Xpeditions lesson, students use physical, political, and thematic maps to investigate the geography of Central Asia through a scavenger hunt. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

Interpreting the evidence

This lesson, the second of a two-part series from Science NetLinks, offers useful information and activities to help students understand how scientists learn about civilizations that have disappeared. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Science and Social Studies)

Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science

GIS: Helping to save the African wild

In this Xpeditions lesson, students learn about a geographic tool known as GIS, Geographic Information Systems, and about how it is assisting the conservation efforts of ecologically-minded researchers. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

Geography and your dream job

Introduces students to the five themes of geography. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

Famous boundaries

Students label boundaries (between states or countries) on a map and then think about the boundaries they are familiar with near their homes. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

Drought, famine, and geographic diversity

This lesson will teach students about Ethiopia's different geographic regions to combat the misconception that the country has only drought, famine, and war. As students listen to news stories, they will recognize that the media portrayals of Ethiopia are... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

Cities in Asia

In this Xpeditions lesson, students identify the characteristics of cities and analyze the influence of geography on patterns of urban settlement. They explore the role geography plays in the types of cities that develop. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

Boundary ballads

Students identify the boundaries that are “singing” odd geographical songs. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–7 Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic