LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Social Studies — Grade 7

Goal 3: The learner will analyze the impact of interactions between humans and their physical environments in Africa, Asia, and Australia.

Objective 3.01. Identify ways in which people of selected areas in Africa, Asia, and Australia have used, altered, and adapted to their environments in order to meet their needs and evaluate the impact of their actions on the development of cultures and regions.

Additional related resources

We’re in the process of aligning our content for students to the Standard Course of Study. As we do, you’ll find it here.

General resources

Aligned lesson plans

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.
To market, to market: Photograph analysis
In this lesson, students analyze photos of markets from around the world to gain an understanding of the similarities and differences between geographically distant places, to learn about the economic and cultural significance of markets, and to improve visual literacy skills.
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 English Language Arts and Social Studies)
By Eric Eaton.
Picturing Vietnam
This lesson plan is intended to introduce students to Vietnam’s geography, climate, culture, history, natural history, arts, economics, and government. Students will view a collection of documentary photographs and use these for making logical observations, drawing conclusions, and as a basis for creative writing.
Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts, Information Skills, and Social Studies)
By Edie McDowell.
Modern China: The dam debate
In CareerStart lessons: Grade seven, page 4.7
In this lesson for grade seven, students learn about the Three Gorges Dam in China and the controversy surrounding its construction. Students will take on the roles of people whose lives may be affected by the dam, and will participate in a debate about it.
Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts and Second Languages)
By Susan N. Carter-Hope and James Philippart.Adapted by Kenyatta Bennett, Meredith Ebert, and Sonya Rexrode.

Resources on the web

Where Do Your Possessions Come From?
It's important for geography students to learn about the Earth's natural resources and the ways that people use these resources. It's also important for students to recognize that there are always environmental and human impacts related to the resource... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 Science and Social Studies)
Provided by: Xpeditions
What does a picture tell you about culture?
This lesson examines pictures to create an understanding of cultural landscapes. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 Social Studies)
Provided by: National Geographic
Rich, poor, or somewhere in the middle
This Xpeditions lesson offers students an opportunity to use economic and social indicators to identify the connection between a country's access to resources and its economic development. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 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
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
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
Animals of the nomads
In this Xpeditions lesson, students learn about nomadic pastoralism by examining the roles of animals and the relationship between available natural resources and nomadic life in Central Asian societies. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Social Studies)
Provided by: National Geographic